There’s a thread on the Genii Forum that I recommend everyone read:
The thread is primarily a bunch of old coots flopping around like beached flounders complaining about a new site that exposes some tricks and supposedly aids in the distribution of copyrighted manuscripts. What they say, may or may not be true. I briefly looked at the site and either everyone is named Dude or it is primarily kids (use your own definition).
One sub-thread deals with methods of stopping them through legal intimidation. Invariably someone will post a whois and someone else will post links to the copyright office and someone will suggest pressuring the ISP’¦blah¦blah¦blah. This shows a total lack of understanding of how morphable sites like this are and it appears that the proprietor is fully aware of the available options. Furthermore, if anybody thinks our crack government gives a damn about this sort of pilfering, I’ve got the proverbial real estate and bridges for sale. They’ve already been bought by the music and movie powers in Hollywood!
Some will invariably point to the moral issues. Com’n on fellers – people of this generation have less reason than ever to adhere to any moral principals. Think about it! What have they seen?:
- Government corruption and graft
- Corporate thievery
- Parents trashed by the very institutions our generation was taught to trust
- CEOs that legally steal hundreds of millions of dollars and see nothing wrong with it.
Make the case for morality, fellers. Personally, I can’t find it. As someone that was raised by a near Saint, I saw him clobbered by the bad guys. Only the bastards win anymore. Think about your own bosses. Any good guys there? To paraphrase Charlie Brown, Bastards ride – Good guys walk.
On to more practical matters. Which of the following two ads are honest:
1. The Silver Shifter is like no other coin device available. With it, you actually bend a coin right in front of your spectator. The coin bends VISUALLY, and never leaves the sight of your spectator during the bend! Once bent, you can drop the coin into their hand for inspection. It is truly astonishing! No “funny” switches. No funny palm off. No pressure. No heat. No KIDDING! At the end, both hands are shown empty front and back. This one will fool Magicians and Layman alike!You can also use the device to do a coin vanish or production.You have seen a coin melt down through someone’s hand but have you ever seen a coin melt UP? That’s right! With SILVER SHIFTER, you can do just that! Add a whole new dimension to your Scotch and Soda routines. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. This is the must have coin device to add to your arsenal. Only $50.00
2. Rubber coin $50.00
I’m sure I’m not the only one that would have an additional fifty bucks in my pocket if there was a place to go to find out what I was buying. I see apologists on the Cafe’ talking about the value of magic secrets etc. The fact is, most tricks are over hyped crap and can’t stand the light. Just think of the tricks you bought in the last year and I’ll bet the many, if not most, ads went well beyond reasonable puffery into the land of the purposeful misleading.
Also, I’m sure that having your material stolen and publicly published could be devastating, but fellers, every download is not a lost sale. This is the accounting used by the music industry. It’s unlikely that more than a couple of sales might be lost. That’s the truth.
Take a reality pill and move on.
Take care………
Point well taken on the rubber coin. Since I’m anonymous I’d like to make a confession. I use the filesharing networks to steal copyrighted books and videos. Much of them are junk, like everything Docc Hillford has ever done. I don’t use the material and I erase them after a single read. The stuff that’s good, like Michael Close’s Workers and so on I gladly buy a legit copy of from a dealer. It’s sad to resort to this but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be screwed yet again by a dishonest description.
When the trick is sold the secret is told?
I’m not a buyer ’til I’m sure you’re not a liar.
Point well taken on the rubber coin. Since I’m anonymous I’d like to make a confession. I use the filesharing networks to steal copyrighted books and videos. Much of them are junk, like everything Docc Hillford has ever done. I don’t use the material and I erase them after a single read. The stuff that’s good, like Michael Close’s Workers and so on I gladly buy a legit copy of from a dealer. It’s sad to resort to this but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be screwed yet again by a dishonest description.
When the trick is sold the secret is told?
I’m not a buyer ’til I’m sure you’re not a liar.
Hi IM
Well it is some flopping around about a site which does expose some tricks. That bit is correct. However, our site Secrets of Magic ( http://magicsecrets.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi ) does NOT distribute copyright material or ebooks or pirate DVDs. What happens is that we describe current and classic magic with our own variations and performance ideas in our own words . This may include the discussion of methods or secrets.
For example, on Silver Shifter, we may say “This uses a rubber coin and a Bobo switch is used to give the spec a real bent metal coin. You can find instructions on how to do the Bobo switch in our coin forum The fact that there are no “funny” switches does not mean a switch is not used. Mr Brooks gives several ideas for use but these are all old material you can find in Bobos MCM or Mark Wilson, so this effect is not worth the $50 asking price.”
The descriptions and discussing concept is exactly the same as any other magic forum apart from instead of discussing secrets in a cryptic manner, as in the Magic Green Slime Pit, we discuss them in an open manner. And we don’t draw any distinction between a “marketed” effect or any other effect. Most of the “marketed” effects are simply older effects which have been reworked and re-badged in any case.
The misconception about copyright material comes about when various magicians try to scare us off by stating their effect is copyright or patent pending or some phrase designed to have a legal ring. In the case of copyright it means their manuscript is copyright, not the method or idea which we are free to discuss. So we do discuss it in our own words but we don’t duplicate the manuscript. In the case of patent pending, that means nothing. And if an effect is actually patented, then it has been publicly disclosed so again we are free to discuss it. In fact, as you allude to, I and the team know what all the stuff means and what all the legal rules are.
With regard to the everyone being named Dude, we do have just 1 Dudey type person named Dude233 in a membership of 2200, so you’re not too accurate there, but I’d agree 75% of our members are under 20 so your statement of “primarily kids” has a fair ring of truth to it. However, aren’t most magic forums in general (to use your phrase) primarily kids? That’s where the real interest lies and the biggest market and the bulk of internet magic users; the male teenagers.
Best Wishes
Valentina xx
(Aka Magic Wand)
Admin, Secrets of Magic Forum