OK, a different honest response. The real problem is the lack of participation. A decade ago there could be 300+ posters active at any time. Now there may be 10 or less.
So, many coming here are looking for entertainment rather than "discourse" - or to visit the store.

It seems many have shifted to restrictive sites with limited focus or interest. It is the way of the world today. Find other who already think like you do and perform for each other.

I agree that this forum has drifted far form MB's original intent, but ma not upset about. I have posted several times about the "snippet view" of magic related to creativity.
So, I glance at some of the videos for inspiration and appreciate of skill - 'magic' not so much.

Magic appreciation is a house of many rooms. I look at other sections for different ideas. Take what is of value and discard the rest.
l applaud Mb for keeping at least some members active on the Cafe'. Do I feel that endless video snippets will help anyone become a better performer? No.

Have my expectations dropped in recent years? Yup! Do I wish more would be active here? Yes.

Anyone wishing discourse can always eMail me as indicated below. Since my life experiences with magic is different from most, you may get a different answer than expected. Videos? Nada.

Yes, different strokes for different folks…and it’s all good.

To me, simple enough, the purpose of this string can be seen from the best place to try to understand anything…the beginning. It is there that I planted a little seed of “thanks,” that began to grow into a great tree of many fruits like gratitude, appreciation and recognition. And like any great tree, branches grow from it in many directions, but from the same tree. So, my appreciations grew deeper in showing my appreciations for the works of others, many just like how I got here. And others that grew into mighty oaks that have lit the way for us all in one way or another. I like what this string has grown into, as it engages and certainly encourages people to maybe consider & appreciate things a little differently than conformity likes to mold things into most times. And that thinking includes us all thinking and doing into the pot. I feel a bit like Linus at this special time of year, when Charlie Brown asked what Christmas was all about…Anyone remember that?



Anyway, I’m happy with what all of this became over the past couple-few years now, because it all grew out of thanks for what the art has given me. And even greater thanks for all the magic it has given us all and continues to give each & every day. I guess, some might find their way and some may lose their way here, but I really think it’s a wonderfully magical place to perhaps explore your way through. So, that’s what it’s about more or less, Charlie Brown.

Ken, thanks for this excellent perspective. When you put it this way it actually makes a lot of sense.

As always, you're a light in the fog, so many thanks to you.

Happy Holidays, Marion. Thank you for lighting pathways, and for appreciating the historical and sometimes overlooked contributions of others.

Thanks Gjo, but really we all help “light the way,” as we are all involved in this thing. Which is a good thing.

And as to that Rubi Cup, well it is an excellent little device, so clever.

Anyway, here’s another one from Rubi Ferez. Just gotta wonder why you might not of heard of a guy this creative & good out there before. Oh well, check this one out….

I gotta tell’ya, I absolutely love Chris Ramsay. Not only is he a good magician, but he likes to watch good magicians wherever he can find them. You may know some of them or maybe not, but he puts together a great collection of some noteworthy coin magic. And, for me, it’s not just the magic, but his responses to the wonderment of it all. He’s just a real good guy that appreciates our art, the big, small & all of us in it. Yeah, you might not hear his name around here much either, but you should check him out sometimes…Hey, hows about right now. Take a few moments here and enjoy the kind of magic that helps light our way through every journey we make, every toss of the coin, heads or tails…



Happy New Year and the very best of all things to you all.

Sometimes, it’s not about the kind of magic you do, but who you do it for. Why? Well, within all that can be the real magic of it all. Sometimes you just have’ta find it or wait for it, not just to sink in but sometimes just to feel the magic yourself. I’ve had a few of these special moments behind doing magic for people. Once, while working, I did some magic for an autistic little boy whose father also worked at the job. The little boy came alive witnessing all the wonderment of coins appearing from nowhere and vanishing as well. His father would often bring him in to the store just to see me do magic and the little boy would always bring the shiny half dollar I gave him to keep. He said it did something special to him. It certainly did something special to me. Here’s sorta what I mean…

Watching Eric Jones perform, you'd never think he was once so shy he couldn't make eye contact with people.

Anyone know what he's doing now?

Coupla things…

First, I communicate with Eric Jones every once in a while, and he is doing quite well out there last time I chatted with him. He has become quite the globetrotter, doing magic for audiences all over the world. Yeah, and didn’t fashion him being shy at all, but he is a quite unique guy in his own right. When he first came to light and made his way to the mainstream, he was more than ready to be the wonderful and amazing magician he became as to coin magic and everything else. Very proud of him.

And finally here…I’ve read through a lot of magic, but there is nothing out there like Reel Magic, that’s magician, Kozmo’s magic magazine that covers all parts of the art. And there’s a great deal of good coin magic there too, both to see and learn. Every so often, he offers a FREE-VIEW, and there’s one going on right now. There’s so much there, stories, histories, interviews, tricks, and the big, small & all of us. I encourage you to take a look, even check out a subscription as it’s quite affordable for all the magic you get on a regular basis. I’m not kidding, you can get happily lost in this magical forest, it’s just so darn interesting, well put together and comprehensive. *Just check your mail (PMs) here for the specifics. There really is nothing else quite like it and here’s a little bit as to why from the man himself….

*Highly recommended.



www.reelmagicmagazine.com/

I’m so glad of this Reel Magic weekend offer as from looking around at all the good magic there (and hope you guys took a moment to check it out), I came across an old friend from years back. This guy was/ is a really good coin magician/ magic creator and came up with some interesting takes on things, and his unique use of the ROV is still one of the most dynamic & very best uses I’ve ever seen, just deceptively pretty! He also had great success with other closeup effects over the years, but for me his coin magic should never be forgotten or ever not witnessed & appreciated. He’s another one that you won’t hear mentioned around here much but his work is well worth tracking down and checking out. Man, some of that stuff is still just pure magic to watch, even after all these years…

Well thanks for watching some Reel Magic last weekend.....Now if I could get some folks to subscribe.....

I've subscribed for about a year. For me, as a novice sleight-of-hand student, the depth of content is invaluable. I've revisited Kainoa Harbottle's Coins 101 many times, and I often discover something I had missed the first time around.

I love the interviews and accompanying effects/explanations. The Cellini and Slydini features are fantastic. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Kozmo's generous tutorials.

I cannot speak for the journeymen here, but for anyone new to magic, or for sleight-of-hand veterans who want access to deep well of information to enhance their magic, I recommend $7/month to subscribe to Reel Magic. Give it a few months and see if you agree.

Thanks....

Like to remember my mate here, he does all this magic stuff for real, out there at parties, weddings and all sorts of elegant events from across the pond and all over the UK amazing people and making them happy. What I like about him, besides the fact that he’s a great guy, is that he just so innately knows how to just step into the moment, whether it’s at a table, or strolling through a wedding garden, he just gets in there and the magic starts to happen. Now, he’s a whiz at closeup, and quite the magical creator as well, but he’s also a devoted coin guy and takes them with him wherever he goes. From the big, small and all of us, from right in our midsts here on the Cafe, this guy shines on every level. So happy to call him an old friend…

Looks awesome. And angle sensitive.

It is quite an awesome move, and not particularly angle sensitive. You certainly have to turn your body and or adjust your hands as you show it, but this is as it is for most moves to some degree. Still, it is a wonderful collection of actions to deliver such deception. Learn it and fool people forever with just a coupla/few coins.

Hello Marion and friends. Happy New Year.
I haven't seen this clip of Roth before. I stumbled upon it the other day. Appologies if its already been posted somewhere.

Cheers
Nev

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ_YCDHMERM&t=92s

Hiya Nev, and Happy New Year, my friend.

And thanks for posting this Roth video…Always a treat to see this master work. I have seen tons of good coin magic, but man, he makes it all look so easy, just the complete package as to everything excellent coin magic is all about. Just love to see him present things, it just flows from him, like a surgeon explaining a medical procedure. Now here, he is presenting, but he is also fun to watch when he is instructing. He answers every question you might have all along the way and with his own brand of excitement about it…just brilliant! His use of the moves are so innate and his mind seems to work along with the magic, just so much to learn from him, and I’m so glad he shared so much of it with us all. No one else quite like him.

I really like this guy, he does a lot of magic wonderful magic reviews but is also quite magical himself. When he brought up the importance of his grandfather, that he showed him his first magic trick…Well, that’s about how it happened to me too. Like him, I never forgot it and it bit me so hard that I came to love the art for nearly all my journey so far. I actually dedicate quite a few of my effects to my grandpa, for the drop of magic he first put into my heart & mind…Anyway, here he is doing a beautiful little coin trick.

I’ve always liked great routines but totally appreciate the quickies too. This guy has done a lot of both, while being a man that can do it all, from creating magic to presenting it. On top of that he has written about 10 or so books on the art, created tons of magical apparatus and is the consummate showman, all while being a noted physician. Talk about a jack of all trades. I remember practicing this one from his ode to coin magic, “21st Century Coin Mechanics.” His books are great reading and can be found on magic shelves all over the world, not to mention, he is a world of a great guy…:)