Mystical dreams and grand inventions create a wicked examination of America in a time of reckless Republicans and the fevered tweets of their unsound President. It is a tale that exposes our most visceral horrors and suspicions of the current political miasma. It is a warning, an adventure and a metaphor--yet, just may be a hint at better days to come.

Magic and conjuring inhabit the boundaries and the borderlands of performance. The conjuror s act of demonstrating the apparently impossible, the uncanny, the marvellous, or the grotesque challenges the spectator's sense of reality. It brings him or her up against their own assumptions about how the world works; at its most extreme, it asks the spectator to re-evaluate his or her sense of the limits of the human. Performing Dark Arts is an exploration of the paradox of the conjuror, the actor who pretends to be a magician. It aims to illuminate the history of conjuring by examining it in the context of performance studies, and to throw light on aspects of performance studies by testing them against the art of conjuring. The book examines not only the performances of individual magicians from Dedi to David Blaine, but also the broader cultural contexts in which their performances were received, and the meanings which they have attracted.

As technology has developed, computer hackers have become increasingly sophisticated, mastering the ability to hack into even the most impenetrable systems. The best way to secure a system is to understand the tools hackers use and know how to circumvent them. Defense against the Black Arts: How Hackers Do What They Do and How to Protect against It provides hands-on instruction to a host of techniques used to hack into a variety of systems. Exposing hacker methodology with concrete examples, this book shows you how to outwit computer predators at their own game. Among the many things you’ll learn: How to get into a Windows operating system without having the username or password Vulnerabilities associated with passwords and how to keep them out of the hands of hackers How hackers use the techniques of computer forensic examiners to wreak havoc on individuals and companies Hiding one’s IP address to avoid detection Manipulating data to and from a web page or application for nefarious reasons How to find virtually anything on the internet How hackers research the targets they plan to attack How network defenders collect traffic across the wire to indentify intrusions Using Metasploit to attack weaknesses in systems that are unpatched or have poorly implemented security measures The book profiles a variety of attack tools and examines how Facebook and other sites can be used to conduct social networking attacks. It also covers techniques utilized by hackers to attack modern operating systems, such as Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X. The author explores a number of techniques that hackers can use to exploit physical access, network access, and wireless vectors. Using screenshots to clarify procedures, this practical manual uses step-by-step examples and relevant analogies to facilitate understanding, giving you an insider’s view of the secrets of hackers.

English translations of two important fifteenth-century writings on witchcraft by Johannes Hartlieb and Ulrich Molitoris. Introduction discusses the writings, the authors, their historical environments, the ways they used sources, and their influence on the development of ideas about witchcraft.

The Classic Study of the Occult Reintroduced in a 50th Anniversary Edition The Black Arts is a fascinating and wonderfully readable exploration of the practice, theory, and underlying rationale of magick and occultism in all its branches, including witchcraft, spells, numerology, astrology, alchemy, kabbalah, tarot, charms, and summoning and control of spirits. This edition features a 50th anniversary introduction by historian of alternative spirituality Mitch Horowitz, who frames the book for a new generation of readers.

Magic and conjuring inhabit the boundaries and the borderlands of performance. The conjuror’s act of demonstrating the apparently impossible, the uncanny, the marvellous, or the grotesque challenges the spectator’s sense of reality. It brings him or her up against their own assumptions about how the world works; at its most extreme, it asks the spectator to re-evaluate his or her sense of the limits of the human. Performing Dark Arts is an exploration of the paradox of the conjuror, the actor who pretends to be a magician. It aims to illuminate the history of conjuring by examining it in the context of performance studies, and to throw light on aspects of performance studies by testing them against the art of conjuring. The book examines not only the performances of individual magicians from Dedi to David Blaine, but also the broader cultural contexts in which their performances were received, and the meanings which they have attracted.

"This complete self-study course in modern Wicca is a treasured classic - an essential and trusted guide that belongs in every witch's library."---Back cover