Parsing image illusion that tricks your brain

Move far away from the picture and it will change.

The Samsung HD Phone Illusion

For the release of the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD Mobile Phone, here is a very clever visual puzzle. There are lots of clues in the clip too!







If you really can't work it out, the answer is in the clip below:

TWITTER TIPS FOR MAGIC BEGINNERS

We ask our @merchantofmagic Twitter followers to give us a tip for complete magic beginners. Here's ten of the best replies:


1) Keep eye contact, keep it simple, be clear in what you are saying, sum up before effect, take it slowly, be confident From @TMBrainwasher

2) For anyone who wants to get into card magic 'Royal Road to Card Magic' Jean Hugard is a must! From @richardmagic

3)Study magic books first, then move on to DVD's. Then you get to be yourself not a copy of someone From @AidanHeritage (MoM Note: Many beginners do find learning from DVD's easier to begin with. However, once you have the basic skills, you will find a lot of original material in books, so don't overlook them.)

4) Don't start with JUST gimmicks and gaff's. Learn stuff with normal cards or coins as well. From @LokiB

5) Read a good book on acting or storytelling. Purchase a magic book or DVD with several tricks instead of just one. From @DonTheo3

6)Stamp your own personality on a new trick, instead of being a carbon copy. From @Stephen_ward

7) Don't worry about the shaky hands phase. It will pass and you will become the cool, calm, collected magician you wish to be From @swede1403

8) Learn just two or three simple tricks at first then you can concentrate more on your performance From @Markcookx1

9) Magic is a form of expression...present yourself through the effect From @owlmagic

10) Get out of your bedroom and show some real people some real magic! From @gingermagic

Amazing FREE tool for Magicians

For the over a year now, the team at The Merchant of Magic have been using Evernote to make our magic lives easier and more organised. What is Evernote?
On the web it allows you to Create, clip, and share notes and see them everywhere. On your phone you can take snapshots, read to-do lists, record audio whenever and wherever you like. On your desktop you can use evernote to search through all your notes, even find text within images, whether online or off!

It's such a useful tool for magicians, that we thought we would share our top 10 ways magicians can use it..

1) Keep copies of all your booking contracts, so wherever you are, you can see all the details.

2) Clip a copy of all the magic items you own as an instant inventory

3) Clip all the magic items you would love to get in the future (the ultimate want list)

4) Save copies of company logo's at gigs

5) Save copies of all the business cards you get given, and have then at have and instantly searchable wherever you are.

6) Hear a great oneliner or routine idea? Save it instantly.

7) Parking your car for a booking. clip it's location and you can find in instantly

8) Save copies of all your trick instruction sheets, so you have everything always accessable.

9) A prospective client gives you their telephone number for a booking enquiry - Clip the image into evernote and you never lose a lead.

10) save copies of all the magic pdf's you own, so you have a library of magic to read wherever you are.

To get Evernote visit them HERE

Piers needs more magicians on BGT

Piers Morgan has said that he would like to discover new magicians on 'Britain's Got Talent'.

Reported in the The Sun, the talent show judge said: "I've seen some great magic acts and we're all aware of people like David Blaine and David Copperfield, and we've seen nothing like that on 'Britain's Got Talent' in three years."

"I don't know where they are, or whether they're scared because we have a sort of anti-magician feel to the show."

"All those acts you expect to see on an old-fashioned variety show we've not seen a lot of at a high level."

Source http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/0508/morganp.html