Reveal

I'm a sucker for magic. I've never seen a live show, but I have caught a number of David Copperfield, David Blaine and Criss Angel shows on tv over the years... as well as the four-part "Breaking the Magician's Code" series featuring the "Masked Magician".

But, for me, nobody does it better than Penn & Teller... especially when they'll go so far as showing you how the trick is done, and it still doesn't seem possible. In a recent pair of articles for Smithsonian.com, the silent half of the duo, Teller, talks about how magic is done in a way I haven't seen expressed so neatly before.

In the article, Teller Speaks on the Enduring Appeal of Magic, he talks about how he got into doing magic and the intellengence of magic, both on the part of the performer and the audience. In Teller Reveals His Secrets, he lays out seven principals of magic, and then shows how they're all used in a common trick. Again, as is always their strong suit, even after walking me through the trick, it still somehow seems magical to me.

For an example of this, here is a 2010 YouTube clip of the pair doing the classic "cup & balls" illusion: first with red plastic cups... and then with clear plastic cups. And, even though everything is spelled out for you the second time around, the skill with which they do it is incredible.

» Found at: Smithsonian.com – "Appeal" / "Reveal"

TotW: Way Home

The Track of the Week feature is back! After a quiet month here, as a result of a total re-design on the Radio3 side of things, I think the new CBC Music site is stable enough to start linking to again.

You might have previously heard this week's artist as a part of her family band, The Rankin Family. However, Molly Rankin is now out on her own with a debut EP (released back in 2010 apparently!) available for purchase... and it sounds fantastic.

This is a great little solo number, with a wonderfully playful, rolling feel to it. There are some handclaps, a little bit of do- do- do- do- style singing in the bridge; and Molly's voice is just perfect for this style. There is something so inviting and honest about it.

"Way Home" isn't an overly-complex song, lyrically, but it shouldn't be. It's a short song about a lost or unrequited love; coming in at under three minutes, it just feels right as it is.

» Listen: Way Home - Molly Rankin

Labels

One of my first ever posts here was about the beauty of the Beau's beer packaging. That was way back in 2010, but now it seems like someone else has had the same idea and created a whole blog dedicated to the design and style of beer packaging! Enter Oh Beautiful Beer.

Coming up on their one-year anniversary next month, OBB has expanded to a whole host of social media sites, but the body of their collection still seems to be on their own Tumblr-style blog. Be sure to click through to the actual article to see more packaging images and/or a description about the design inspiration or origin.

Along the same lines, when I found this site I also discovered Untappd. It's a social -networking site designed around the enjoyment of beer. Complete with mobile apps (for iOS and Android) as well as tie-ins to Foresquare and Facebook, it's a great way for those who are already using these other services to find and enjoy great beers together. Personally, I'm sticking with a pen and the great beer journal my wife gave me for Christmas; but if you weren't as lucky, give this a look-see.

» Found at: Oh Beautiful Beer