Bizzaro.'s guide to making your own download links

 One of the things I am pretty proficient at is finding ways to make various things, both physical and technological, do stuff it wasn't intended for. 

"Just like Michelangelo saw the angel in the stone, I look at a guy like Kevin Costner and see a giant peach grub who can fart the Blue Danube!" - Elijah C. Skuggs 

 Much like Karl Marx, I tend to believe the means of production should be in the hands of the people, at least when it comes to selling your own magic products. Obviously not everyone has that desire or ability but for those that do, here is a hot tip for all of you. 

 In an attempt to move into the modern age I decided to make a lot of my DVDs into downloadable videos. To do this I looked into various shopping cart software that wouldn't ding me left and right and that is when I found the company Vibralogix. They have a few code based programs and one of them is called "Vibracart Pro". 

One of the many things you can do with this program is send a download to someone in case something messes up or you just need to send a gift to someone. I realized that it generates a unique download code every time you do this. I realized I could use this to make download slips for my physical products that I sell in my lecture. It also lets me control how many times the download can be accessed and how long until it self destructs. When combined with something like a Tinyurl shortener, I can print out slips and even have QR codes. I made a video below to show you just how easy it is!

 Why is this important you ask? It adds another layer to prevent theft. Obviously once one person has it, they can send/give it to their friends and there isn't much you can do about that. However, this prevents them from just sharing the download link as if it was a password protected YT or Vimeo link. This adds an extra step which might deter some since it has a download limit. 

It will take some set-up but the manual is very robust and yes, they do have a Wordpress plugin to interface with the backend if you prefer that. The nice thing is you never have to implement the shopping cart anywhere if you just need the codes. (I've even used this shopping cart as a personal materials calculator for our escape room company on a private page)

There are places like Amazon that can also kind of do this, but you have to give them money and for a bit more effort, you get to retain control over everything.

If that's your kind of kink, then you might just like this set-up. 

Independent thought....

Vegas is a small community and we all mostly know each other. If someone needs to know something we can get hold of each other pretty easy. Obviously in the rest of the world not stuck in the middle of a desert, it's different. One thing we talk a lot about when we gather is on the subject of creating and crediting. Obviously independent thought happens all the time. Collective conscious and all that jazz. 

However, I just would like to say to everyone who thinks that creating something in a vacuum without seeing someone else's idea gives you the right to publish or sell it... 

IT F$%#ING DOESN'T!!

I don't care if a biblically accurate angel came to you on a DMT bender one night and graced your mind with this golden idea, if you didn't create it first, IT'S NOT YOURS!

"What about things like UBER and Lyft?" That's a service, not an art.

"Well Coke and RC cola..." That's a product, not an art.

"What about..." I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR BULLSHIT WHATABOUT-ISMS THAT YOU TELL YOURSELF THAT CONVINCE YOU IT'S OK!

If you don't get permission from the originator, you are stealing. Plain and simple. All you have to do is reach out and ask for their blessing. Usually they will just ask for credit. Sometimes they will say no and if they say NO, stay... the fugg... away from it. Sometimes you can partner up with them to improve and collaborate on it. Hey great! 

To all of you armchair dickbags on internet forums, the moment I hear any of you say "Well no one owns ideas and blah blah blah" all I ever think is "Spoken like someone who has never created anything good in their life". Take your cover band ass to the back of the line. 

If someone says to you, "Oh that's like so-and so's thing..." and you don't reach out to the originator, then you KNOW you are in the wrong and just don't wanna be told so. That's your inner Jimminy Cricket telling you you're a POS you're ignoring. Just listen to it and...

 

Sage advice...

 This might be my new favorite YT channel. 

Come at me bruh...

Having something be a "hit" in today's world is a double edged sword. You get a bump of clout, but you also get a slew of idiots coming up behind you to steal and expose your creations on the internet.

Knock-offs have been running rampant through our industry for some time obviously but it always baffles me when I see anyone defending it. I'll see other magicians in the comments taking the side of the thieves and ex-posers. This even happens in private magic forums! Some tourists defend shitty behavior and I am here to say something to ANY of you I see doing that, no matter where it is...

D-E-D

 

When I see someone defending the theft of another's creation without their consent or permission all I think to myself is, "Spoken like someone who has never created a thing in their life". I am sure our paths will never cross but you better HOPE I don't recognize you if we ever do. You are not a magician, you are a slug doing card tricks and the way you interact with others online tells me plenty about you and your mindset and I'm pretty sure we won't get along.

So take your idiotic "hot takes" and edgy comments and let them wash over you in your mediocrity. You will never be viewed as a professional until you wise up (and that might be fine with you) but don't go around bitching about people who want to take the art seriously when they chide and ignore your dumb ass after you make asinine comments about how theft and exposure is ok.

It's time for you to sit on a tack...