While We Were Out
/A couple days ago, Ellusionist’s website went offline as well as much of its social media presence. At some point today, they’re supposed to post “an important message” on their Youtube channel.
Now, there’s no legitimate reason why it would be necessary for them to shut their site down and not give people any warning and/or immediately communicate the reason why. So we’re forced to assume the reason is illegitimate: some sort of bumbling marketing ploy that wasn’t quite thought through very well. Instead of generating excitement of any kind, the only response has been, “Hey, am I going to be able to download the videos I paid for from your dumb site or what?” Unfortunately, there’s just not enough affection for Ellusionist as a company for a move like this to generate the response they were hoping for, which I’m guessing was excitement rather than annoyance.
It’s kind of sad. Ellusionist is like a girlfriend who—in a desperate attempt for her boyfriend to focus more attention on her—stops replying to his texts or calls. And the reaction of their customer base is like the boyfriend saying: “Hey, I don’t know what’s up with you. If this is the end between us or whatever. But are you going to let me get my softball mitt from your apartment or what?”
A week ago there was a 4-day “virtual magic convention” with 100 different magicians, lecturing for 100 straight hours.
I didn’t check it out, so I don’t really have anything to say about it. However, I was definitely moved by this message on their site…
Finally! Someone has the goddamn balls to come out and speak the truth! All you ever hear on the news is some bullshit about first responders, or the world economy going in the toilet, or the increases of suicides and overdoses from the lockdowns, or that the corpses of the elderly are being stacked up like pancakes.
Fine. I’m not saying those issues are unimportant. But what’s with the total media blackout on those who have “suffered the most” through all of this: young magicians?
Here in the U.S., I watched the presidential debates just waiting for them to address this subject and somehow it never came up.
The World Health Organization doesn’t even mention it on their site.
Is anyone even taking this seriously?
I applaud the organizers of this event for highlighting the terrible toll this pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns have had on young magicians—a group that is most well known for the fact that they spend all their time sitting in their rooms alone and not socializing. I’m sure it’s been very hard on them.
Bart N., passed along the following web apps for me to share.
Almost Real Prediction Generator: https://almostrealprediction.bartnijs.be/
Forcing Matrix Generator: https://forcingmatrix.bartnijs.be/
Keyword Progressive Anagram Generator: http://keywordprogressiveanagram.bartnijs.be/
Progressive Anagram Generator: https://progressiveanagram.bartnijs.be/
As it says on those pages, “If you don't know what this is for, don't ask.” For those who do work with these effects/techniques, you’ll likely find something of value here.
I picked up the new Oculus Quest 2 VR headset while we were away.
It’s the sort of thing that’s really amazing for the first 30 minutes you have it, but I found there to be a pretty steep drop-off in enjoyment afterwards. I like some of the rhythm games and using it for light exercise, but beyond that I don’t get too much out of it.
If there’s something you like doing in the real world, I can’t imagine you being satisfied with the VR version of that thing. And if you don’t like doing it in the real world, I can’t imagine you wanting to do it in virtual reality.
I like snowboarding, but I want to be on the mountain in the cold.
I like sex, but I want to share it with a warm body with a personality. Not…
You might say, “Okay, it might not fully replicate real experiences. But it’s still got to be fun for gaming, right?”
Maybe. I don’t know. It might be a generational thing. I think I’d rather just look at a tv screen in most cases. I want to be able to eat doritos and check my phone and look around the room. I don’t need to be running in place through a fucking pac-man maze.
I’m not saying I don’t find it enjoyable. I do. But it’s probably telling that in the past few days I’ve only picked it up a couple of times. And that was to use the headset to show people Steel Cubes Under the Butthole from the JAMM #3. (Which this is great for.)
I have some other magic ideas brewing in my head for use with it as well. If anything comes from those ideas, I’ll let you know.