the invisible hand vs the gecko

Struggling with an effect? Any tips (without giving too much away!) you'd like to share?

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the invisible hand vs the gecko

Postby bucketheady » Jan 16th, '09, 22:18



hi there back again asking about gimmicks. Its not that i want the actuall gimmick its just if it ever comes up i will know from you guys. Out of the gecko or the invisible hand which one should i get. Want to know . thanks !!

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Postby IAIN » Jan 16th, '09, 22:20

here's a tip for you...

go to themagiccafe.com instead, and use their search function...loads of like-minded people there... :)

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Postby bucketheady » Jan 16th, '09, 22:25

whats that supposed to mean man?

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Postby IAIN » Jan 16th, '09, 22:40

it means that there's lots of people over there who have asked the same question(s) as you...so you'll find your answer quicker...and get a bigger overview of the items you've asked about...

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Postby bucketheady » Jan 16th, '09, 22:42

its annoying IAIN because i just tried registering and it wont let me do u think u could help me here it wont take hotmail thanks

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Postby IAIN » Jan 16th, '09, 22:52

you wont need to register to use their search function...

as for joining, you'll need to use a proper email account, rather than i free one..thats all i know..im sure it explains it all in the rules and regulations...

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Postby dat8962 » Jan 16th, '09, 23:10

Both have been reviewed on TM - the invisible hand by myself.

I know that you're 13 but take it steady and as Iain says, research before asking. Today it's this pair of items but yesterday it was the topit, silent butler and the workeroo that you were interested in.

There's only so much asking that we can take

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It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!
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Postby Ted » Jan 17th, '09, 01:23

To be fair, I wish there had been a forum (and the Internet, for that matter) when I was 13 and was flushing all my money on silly gadgets that were never going to work convincingly, unless I was on a stage 5m from the front row.

My advice to buckethead is to save your money and read some books. I *know* that this is boring advice, but honestly I feel that it's better than chucking money at things you'll rarely use. I suspect that lots of people here, with far more practical experience than me, will feel the same way. For this reason you are getting a slightly grumpy reaction to your questions about stuff that is sometimes a waste of money. We're grumpy because we fell into the same trap, is my guess...

The problem is those clever adverts that describe effects so enticingly. After a while you learn that the effect described is what the audience thinks they see (if you do a good job) rather than anything amazingly 'magic'. By then you've spent all your birthday and xmas money and you discover that the Royal Road to Card Magic was the best eight quid/dollars you ever spent.

Just my opinion.
Ted.

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Postby Dirty Davey » Jan 17th, '09, 10:15

I bought up all sorts of gimmicks and one off packet tricks and watched the youtube tutorials when I first got started.

It wasn't until I'd already spent way too much money that I was pointed in the direction of Royal Road, MWCCIM and Bobo. All three together cost less than one of those worthless gimmicks but turned out to be much more valuble. I was able to do much more after a month of reading than I'd ever been able to do with the gimmicks.

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Postby Peter Marucci » Jan 17th, '09, 13:49

Ted writes, in part: ". . . read some books. I *know* that this is boring advice, but . . . it's better than chucking money at things you'll rarely use. I suspect that lots of people here. . . will feel the same way."

Amen, to that :!:

cheers,
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Postby Farlsborough » Jan 17th, '09, 15:45

Bucketheady -

I think everyone's being pretty supportive and giving you some good advice, but as Dat says, there's only so much we can take.

I don't mind spelling it out a bit because it's unfair on you not to be clear.

This forum is an online community of magicians and people who do magic. Some people post a lot, some people hardly post at all, and some people mostly post in the non-magic area (The Dove's Head). That's totally fine, and we welcome different personalities and contributors.

However, we do expect just a few basic "unwritten rules" (they might even be written, in the stickies somewhere), and one of the big ones is this: ignoring everything else on the forum and just asking your question because it's easier will annoy people very much.

Imagine I gave you a book about ancient egyptian history for your birthday. If you then asked me a different question every day, "when were the pyramids built?" "Where is the river Nile?" etc, can you see why I would be annoyed? You'd be totally ignoring all the information already provided and just asking one sentence questions because it's "easier".

Many, many magical products have been reviewed on this forum, and most people here would agree that the "best" gimmick/trick/prop/effect will not be the same for everyone.

We therefore kind of expect two things from you before you ask questions: that A) you read reviews and learn about a trick BEFORE asking, so the answers will make sense to you. The MINIMUM we ask is that you use the forum search function to look at what's already been said here. (I just searched for "gecko" and there are several threads about it already - have you read them all?) And...

B) Give us some information about your skill level, where you perform, what magic you already do, how it's going to fit into your routine. This way the advice will be useful rather than pointless.

We're here to discuss things, and yes - to help. But we're not here just to tell you how to spend your pocket money I'm afraid. Believe it or not, people put thought and effort into their posts on this board, and that's what makes it such a cool place. Your questions seem to expect us to put time and effort in every day to answer a one line question when you haven't put any effort in yourself first, and that's very annoying. (If I just pitched up at your house as a stranger and asked you to drive 200 miles to bring me something because I couldn't bring it myself, can you imagine how you'd feel?)

Finally, because of how different magic is good for different people, the "which is best, this or this..." questions are one of our least favourite questions, and again, if all you do is ask these questions, you'll make people angry! All of us feel like asking those questions sometimes, but we try to do so only very occasionally. And as above - if you do NEED to ask that question, tell us about what magic you want to do with it, where and who you'll be performing to, your skill level and what you already know about the pros and cons of each item.

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Postby Dominic Rougier » Jan 17th, '09, 15:55

Absolutely.

It's certainly more economical, it gives you a far wider base and foundation to grow on, and encourages it creative thought.

I'd probably point out at the moment that in total the props I own at the moment probably (barring any CUPS casualties my mind has erased) amount to:

JOL Plus Wallet (which is also my wallet)
IT
TT
A "boon" type NW
Too many packs of cards, some of which are faked in various ways.
a folding 10p, a shell 10p
...
..
.

Apart from that, (and I do need an imp device and intend to pick up an Okito doll and some flashpaper for a routine) everything else is bought from WH Smiths, be that Index cards, envelopes, little tags, whatever.

I expect the sum total cost of the above paraphernalia probably costs less than the Black Widow...


I'll bet I can do more with it ;)

Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever.
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Postby Ed Wood » Jan 18th, '09, 13:44

Just to play devils advocate I'm going to fly in the face in everyone elses opinion and say, keep buying all the gadgets and gimmicks and have fun.....to an extent. When I was your age it was the tricks and clever props that kept me interested and if it wasn't for those I probably wouldn't have stuck with it to the extent I can make a living from magic. In the days of short attention spans, playstations and you tube tutorials it is going to get harder to get kids interested in magic. We all started with the props before we were really bitten by the bug which therefore led us to pick up the books, I'd imagine the royal road was a first for most people. So play with the props (all though you don't need them all at once, the invisible hand is a good couple of months worth of practice before you will be capable with it) but at the same time if you're up for it, start checking out the literature. Some of it can be pretty dry reading, especially when you are young, so you can get your instant magic fix with the props whilst making your way through them. Anyone on here who speaks disparingly about beginers buying too many tricks will forget their early days. We all did it. I do wish that places like this were available to me when I was your age to push me towards the books. In those days I visited International Magic where the ever miserable Ron Macmillan seemed happy to take my money for any cr*p and had no intentions of selling me a book from which I could get hundreds of effects for the price of one packet trick.
As for the invisible hand, I love it. I saw the DVD's last year and it brought the child out in me. I work purely in mentalism and can't really see I'll ever use the device but I had to have one. It's a lot of fun to play with and works beautifully. You do need to be wearing a suit jacket to use it which may not be much use for you at your age, possible a school blazer if you wear one will suffice. As well as the device you will need the DVD's which are a further £70. All in all you are looking at a payout of £100 for something that you may not be able to use if you don't regularly wear a suit and requires a hell of a lot of practice to become half way proficient with. So maybe best avoided for now.
Good luck.

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Postby Tapion1ives » Jan 19th, '09, 13:31

Can I just add that this is the only forum I can imagine where buckthelady would get such sound, calm advice and not get "flamed" for his questions and thats why i love this palce.

If i can offer him some advice as another (what i consider) starter in magic

get some bicycle decks
a tt
some small silks
spongeballs + shell
cups and balls
royal road, bobo's and mark wilsons in whatever format is your preference ( book, dvd, explanatory website)
and if you dont own one a mirror.

then save all your other coins for vanishing.

oh an use the search function

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Postby Ted » Jan 19th, '09, 13:42

ed crawford wrote:Just to play devils advocate I'm going to fly in the face in everyone elses opinion and say, keep buying all the gadgets and gimmicks and have fun.....to an extent. When I was your age it was the tricks and clever props that kept me interested.


That's a fair point. If you just want to freak out your friends in the school yard (US)/playground (UK) then why not just buy a few easy bits and pieces? Not everyone wants to make a career out of magic. Also, although it's brilliant, the Royal Road is written in a pretty crusty fashion. It's certainly not as accessible as the DVD set (I have the R Paul Wilson one).

So I guess it's down to the original poster. Do you want to learn and perform magic for the rest of your life, or just have a laugh for a while? If the latter, then it'll be a cheap thrill for your friends, but an expensive one for you. :)

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