Amazing Magic Tricks Revealed

By James Wong

There is a famous magic trick with the effect of a handkerchief suddenly appearing in a decanter. We might try a similar invention right now, using that decanter trick as the basis. At random, we substitute a photograph for the handkerchief. This substitution suggests a frame in which it may appear. We must have a place in which to hide the picture prior to its appearance. A hollow back immediately comes to mind. The picture could be rolled up in one edge of the frame as well.

To meet modern conditions we might borrow the indirect method of applying the power to pull the thread. Spinning the frame, as Orrin spins the web, would do. The frame might be mounted, spinning around vertically. Or it might spin from back to front, horizontally, on a shaft extending from side to side. Of course, we could spin it as the web is turned.

The thread is attached to the picture. This is brought into view as the frame turns. Some experiment might be necessary to determine the best hiding place. More experiment will determine the proper type of rotation. Other details, such as insuring that the picture will not be caught, construction to insure smooth passage, stiffness of the picture stock and other' matters will develop the best general plan.

Methods of pulling the thread other than turning the frame would be using assistant or counterweight or some sort of mechanical device. The thread could be tied on a chair on stage and the magician holds the picture frame in hands. When he desires to execute the trickery, he can simply walk forward and the thread is tightened and the picture is pulled into view.

The change of the container can also bring a different flavor to the magic trick. Try an elegant vase and make a rose appear in it. The vase could be glued to a turntable. Spin the turntable quickly to cause the rose to fly into place from a secret hiding pocket behind the table.

You can achieve more close up magic by transforming the device to a portable one instead of massive stage props. Treat your hands as the decanter. Hide the handkerchief in your coat pocket or sleeve. Tie the handkerchief with a thread. The other end goes to the belt and fixed. When you execute the move, hook onto the thread with your thumb and pull quickly. If done correctly, you can make a handkerchief appears magically at your finger tips.

With one end of the thread attached to a firm foundation, just hooking one thumb beneath it and pushing forward suddenly will make it possible to produce a silk, a flower, or some small device with which you work. - 31879

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The Tale of Dungeons and Dragons

By Zeeman Haus

Know ye now of days gone by where elves ruled and dragons flew? Know ye not? Well I'm going to tell you a thing or two about Dungeons and Dragons so you can impress all your friends.

Dungeons and Dragons was first on the scene nearly 36 years ago as a game. Invented in 1974, it saw several rules changes and some refinement of the last three and half decades, though it say it's hay day in the mid-80s when everyone short of your Grandmother tried the game at one point or the other.

Dungeons and Dragons could be considered a board game as well and a role playing game. It does, after all, have a "board" or map that players will have to navigate. There are game pieces to be used, but all similarity ends there. The dice used is the beginning of the divergence from the "normal" board game.

Dungeons and Dragons requires a 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20 sided die to place. As crazy as it sounds, they are an important part of the game. They are not used for movement, that is predetermined by the game it's self, but instead as a "luck and skill" factor for the character's individual talents. If the character shoots something, battles something or a number of other actions, they will have to roll the dice to see what the result is. Understanding the notation of the dice is important as well. A 1d12 roll is "1 die 12 sided" to be rolled while a 2d6 would be "2 dice 6 sided" and so on. Not knowing your die notation will get you laughed at.

Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves and Halflings are all races that can be played through 99.9% of the mods; they are the base classes. Each of these races has areas of strength and weakness. Which one is chosen as the character to be played will help in determining the class of the character.

Class is what the character does for the group or party. The four main classes are: Warriors, who provide strength and tenacity and are the "shock troops" of the group. Wizards, which lack the Warrior's strength and stamina, but have the ability to use magic. Priests, which are the healers of the game and will keep a party moving forward without having to stop and heal "naturally." And Thieves, which specialize is stealth, trap detection and lock picking. There are infinite combinations of these classes, from Paladin knights to Rangers, but typically, these are considered the main character types.

The alignment of the character is the character's moral stance; good, neutral or evil. Since this is a role-playing game, this is also how your character will interact with other characters. Being an evil character does not mean you can eat another party member's hot pocket if they fall asleep on the couch, but it does mean that your character might argue with say, one of the "good guys". This adds a little something to the game. So does your character's level. The level of your character is based on what you've accomplished while playing them. With every battle won and quest completed, the player is awarded experience points, which when added to points already accumulated, will "level" a character. Higher levels mean more options as characters will gain strength and new skills with each new level achieved.

Even after over 35 years of being played, Dungeons and Dragons is still enjoyed around the world. The game has survived other Role Playing games, Online RPGs and other game platforms. Though not as prolific as they once were, D&D game groups do still exist. Most of these groups are hard to find, but they do still exist and are generally happy to take on a new person. To find groups you may check on the web, in a local comic book shop or hobby store. - 31879

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Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures which provides deals Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures & Accessories.

Creating New Magic Tricks with Old Tricks

By Simon Wong

New magic tricks are easily created by giving some twists to some classic magic tricks or principles. Take the old appearing handkerchief in decanter trick as an example. This could be converted into a new trick by substituting props other than those used in the original version. A milk bottle could be used instead of the conventional decanter. Or a whiskey bottle. Use a necktie in place of the handkerchief, or even a small collapsible snake. Or combine the milk bottle, alone, with any vanish of a flag, a handkerchief or a piece of silk wearing apparel-even a brassiere or a pair of panties.

However, good tricks are usually invented by more than merely switching of the objects involved. Take the Orrin's Spider Web Trick as an example which in my opinion not only changed the outlook but actually improved the trick and bring it into more possibilities.

The Spider Web Trick is also to produce something by pulling the object quickly into view just as the decanter trick. The spider web trick still uses a thread which is the most important part of the trickery. But Orrin switched a card for the handkerchief. A cool spider figure is used instead of a transparent decanter. A disc decorated to look like a spider web is used instead of a plain table.

Another important change made to the tricks is the pulling method. Originally the thread is pulled by an assistant or a counter weight. But Orrin improved the pulling by incorporating the action into another flourish action which is turning the table. The turning of the table also helped in concealing the path of the card. So the effect becomes like this: the magician display a spider figure on a web. He then turns the web and the chosen card mysteriously appears at the mouth of the spider.

We are not saying that the magician Orrin created the effect by substituting the objects like that. We are just illustrating how this principle can be used to produce an innovative effect from an old trickery.

Consider the steps in outline form: 1. The objects are changed-a card for a handkerchief, a spider for a decanter. 2. The place of appearance was changed in character. The original location was inside a transparent object. 3. The source of power was changed. Originally it came from a concealed assistant. Here the performer himself applied the Power-indirectly. 4. Instead of moving the appearing object rapidly, Orrin moves the place of appearance rapidly. 5. Absence of a suitable background originally made it necessary to do the trick at a distance. Here, a background that made the thread invisible moved the trick much closer to the spectator.

It may seem that the decanter trick and the spider web trick are completely different magic effects. But after analysis, we see that they are much related. Readers can also produce new tricks by changing some elements in an old trick. - 31879

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Magic Tricks From Past To Present

By James Anthony

Mastering magic tricks is a performing art. This form of art is designed to entertain people and create the illusion of what cant be possible happening in front of your eyes. The masters who create these illusions are called magicians.

The term Magi's is Latin for Magi. A Magi was someone who read the stars as well as foretold the future for their communities. One of the greatest creators of magic tricks was the illusionist and escapologist Harry Houdini. In fact, Houdini was probably the greatest magicians as well as escapologists that ever lived.

Magic tricks are successfully created with mis direction and sleight of hand. Sometimes mirrors or some other form of deception was used as well. Anything the magician could do to create a sense of wonder as he performs his seemingly impossible magic tricks.

However, magic tricks wouldn't happen without an audience who is willing to be tricked. These audiences go in knowing they are going to be deceived, yet they sit and watch the show in amazement, even though all they are watching is trickery. The act of magic tricks never fail to amaze audiences.

What Houdini did was gain the trust of his fans by debunking others who claimed magic powers instead of just calling themselves illusionists. This is a practice that is followed today by some of the greatest magicians and illusionists including James Randi and Penn and Teller.

For a long time in the U. S., magic tricks were thought to be mainly children's entertainment. This would change though with the revival of Doug Henning. He worked to bring the great magic tricks back to huge public audiences of adults and he became popular on television as well as on stage.

In the twentieth century, many illusionists have emerged that are simply amazing. Performers like David Blaine perform Houdini style magic tricks like escapes and physical endurance displays for his fans. Most of these magicians we see on television perform their magic tricks in front of a live audience in order to gain the trust of their television audience.

Most magic tricks today are based on the old principals of magic. The saying its all done with smoke and mirrors was a reference to how magic tricks were performed. However, most magicians today don't bother with mirrors, simply because they are too difficult to transport and set up.

There are many types of magic tricks that performers accomplish. First, production tricks are where the illusionist produces an object out of nothing. Vanishing tricks however do the opposite, where the object seemingly disappears. Transformation magic tricks are when the illusionist changes one object into another one and restoration is where a magician destroys an object, then makes it reappear whole once again.

Tricks of teleportation happen when the illusionist moves an object, making it appear somewhere else. Escapology is the ability to be put into a dangerous situation in restraints and be able to escape unharmed. Levitation is where the illusionist appears to make something, or someone, float in mid-air. And Penetration tricks are when the performer is able to make one item pass successfully through another, leaving the main object undamaged. - 31879

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Magic tricks are achieved with a sleight of hand, misdirection, mirrors or some other form of deception, now on sale at your local magic shop .

The Unrehearsed Magic Show That Had Me Begging For Clemency

By Miles Sunkest

Last week I was shuffling down the street, trying my best to beat a hangover that was holding on for dear life. It was two in the afternoon, yet the cobwebs in my mind were refusing their grip on my sanity. Which is just as well, because what happened next surely destroyed plenty of my neural connections. I passed by this bookstore, and noticed this guy inside beckoning me to come in. Naturally, I complied.

This guy was doing some of the most incredible magic I've ever seen. When I walked in he was doing these wicked card tricks. He'd ask somebody to pick a card, and then have them show their friends, like normal. Only he'd have them put the card back in the deck, but then the card would show up in their sock or their wallet or something.

Then this guy started doing these crazy mentalist tricks. He started reading everybody's minds at once and mixing their thoughts together. He would make up some weird poetry on the spot, and it would incorporate all these people's deepest, darkest secrets. To say it was strange would be beyond the wildest limits of my capabilities of expression.

After that he did more normal tricks, like making things vanish and not come back, he made a few people float up in the air, and he made this puppy dance around and sing the theme from "The Love Boat." Actually when I think about it, the whole affair was quite out of the ordinary. I'm not sure if I know what really happened.

I decided to leave, and as I was walking out the front door, I heard a booming, mystical yet authoritative voice screaming from behind me. Like a cold desperate voice from the pits of eternal loneliness.

You must learn magic tricks! You must delve into the secret world of psychic tricks to uncover the mysteries of the unknown! They are depending on you! I wasn't sure who "they" were, but that was enough to spook me for good. I ran out of there, and never came back. - 31879

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Great Tips When Deciding To Book A Wedding Magician

By Andrew Edmonds

Booking a wedding magician for your special event can be a scary task since this is, after all, the biggest day of your life so far and getting it all right can be a bit overwhelming. Also, with yourselves being the centre of attention, your thoughts are not going to be on the general welfare of your guests, especially when the photographs are being taken where you will likely be occupied for one or two hours.

This is where a wedding magician can move in and add that extra dimension to your guests wedding experience leaving you with the comforting thought that they are in good hands.

But how do find the right magician for your wedding day? Let's face it, the last thing you want is an amateur with no personality showing a few silly tricks your grandad taught you when you were a child!

I've compiled several things you should note when considering hiring a wedding magician. Following each of these points you can be guaranteed of getting the wedding magician your guests deserve!

1) Variety of magicians

You need to first decide the type of magician you want and when you wish him/her to perform. The following is a list of things to consider.

Kids/Adults

Decide if you want just the kids entertained or adults or perhaps a mix of both kids and adults. A lot of wedding magicians will work only on entertaining your adult guests but most would also be happy to show the children a little something too.

Magic/mindreading

Decide if you want just visual magic with cards and coins or direct mindreading. A lot of magicians will do a bit of both though a mindreader is a very unique area which is becoming very popular. So think who you would prefer at your wedding, Derren Brown (mindreader) or David Blaine (magician)?

Close up/mingling style

A form of close-up magic performed whilst people are standing in groups, whereby the magician mingles with the crowd performing to small groups at a time. This works well for the drinks reception and evening entertainment.

Table to table style

A form of close-up magic performed whilst people are sitting at tables during the wedding breakfast, whereby the magician entertains a table at a time, between courses.

Cabaret style

A magician who performs on stage to an audience. This can work well during the evening reception as a bit of light relief for everyone.

2) Cost

It's likely you have a strict budget for your wedding so the price for hiring a magician is obviously a key factor. It would be foolish, however, to simply go with the cheapest magician you can find. There is no professional regulatory body for magicians so essentially anyone can learn a few tricks and call themselves a wedding magician. If you want quality, expect to pay in the region of 300 - 500 for two hours of close-up magic. A deposit in the range of 20% up front with the balance on the day is normal.

3) Quality of entertainer

You cannot gauge a magician's quality of entertainment simply by the price he sets. Likewise DO NOT judge a magician by how flashy his/her website is. Anyone can pay a web designer enough money to create a fantastic looking site, but that doesn't mean the magician is a good entertainer. Also, do not be drawn in by lines such as "The UK's top magician", as this is likely to have been written by the magician themselves. The following points should be seriously taken into consideration when looking over a website.

Testimonials

Testimonials are so important in your decision to book so have a thorough read through what past bookers have said. Remember, no one will ever put bad or average comments on his/her website so pay attention to the way in which a review has been written. For instance, if every testimonial says "He was awesome", or "Superb magic" then be wary. More detailed testimonials which really highlight that the clients were totally amazed and had their wedding day given that extra special element is what you are looking out for. Never be too shy to ask for a phone number of a booker on the testimonials page if you want to be absolutely sure they are genuine. A magician should be able to give you this.

Video/Radio/Pictures

There is absolutely no substitute for seeing or hearing the magician entertaining. Video and radio footage are great ways to do this. If a magician has no footage on his/her website you should probably wonder how long they have actually been performing as this should be the highest priority for a magician with a promotional website. Also great quality pictures are essential. Ensure all photos clearly show the people having a good time, also that the wedding magician looks smart, you don't want them turning up in David Blaine style dress wear of t-shirt and jeans!

4) Live

If you wish you can request the magician to give a live demonstration. This is not always required but if you really want to see the magic happen in front of your own eyes and make a decision then ask! If the magician is based within around twenty to thirty miles he should likely be perfectly willing to come to you. Any greater distance and you may need to meet halfway in a bar. You can also ask about any wedding fayres they are going to be performing at and go along to those instead.

5) Contact them

Many people shy away from calling nowadays with the ease of email. Though emailing your initial request is fine to get a quote, ALWAYS call before booking. Everyone has first impressions when meeting or talking to someone for the first time. Does he sound likable and friendly? You will instinctively know if he is the right man for the job, all other things considered.

Good luck! - 31879

About the Author:

Andrew is a full time professional london wedding magician working in the United Kingdom. For information on the service he provides and to pick up your free bonus tricks to entertain your friends, please visit surrey wedding magician and subscribe to his newsletter.

Ready To Learn Magic? Try Out the Best Ten!

By Armondo Felippe

Magic wand, magic trick, magical world...these words bid off the imaginations of any human being with their spell. Every skilled magician owns a skill set of his/her own. They perform their tricks in their own unique style. This unique style may form a combo with coins, cards or illusions to astound the audiences. This article is an attempt to get the list of the top ten magic tricks of all times for you.

10. Women sawing: this is the most thrilling magic trick of all times. This trick can be performed in different ways by different magicians. In this trick any women from the audience is invited or the magician calls his/her assistant for performing this trick. The woman is then requested to lie in the box and a saw is then passed through the box. The different pieces of the box are the separated that contain different parts of the body of the woman. These pieces of the box are then joined back and the woman is then released from the box unharmed.

9. Man run over by a truck: this is yet another trick that has been appreciated by most of the audiences worldwide. A truck passes over the volunteer (in most of the cases man) and after the truck has passed the man stands up again with the same strength and walk off.

8. Track-down the man on Roller Coaster: this trick is unique in own way and has been performed only by the launcher of this magic trick, Lance Burton. The magician as a part of this trick ties himself to the track of roller coaster and comes out of the trick unharmed.

7. Flying show of David Copperfield David Copperfield was one of the famous magicians who have ever lived. His works rather than being magical were pure illusions and his flying illusion is one of the best magic tricks which a person has ever seen.

6. Ice block encounter Ice block encounter of David Blaine in the Manhattan's Time Square is one of the greatest feats which any magician has ever performed. You wouldn't believe me if I told you that this guy froze himself in a block of ice which weighed since 6 tons and stayed in it for 6 hours. Amazing feat isn't it.

5. Copperfield's Death Saw If you were to watch this amazing magic trick you would very well accept that this man was the greatest illusionists of all time. The illusion performed showed him being cut it in two and I still keep guessing the secret behind it.

4. Indian rope trick: a terrific magic trick with its origin from India. This trick was discovered by an Indian nearly 60 years back when there was not even a trace of technology present.

3. Water cell escape Harry Houdini is one of the greatest escape artists and anyone familiar would know that all his magic tricks were not magical and involved only sheer skill. He managed to escape himself put in a water cell with his hands and legs tied.

2. Fine catch of bullet: this magical trick involved catching of bullet in such a fine manner that it never hurt the catcher, though it did hurt the people who practised it except the magician.

1. Buried still alive: this amazing trick of the popular magician of all times, Criss Angel approved the possible survival of a human being even after being buried for a long time. - 31879

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Find out about magic secrets and hidden treasures. This informative website has a wealth of knowledge about magic tricks