Reports are coming in that one of the popular torrent sites, 'NeoMagician' has closed it's doors. Keep up the pressure guys, this is a battle we CAN win, and all of magic will benefit from.
One way you can help is to visit this site http://www.magicpiracy.org/
A lot of people think James L Clark is being tough on Duane Lundgren and the others who run magic torrent sites.
Let's take a moment to look at what these guys are doing to magic.
Art of Misdirection (AOM) is a "torrent site", which means it invites members to join and upload copies of magic DVDs that they have purchased, and add them to the pool. Then they can download as many copies of other DVDs from that pool as they like.
ExoMagic was doing this too, until James L Clark intervened. He has also closed down half a dozen similar sites since then.
Unsurprisingly, some members of ExoMagic still don't think "file-sharing" is doing anything wrong. They started a petition as soon as the torrent section of ExoMagic closed down describing it a "learning environment".
"Sign this petition to state to the magic world that you are willing to band together to continue the legacy of ExoMagic, teaching those who truly desire to learn the art that we all love. Sign to tell the world that you are proud to be a magician and are willing to work towards the advancement of magic. Sign here if you are willing to work together with the rest of us to create once again an active learning environment here. Sign here to help us make ExoMagic a great place once again. Sign to say that you haven't given up.*"
While discussing the difference between AOM and another torrent site, AOM Killer, people said
"well, i'm not a member in any of them but AOM is the original tracker and is older than the other one which means it should be have more stuff.*" "I can't tell you if AOM has more torrents as I am not a member at AOM-killer, but this morning AOM had 1995 torrents. Don't know about AOM-k but AOM has great staff and the whole site is really friendly.*" "I've been trying to get into AoM for ages. I have a few things that am pretty positive don't exist in electronic form that I'm
Both AOM and AOM Killer are the same type of sites. So what does AOM Killer say about itself?
As you can see below, the have almost 2,000 "torrents" (that is, copies of magic DVDs and/or books) uploaded by and available to their members:
They have their own set of rules:
And really want you to do a bit of piracy yourself. Hey, if everyone is guilty... who's really to blame? Who's going to report them without incriminating themselves?
So exactly what's on these sites?
This is something beyond a magic club library where members borrow books and DVDs. Yes, that does cost creators in lost revenue, but it is legal. Copying DVDs, whether making a direct disc-to-disc dub or doing it via a torrent is illegal.
It's something we, as magicians who love and respect our art, MUST take a stand against.
Yes, I'm sure some people will think this post is merely pointing people in the direction of "free stuff". To be honest, if you're a magician who downloads from these sites instead of purchasing what they want, please do not EVER contact me. By stealing via these sites, you're telling me that my creations (and those of my colleagues) is not worth paying for.
It is the equivalent of going to a magic shop, taking products off the shelf, and walking out without paying.
These sites exist BECAUSE WE LET THEM.
James L Clark and others are prepared to put in the work to LEGALLY close them down.
You can help too.
If you know of any of these sites report them to me, or to James or simply to the IP that is hosting the site. Any IPs caught hosting illegal torrents will be heavily fined for illegal activity so, if you report them, they will be immediately kicked off their server.
Piracy DOES NOT have to be a part of magic.
Magicians might be professional liars, but they should not be thieves!
Regular readers of this blog know that I am fairly outspoken about piracy and rip-offs in the magic world.
As a creator myself, I know how long it takes to come up with a trick or a routine that's fairly original, and how little financial reward there is in releasing it to the magic community on sale. Which means when someone from within the community copies it, steals it or remakes it and sells it as their own it not only shows an enormous amount of disrespect to the creator, but it also eats into any small profit he or she could deservedly make from their creation.
Sure, we can simply not release the trick, but just ask Cyril how that's worked out for him. Tricks from his TV specials have been "reverse engineered" and released by copyists claiming them as their own.
Then there are the exposure sites, which generally incorporate file-sharing into their structure. You get a couple of hundred people who decide, because they can't afford to buy all the magic DVDs they want, they'll buy one each and share between them using a torrent. When you sell one DVD instead of, potentially, hundreds, the whole act of creating, manufacturing, marketing and releasing a DVD becomes somewhat pointless.
Last year, James L Clark managed to close down one of those sharing sites. Recently the owner of the site, Alex Hess, emailed me privately apologising for his past actions. It takes a lot of courage to do that and I respect him for doing so. It also looks like his ExoMagic online magic site is flourishing without the need for illegal sharing of other people's intellectual property.
Unfortunately, there are still many, many more magicians out there who simply just don't get it.
The most recent case involves the website 'Art of Misdirection'. It's owner, Duane Lundgren, is not only sharing DVDs on his site but books as well. He buys books, scans them for his site, then made the big mistake of trying to sell the originals on the Genii Forum. (The thread has now been deleted)
Now he has become the next target of James L Clark. The front page of his Black's Magic website says this:
Pirate Hunt - Duane Lungren
Our newest target is Mr. Duane Lundgren from the Twin-Cities area of MN.
As you all know, piracy has an incredibly negative impact on our community, society, and indeed our national economy.
Lundgren is a 26 year old man with a computer science background from Brown College. His details are:
xxxxxxx
We will be seeking all legal remedies to put an end to his site. Let's continue to work together as a community to stomp out magic piracy.
Pirates please be aware. There is an ever growing group of magicians who have had enough of unethical behaviour with regard to intellectual property in the world of magic. Many will argue "Oh, it's been going on forever..." Well now it's time to stop. If you choose to behave unethically, action will be taken.
Thanks to the Frequent Flyer Newsletter, my question from a few weeks ago about Qantas and their baggage changes has now been lifted. It's going to make it much harder for us magicians to fly around the country with our shows from now on.
I predict a whole new era of mentalism!
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Less is more on Qantas domestic flights with Qantas passengers now facing fees if baggage is more than 23 kilograms. The move to reduce domestic baggage allowance from 32 kilograms to 23 kilograms is in line with new international standards.
Travellers will now be charged up to $10 for each kilogram over 23 kilograms. Under the old system there was no charge for up to 32 kilograms. The premium class baggage allowance will be reduced by 2kg to 30kg.
On international services, the allowance for economy and premium economy passengers will be lifted from 20kg to 23kg. On a Melbourne-London flight, the excess charge will be $50 a kilo while the excess fee on some Asian services will be $35 a kilo.
The decreasing baggage allowance and increasing penalty for overweight baggage means it’s time to put some of our members TRIED AND TESTED TIPS for reducing weight into action.
A lighter Bag means lighter luggage
Cases can weigh as much as 5 kilograms so it is only logical to consider investing in some lightweight yet durable luggage.
Ditch the Shoe Addiction
Shoes are heavy, therefore try to avoid carrying more than one pair and wear the heaviest pair on the plane.
Books on Board
Carrying a hard paperback under the arm is a perfect means to reduce unnecessary weight.
Duplicate your Dress
If your place of origin is a location you travel to frequently, try to duplicate your belongings and keep a permanent set of some items (such a toiletries/ clothes) with a friend/ relative.
Finally, consider purchasing a Digital Luggage Scale. By knowing the weight of your luggage before you leave for the airport, you can avoid excess luggage charges. See example of DIGITAL SCALES available for about $40.
I just got the funniest spam email I've ever read.
Not only was it filled with ridiculous, nonsensical text (designed to fool bots into thinking it's a real email I imagine) like this:
grant and i talked last fall about wanting to take control and own a home and make some of our dreams a reality so we planned to move back to california for some opportunities thereand then i found myself a mother funny i thought id teach awhile longer and have grant all to myself and save some moneycate and i went through some of the free options around the web for valentines to download and printten months after we were married i was a stay at home mom living the student life again while grant went back to school a few months later another unplanned event- my mom passed away suddenlyyou love him too right
But the headline is what really got me.
Send you lover to heaven by trying this fantastic tablet.
What are they selling? Arsenic?!
AspyCadabra is the title of my new solo show (thanks Nicholas Johnson) coming July 8, 9, 10 & 11 for The Melbourne Magic Festival.
The show will feature a lot of my favourite routines including
The Dream Prediction (Read what JJJ said about this)
Linking Rings (with MagicSports twist)
Make A Trick
Soda Resurrection
D'Cups & D'Balls
Runaround Sue
and a whole lot of surprises!
The show will be woven around my life as a magician and how Aspergers has helped, and hindered, my career.
Tickets go on sale JUNE 1 at www.NorthcoteTownHall.com and, if you have your Golden Ticket from last year you'll be able to buy 2 for 1 tickets!
If you are interested in bring a large group (20 or more) I am taking reservations for groups now. Call 03 9486 4445 or [email protected]
Paul Romhany continues to tour around Australia with his lecture and shows.
You can catch up on his trip with his latest blog entry HERE
Let me know if you enjoyed the series!
Dwayne Robbins got a GREAT review on the top comedy website THE PUN
This is your last week to catch his show at 'The Wick'.
Dwayne Robbins’ Inspiration Hour sounds like the kind of show that’s going to spend its entire duration making fun of Anthony Robbins and his empire. How wonderful to then meet Dwayne at The Wick in Fitzroy and discover that his show was as good as it sounded.
As soon as Dwayne Robbins (played by Ashley Barnett) bounced on stage, American accent in full swing, I knew it was going to be one brilliant parody of the self-help industry. And oh, how the industry was mocked. The Secret was hit hard, abundance and wealth were focused on, positive thinking and feng shui were highlighted and everything else – from motivation to affirmations – were all highly satirised.
With a PowerPoint presentation and flipchart in hand, Dwayne Robbins’ ‘seminar’ on making money, looking good and owning expensive stuff was rather comical. Not quite as comical as his fake tan and pearly whites, but almost.
The highlight of the Inspiration Hour, for me, was the magic that Robbins, a motivational magician, performed. As we discovered, through the power of positive thinking, anything you want can manifest itself. Robbins busied himself with manifesting all manner of strange material things, and even ensuring the disappearance of some material things. Every trick was an unexpected addition for the audience. Every gag was simple, yet effective enough to draw giggles and gasps.
Whilst a few technical hiccups jolted the show’s flow a couple of times, it was an all-round stellar performance from a one-man show. Check out Dwayne Robbins and be inspired – chances are he’ll even change you, right there on the spot.