Taal Fiza has recently launched their new album, "Spin Culture," which was produced specifically for the spinning community.

I've had the great pleasure of using Taal Fiza's music in several of my videos, so now it's my great pleasure to tell you to go check out the album! :)

My friend Andrea is again organizing the amazing SPARK Circus project in Thailand. This February a group of 15-20 flow-arts volunteers will bring the awesomeness of flow arts and circus to disadvantaged children in Northern Thailand (especially to the refugees from Burma). This is an opportunity to make the world a happier place while spending time with a group of skilled and loving spinners. To learn more, visit the SPARK Circus website. Note that if you like the project, but can't go to Thailand, you can send them toys or a donation through paypal.

Ronan in one of the best fire spinning videos I've seen in a long time. (Including the amazing video editing and effects!)

..um, the spelling is their spelling, not a typo.

Maddi (Magie Alvarez Calleja), who lived and played with us for several months in Thailand this past winter, passed on last week in a suicide bombing in Yemen.

Maddi was very special to many people, and it was hard to accept that she died, especially in these circumstances. Few people who spill forth with life the way Maddi did. It was like her soul was always trying to fly from her body. She will be missed very much.

Life is fragile and unpredictable. We come and we go. It's all a little incomprehensible sometimes, and it's good that we have each other for the ride.

As I've mentioned before, Ronan is one of those amazing spinners you probably haven't heard of. He's here in Thailand, and we were both spinning fire at a party last Friday. I mixed together a simple little video from Gusti's camera. It doesn't fully do Ronan justice, but it's a start. (If you'd like to see better quality videos, visit the poiticipate page and maybe we'll have an actual video camera by the end of the winter.)

rate or comment on youtube | Watch as .mov

Introducing Chris "Rovo" Baily, another amazing poi spinner.

I first met Chris in Toronto, during the Great Canadian Poi Adventure Tour. He seemed very... enthusiastic, and definitely good with poi... but I wasn't particularly expecting him to become a superstar per se. I tend to be wrong about such things.

(CLICK "READ MORE" TO SEE MORE EMBEDDED VIDEOS)

Not sure if you guys have ever visited Spherculism.com, but you should, as soon as it's back up. Spherculism is the brainchild of Matt Terry, one of the most mind-boggling poi arists I have yet to meet. He is the only person who can wibble poi casually. He is one of a very small handful of poi artists truly pushing the frontier of hyperloops. He was at UberOz, and I offer you two short videos of Matt doing hyperloops and wibbles, shot on my little digital camera.

That's Matt in the picture, videotaping Rebecca. Somehow that's the best picture of him that I ended up with...

I have to admit: When I look back at all of this in 30 years (here's to hoping), it will most likely be the people not the poi that I remember most fondly. Travelling with Dan, Dom, Yanika, Matt, and Rebecca has been most wonderful.

Oh, and australia is pretty beautiful as well. A note of warning, though: If you're going to go trecking through the jungle when it's raining, don't wear sandals. The raid brings out very hard working little leaches. The good news is that they don't like deet...