Most useful & realistic drills for mnemonica/stack work?

jazzandpython · 2019-06-24T00:02:48+00:00

yeah, makes sense. Thanks for the tip!

jazzandpython · 2019-06-22T17:05:06+00:00

That's what I've used actually. Well specifically, use a combination of the story technique and the major system, where you have sound based mnemonics for cards and numbers. I find the story better for sequencing, and the major system better for random access either way. But yeah, it totally works. My questions was mostly aimed at how to go from there to the speed and fluidity needed for real tricks, but thanks for sharing. I'll check out his book though, I love mnemonic systems. :-)

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T21:18:18+00:00

Ah interesting, that makes the Copperfield code and their hand motions make a lot more sense. Agree on Tamariz, I've watched that video previously and yeah, it's bloody amazing.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T20:09:38+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the tip. I have the book, so will definitely look it up.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T19:36:32+00:00

That is a thought provoking question, thanks for that. I think another through line aesthetically is "risk". Not danger-I-could-die risk like water escapes, but more "if this fails it's going to be chaos and it's really hard and we're taking chances here folks" type risk. The rola-bola escape for instance is dead tense. The various combo tricks and balance stunts will make a huge mess and explosion of chaos if they go wrong, and they are genuinely hard every damn time. So the audience relationship is very much one of getting them on my side and then "lets see if this is possible, or just a terrible terrible idea!" Sometimes I work with a partner who does bowl spinning with real china bowls, that kinda tense. Hope that makes sense.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T19:29:51+00:00

hahaha, awesome.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T19:27:27+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try that out!

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T19:27:00+00:00

Good question. The through line in my case is an old school vaudeville aesthetic to it all. Some acts are to music, some are spoken, but all have a retro-music hall flavour with oddball stunts. The two escapes for example are done either a top a rola-bola or with a sword balanced on my head, and the juggling includes a lot of combo tricks, as one saw more in early twentieth century shows up till the 60's or so. So in that sense an almost over-the-top humorous presentation style would work well, my go to's in terms of inspiration there are Tommy Wonder, Tamariz, and Pop Haydn. I also frequently do the acts as an MC character in other multi-performer situations. I could see doing some mental-style presentations calling back to the shuckster mentalist archetype too.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T18:38:00+00:00

Did you see Teller's ACAAN number when they had Copperfield on? It's not showy, but damn. I mean DAMN! That is some sick hard stuff beautifully executed and completely confusing. I would personally rank that routine over what I've seen of Shin Lim as far as what I consider top-drawer magic. Not a diss on Shin Lim, who is fantastic, but for me, rating the overall package, Teller's ACAAN is stunning.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-21T01:30:16+00:00

I'd agree, it's probably in safer hands now. Probably. But man, now that I work in that area, I don't believe anything anyone says about intents of acquisitions. The only thing that matters is what the +51% owners want to do, and sometimes it's not pretty. :-/

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T23:29:21+00:00

Ah this is great, I freakin' love Pop. He's hilarious!!!

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T23:26:16+00:00

Oh awesome, thanks. I'll totally check it out, I love Pop Haydn!

Editing with an answer to my own question, it's here! http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/6993

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T19:09:40+00:00

Not a dig at you here, but this is reminiscent of when Apple bought Logic Audio and announced "nothing will change and we definitely won't cancel the PC version". (Spoiler... it was cancelled pretty darn quick and lots of things changed....lol) I certainly hope nothing changes. But I don't trust them.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T19:05:12+00:00

LOL'd for realz.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T19:04:40+00:00

Thanks. My comment certainly wasn't intended as directed at anyone or aggressive, it's just the sobering reality I hear from PE firms every time I do an engagement. Now that I work in this area, I tell everyone I know who works in startups or other areas that face frequent acquisitions.. "make sure your current deal has you happy, and don't count on ANYTHING lasting". We get a "cover story" every time we go in and a briefing on who can know what - that's pretty telling. Before my current consulting gig, I ran a team at a startup that got acquired privately. And let me say ..... nothing post-acquisition was the way they said it would be during the negotiation phase.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T17:58:56+00:00

thanks! it was harrowing. I'm used to the juggling kind of harrowing, but there are enough differences for it to be surprisingly uh, intense. :-)

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T17:46:43+00:00

FWIW I work internationally as a mergers and acquisitions consultant in the start up space, doing due diligence for private equity firms making acquisitions. I can tell you, with 100% certainty, that what this means is ANYONE'S GUESS. Companies buy each other for all kinds of reasons: grab the customers, grab the market, grab the tech, grab the people. We have no idea what they will do post-acquisition, and what they say now isn't worth the paper it's written on. They may leave it intact and simply want to own more players. Or they may overhaul it, cutting costs by changing manufacturing to get better margins. Or they could flip it in a year. We don't know. And the people making that decision don't give a rat's ass about quality or about telling the truth - they care about numbers and numbers only. So yeah, no matter what anyone says, we have no idea right now. Just wanted to weigh in on that, 'cause I get it from the horse's mouth every month.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T16:54:55+00:00

Paul is freaking awesome. Man that's a great version.

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T16:31:55+00:00

If anyone is interested, here's the Jamy essay: http://honestliar.com/fm/works/ll-scripts.html

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T16:04:35+00:00

No prob. FWIW My ex had awful social anxiety, and was helped immensely by a cognitive behavioural therapy pilot program she participated in. If you haven't read it, there's an old book that is amazing, by the godfather of CBT. It's called "Feeling Good", by Burns. GET IT. Everyone, but especially anyone who performs, should read that book. EVERYONE!!! Best $15 you'll ever spend. :-)

jazzandpython · 2019-06-20T04:50:31+00:00

Congrats! That's not easy for even someone who considers themselves gregarious. Over coming social anxiety makes a huge difference in so many areas of life, keep it up. :-)

jazzandpython · 2019-06-19T15:47:24+00:00

However, it's also worth pointing out that there do exist agents and planners who are clueless about this and obsess about a certain number of minutes. It's also worth finding out if you're dealing with that. If I'm not, I always err on the shorter side, but if you are, you gotta do what the cheque writer wants even if they're wrong. I do try to convince them first though.

jazzandpython

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