The Grand Illusion - Large-Scale Magic Tricks That Won’t Fail to Impress!
May 31, 2010
The Grand Illusion - Large-Scale Magic Tricks That Won’t Fail to Impress!
by: Chris Lloyd
Have you ever watched a TV magic special and wondered,
“How is that possible?” have you ever been curious as to
how the top magicians accomplish some of their most
extraordinary feats?
Soon you won’t be wondering; you’ll be trying them out for
yourself!
Let’s start with one of the oldest tricks in the book, but
one of the best and most vividly compelling - levitation!
Levitation
Since you’re interested in magic and illusion I’m going to
bet you’ve heard of levitation before. Perhaps you’ve even
seen a magician perform this incredible trick and wondered,
“How the heck is he doing that?!” Well, hold onto your hat,
because you’re about to learn how.
First off, what is levitation? We all know what it looks
like - the act of floating off or above the ground. It’s
sort of like flying. All the great magicians try to perfect
this trick because it’s one of the most simply visually
arresting illusions in existence. And it’s actually not
Online UK Florist Saves the Day
May 30, 2010
Here it is Thursday afternoon, and Evelyn sees no break in her hectic schedule for the weekend. She has a presentation due on Monday morning and a meeting on Saturday most of the day with her team. The bad part is, her favorite aunt’s birthday is on Saturday and she is turning 65 years old and this is one birthday that Evelyn did not want to miss.
She thought maybe she could rush through the meeting but there is no way she could make it in time from London, UK to Birmingham, UK to attend the festivities that the family has planned. The worst part of it all is that now it is too late for her to even go out shopping for a unique gift and have it arrive on time.
Before leaving work, she talks with some of her friends and they suggest sending flowers, but all the florist are now closed it is 7pm at night, and she has a meeting with an associate at 8am when the florist opens. She goes home, feeling defeated, not knowing what to do, she gets on her computer and just types in "overnight flower delivery from London, UK to Birmingham, UK" and her dismay quickly turns into triumph.
Buying a Telescope. Advice and Guide for Amateur Astronomers
May 29, 2010
Buying a Telescope. Advice and Guide for Amateur Astronomers
by: John Weasner
Before purchasing a telescope it is very important to know what you want and what. $30 invested in a good book will not only ad to your enjoyment of the night sky, but may save you from making a $300 mistake. The best advise is to visit your local astronomy club and learn from the experience and mistakes of others who have gone before. Question the scope owners about the advantages/disadvantages of each of their scopes. You will quickly learn that there are many different types of scopes and mounts. There is no “best” design, each has its strong and weak points. The only way to know what to expect and what you really want is to look at and through as many different scopes as possible before deciding what to buy.
When you are ready to buy, avoid department stores. The types of telescopes that sell in department stores for up to $300 and more are mostly junk. Despite outrageous advertising claims they are all but unusable and are more likely to kill your interest in astronomy than encourage it. A telescope shop is the preferred place to shop though some larger camera stores may be approached with caution.
Using a Camcorder to Record Family Events Quickly and Easily
May 29, 2010
Let’s start there (but not spend too much time on it because you are probably already checked out on their use):
On/Off - On some brands you actually have to find two or three switches to accomplish this. You may be required to choose between camera and VCR or VTR, you may have to open shutters over the lens or remove a lens cap, and you may have choices about snapshots, locked, standby, or video. You’re probably ready when you see a picture through the viewfinder with no unexpected icon flashing in the middle.
Zoom - Changes the lens setting from wide angle to telephoto. You see what’s happening in the viewfinder.
Red “Take” button - Rolls the tape. Usually “REC” shows in the viewfinder when recording and “STDBY” shows when the tape is stopped.
Beyond that everything else is automated on most consumer camcorders. You only have to master all those other buttons if you want to take control of things like focus, exposure, shutter speed, color balance, stabilization, depth of field, freeze motion, volume, and tons of other special effects and titling. On most camcorders the default manufacturer settings are the place to start — they’ve done a very good job taming all these options. You should only need to make changes for particular scenes when you see things going wrong. So let’s not trail through all the buttons and menu options out there right now. Instead let’s focus on you and all the problems you can create.
How to Make a Gift Basket
May 28, 2010
Gift Baskets are an ideal gift for nearly any occasion. Gift baskets provide a convenient way to find a gift for practically any occasion, but they also provide an avenue for creative and personalized gift giving. Making gift baskets is fun and easy, and homemade gift baskets generally prove to be superior, personalized gifts to their pre packaged counterparts.
Finding a perfect gift is usually a challenge that goes far beyond understanding someone’s interests and hobbies. One of the biggest problems with gift giving is the lack of true "tweener" products that cost in the reasonable $30-$60 range. For every hobby there are lots of little items that are needed on a continuing basis, and there are lots of bigger items that are expensive and/or very personalized equipment choices. Small items like golf balls and tees are not sizeable enough to represent a real gift, but a set of golf shoes or clubs is too expensive and individual to make a good gift. Gift baskets make it easy to find an assortment of smaller products and put them together for a personalized gift basket.
Why Showmanship Is Essential to Success
May 27, 2010
Why Showmanship Is Essential to Success
by: Chris Lloyd
Being successful as a magician relies just as much on your
stage persona and your ability to be engaging as it does on
the tricks you choose to perform or the technical skills
you possess.
The reason for this is because tricks in and of themselves
can fall flat if not presented in the right way. A sleight
of hand that dazzles when performed by an engaging magician
can leave an audience yawning when in the less capable
hands of an under-whelming performer.
So if you want your tricks to go over well, you’ve got to
learn how to sell them to your audience.
That means you’ve got to work on your showmanship just as
much as you have to work on the tricks themselves. Learn
how to get the audience eating out of the palm of your hand!
If you are not sure how to do this, don’t worry.
Showmanship is something you can easily learn and improve
upon with practice. It’s not necessary an inborn trait that
Breathing-in, Minnesota [a poem: now in Spanish and English]
May 26, 2010
In early fall, in Minnesota, the rain falls, falls, In buckets, buckets and more buckets-: drops Likened to music from its many streams-land Of ten-thousand lakes; moistened gravel, gravel Everywhere?
Grandpa sits on the porch-daydreaming of, of Something, perhaps winter around the corner-; As the flies disappear, with the mosquitoes? Leaves will soon vanish, shadows will come early
Maybe he’s thinking about summer: miles and miles And miles and miles of cornfields; his childhood now Long gone, he hums a hymn, a song; looking at the Metal-piped fence, he made, with three poles, on the Embankment, leading up the steps to the porch; It’s worn-out like him.
The winds in Minnesota smell fresh, fresh from all The foliage, there’s a lot of it. The eighty-three Year old man looks about, on his screened in Porch -fetches his pipe, lights it up, sucks in a Drag, pushes out some smoke: it drifts and drifts In the corners of the house
"Ah!" he says-proud of his life events-I say to Myself (I’m but ten): "No doubt He’s already lived this?"
Illuminati in Kentucky
May 25, 2010
Illuminati in Kentucky:
My fevered imagination includes the probability that Andrew Jackson and stories of the Bell Witch are connected with this kind of knowledge.
"In his 1806 book Travels In America, Thomas Ashe writes of his experiences with a vast cavern originally discovered in 1783 beneath the city of Lexington, 300 feet long, 100 feet wide and 19 feet high, containing exotic artifacts, a stone altar for sacrifices, human skulls and bones piled high, and mummified remains. The mummies are very strange looking and have red hair. The local native Americans claimed that these were the remnants of an ancient civilization that died out long ago. Respected historian George W. Ranck also discusses this “lost city” buried beneath Lexington in 1872. It is said that local Native Americans identified the bodies as being from the ancient race who inhabited the area long before them.
In 1792 an early settler, General John Payne, made a strange discovery while building his house in the tiny town of Augusta, KY, 63 miles North of Lexington. From Historical Sketches of Kentucky by Lewis Collins, Maysville, Ky. 1847, page 205:
Where to Get Ideas for Scrapbooking?
May 24, 2010
Where to Get Ideas for Scrapbooking?
by: Debbie Luker
Have you ever sat down to scrapbook and drawn a complete blank? You just sit there and just can’t think of anything creative? There are some helpful books and magazines available to help those creative juices start to flow. Here are some books and magazines that help me when I am in a mental block.
Becky Higgins Creative Sketches is a must have for every scrapbooker. It is full of layout sketches and ideas to go along with those sketches. It is organized by number of photos you have so it is really easy to navigate through. I use this so often that the pages are starting to crumble! You can use the sketches and layouts as inspiration or you can copy them exactly for absolutely no thinking whatsoever.
Creating Keepsakes Magazine is a great magazine for the intermediate to advanced scrapper. It focuses on several different techniques and has many articles to help inspire you. It also features many layouts from other scrappers around the globe. It focuses on extravagant layouts with many embellishments.
What Are You Doing This Halloween?
May 24, 2010
When it comes to Halloween there’s no lack of variety in the things that you could do. From trick or treating (with the kids) to touring Haunted House attractions, finding something NOT to do would be more of a challenge.
So, where could you go and what could you do on All Hallows Eve? Here are some intriguing, exciting, relaxing and in some cases, just plain creepy ideas on what’s available.
Take the kids out Trick or Treating - This is a great way to be a kid again yourself. Follow along and enjoy the scenery. Check out the yards and decorations as you pass. You may even get some candy yourself!
Dress up your yard and yourself - Get into the spirit of the occasion and decorate your yard or entranceway. Dress up in a costume and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and enjoy some of the inventive and adorable outfits they show up in.
Attend a costume party or host one yourself - Halloween is a growing business where adults are concerned. Get creative and put together a unique costume and attend a Halloween party. Better yet, plan to have one yourself.
