Win a Date with Mahdi Gilbert

Or so the contest says. 

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Toronto magician Mahdi Gilbert just to chat. We were at the Madison Avenue Pub, outdoors on a beautiful day, a place which has a richer magic history than many people will ever know.

Flattering still clearly chosen by Mahdi

You may have come across video of Mahdi online as he has been the feature of several articles and was also featured on Penn & Teller Fool Us on the CW Network two years ago. What makes Mahdi special — and possibly unique — is that he performs sleight of hand, despite not having any hands. (And if you could have seen a guy with no hands set up the tripod and camera to record this discussion, you would have been mightily impressed as well!)

Of course the most exciting part is Mahdi is offering to take one lucky viewer to see my show — Magic & Martini — in Toronto. He's calling it a date, but I'm not sure what your obligations would be. You'll have to watch the video to find out how to win. 

The Mathematics of Juggling

Because even a subject as dynamic and physical as juggling can be made more fun by making it nerdy (and British!) Thanks to the gang at Numberphile in the UK for sharing. 

The Newest Trick In The Book

Tonight's Magic & Martini in Toronto is SOLD OUT! We look forward to seeing everyone tonight at SpiritHouse.

However, next Tuesday, October 3, I'll be participating in another special event downtown: The Newest Trick In The Book, hosted by the Toronto Magic Company. I will be appearing alongside four other Toronto magicians premiering brand new magic... which may be wonderful or a complete disaster... this is like reality tv, but not on tv.

The event takes place at See-Scape, located on Dundas, immediately east of Keele. Th show starts this Tuesday at 8:30 PM. This is a PWYC event, so please feel free to join us. 

 

James "The Amazing" Randi

The Canadian magician and escape artist James Randi has become best known for his work as a paranormal investigator. It's a crusade of sorts to fight for people's right not to be cheated out of their money by people claiming abilities they don't have.

Magicians are practitioners of deception, but there's an ethics to deception and we often walk a very fine line trying to squeeze every last piece of wonder and amazement out of the world while recognizing that in order for society to flourish, people need to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible. 

This short interview was filmed by Seth Andrews, who produces The Thinking Atheist podcast, at the 2017 American Atheists convention in Charlottesville. (Hundreds of atheists gathered together to watch an eclipse... what could be wrong with that?)

Photos from Magic & Martini in Toronto

Thank you to everyone who attended our latest Magic & Martini at SpiritHouse in Downtown Toronto. 

Our next performance is already sold out but we have performances scheduled through the end of November. Readers can use the code olive for a special discounted price on tickets when reserving online. 

Here are some photos of the event courtesy of Tyler Sol Williams (who recently became an uncle, so may be referred to as "Uncle Tyler" here for the next little while.) 

It's the end of the world...

There is no cause for alarm, but as I'm sure you've all heard, the world is expected to end at some point today, Saturday, September 23, 2017. Because... you now... rogue planets and mysterious prophecies, planetary alignment and the number 33. It's a bit technical.

I don't have time to look into it in too much detail, but since as far as I know, every time someone predicts the apocalypse, it happens. So instead of rioting and looting, the most responsible course of action would be to quickly and calmly sell all of your worldly possessions and join us in celebrating life as we have known us at Magic & Martini. 

Today only, to welcome the end times, we are offering a special promotion on tickets to the show. Use the code ENDOFTHEWORLD for a discount on tickets purchased online.

Tonight's show in Toronto only has a tiny handful of tickets remaining, but feel free to book for a future date. If you believe in an afterlife and have been well-behaved enough to get into it, our show will be live-streamed for you there.

(Needless to say, if the world fails to end as planned, there will be no refunds.)