Hi runawayjag,

First, I want to say, I'm glad you liked COSMOS. Based on reading your previous posts, you seem to be an excellent magician that will perform COSMOS with professional flare and style.The Collector's Workshop videos did not end with this message: (This is a direct quote out of the COSMOS ad video after the BIG RED WARNING sign)

"WARNING
The preceding video was an EDITED performance of COSMOS
The editing is necessary to protect the method of COSMOS <- (I especially like that line.)
Your audience will experience EXACTLY what you just saw in this Video"

So, runawayjag, my question to you is; didn't you read that last WARNING message?
If my intention was to lie to you, why would I include that WARNING message?

As I've stated before several times . . . the video is clearly labeled as EDITED . . .
________________________________________

To my friends, PsiDroid, gosman, and roya . . .
The NEW version of COSMOS is almost done. The Ad video of COSMOS WILL be changed to satisfy you. ALL of my customers will be getting an email with a link to the NEW video. There are going to be 2 new variations of COSMOS and one variation of Let It Ride! Everything on this new video is for performing COSMOS 1x1. As I've stated before, my FAVORITE one is where the magician gets his cards all random, while the spectator separates the colors perfectly!
_________________________________________

For those of you who want a TEXT only ad for COSMOS this is what I have to say . . .

Here is a direct quote from Penguin Magic's TEXT advertisement for OOTW that you can DL for $7.95

http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=659
"The Effect:
You show the back of a card and ask a spectator to guess which color the face is... red or black.
The odds that he/she is correct are 50/50.
You show the back of each card making two piles... if the spectator guesses red you put the card in one pile, and if he/she guesses black you put the card in another pile.
By the end of the trick you've given the spectator 52 completely free choices, red or black...
You turn the TWO piles over to reveal that your spectator has identified the color of each card perfectly."


Here is another TEXT advertisement for OOTW from TrickShop.com where you can DL a PDF for $6.95 (printed manuscript for $12.95)

http://www.trickshop.com/out_of_this_world.html
"A spectator freely deals out cards from a shuffled deck into two face down piles guessing which are red and which are black. To everyone's amazement, when the cards are turned over - the two colors are perfectly separated."
_____________________________________________

Where in those TEXT advertisements does it say "can not be done impromptu" or "must set up the deck before you begin" or "there are FOUR piles of cards instead of TWO" or "spectator can not shuffle the cards". I didn't see any of these REAL descriptions of OOTW even when I bought the original manuscript from Paul Curry!!!!

MAN . . . I am UPSET . . . that Paul Curry guy RIPPED me OFF!! If I had known that you couldn't do it with a spectator shuffled deck, I would have never bought that darn trick! If I had known that you have to change piles in the middle I would have never bought that trick!

Now obviously I never said that. The point I'm trying to make is this:

Even if I had presented a TEXT description ONLY, you would have said that I left out many "details" about the performance of COSMOS.

And last, I want to say, I never thought that everyone would like my trick, but here are a few quotes from people who LOVE COSMOS. You might recognize some of these magicians.

http://www.rostamimagic.com/noflash/reviews.html

all the best,
Greg Rostami

A stand up guy would have put the warning at the beginning of the demo video.

Say what you want, but putting it at the end, after the credits is sneaky in my opinion.

You also refered to the penguin download of OOTW. There text description is accurate, and if you watch there demo video it displays the entire trick in performance, no editing. You know exactly what you are getting, no disapointing surprises.

Okay, I don't want this to turn into a debate, so I'll give my final thoughts on this. No, I don't think the seller intentionally lied. Yes, I do think he unintentionally mislead (the key word being unintentionally). Yes, I read the warning and I also think it was a bit misleading.

Editing is one thing. Presenting an entirely different effect from that which you are buying is another. The video fully edited half the process and literally half the screen from the demo! The demo clearly suggests that this is done with one person and only two packets and the deck. It really does compare with the Nexus ad. They completely videotaped the effect without the gimmick! There was no deck in view on the table as the coins appeared in the plastic box. That, of course, created an utterly impossible effect. The demo video for Cosmos did quite the same. It showed the effect with four packets never in play and it never once suggested that the party on the left of the screen even had anything to do with the trick other than watching, in fact, he was totally out of view once the actual effect began.

If all a demo wanted to do was show what the audience would "experience," it would have been easier to just pre-arrange it all, stacking the deck, letting the girl know where the reds and blacks were and making sure she was a good actor who could generate a believable reaction to the trick. Why bother actually performing it at all?

I still think that if the seller was concerned about tipping the method, he should never have created the video; he should have just done a well written printed ad that accurately described the effect and let the buyer make an informed decision for himself. The demo did not create an "informed" situation for the buyer to consider. In fact, to be honest, all the written hyperbola about Cosmos is what intrigued me and piqued my interest. I probably would have bought it anyway, but it was, in fact, the convincing demo that clinched the sale to me.

When I read the "warning," I just assumed some shuffle work or a move was edited out, not that fully half the screen was removed and half the process. Okay, I guess I should have remembered the old adage about "assume."

That said, it was only $20.00 so, like I said, I'm not worried. But, I was honest when I said earlier that, in the future, I will be very careful with video demo's of an impossible sounding effect from this seller and I will read any future "warnings" issued with a much wider range of possibilities considered.

And, finally, in response to one remark in a post to me. No, I do not think your intention was ever to lie to me or anyone else. I just think it was an ill-advised, poorly thought out approach to selling. As I said, no intentional lying on anyone's part, but UNINTENTIONAL misleading definitely. It's just my opinion and you proably aren't going to change my mind as I am not going to change yours and your supporters.

And, by the way, like a couple other posts here, I, too, have not received any links or emails regarding further downloads.

Maybe I am missing something....but how can anybody be dissappointed with Cosmos....I have used it 3 times and each time the specs walk away shaking their heads in disbelief.....even more so than the original ootw....I find that this can be a great effect in the hands of somebody who will add even a sprinkling of imaginative presentation.....I am a hard sell.....and most times feel I have not gotten my moneysworth even on quality presentations/gimmicks...but I was knocked out by Cosmos...the double handling of the two specs really adds exponential to the orginal classic.

Most people are not disappointed by Cosmos but rather by the way it was sold.

New principles never used before in OOTW plots = False on both accounts. I can document it to anyone who asks me to do so.

Honesty in marketing hype = Almost none. Unintentional? Uhm, don't know about you and what you WANT to believe but to me such an editing, cutting and misleading hype cannot be unintentional.

As others have mentioned before, the full video would have probably kept many people from buying it and Rostami knew that well

Please document.
*****

"Honesty in marketing hype = Almost none. Unintentional? Uhm, don't know about you and what you WANT to believe but to me such an editing, cutting and misleading hype cannot be unintentional."

*****
The editing was mentioned and the reasons given. Greg went to a lot of trouble to ask MANY people how to go about marketing Cosmos. Could he have done better? Perhaps so.
*****

Mark

THANK YOU Simon for your clarification on this matter.

Hi tunafish,

As requested, the ad video has been changed to have the warning message at the beginning of the video.

Hi Mark, Nighthawk,

Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

take care friends,
Greg Rostami