The Vault – CHINK-A-CHINK Elements by Patricio Terán
Review by Rick Carruth

If you enjoy Matrix effects, or wish you could perform Matrix type effects, Chink-a-Chink may be just what you need.. Here is the Ad copy:

“The best Matrix I have ever seen! I thought my eyes were malfunctioning.”
– Richard Sanders

After ten years of keeping his routines underground, Patricio Terán, the Matrix specialist, brings you his legendary handlings of the Chink-a-Chink plot.

You will learn three wonderful routines, complete with all of the subtle elements that will transform your Matrix into a miracle.

These incredible effects are explained step by step with the best quality video and the best possible teacher.

If you have ever wanted to do a hyper visual Matrix with 4 different objects, download this today!

My Thoughts:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia –
“A magician performs the “chink-a-chink” coin trick, having started from a square of four coins. Chink-a-chink is a simple close-up magic trick in which a variety of small objects, usually four, appear to magically transport themselves from location to location when covered by the performer’s hands, until the items end up gathered together in the same place. Variations, especially the Sympathetic Coins, have been performed since the 1800s.”

“Sean McWeeney, the author of the first dedicated e-book on Chink-a-Chink, has a history dating back to at least early/mid-19th-century Germany. The trick was famously covered in Edwin Sach’s seminal book Sleight of Hand in 1877, utilizing four sugar cubes. Max Malini, who popularized the trick in the early 20th century, using cut-down wine corks, is generally credited with naming the trick. Doug Henning performed Chink-a-Chink on television in the early 1970s, using seashells.”

Many magicians, popular magicians, have performed this effect using a variety of objects. Anything concealable by the palm of the hand has been fair game. In recent years Chink -a- Chink morphed into the Matrix effect, using playing cards instead of the palm. That said.. this video download is about the classic effect.

I have to first say I prefer the classic Clink-a-Clink to the Matrix. Why? There is no lifting of objects beneath the palm as opposed to lifting coins beneath the transfer of a card. All the transportations involve covering objects with the palm and sliding them from one position to another. This is, to me at least, much easier to master than the latter.

This “The Vault” download was produced by Nacho Mancilla. Honestly, I don’t know a lot about Nacho other than he has published a couple of other effects under his name.. UP SLOW and REFRACTION. After the initial intro, Nacho turns everything over to Patricio Terán, a serious Matrix master from Chile.

Due to the language barrier, the entire effects portion of the video is performed to some excellent chill music. Thankfully, everything you need to know can be taught without words. There are camera angles from both forward and rear positions, giving you multiple views of the same move. The video itself is just over 30 minutes, and is more than long enough to teach all the moves. Both sound and video are fine. I have no problem with the production qualities, and they are precisely what I would expect for the cost and subject. There wasn’t a credit at the end of the video, so I can’t comment on equipment.. only on what I saw. So, if you’re one of ‘those’.. I can’t help you.. Sorry!

The three effects were inspired by Mott-Sun, Takahiro, Daniel Garcia, Al Schneider, and others..

FANTASY: This is a very enticing, very visual effect that, due to the simultaneous movement, makes it darn near impossible to solve. The spectator is left pondering, I was left pondering, and most of the dirty work is the result of a gimmick.
FANTASY uses four half dollars and a change purse.. (well.. maybe slightly more than four). This was similar to the traditional Matrix many of you are familiar with, but uses the palms instead of cards. Again, my preference. This effect reminded me of another effect I recently reviewed.. “Z Matrix.. an effect by Ziv”, in that a gimmick is required. You will need a clear acrylic sheet, not hard to find, a pair of scissors, and some double stick tape. Although I don’t like constructing gimmicks, this one isn’t hard to make. It makes a couple of the moves possible. You also need a Servante. The video teaches how Patricio and Nacho make theirs, which is a very simple open-top savante, stuck to the inner edge of the table. You could probably lap if you didn’t want to purchase or make a savante. You WILL like this effect…. and it’s not overly hard to learn or perform, once you learn the moves.

METAMORPH MIX: This is a true Clink-a-Clink effect. You use a half dollar, a key, a ring, and a Chinese coin. Again, Patricio performs what appears to be a series of complex vanishes and switches, most achievable once the moves are memorized. This is not only a joy to watch, but would be a joy for you to perform. Like FANTASY, it’s next to impossible for the audience to figure out. Too much going on… Dai would love this one.

ELEMENTS: Quick effect similar to the above. This uses a few less moves, but the same tokens. This is a great place to start and a good point to get your feel for what’s going on.

Honestly, my best advice is – go to the Murphy’s Magic link and watch the demo video. I’m a visual guy myself, and this will give you a good idea of what you’ll learn, plus the FANTASY effect, which is not on the demo. I sincerely hope you’ll consider buying this download. I think you’ll really enjoy performing this for your friends, fellow magicians, and your audience. There’s no doubt they’ll see you in a different light, a good light, and you don’t have to tell them you learned it all from a nineteen dollar video…

$19.95.. From Murphy’s Magic and their fellow customers.
https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=63415

CARSON CITY – A bill to ban involuntary microchipping of people, unanimously passed earlier this month by the Assembly, ran into a skeptical Senate committee Friday where members raised concerns that its prohibitions were too broad.

But stealing the show was opposition testimony from a Las Vegas magician with 21 such implants who uses them to open locked doors, speak text from her phone, even call her husband on command.

“It’s not as sinister as you’re making it out to seem,” Anastasia Synn told the Senate Judiciary committee.

Assembly Bill 226 passed the Assembly with changes to clarify that the proposed ban would apply only to devices that can transmit a signal, not to implants for decorating or expressive purposes. Medical devices that transmit health information or status, such as advanced pacemakers, also would be exempt, as would items such as hip implants.

The chips are typically the size of a grain of rice. They can be implanted under the skin and used, for example, to open locked doors or make purchases with a handwave. They can also store health or emergency contact data, such as those implanted in pets. Five states – Wisconsin, California, Missouri, North Dakota and Oklahoma – currently ban mandatory implantation in people.

Sponsoring Assemblyman Skip Daly, D-Sparks, told the committee the bill was intended to set a baseline prohibition for such devices that future Legislatures could modify, vetting exemptions as they are proposed to lawmakers. He said it aimed at seemingly voluntary practices where someone might be offered a health insurance discount for consenting to have an implant, or where a casino might require one for an employee who handles cash.

“Yeah, it’s voluntary, but you’re going to get something for it,” he said.

“We don’t know how far these types of technologies can go,” said the ACLU’s Holly Wellborn. “We have enough intrusion in our private lives from the data that’s collected.”

But committee members had doubts about the bill’s ban on transmitting devices that a person could opt to implant without any coercion or incentive. They also questioned whether Daly had consulted with manufacturers of medical devices such as cochlear implants for the hearing impaired. Daly said he hadn’t, but would.

Synn, the Las Vegas magician, said the capabilities of microchips, which she uses in her performance as well as day-to-day life, were misunderstood. They transmit only a very short distance. If tracking one were possible, she said, “you would know where your lost cats and dogs are.”

She demonstrated how one of her implants could be programmed to speak text from her phone and described how an artist had used implants to recite poetry when touched. Her testimony captivated committee members; Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Las Vegas, asked in half-jest where Synn performed and whether she could bring her show to Carson City.

Elisa Cafferata, representing the Nevada Technology Association, told the committee implants are commonplace in Europe where people get them to open doors or pay for items without having to carry keys or a wallet.

“While many of us probably can’t imagine doing this, it’s actually quite common around the globe,” she said.

But Daly, wrapping up testimony, was not swayed.  “We don’t know where this is going,” he said. “If it’s tech, it can be hacked.”

Secrets behind some of the most famous magic tricks has been revealed…

Glitz, glamorous assistants and the occasional white rabbit are images – if you mind the pun – conjured up when you think of magic tricks.

But really, there’s a far deeper thinking behind the magician’s wand.

One that could even help the medical world treat a wealth of illnesses such as depression, ADHD and migraines.

But its grim background stems from heartbroken Victorians wanting to contact their dead friends.

Although it might seem like magic and science are at odds with each other, a new exhibition seeks to show there are more parallels than expected.

Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic at the Wellcome Centre, the first ever to focus on the mysterious links between our brain and magic tricks.

It explores why, even in the face of rationality, the human brain believes in the supernatural and gets such a kick from magic tricks, along with displaying magical artefacts spanning decades.

From the “Margie Box” used by Houdini to Derren Brown’s gorilla head , it offers a glimpse into the magic world and the thinking behind it.

Magic and the art of it is far from a fluffy thing and it’s been part of popular culture for years.

From Houdini to Derren Brown and Dynamo, most people have engaged with some kind of magic trickery.

It all started in the Victorian era when, the done thing to do was to use mediums and go to seances.  READ MORE

By   Helen Whitehouse