Better than an infinite number of monkeys

There is a theory which states that an infinite number of monkeys typing away on an infinite number of typewriters will eventually churn out the collected works of William Shakespeare. The theory behind this is quite simple to explain, if difficult to wrap a finite brain around. The assumption is that the keys that the monkeys are tapping are being tapped in a random order. When the length of that sequence becomes infinite, then you will find, somewhere inside, the full text appearing in the middle, surrounded by gibberish. The odds of this happening are easily calculated once you know how many keys there are on a keyboard and whether or not the monkeys are allowed to hold down shift for capitals. You will also find an accurate biography of yourself, and every person you've ever met, along with several trillion inaccurate ones. Needless to say, this theory breaks down for picture books!

While working on The Uncertainty Project, we discovered that while monkeys may have worked for printed books, if you wanted to produce online content, you need cats!

Fortunately, we happen to have one on staff. Hu is everything you would hope for in a member of the production team. He is dependable (he never misses a production meeting), affectionate, adventurous, courageous, and he has a refined sense of aesthetics when it comes to wardrobe and magic tricks. (see below). Most desirable, he is a trouble maker!

So we decided to make Hu earn his keep and test out the monkey theory all at the same time. During one meeting we left him to climb on a laptop for a while with a blank word processor open. After two hours, we return and found an entire website coded and waiting for us.

You can see the results at www.UncertaintyProject.com.

True story!

Okay, fine. We added the photos afterwards, but the rest of it was Hu. And we had to do some proofreading, cause his punctuation is dreadful, even for a cat. But the rest was him, we swear.

Tickets are now available for The Uncertainty Proejct. Save $10 on special early bird tickets until this Sunday.

Out of Character

If you're in the mood for something extremely strange, I participated on a panel discussion on Michael Coren's The Arena on Sun TV last night. I was a panelist on "Holy War" discussing Michael Sam and Piss Christ. (Don't ask me why those were the topics of discussion. I suspect it's a kind of television logic beyond my understanding.) I have never done anything like that and it was an interesting experience. As you might have noticed, it did take me a couple minutes to figure out that if I wasn't willing to interrupt, I wouldn't have been heard. Although I do think I approached making a point on more than one occasion.

I was either the voice of reason, or the liberal wing nut, depending on your point of view.

SOULO Theatre Festival

Tickets are now on sale for the SOULO Theatre Festival, May 22-25 in Toronto. SOULO Theatre, created by Tracey Erin Smith, highlights solo performances and one-person shows with a focus on personal storytelling. This is the second year of the festival and I've joined their team as their general manager, thanks, I'm sure, to my mother teaching me to make elaborate spreadsheets so I could survive managing Camp Black Belt all those years ago - love you!  (Insert joke about "Selling my soul-o" here.)

The entire festival takes place at The Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street). The quality of the performers is exceptional. I was at the launch party which was preceded by a showcase of four short solo shows which were wonderful, heartwarming, disturbing and uplifting (but not necessarily in that order).

In the festival there are seven one-person shows (selected from nearly fifty applicants) and two showcases of four short performances, The SOULO Salon and the SOULO Allstars. And if you're more interested in the work behind the scenes - the creation, production and promotion of SOULO Theatre, there are five workshops and panels for those just curious or those seriously considering getting their stories out there.

Every event at the festival is $15. All of the tickets are available here. You can also get a pass to get into all of the workshops and panels for $50 (save $25) here. With the festival just two weeks away, tickets are going quickly, so grab yours while you still have the chance.

Diabolical Deceptions

At the end of this month, I'll be participating in a one-night-only show with four other performers to put on a night of incredible magic. We will be at 99 Sudbury which is a beautiful space for magic. Joining me on the show are Chris Mayhew - A hilariously funny comedy magician

Bella Muerta - Ghoul next door and multi-talented sassy lass.

Mind Bender - A young and aspiring magical performer

Baldini - The man of magical mystery.

Tickets are now available online - or you can purchase them from me directly.

Diabolical Deceptions Saturday, May 31, 2014 - 8:00 PM 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto Tickets $20

French Photos

I'm slowly beginning to catch up on my sleep after spending most of last week with Vincent Hedan, the charming and wonderful French magician, with the equally charming and wonderful accent. While he was in town, he presented his show, The Wish, in English for the first time, did two special events for The Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club and we even snuck him out to perform at a private event. Enjoy the photos, while I get back to plotting and scheming - there's lots of great magic coming up very soon.

I need to thank Hat & Rabbit Club and Ben Train for helping to organize everything and thank Michael Weber and Dr. Sammy Jakubowicz for their mischievous tweets.

Photos by Johan Duker, Josh Sexmith, Vincent Hedan & James Alan, not all at the same time.

The Naked News

James Alan Naked News

Somewhere, somehow, there is someone who thinks that my normal performances aren't strange enough. And that person has access to a video camera. My interview/performance The Naked News was posted in a segment called "The Schmooze".

See what others are saying about the clip:

Spencer Malone

In order to view the clip, you need to be a subscriber to The Naked News. Or you can skip all that and just click here.