Doug Dyment - Calculated Thoughts

Co oured Symbo s Although some re~ders' preferenca will be for the USf: of traditional all-black symbols in Zener readings, others might prefer the additional scope afforded by ml! uS(' of wlours. Packs are commercially available in which .,itCh symbol is printed in a variety of different colours"', most commonly black, red, blue, green. and yellow (with other colours making occasional appearances). The use of colour for divinalory purposes Is a fairly recent phenomenon, occurring mostly within the \.ast century. following are some brief <:OIou. OIS$Oda1ions'''' that can be used to embellish Zener symbol readings: Slack ~ 8bsenceof colour, implying5eriow.nes.sand mystery; ''';nsinnally it refers to evil Red "Qlour of blood and fire, signifying power, passion. festivity: it sometimes means dang"'. On ~ ,lour of the sun itself, representing strong emotions ,he life forre Yell ow Jlour of sun! i ght. invoking re VI' lalian, in Ie llee! ua Ii ty. h"ppines3; it can a loo mean caution and cowardice Green t. colour of plant li~, conveying growth, health. hope, ""<.1 uptimism; it can also mean jealousy Blue the c:olouT of sea a nd sky, suggesting tranquility, C<Jn lancy, and Spirituality Indigo the c:olour of responsibility, suggestive of carmg. humanit~rian concerns; it can ~lso mean creativity Violet the colour of understanding. related to kJlowledgl', wisdom. and spiriwal .wa~5; it CilIl also refer to wealth and authority 19, Who. ... ~""I:"oIoo,.mJ 7 ...... .,.n. ..-..... _h."".t..l;. ouwkd ..... <1>< __ -.. , ...... ,,,--.. ,lot ao< .. ""'''' ."", ' . .. 01 _ ~ """"" t.. .... <1>< .... ", _ . -I"" "'''' .. , ."""" ",~, "'" " .......... ,h.-........ ,...,. oIl..-n:du<ioccolou.s! J?-l. , ...... """.,un"'" ... _:... ..... ' ''' ...... " f,,- M"",.,... ... , ~.,r--.....,g;.,(~ " ..... 19'11) J'IL l.I'l.2U, ~"h .,..,k1mp ... It,d .. td Ili' ........ 1.0'- 11...1;.,/1- F... """ "'"'" rr- 1(,.. , .,. ..-..I joI." 11.'\4,,,,,,," '«'db IAo-IMJ ,~,y,&I s-..,. PI' 41J.-)41, 251

Bibliography Divination using Zener symbols is i. largely unexplored lopic. Writings are few and far betw~ and generally aimed at lho!! confuring ( .... thet than reading) market. ConSl!'quently, they tend towards superficialiy and e)(hibit little-if i"y-aocuratt' hi5lorical or symboli c underpinnings. Here are II few known referenCl'S: Hunter, Rudy T. Quick-.md-Easy ESP Card Rradi"8', from Mllgiek (Bakersfield, Callfomia, 1988), I5sue 413, pp. 2Q67- 2D68. As the title suggests. this brief articJeoffers an extremely simple-albeit limitedreading approach. based 00 II five-<ard layout. using numerological interpretations (the numbers 1-5) for the five Zener symbols. N"a lt, Robert. Systtmntic Cmrtiuity 5tim~ll1ti<m. From Mysluy SdKJDI, (Sea ttle, Washington: The Mind .. F;>CIory, 20(3), pp. II9-IOl. Subtitled MScioentifi( Age Fortune-Telling-, Ihis imaginalive system draws on the organll.ational structu .... of the Wu Xing (1l1 bf!il not identified as such), It abandons all anthropological and historic interpretations. however. in favour of ones imagined by the author entirely from the Zener symbol shapes. with tile goal of stimulating personal creativity. A three-card layout is ~mployed, Strydom. AI~n . $implt ESP Cord RMding Sysl(nI (l'lettenburg Bay. South Africa: private printing. 2006). This can be viewl!d IS a more ambitious version of the Hunter approach. redefining thoso! inlerpmations 5OffieWhat,. adding fu rther numerological !Ngg<!$tions, .nd incorporating id.-.as drawn from palmistry. colour thO!(lry. pendulums, and the I Chi"S' (rt lINe). Layouts are described for one through five cards (the latter being a slight modification of th ~ Hunter layout). and tedmiqUl'S are included for Incorporating trickery'" IS a component of the readings. 19). \ tr ..... '-fio." ........ ,h""'P<" ,,0.., .... 'lmiool ,"", """ CO" ... r... ... ;" cl ... """Ie 252 ·Il0l,, I ...... t.:ndo ". ...sI~,;_ .. .,..O"pIc.·. -'II.. 7..,,",h ... ><10" ...... rlw 0........ Su<;k".

Wordpay &mantic Subterfuge

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Sign Language (On the Impromptu Divination of ZcdiDc Signs) Prologue This chapter began life, not as a performance piece In its own right,. but IS II monograph on lhedeceptive use of tho! ill-named "branching anagram" (aka "progressiv\! anagram") technique''', I am, of course, delighted that it has received acclaim liS II worldng routine, but I hope that even those uninterested in adding II zodjac sign divination plot to the;r repertoires will consider incorporating its -ABC" methodology into other effe<:ts of this ilk that they m(J()!;e to <Xlf\Slruct and perform. Premise The basic premise of Sign l.lmgull$ is simple: the enllertainer.is able to both deumnint' and dramatically ~ea l a participant's zodia<: sign. letter by letle~ without anything eVe! having b«>n written or otherwise recorded. It is completely impromptu. can be dooe .. nytime, anywhf!re, and serves itS an excellent response to the "read my mind" request that the working mentalist is likely to face from lime to time, 'Ihis version of what has in r&ent year!! become a classic of propless ment aHsm offen;; ~ significantly improved prefix t~ construction, along with a carefully crafted script designed to more effectively shroud its modll$ Of'''<l"di, Progenitcm; ll\(' principal progenitor of this routine is dearly Ray Grismer's ground-breaking publiaotion of What', Y<)1I1 Sign"'" Not only did I<N. 'Ih< , .... ...... ... -.. .. "" ................ 1-' ~ .. ~..., fot--.lloy ,,,,,, -.10: ""' .. " _ ,.., _ ....... h .. o 4 r -.41.." ._ . .... · ... -d ~ ... ... ;.~ pho-_' " _'-I .. ~_I~ 1._ Of<""" .. _ '1M", . .. ~ _ .. """"-....J ..... ,hook "'-.d '" ,1>0 oubj." I.,. I" ".ad Hm. I>u. ,Ioq ...... _hi., , ..... ""'''' _.,.t'~n).Wh" .. l><i"S ",.-,,..,..:..1 io ..:, ... n,. , 1)'1'< of "'""'~ '«T •• '''"of'''''''' tOol ",he. " .. "') ... "",.h k.,.. -- ('Il " ~""'" coil.",. , .,,""'u .. . "IIi<" (.""' ~ ..... «>_ rro., ' «1II:>'01"),.k. r<:i~ "'v, "' .. ;,.,,.... u< '~iwl 1M. I ,.'ploy ....... ~,'" •• "lhk "'m -9""" ,,,,,- I. rio<. ,,,.. , ... "r.,., •• ,,, ' .,s"m" "I'!"'Il .. lool , 19~ . I .. "'.'''' If'h,wi y ... ,.'Nl" F""'f'Io'" (u,.,),..,!) ..... r -"'" )",01";' ... 1.,. R.>r Go;.."",. So, I. S ...... ""' , ID Ij1l(,1. I" f""l_tl,. lo<><I iIIco<<=lrl ,,"'...J 10 .. lI"",j M)' Si;(oo (.ho;h -.1",,\ b. ,_~ of •• df.ct'). lJ.;.. io ....... dnp." _ ., ,II< ,_no« of,'~ to;'- """ho~: 255

Ray poplllarize th~ concept of zodiac sign divination as an ideal impromptu feat for the ml!!1talist, but he also set a high ba r for the design of the necessary pn>fix trre. Several additional contributions to the zodiac idea have subsequently appeared (both published and privately cim.olated), from Jas Jakutsch .... Banachek. I'lul Ingram, and others. or course, the prefix treE' ooncept dates bact. at least to 192()"', and ha s beoen explored by unrountM writers over the intervening ,..~ Quil'e a few other prefix-tn>e-based plots have bt't>n published subsequently, though they are mostly an uninspiring lot. Constructing a functiona l prefix tree for a particular set of target words is not p"Micula rly difficult (there exist, in fact, CQmputer progra ms to do exactly thilt), and often Sl2Veral can be designed for the same target set. The problem 18 in designing a prefix treE' that incorporates deceptive techniques for hiding the i,,"";tab .... mis.ses " that occur. Pons AsinOTuml " lis unquestioned enterta inment value notwithstanding, any plot of this type (j.~., one utilizing a p n>fix tiff) can be an unmitigated disaster when performed by the in('xperitncN or unprepared mentalis!. Without considerable attention to detail.. and a carefully constructed (and well-rehearsed) script. it can eully come off looking like an embarrassing version of Whetl ofFortunr'". The names of the twelve zodiac signs were nOl, unfortunately, , rUled for this particular purpooe. "The best prefIx tr«!S that C<Ul be CQnstructed for !hem still result in two "no" reoo;ponses for five of th~ signs.. making it challenging to employ in a non-oovious fashion. So the twin goals of this (or any other) such plot are to: • devi~ a pl"\"'"fuc treE' that is at least optirna! for the task (i. e~ the minimal number of -no- respon5('S, and those occurring where they can best be camouHaged), and Bot. F....,., """""",,I, ..... ..!, ,.d.t..",d wnio. ai,,.. ..... _1Iiqoot """"'" d;d _ p.bIi>lo .... J. I, ... 'J>P<. ,h.I, Gr;....... ... 1«,", ,ho .10, .... ,10. fi", ,..".. ............... )'X>. ~ l"',i<~b.1,o""""",-" "'" k ""ad '" ~ ("-,In«, 14. _ _ 1Wo_ I t im). I'P- 14_1'. b,. .. ' j.r...n,h (.,", _ ... f'/o- "'. ~ "')'4'''' ,"",,,;n .. fr<m .'"'"'''''.t. , 197. //y N • ..,."U,...,1t ~ ",.,,<4 by S"n"' C~~Ii ... in I~l(t. ~ b.G..r.l ... t.. ,h< ~." lI'I'<""'« <Of <he p",ii. .,... """"1" in UI1.1 ~ ... 1911 ~ A..i...,.",. I .. in f", ~. ;>;,,,iI',,, Il ,,< .. ~·"'1<J,,, of " .... J. ".fe n ,n >OJ robkm ",", I<YtftJy " ... ,ho obil!!, '" ,n iI\...,»<, .. n<e>.! po..~.., n '99. W/,ffl of ""'.'" ~ • 10"1·"".'''1 ~ "." 'u .... __ """ ,J,.".; In ..to" h ,ho """1'""'_ 256 "Y'" _ ....... ~"' ........ " . '""".

• develop a script tlult cilTtfully disguise'! the istence of any nega ti ve responses, by abertins thtm befoTt they berome obvious, Ol'l/"iding them with strong positive statements (hits), ilnd/oT rtClZSling them u misinterpretations rather than actual mistakt:,. The p rincipal objective of this discu.'iliicm. therefore, is to provide just 5ucil a wmbina tion of solutions,. and sugg~t how it can best be utilired in the resen iOf\ of this powerful plot. Prtsentation RbUI YOllr mind! Wtll, II's 1101 Ilu mdlng II booA:. YQU know, esptci"ltywilh solflf!Ont I dem'/"itt blow IoIt7y tot". Bllt if yoo.'1l pmm~ to ht/p, I'll ttrtllinly give il" try. [participant Igrees to eoc>per.ttJ Don" 5IlJI il olll/owl, bill do ~Il know YOllr Il$ lmIogiaU birlh sign ~Ilr wditlc symbol _lind how il is spt:/W? Gm'" !.LI', J« ifYOIl am $tnd illo mt, illslllSing Iht powtr of your mind. To mllM it torSifT, picfurt il as an «lIml . ign, witJt hu~ ktlfTS ... lia th~ fomOllS Hollywood sign, only insltad of "Hollywood", illUlgi~ llull ;1 5~U5 oul 1M numt 0/ your wJiac lign. Visu"lizt I~ klltrs ;n yowr mind; s« Ihmr c1 .... ' ly, lind 1'1110 IrllnsmillMm to mt ... I'm 5«In8 whu r sttms 10 ~ Un R ... ? [participant concurs] Good, lind Ihm:'s illS() /In I ... no, WIIil! /t"s lin A: tht s«ond Idluo/'JfIIl' iilgn is lin A. I'm /liso ~lting II slrong Sl'nst 0/ two .. ., two IdltTS 1M unnt, two syllablts ... Ihm's not fln S. is il? [yes ]ltI!OlIghlso, lind two lIs! You. sign is TAURUS, and YOIl'rt lJuy good III this! This is merely '"typical ff , of cour!ll'. As with any prefix-tree-based plot, there are as many pa ths through the script as there are end results (twelve, in this instance ). But It truly Is representative, neither a best- nor WOrst-Clse eKlmple of the revelation that the participant will ex~rifnce. Procedu.res The convindng navigation of • p refiK tree has much in common with a succo.>s.sful wid reading: the paths to be chosen. and the words to be used. are strongly affected by the responses (including body language) of the partidpant. Unlike with cold reading.. however. the f"l:'Sponses to a prtfix tree seardl scqUl!<lce a(l! strictly limited, with the possibilities known well in ad vance, so one can ~are ~ll for thejoomey. Also IS with cold (l!ading. il is import=1 to avoid the ap~arance of 81ishing~ for infonn.tion (whkh of course is exactly what y<lU are doing!). Pay particular Itletlti()fl lo the formulation of questions: 257 '

258 ideally, they should be pen:eivf'd not as direct questions at all, but rather as confirmations of facts already !<..nown. Asking Is l/rat .111 57 $OUnds suspiciously like a gamf' of Ha~gll1<ln -. A bette. ploy is /,,,, saing'M ~lItr S ...• accompanied by a sUgkt nodding of tke ~ad to su~t that a question is being asked, and followed by careful att~tion to the participant's body language. Anotht-r strategy is castirlg the query in a negati>'e form. as in Thai isn't a" 5, is it?; this dassic equivocal delivery can just as ea$ily be followed with Yes, I lho~glrl 5(1 a! with No, I did,,', think so. The prefi_ tree used in Si8" um8wQ~ ena.bles five rodiac signs (CEMINI, LIO, CANClR,. VlIlGO, UBRA) to be ascertained with two negative responses, six (P1scss.. TAURus,. SCORPIO. CAPRlC'OllN, AMlEiS, AQVARrUS) with a single ·non responSl', and one [sACmARlUS) with none at alL nus, in fact. Is an optimal oolution for this set of names; the more difficult goat 15 previously noted, isthe development of a ~ript that carefully disguises the existence of any TOl"gative responses. in order to make them as "invisible" as possible. This is ~ by deploying three powerful strategie5----both individually and in coocert- in responso! to the pmicipmt'5 benaviour. It's important for the practitiOl\l"r 10 have a clear understanding of these bldutiques. wlUch I term Abort. llefog"", and Clarify. as they are truly the ABCs of petfonn~ success with prefi~ tteel! We will now examine th~ strategies in ~me detail: Abort Aborting negative responses before they become obvious is a powerful w Upor!. and one that e~perience more than anything else will tead> the entNtainer to wield effectively. The basic teclmique consists of oOscrving the body languageof the participant. an empting 10 identify II negative ~ply before il is vocalizm,. and immedia tely dissociilting from the inrortl'Cl statement. replacing il with another. For exlmple, you have just said ••• fl1Id IIInt's ,,/SO 1111 I ••. , bu.! the participant. rather than noddingenthusia5tkal1y or shouting 11Iat's amuing! ", hilS tilled her head slightly to one side, or perhaps begun to frown slightly. Rather than wait for her to a<tually say "noN, you ~trieVi! the initia tive by immediately correcting yourself. How you do this is generally by making us-e: of one of the two remaining strategies. 200. 1/"",..... ~" 1""",I ........... f'<, &"'" In wt.im 0'" p~)'<, , ..... , .... "OrO """ .. 1«,." or" , ..... q ..... ,1y 11""' .... I.,. ......... , f'l.Iy... For ,och i"""""" ,....., ....... (WIGf "" "i,k 65"'" 01. "nJln_ n\.&n i. d,,,,,,,, :!Q I. 1 ...... ,;." .. .to. I. To o:tO<F Of obo< ...... 2. l~ ""'" ",.r .. 1000 ... 1., A..m- Hm'~ 1Jin--, "' ... 1""",1II6~. I'aw, ~ f.di ..... (2(10(0)

a .. fog Overriding negative responses with strong. unequivocal, positive statements ilI .. n effective way to make thepartidpant forget that you were heidingdown the wrong path. It help!! if the new $titement an be m .. de with assurancr, and is d .. livered with an appropriate level of enthusiasm. For e>:'m ~, if you immediately foUow the (now known to be inrorrt:ct) ... and Ihut's also an , ... of the previous p<lrigraph with an eJeoted. No! Waili 1I "$ 1l11 A: 1M smmd lelia iJ all Ai, you ha ve more than redeemed your aJm06t·made" mista.ke with the uncompromising statement that not only doyou know the lettersh .. is adually projecting,. bul you even know where it faUs within her word. Sl10ng stuff. CI .. rify Interpreting negative responses (ve<al or otherwise) as misinterpret .. tiOfl5 ratner than actual mistake! is lnolhcr obfuscatory tedmique that can ~ used to hide the faa tha t you hilve guessed a letter incorrectly.l1w:! ostensiblE> confusion might be seen to ~lt hom the ~vec:l" Jetter having a similu shape ~ sound to the one a<;tu.a lly intended; this is p<>rticulilrly effective when used in conjunction with an equivocal question (one with multiple interpretations). Other po.;ibilitieseJeillt as well !jUch as mistaking the letter I for" reference to the HeyeN of the lion (uo)or other ilflimal. Natwally; you eliminate the pero:ived "confusion" by making clear the "a,tual" intent. An example: That's not an 5, is it? [no) No, I thought 1\01; it's a C. but it S<)ulldslike an S; y<>u r sign is cANURl Another example: It's an E, definitely an F. •.. and iI's not the last lette{, but second from the Inl ... [no) Of course! I'm seeing it from the other side; iI's IIeCOnd from the begi" " ;"g,..fur the G; your sign is CEJ.CI1'o"t! And another. Good, and now I'm seeing an I ... lno! Yes, in fad two eyes, powerful ones; it's • lion; yow sign is uo/ In the 6n ... 1 e~ .. mple, take care not toovertly correct theparticipant (your ytS for her "0); instead, the ~ should be spoken softly, "Imot;t reflectively, as j f you art! agreeing with your own intuition, and not rellily being guided by the participant's ug.ge~ ions. The Kript that follows contains sever.1 ~amples of these techniques in action. 259

260 Pe.rjormonu The fOllowing compri5eS tho! complete Sign l.imgua~ !lerip!,. presented in diagrammAtic fonnaL The shaded blocks contain (sometimes pl~ ) questions. Following positive responses. the script continues brlaw such blocks; for any negative 1'1'$~, mow to 1M righl. Hmm. mIIybe you're ... OfcQU,-,c! I'm seeing il I'm seeing whit no, il" an E, definitely from the other sioX; it'li an E ... and it ', not the second from Ihe seems 10 be an R ..• last letter. but second beg;"" ;"g. a flcr the G ; from Ihe 18$! ... your sign is G EMINI Good, and now I'm Yes. in ract two eyes, ,mnll", 1 .. , powerful ones; it's a lion; your , ign ~ LEO .. And. P, and two S 's ... your $i", is PISCES Good, and there', No, WIIit! Ws .... A: IlII: also an .~ 5eCOItd Letter of your sign isan A. I'm also genina a No, I thollght nc<. ifs strong sense of two ... two lene,", the SIImt, tWO C',. but the sc<:ond two syllables ... that', C 50und1like an S; not an S, is il? your sign i, C ANCER .. r thought so; .nd two U's; your ,ign il TAUR US ADd an A .•. No, wail! iI', an 0 : the won! eDds with In O. And ._ thal's not. C, No, I thought not, it j ust is il? 10Qks like. C ; it', I G; yoursign is VIRGO .. I thouBht so; and III S;)'OW sign is SCORPIO

Really? I'm geting a No, 1 thought not.; it's I strong sense ofapair , .. And now an S •.. wn ofC-shaped; Ihars pair of scala; yout sign not the lelltl' C, is it? is LIBRA t I thought so. a pair of C's: your sign is CAPRJCORN I And a second A •.. I Sorry. it begins with Em A; your sign is ARJES I And anOl her pair of No, ! thoughl Il0l: it ends with an S. bUI il bas a letten ... that's nOl pair of U·s: your sign is AQUARIUS a second S, is it'! I I thought so. and a pair ofT's as _ II; your sign is SAGITTARIUS I One element in the script needs further elaboration: the line I'm getting a strong sms.! of a pair .• , sorl of C-shaped •.. is delivered while holding the hands sid e by side, palms upward and curved slightly (as if you were oomparing the weights of two oranges ... or about to juggle them). This suggests the pair, and also the C shape, but can additionally be interpreted as sensing ho.lana $Cal~ (for tffiRA). The extra element of subterfuge used here helps to disguise this one plla! in the script with two roru; cutive HnO~ responses (with no intervening positive sta tement). Modify the above language to fit your own speaking style as necessary, but be sensitive to how the particular choice of words facilitates the various goals as enumerated earlier. Practice Thoroughly learning any theatrical scriptis not acasual effort. Scripts are viewed as "difficult" by hobbyists who wish to perform without any investment of effort on their own parts, simply by learning a ~secretU, which wiU obviate the need for the hard work associated with the mastery of an art. The n.ecessary script for most prefix trees can be printed on a single postcard-sized piece of paper, n!quiring less memorization than that generally needed by the lowliest, unpaid speaking parts in a typical high school play. And that effort yields substantia l rewards: a true Nanytime, anywhere~ demonstration of telepathic communication. 26,

262 I have refrainrid from offering specific mnemonic aids, as these are much more effective when devised on an individual basis (RIAS might be the ~Research lnstitute fcr Advanced Studies~ for SCmI', a ~~Ia tory ImpKt Analysis Statement" f()t ethers, and ~Rcdnecl< InASoowstorm~ for still otIw:rs). My Own aid for the R-E-I sequence involves twin sisters, a lion. a fi5h. and ~Recreational Equipment IM.~ (a well-known American su pplier cf outdoor gea r). For me, it's mmmrabJe indeed; others, though, may fI(lt find it so, or even reoogni:z.e the company name. So put ~ thought into W1forgettable visual S@(juenc:esofyourown ... the crtlltion of a mnemonic aid is often 'u 'u .. 'u 'u .scORPIO I the most important component of its subsequent m:oJledion, A practice method is more easily suggested: consider making up a set of cards (u illustrated.. one for earn sign), each listing thc answc!"ll that the relevant person would give if you use the script on them, with the name of the sign at the bottom. Use th.>se by shuffling them, selecting I card al random, and <:overing the IASWffS (with )'CUr hand o r the ""maining cards), then ~a1ing them one by one as you ask your questions. This WCln'l help you much in your initial learning of the script (that's just memory work), but once you have il more Or l,,"committed to memory, it will help you ""hearS(' your skills with all of the different signs. Prompts Here is a convenient ~cribsh~ I pmmpt~ that you may find U$ltful when initially learning the p!('fix tree and its associated script. It is simply an abbrevi.ted version of the script as previously shown. In this promptel;. the two boldface words refer to strong imprtssimls, and the three underscored letters indicate a necessary clarification concem.ing their pdSl,wns within the word,- Re(cr to the

aCNalllCript for ",et~i ls, which shaul"' generally N !lelf~xplanatOly. On OC'Casion, you wiU encounter a participant who does not know ~r z.odiac 5ign. or IS unsure of its spt'lling. Thu, you may fin", it usehll 10 carry tM following list of these names (a nd a5IIOCialoo da tes). which can be copiN onto card stoclc (and lamilUltN for ",urabilily if desired ). The bGck of .w.d> a ca rd, lncident. lly, is a convenient location for ~ prompt from the previou' p.og ~ lor oneon-one performances, tilt participant can focus on the spelling of the sign while the enterl"iner reads from the crib-sheet on the rever.ie!'" AQUARIUS (20Jan-18 F£b) PISCES (19 Feb - 20 Mere"') ARIEs (21 March -19 April) TAURUS (20April - 20Mcry) GEMINI (11 Mcry - 20 JUfIr.) CANCER (2 1 JUII£ - 22 July) LEO (23 July -22 A"9lIS' ) VIRGO (2:3 AlJ9USf - 2:2: $f;pf) LIBRA (23 Sept- 2:2 ()(f ) SCORPIO (2:3 Oct - 11 Nov) SAGIITARIUS (21 Nov -21 Dec) CAPRICORN (22: [)r;c - J9 Jan) 2(12. F" .ldy. ,"'"th • .,,,...., ",i"" • <rih " .. 0 U ,hi • • ~ """'" h. "'I'f"*<I '" p<>aior) • p«Ii.·,"'-b .... 'hll''''' .... .. ~ I'" '''r'''''. li ~ .. """"'" , ...... b. ..... ...l if 1M "'rip< .. ",,,,,,"<I» k·.ftI<"d. It. III", IIkrl, to ~ ,,,", "" ..... by • .A"'S I, w....'ir ............... , io fOInr: "". 263

264 OphilJ.chlJ.s Zodiac: signs are ~igned ~d on the various constellations that the $Un ~ppears to pus through at differing timH of the year, as the E,llth orbits around it In tropical (i.e., ·daSlllical ) astrology, this is done somewhat arbitrarily, but sidereal astrologers (who take into account not just the 5Un and solar system planet$. but the stus as _U) offer a more nua~ view. Furthermore, NASA ha.5 on several oco:asions ale rted hor()S£ope fans to the fact that. if one follows actual IStronomy {rather than Illltrology,' pseudo-scienccJ, there are actually 'hirt«~ ~od ac signs, nottwelve.l"1w original Babylonians actually !mew thiS, but ignored it o.cause it did r>()t conveniently correlate with their calendar. Further, thf Earth's axis haS tilred somewhat over the ",,5t three millennia, so ~ dates are slIghtly different from what they were back then (and the intervals were never as consistently-siud 15 represen ted). Co~uently, an astronomicWly amtd listing (which is unlikely to change in our lifetimes) actually appears as follows: CAPRICOAN (2<I1011 - tlof.b) AQUARIUS (t6 rod> - It~) PI SCES (11 ......... ~ - t8 April) ARIES (Ia .0.",,1- IllWst) TAURUS (ll /My- 211 ..... ) GEMINI (ll Junt- Z01uiy) CANCER (roN.,- 10 AuguSt) LEO (to .0."9"" - 16 Sq.,) VIRGO (16 5c!>, . 10 (kt) LIBRA (1OOct · UNo>.) SCORPIO (lJ No,.. HNo.) OPHIUCHUS (;t9 NI>o - 11 tIcc) SAGITTARIUS (11t1cc - 2O J .. ) The additional sign, that of Ophiuchus (pronounc@d aw-fee· you·kus), is nOI catered lor in the basic Sign umgulIgt script. But as it is possible that $Orne partidpants may be aware of its usage {it has oco:~sionally appeared in $Orne newspaper horoscope columns,

spurring a bubble of poptllarity). practitioners migh t wlUII 10 incorporate it. Here is. revision to that script (replacing the topmost script block) ma t accomplishes that goal, with only a minor ~rtu.rI>otion of the original: I'm iCcill& w hf,t Hmm, maybe you're , .. Yn, in fw,....., eyes, !;01T)', ii's an I, I'm poWttfuI onc:s; it's a ftems 10 be: an R .. , d enly seeing I n I ... /Ion: your ';JIII is LEO Riahl, and there's I p.li, No lllat i is :rounding ofm ehi lll~l1en ... and J $Cern 10 be I ike I n E; your sign is ho:aring an E ... OPIt IUCIlUS Reilly? All, of eourse! Good,and that E isn'l ['m iCcin& il from the the last ICIt .... but flUt Olhcr side; if a 1lCl l to to the 1:lS1 ... Iheftl'S/ kller, the G; yout sian is GEMINI .. And a P, . nd two S', .. , )'Our ,ign ;1 PISCES An Invisible Peek Q mtribution Creative Scottish mentalist Colin McLeod devi!l«l a clever tedmique for di$guiSing billet peeks using "Sign Language~, and ha s grnciously allowed me to reveal it here, in his own words. Efflet: Aner haVing a parti~ pant write something on • billet, I fold the billet and place it on lhe table. I then hand it 10 her aga in while turning my head away, and ask her to print her zodiac (sun) sign on the front. lhen,. without my touching it, she puts the folded billet away in her pocket. I <:OOdude by reading her mind. revealing both written thoughts. Psychology " tid M~ hatl ;d of th ~ Method: On"" a thought has been written. the heat is clea rly on the billet, 50 I wanted to create a tedmique t!utl allows me to confidently gain a peek w ithout any chanee of getting caught. The following layers allow one to c.neel ou l any po8$ible methods in the minds of audi ence members, 265

266 lea";ng them with the only e xplanation being real mind rNding. Obviously, the tedmique had to ""move fOCU$ from the billet. n.., easiest way to do Ihi' is to give the putidpanl a new instruction 10 think ~bout. This is the Sf'S! reason why the zodiac sign worb 50 ~ll. Asking ~Do you know you r zodiac sign?" fOreel; the participan t to take her at«>ntion off the billet. I luI"e always found that everyooeets.e is also inlereted in the answer, so they will pay a!",ntion to what is said. At this point, I pick up the billet as I lurn my head away. ~quest ing her to write her sign on the front of the dosed billet. It's at this point that J am holding the billet in my left hand, ready for the pe<>k- J recommend Obsidian Oblique and Acidus Nevus (in lhe bottom right quad roanl}-while using my right index finger to point to the front of !he closed billet,. drawing a !lne with my fingn 10 show her where to write. Altm> moment when J !X)Inl with my finger. I get my peek.. n.e participant and audientt think I am glancing round to ensure that [ am pointing al the right plaa for the sign to be written. 'tu~ Lly, [ lwIve plenty of time to get my peek. As soon as [ gEt the information, I , almly turn my head away again, while handing her the biUet. This moment happtns in the space of no more than a few seronds, 8nd is (>$ychologkillly invisible, as I have supplied a reason for picking "'P the billet. No on~ has reason to question m •. Now romn the second ~ason thai the wdiOtC sign revelation works so well. After lwIvin& the partkipilnl write down her star sign, [ ask her 10 fold the billel and put it away in her pocket, while saying Myou fold il .nd put it in your pocket; I don't wanllo go anywhere near tlwl t. M [ un now revt-a1 the wdia, sign (USing the '"Sign Language M methodok.>gy) and her previously written thought. In the participant'S mind, if [ was able to reveal her sign wilhoullouching the billet, I can reveal any thought wlthoultouching the bille t. thaI'S if !;he even remembers my touching the billel. By telling her to fold it and put it in her pod<et. it again take:;; the focus away from it.

Psychologk;l!1y, though. she will only remember writing d own .. few things to focu s on,. and your revealing them. Clearly, the billet is the element that shwld have very little ,lIention drawn to it. The ",.1 effect happeru once the billet is out of play in her pocket; only then does the "';II mind ",&ding swt! This is the only portion of her interaction with you that the dudimce will ",member. Having th(' zodi.c sign written on the front both gives you a "'Olson for tou(hing the bm~1,. and gives them proof that the billet isn't crudal to the effect ... as you didn't ne d to touch it to ~t the infonnation. 267

Verbiage (A Psychowgirnl Word Force) Plot The classic "'Jr numerical force has long been uliJiud by the myst~ry entertainment community. It is an impromptu. prop-free demonstration of .pu~. mentalism. Likt all psychological forces, it does not offer . 100% guarantee of success, though comes c1~ to this when properly performed2Ol• "Verbiage"'"' proffet!l an eff«tive word fOFU with !he same characteristics. Try it out for yov.nelf. Relax,. lake a deoep breath" and let your mind go blank. Wail fOt" it Now ... Q,,;ciJy, think 0/ II verb. Do you have one? Is ;t de., in your thoughts? Did you Slay with the first verb that ClI1I>e to mind? U you"re anything like the great majority of EnSlish-spellking people, you are now thlnldng of !hi: word "run-. To be franJc. I have no ide. now well this works in written form. but when spoken aloud. I have found il\o be surprisingly reliable. So if this dldn'l work for you, try it out in verb.! form,. with real people, before dismissing it too hurriedly. Explanation UnUke "37", which is actually a rtlngingforu. "run" is what's known as a p(1pu /Qlioll slurotypf:. like "rose" for flowers. "o rror' for vegetables, and the like, But whereas some might deronstTUcl the latter (it being obvious in relro!lpect that rose· is a commonly thoughl-of floWi.'f, for example~ few poropko are likely to rond ude that "run" (whose stertOtypial exi51rnQ' was first postulated by nugkal researcher Seth Raphal!l of the MIT Media Lab) is such a popular verb. In fact. the sla\u:S of "run" as a very basic (thus quickly ailed to mind) English language verb is but part o f the explanation. The other seems to be th~ use of the adverb"" "quickly" to introduQ' the lIl.l . A p.od .. ",,>pl. 0( ,~,,<Kli, o>n>I """" C"Dl ... ........ In 11>_"""', ncd n, Il)<h«'pl .~w. H ..... ,,,,,. Tn.". 9'I ~. rI' .~1-4 1_ :ro •. \~ l .. i" 2, 1M ''''""." in .. b """"mi", j, t>.f"'<I..J In "",RI......nom 1/,. A",,"-<o_ Iho,..,., 1).,,_., .'". Ii",/"" u~. ","",h F..Jlri<oo (2000). ztIS. I" _"n~>o< .,....,. E<lP,,I,. ,tI" 001;..0,,,,,) "'1"1<\<" ho. c001< '" I .. . n x«pt>bl< UMi.) 268 ",bo,;'"" I. ,hi< u",," .... )"" MO)' liM ;, n_ ",'0 <>1 " .... ".." , ..... Lb ..... IUd",,j 8..ct.

sentence: it imparts a feeling of urgency I speed! motioll, which is mort' likely to lead to a verb that embodies those ooncepts. I also find it useful to slightl y .ccentua ~ the word NverbN; it is not a term that partkipants will be txpecting.. and iI'S too importanl 10 risk their missing il. As wilh other 1f!$!l-than-perfectIY-n!llab1e forces, "VerbiageM is besl used in casual, OI\t-Ont-ont siluations, or as a componenl of a larger plot"'". Bul you'll be surpri~d at how dependable it is. Two Experiences from Down Under Ridard Paddon, an AUSlraLian propontnlol this force, has d iscovered lhal-for him- the St"f()IId most commonly named word is ~jum H . So he firsl write-5 that 01\ a p~iction ond, ~ it out (as if dlanging his mind), and lhen wriles lhe mos! common word. This delightful stratagem provides him a $Offietimes-useful HOUr", and oifer.s a tedmique tha t you might consider using if your own delivery tends to resull in a common alterl\lltive r-esponse. Simon Paxton. another Aus~lian fan (but one who lived in Japan for twelve yeal"5), reports that he h.s obtained a good hit rate in Jap.ol\t'Se using the word HugokuH (HmoveH in English). A partial explanation for this CO\I]d be that its kanji (Chinese character) representation shares a character with that for uverbH: joponese: "dOIJ$hi" Ensti)h: "verb" jtlpllnese: "ugoku" Ensti5h: "move" numks to Richard and Simon for permission to tell you about their discoveries. (0 ~n-<htr>pit< ...... <-..In>l>W<>.p<tioBcr ~ do< ft. ..... "' ....... ... iRtbna-......., ...,... ,be ... __ ..... -qulclJy' .. .so....-..........., "'.."... .... "--""" .. " 206. ""- So.. '", .......... Roj M ... hoIo'o ..... -1'"Ipo<oo..r.bo« ",~iot-L 269

I

Mystery Melange Assorted Amazements

272

Penney's From Heaven (A CQunterintuilive Coin Captr) You are at a ("sua) social gathering. The talk hil!! IIJmed (perhaps by you) to things psychic, and particularly the difficulty of applying ronventional scientific methods to the $ludy of unusu. 1 mental abilities. You offer the following ..• Premise Scientists Hke to compa lt! unusual occurrences with random chance_ Bul to ao:;o requires the ere.Hon of truly random events. which is not at all.as simple as it might seem. Most people, fOT('nmple. would consider the retiults of a classic ~min loss"' to be II perfKt example of a random evcml. But they would"'" wrong. TIle toss of a coin might not be random at alL Con ml'fl and magicians often use trick coins thai are not IV! they appear.1bey also know way, of tossing regular roins that are nOI fair. Even if we we .... to have a legitima te coin thrown by" trustworthy pel'5On,. the results may not be truly random. Coins may be root perfectly round. or perf~tly Rat, or perfectly dean, or have undamaged edges.. or weigh the same on bc.>lh sidl's, so can deliver biased results. Some people might think that a H yirtual coinH , B pl'rfect coin that elIists only in somwne's imagination, could be considered ir. But they would be wrong as wei!. An ;l1'Ulginary coin will reflect the thought processes, the preferences, the inclinations of the imaginer. Sud! ill coin might even produ~ results that oould be pn:!dicted by someone familiar with sum $ubtletilf!S.l..et's give it a try. Performance A41:1II, in" trw minult'$ l'm goin8 10 /15k !IOu 10 crtfIlt. in your mind, jusl such a "virtual coin', ont /lUll is poftct in QI/ rtSptt:ts. Qnd 1IlwJIIIUly jll;r. Thm I'm going 10 Ilsk YO" 10 nil'll/ally loss it II nllmbrroj/imc, 11M let " $ 1111 blow the rt'$wlls. Bul first, I nfflf 10 IIsk !/'Oullfrw qUlSlions 10 httpmt unders/llnd haw YO" mighl imagint such II thin8. AI this junct\lre, you ask Adam a n\lmber of question!, appearing 273 II II

274 to ana lyze his answers in an attempt to gain insight into his thinking processes. Questions tha t I commonly use indude: • What kind of a coin is your imaginary choke? • Whkh side of this coin do you find more visually interesting.. the "heads" side or the "tails~ side? • Do you consider yourself a fairly cautious, conservative person. or one who is more likely to take risks? Do you prefer that your daily activities follow a similar, reliable pattern, with no unpleasant surprises, or do you prefer to "mix things p~ for variety? Following this "analysis", you announce that you now have some insight into how Adam thinks, and thus a ~tter than average chance of predicting how he will behave, even while he is attempting to act in a random fashion. You select a second participant to help you demonstrate this. ~th, I W/Juld lilit you to M our I>mchHmrkfor this apm·me"l. Each of us is going 10 prttiict Adam's imagined <XIin tOSSts. and r'm belling thal - o" IlV!:ragt- i will be able 10 do signifiC<lntly bettl:T Ihan you. rtlld you muu yo"r p~dic/iDn first, Sf) thai you ham a rompl ltly fra choiu , Ihtn I will make " di~nt prediction, and W/"1I see which is Ihe more QCCIlrale. Irs im".,rtonl, of CQurse. thaI Adam not blOW th= predictions in advant(, as that mighl influtnct his tosses, so I'U ask you 10 c/wast any stquena if thm' losses you wish, and write it nexllo yOUT name on lilt /1I2ck if/his [business or index) card. II mighl bt "Hends, Hends, Tails" (so, 'HHT'), "Heads, Ht~ds, Heads" ('HHH'), "Tails, Heads, Tails~ (THT'), orwlulltwr YOIi/ike. [She records her choice.) Now I'll mou a different prttiiction, nnd we'lI see wilich ofOllr choices Adam matches first. Yo~ write your prediction below Beth's, leaving the card looking somewhat like Figure A_ This card remains hidden from Adam's sigh!.) Now we'll ask Adam 10 make a series of pllrely imaginary coin tosses. trying to mQi;:e th!ln as filMdom as p<lssible, r!lnembering thai truly random tosses do inc/ude strings of heads or tails longtr I,,",n jllst a collplt. We'll mord Adam's losses heft On Ihis $12m! card, and see which one of our seqllences lie first malmes. Adam? Adam now produ~ a series of "tosst$"; these are recorded (by writing on the ~maining portion of the same mde;.; ca rd) until one of the two "prediction" triplets is encountered. It is yours (see example, Figure B; the check mark and oval are added to emphasize the successful prediction). This may be repeated ~s desired, using different predictions.

l$etk - '1HfT PU"1- T'lf'lf Figure A Process l$etk - 'If'lfT ..pu"1 -T'If'lf A-~"'"" - T'lf -r{ 'If !V Figurt B Ma lh~matician Walter Penney provides"" both the methodology for this plot and inspiration for its title in his description of a game e~hibiting a put1cular characteristic ("nonrransltivity") that enables it to seemingly ny in the face of reason (and forms the ba5is for the technique e~ploited here). Fortunately, you need neither understand nor perform any arithmetic inorder to present the plot. For any triplet (i.e., ~state se<;juen~) proposed by Beth per the foregoing d~iptioo. it is possible to create a diffrmtt triplet that has a higher probability of turning up first in a series of r"ndom coin 106SeS. This PfOCi1,.Cft, for you. a substantia! lIdvlInllge: ovenlL odds of 7:2 in your faV(H.lr, meaning thai you will-<m average-~win~ seven out of nine _Itemp!s. Note that this merely tips the wheel of chanct (greatly) to your benefit; ;/ dDts not g~ar~lItu Ih/1/ )"U will "win" ell any sp«ijk OWlSion, only tha t you will do 50 corosiderably more than )'0\1 will lose. Consequently, this plaY' better as a casual 21J7. I'I:nn.,. .. bri<f (I (l.u ... !J 0 .. .,1< ' Pf'<'.r<d in ,.., 0<,,0'" 1'J6'I ...... f.be Jon,,",, <f RK...m....1 M.tI..__ p. 241. Matt;. G;oJ.., ,"~"It ~ • "'..., ..... ,;W dcoo'l"ioft ;n No ·M"'''' .. "..,.! t; ........ ,01""," ~~-+' ,01_ ..... 0..""'" 1?7 J. PI"' 110- lU. "'" 10 ..... b~ boole 71_ T .. ~..J .. "" M.~ 1Ito....w-(W. It f"""" •• I'lMJ""S:I-69. 275

276 demonstration of yourskills (because you may need to repeat the test a few times). rather than a jaw·dropping platform item. Specifically, the odds are about 7:] in your favour when Beth chooses HHH Or TIT (three identical states), 3,1 when she chooses HHT or ITH (the first two identical), and 2:1 in the remaining four cases (HTH. HTT, THT, THH). N(lt that you nl'ed to remember any 01 this. What you do need t(l remember is how to construct your predictive triplet, once y(lU have seen Beth's. Fortunately, this is very simple. Your first character will be the opposi!t of Beth's middle character. Your second and third characters are iden/iCQlto her first and second ones (her third character is completely ignored), So, il Beth proposes liIT, you counter with HJiI; if Beth wants THH. you take TTH; if Beth chooses TIT, you select HTf. And so on. Everything else happens automatically (except your presentational skills)! Postscript Care must be taken to monitor the 5eqU<:,nce as Adam calls it out, so as to quickly (and accurately) detect when a match has been made with either of the predictions. N(l commentary (In potential matches should be introduced during this process, as it may affect the random nature of Adam's choices. lbe mystery can be deepened b y having Beth write her prediction in secret, then using your favourite jl('ek technique to facilitate making your own prediction (which should be shown to her "to ensure that it is not the same"). This lengthens and significantly complicates the process, though, and not d<:,ariy to a stronger effect. Finally, it is possible to frame this as either a PK or precognitive effect, using an IUlual tossed win, with the advantages of requiring only a single participant (making it simpler to present), and allowing commentary about the results during the coin-tossing sequence. Although I consider this a less credible demonstration of mental skills, it does offer a tiny additional benefit: a coin (by providing a more random sequence than somrone's mental selections) guarantees that the odds will be p~ly as enumerated above!

Spoi ed Jor Choice (A Further Night at the Bank) The History: A Puzzle and Some Resolutions One of mentalism's little-known "gems" is a slim book with the less-than-exciting (albeit alliterative) title of Mnrooy4n's Bolivian Bruitj-Baff1trs. Included among several excellent effects therein is an intriguing approach"" to the hoary but deservedly popular #Bank Night""" plot. In Marvoyan's routine, the participant chooses three of six envelopes, leaving the remaining half to the enterta iner; at thl! <r,mclu:;ion of the separation. the latter's envelopes are each found to contain high-value banknotes. while the parodpanrs yield only blank pieces of coloured paper. li's a particularly "dean" ""'1'$ioll of the plot: the props are ordinary and ungimmicked, the selection prO«'ss scrupulously fair and aboveboard, and the climax strong and unambiguous. The necessary subterfuge is introdured via the selection process itself (a variant of the classic PATEO"· force) and II sneaky bit of handling at the end, when the oontents of the banknote-<:Ontaining envelopes ill"(> revealed. What makes al[ this pu:u:li ng is the fact that the method, as detailed in Marvoyan's description,. does not work! This may well have been due to errors introdured by Edwin Hooper's editing.. but, whatever the reason. ~ procedure as explained cannot be deperu:led upon to produce the desired I"(>sults, Unsurprisingly, several people have, over the years, (I"(»interpreted 2OK. --II,pI< ill,,,,,,,,;..," ~ be fou"" ;0 M~"'"1"-; s.I"""_ lhi,..&.IfJm. sup«"'" M"li'" (D<o ... b~J). 19tH. p\>. 1\0 ___ 12. 10'). - 11.>,0\< Ni",,' ",. -' po"" l" Iot""~, S>"'" I'...,d"", ,h .. ..,.""...J I" Am''';''" th",,, .. • mi''!: tI .. G"", Do.""","",. Nom« ,k",," " "",kH" ,, ."".-d...J. pri'" if d,;"",d "imin • f"" Ininu,", (,"; ,i" ~ , .. , dO<)' ""'" ,h,,,,,, l"''''''' ,I .. , n~h,). ,I, '" "". k.;, p"rod "",,,,,, )000 '""',"", ,oJ ,,'" tI" >L\P "'"" 1m!">,,," , """'" "h~ ,t.. film d,,~')' "",<l.:mJ ,he okp~. 210. ',.., EO (1'0;", A, T",,: tlim;, .. « Ond fum, .... i",MU'-.,.llw Roy S."", i" h;, .-If"" ,;,IN "N. o" \'ou, ('.>M". '" pt11> ~h<J ;" fJ"bl /JoNI.,..." br IIUSh Milko- (Iht')' S!, nky, 1%8; I.", « priomJ hr ,uP"'''''" M'I;<. IQ7S). pp. 3~---"'Il 1< Iu, w;<i< . rr!i<><ioo. ,nJ .... ""'" u"l i....! hr """y .", .... " ""., ,h, run_ 277

278 theexplanation in their own distinctive fashions'" to produU' differing methods for the plot. Solutions of whith I wu ,w.re, howevet did not resolve the problem in w~ys that I found su it~ble 10 my own work.. They often incorpo.atN an inco sistent~ven conlusing---$l"lection proo:ess (which oomplicales the p~ntation, rendering the plot less clear), or introduttd equivocation during the SIIl ~ion pf"0n'S5 (such that the plot (~nnot be repeated too soon for the same audience. making it problematic for thos<o who work with overlapping groups of people over short time periods. such lIS strolling entertainers and trade show workers). My own HDisjuncture"m offered a workable solution (using yet another modification of the PATEO principle) that eliminated both of these oorw:erns. It was also more easily remembered (and thus performed) lhan its Marvoyan progenitor. Consequently, many I'ntertainoers found it II worthwhile addition to their repertoires. Everything changed in 2017, however, when ~10 idian mentalist L.a. Hookway (. good friend, and 0I'If! of the best thinkers I know) IlUlde the brilliant observation that the Sl'lcrtion procedure devised for my HPokerrLayH routine could be adapted for use in HDi$ju nctureH, yielding an tVI'n simpler (and ~mingly fa irer) selection p~ J further ""fined thU modification 10 incorporate both ad ditional selection steps and a means of e)(cluding the entertiliner from any choice-making at all, allowing tv""y fingk cltciCt made during the proce5ll lo be the participant'sown, thus making the conclusion even more s' ~g.geri ngly impossible. Hence "Spoiled for Choice" .'1) Props Different envelope types can be used su«e&SfuUy in this plot. The working is • bit simpler if an I'TId-.opening style (such as • Manila pay envelope) is used. On the other hand. one that opens on the (long) $ide pennils a cleM@r emphasisofontof the strong features of this method; the purported I'TIveiope contenlS are actually in the envelopes (I'\()( introducN at the last moment via $OlT1E: gimmick. as with other methods). Smaller envelopes will naturally be preferable for clo$e-up situations; larger ones-being m~ visible-will better 5uit platform presentations. 111. A well ..: ...... """.! (,,><I ~"publ""'d) ~p N",i ... to,< "" .Iworo 1.,..,,,1 .. 1'001 HJJ..o. ''''''''PO'''''' h~»<<IOfuI '"""1"<'''"''' of ,I>. M,""Y'" .m~" "'0.-1 'or oWO I.", .... ;,,,h~ do.lI", .... I~u . ,,,,,,I00<I .1,11'0., 'iv;fico"dr r", .. (<i,,,",, of) .or own ........... 211. "1)1".",,,,",,," ~ ... ~'" pubtloh<.! i. So, ... ,.,.", (Dou~ 1Jyrncn<. 2004), pp. 19-.16- 11 ' . ~l)' .. .poll ~ ..... '" 1. 1< ,"" h~ "", ()j~UIKI"" V,.. "'" I co .... I. ftd ,b,,, K oWf.o:d .. tr.cim", (""" do< "'~"" ... .... ' .. , • titl.· "' ... own.

Putsome Ihought intotheoontentsoflheenvelopes.Iftneentertainer ends up with thre» hundred-dollar bills, and the participant receives only blank pie<:es of paper, the poinl is certainly made, but somewhat allhe participant's e~pense. Pie~s of paper with Nfortune cookie" type statem<:,nts on Ihem might be mon:' entertaining, and take some of the sting out o( the climax. One-dollar bills, which reward the spectator's participation in a modest way, an:' another option (though I dislike the resulting lack o( conlrast with Ihe hundreds, plus the potential suggestion of a switch o( some kind). Better an:' counterfeit $1,000,000 bills'" (which Lar uses in his presentation, to grea t effect), allowing participants to win "big moneyN. Lottery ticke ts are another nire alternative. Or, if your fees warrant, have the participant end up with the actual banknotes. leaving you with blank papers! Performance Overoiew "Spoiled for ChoireN is executed in two phases, the first being a selection procedure designed to convince the participant that she is being offered a fre» and fair choice of envelopes. In the second phase, the contents of the envelopes are revealed, showing tha t something other tha n chanre has influenced the results. Presentational language will very much depend on the pn:>mise being used by theentertainer.'" Is the participant (or entertainer) somehow able to "senseN the va luable envelopes? Is the entertainer influencing the participant in some manner? Are other forces a t work? Following is the presentation that I use, based on the notion that I am somehow influencing the choices (additional presentational suggestions are offered at the end of the chapter). Some sort of working surface (such as a table) is assumed, as are million-dollar bills for the Nconsolation prizes" and legitimate banknotes (520. $50, StOOl (or the entertainer. [Begin with the stack of six envelopes in your hand] Do you «liroe in freedom of choiet? Do you think il's ptJ$ibre for wmrone elst to amtrot th~ cision s = ma ? UI'S find oul, using juslthese si;< tnwkJpes [Fan envelopes to display]. The tnw/opes themul~ts are identical, and tach one ronll/ins II single ~1 . 1""", • ., ,.Wkly ,,",i~ k in novd<y 'i>op>. , nd <on I>< " ".oon ,00,,,,,,,,,1 b)' ,h",. ~h "",,,, ~' (cc «1",,1) ,ki ll~ 1~ . A ."i, 'Y of ptd<n", ..... 1 pJ"" . t< p"""ibk "i ,h ,h" " .I .th<, ""'" .",.",Ii,,,, pic" . I, ~ '001"" "". h""",·" . IW ,be <'>,,,,,i ..... '0 h.>. , 1"""'>< fi",,1y in ",ioJ, ,n.1k< ,h .. p"'mi" d"" '" ,h, >udiroc< .• oJ . ... '" d" , ,II di,,,,,,,ibl, """'n' wh,,,, ro onr " .. "";,,,. "" ..,. ,t..<- 1"".''''' 279

280 monetary itcm; a !lImknote •.. folding 1II0llty .•• ,llSJ, On I/.c hIIrrelh~d. But ",~ir VIIlues a~ not '/1#; "",mt." SOIll ~ on! low in cknomlllnlioll, IIIId som~ III? 'iuit~high, ewn ul,.. ~ly "ig/'. to makt Ih is 84me mal"l' "'~mling. YOIIr pi, af "'III"R. is 10 ~ t1~ llig ",o"~-Ih~ high-VIIllled t"ptl~-Jor youl"Rlf. Now I hlltlt a" Qdwnlnp ~rr.1 b,ow Ihe ",,,1,,,15 aJench muelopc. So, 10 br as for, AS possiWr, /'11 s.ue you.m <'VI.'n bigger Qd1NmIQ~; You ~I to m~u./I lite choiU$ ... for lilt, as writ tIS yaurulf. All of 1M d",;,;n. You Clm mau thollglilfut chokes. O1r instincti!>! choices, /lu lh~ lUill always br YOUT thoien. Thi: only IhinS I get /0 do is ... "'tSS lUitlt ]IOu, mind! Herc·$ )!C'" first choiet: "'111111« lakc envelopes fro'" Ihl! ,,·dr of Ihr slack, 0, [turning the stack over)lIlis side? [Orient stack as requested] Did 11'01 frellikt Q fru choier? [Deal th.! top two envelopes 10 table) Wc·1I begin by c/wosi"gfo' you, SIQrling with I~ lwo. Wuuld you Ii'" ro Inkc II,i, rnuelupe fo , yrw.~f ... 0' h~ on,? [Slight paUIIe here) Or foo~ld YOlilikt both of Ihtm7 JMove the chosen enve~s) accord ingly, beginning the pile of participant's enve\opfSl (If ;on envelope remains on the table, drop the stack on top of it, then pick it up again; deal the tl)p two envelopes to the t~bleJ Now irs my lum. /luI iI's sli/l you r droicd Should I k«p Ihis omfor mysdf ... <IT II,i, tmt? Or boll. of Ih~ ? [Ad acrordingly. beginning your p ile of d>06en envelopes[ [Again, drop the stack on any remaining envelope and retake it; deal the top two envelopes to the tablel BIlek 10 you ..• wi!! yo" l.w Ihis o,,~, M Ilris one? Or roll,? IRespond acrordingly, adding the chosen envelope(s) to her pileI [Again, drop the stack OIl any remaining envelope and pick it up again; deal the top two to the tablel And ~gQin for me ... Ihi, one. !his rm~. 0' bolh! IRespond accordingly. adding the chosen envelope{s) 10 your pile) .~ dawn 10 ~ 1.511100 """"'apr.;. ~"d il'$ slill your choice. [Take ON! envelope in eJd> handl Will Ih ~lm~ br min(, "nd thiSlmt yours, or wI! WI' udumg~ Ihtm? (Respond accordingly, placing the envelopes on their respective piles. thus completing theselection p~1 0kRy, Wr!'ve- laka! six t11f>1'lapt:s, mid divided them lIS I~irly 115 po5$iblt brlwun lire IWI) of us. You've- mode <'VI.'ry single decision os 10 who gels rllCh enlldClpt, and now WI!' gel 10 5I:t if your in/lllliO>!, or logic, or wlwte!>!r guidtd your choict5, hQS ltd you -or "It-to IIle big mrmey. " Ont 011 your en!>!WpN, and Itt·s $U "ow you did. ["The partidp~nt opens an l'lwelope, which is found to contain a million-dollar billl A million dollQ1"5i Well,

,ha' 'J Q prtrry im,m5siVf' $lorl, and a '/ainly both~ 1«11 for youl Ltl's s« ,uhll/ you chr;Ufi'!r m~. [You open an envelope and it is seell to conrain II ~al 520 note] Only $20 for ".." Illlppnrs, $0 you'", d~fi"itdy "lIttld of Ih~ garll. $0 for. And you. na l rnwl~? 11be p<artitipant opens I S«Ond envelope, which also contains a millioll-doHar bill] AlIOth" mill;,,"1 You'u urllll'II'y lf!t1l IIp 011 mt Dt Ihls point. Ltt'$ s« if I ,tin cptm lip. [You op!'n an envelope and it is seen to contai" a real S50 note] You'VI'mos.!lI ~ SSCbillfo, me Ihl, Ijmt ... wlltr, bul ytJII'U ,WI clearly in lire lead. You "1IlIf' ont ",on ' "rIf/Opt: wlwt did you ~Itcl? [The participant opens her third envelope, which COlltaim; yet another millioll-<loUar bill] Allotl,., millien? /",m/ibk, it's hMd 10 su ntl blaling tlrall 11,t filial tllrlf/Opt Ihal YO" c~ for mf ",n/ains .. . [You open the last envelope, and show that it contains a real S1(1O note] a mtn $100 ... I alii "I complnin, I gutsS, bul i/ seems thol you'u 1M Ollt who should lit buying lol/~ lid.ls. Clljoy ytN, ~lInd _'!hI Methodology: Preparatory Steps Six envelope are used. Into fo'" of these. pla<:C! counterfeit milliolldollar bUb. in the following explanatiOl\ ~ will btl termed the ..... envelopes. Il1to one of the two remaining ellvelop!'s. pl.ll<:C! one of the real banknotc5; if you are using notes of varying denominations, this should be the lowest·valued one. Into the final envelope, place two banknOi(>S; for varying dellominations, place the la rgest-v~lued one dosest to the flap side, the intermediate·valued olle behind it, next to the address side. These two ~"knotes should not be folded together in allY way, it must be possible 10 e~tract one of them eUily from the envelope, without I"Xposing the existellCl' of the second. Tab! are .150 tN.t this envelope does not appear thickr thall the others, with smIIlleT envelopes,. folding the ballknotes ill thirds, accordion fashion. will help in this ~ard, a5 will <:reasing the fold~ edges 8$ flat as possible, using the side of a pen. the bowl of a spoon, or a folding bone. The use of heavier/'tiffer envelopes also aids in disguising their contents. The envelopes are not sealed. Weakenillg the Nhillgesw , by folding the fl ops back and forth several times, allows them to lie more f1at."· 1/6. II' r"" ".< 'n .......... ,,~ ,," ,"Ir ,m.""",," ... ",. oh<)'''''' "" hdJ .-IooN ~,,!u ,..jl n_~' 01 " ... ;'1.>1 .. Jill<, , ..... "" "'" h" , .... ,0Ir tif"", ui nulo"" ,he <o'-dor<> ~T lr """" ~;flic.,l, foo ""' .. If-" '0 ""',. c-... _''!< ....,.. will .... _ ....... It" "'-"d . • cd ,......; .. . - 281 r..,.,.-., ""r.amm,.

While this docsn't significantly affect the handling.. it improves the visual appearance wmewhal. You must be able to identify the two bank.nole-containing envelopes. In theory. this could ~ acoomplished by simply keq>ing a watd>fuI e~ on their positions; in ra~li ce, It is mo~ reliable 10 mark the envelopes in wme sim btle fashion. They must be uniquely marked. in order to differentiate them from each .nother- as well .s from the .... ", envelopes. This can be done USing somming as simple as t.adit>Ona] pencil / ink dots or lUil nicks. or more elilborate $Olutions like rounding the comers.'" The markings must be visibll': from both sides of thel':nvelopes.ln the upcoming des<:nplioflli. these will be referred to as the ....... 0 envelo~s; where necessa ry. the terms ....... D1 and '~' .re also used. indicating the number ofbanknotes in the referen~ ~lope. These envelopes lire initially collected in a single Slack, arranged in the following order: two .......... the two .... U I O (in either ord .... ). the remaining IWO """ ... Methodology, PhllSe 1: Navigating ~h e Choices ~nd g on the particular dwkes made by the p .. ticipant, the nact COUf$l! of the routine will vary; the preceding overview assumes the longest path,. with the maximum number of (six) choices. This accounts for 2tm of the cases. The most common paths {69%1 allow the p"rticipant to make five choices, and one path (ll% likelihood) offers only four choices. In all nine different paths are possible, though they all lead 10 the same outcome: you will end up with both of tha "UO<'Dcnvelopes, plus one olthe ........ ones; the participant will have three"""" envelopes. You will be pleMecl to learn thal more than 95%ILI of the time, Phase I is fully self·wolting. with no subterfuge necessary to prvdure a proper outcome. In lhe singk! remaining case, a $imple switclt is required to .tehieve the dl'Sired endgame. l1le various choice are presenred lIS follows: Choice ' 1 Offer the partidpant her choice of the side of the 5t,ck to ~ used in selecting the envelopes. A5 the sequence of 1U1" and MAIOlO envelopes J 17 . . 1lI< 1.>,,,, " "'Y (",J Lo ... ) p<n«»l pn1." .... ," • ",o.k., .... nJl"II ,,{ On< 0' bolh ,,,,,,,,,, ,,1 1h< "..J ""po.<" ,h< <.,dop< A'I'~ 00 indica" .. ", .,.1 "'" bo"~.....,. . r<>p«tivdy. II'. AJI '"' ... pooI»/>iIi, '" Ji>«>"'!hIo d,.,.ct _ ,~" , ..... _1> . """pI..dy "odom 282 --In "',"""'or.!",........,. ,oooId.nliono . 1i= ,line , "''''''' ,. Ji:-" "" ",,,,,._

is identinl in both directions, this choice is of no consequence. Choice 12 Deal two enwlopes from the top of the stack, and offer them to the participant, .... ho:, may choose either one, or both. for her pile. As both envelopes .... ill be ........ ..,. any decision she INkes will suit our purposes. USft lhe c;hos.en envelope(s) to begin the participant's pile, loca ti ng il above and to the left of the selertion are. (her near right). If she chooses only one envelope, drop the rem.ining stao:k on top of the envelope left behind, and then pick up the stack again. Choi ce 13 Again deal ' .... 0 en v('Jopes from the top of the stack. and offur them to the pa rtiCipant, .... ho may choose either one, or both,. this time for yo~r pile. As both envelopes will be ..... dD, any dtctsion she m.al<:e$ will ag.in meet our needs. Use th~ chosen envdopt{s) to begin your pile, locating il lo your near right. As before, if she chooses aNy one envelope. drop the remaining slack on top of the envelope left behind, and then pick. up the st;ock. again. Choice '4 It'$ possible, at this point, to have only two en~lopH remaining in the stick (this o<xurs Il% of the time, .... hen the partici pant takes the "bothu option. for choices nand f3). These envelopes will both be ~""" '" so a completely free choice can be proposed: take one in each hand, and offer, ~'rt dow" 10 Ih~ I~sl 1100 tnwlo,,", aMd it's JliIl !pur cholet! ... will this ont be miMt, and thi, Ont you", Or [making • SWitching motion} ,hall WI! txchangt Ihtm'" Respond acoordingly, placing the two envelopes on their Iepe<:tive piles, a.nd proceed to Phase 11 . If there are th.ree or four envelopes in the stACk. de;ol \wo from the top (they will both be ...... "'). and offer them to the parOOp;lIIt, who may choose eitlwr ~, Ol" both. for her pile. Again. if she chooses only one env~lope, d rop the remaining (one- or two-envelopel stack. on top of the envelope I('ft behind, and then pick up the (now IWlr or three-envelope) $tack again. Choi ce 1.'5 It's possible, at this point, to have only one envelope ""maining (this OCCUfli 7% of the time, when th(' participant takes the ''both" option for choices ' 3 and '4).11 will be ........ .., but the participant williheady 283

have tJlrt.'C envelopes. 50 note this fact, and offer the lollowing (5th chol!;4!!): Nyou'w ~llNdy ral?n half rh ~ ~" wlopt"S, ~ by rigMs rhis .mt' should W millt'. wi I do,,·r wall' )'011 Iv ,hi,,1r you 'IIIglJt w missing ""1 0,, sOf"dhj"g. 50 do YOII WI,"I n~ Iv IIIkt' ,/.is II W' OJ'<". or fllOllld you rlltllt'r /rudt' i/ for "'.2 )"11''''' Dlrmdy C"IIINn?" Respond ilccordingly, and pror:eed to Phaw II. Should two envelopes mnain (this o«:urs ~ of the time, and one of them will be ........ D). the p .. rticipanl will already have three envelopes. so note. NYOII·fIt' IIlmrdy tllk 1I holf Iht t /liltiopes. lind rtjtrltd tl~ ' 1<'0, so tI~Y·'t ItftJor mt. N Move both envelopes to your pile, and proceed to Phase II. If the re are ht~ envelopes in the stack (this occurs 30% of the timet deal two from the top (one of them will be MAUlO), alld offer them to the puticipan~ who may yet again choose either one, or both. for you r pile. Choi« " 1t'5 possible, .t this poUI!, to have I single OUt ... envelope remaining (this occurs 10% of the time, when the participant takes the "bothN option only for choice 45). You will already have threE' envelopes, so note, "YOII·W alrmdy chost'n Ih_ m~'¥S fo' lilt, JO /hi$ Ont mils/ W YOUI'S."/>P Add it to her pile, and procwd to Phase II. II you have two envelopes left (which will be the case 20% of the time), each of you has two envelopes already chosen. Consequently, the rema ining pair must be divided between tJ,c two of you. Take one in each hand (if one is ........ D, take that one in you r right hand), and offer, "W('rt dow" 10 /I"IQ51 two tIl""Iop<'S, And il'$ i/ill yOllr ()ic ~ ... will/Iris O,, ~ /:teo miM, And Ihis one Ji<"<r$, Or [ ..... king a ,witching motion] sJw/l WI' tzdJQlIgt tlttm? If a .'-"".1. en~lope is fairly chosen by the pa rticipant, respond accordingly. placing the two envelo~ on their selected piies. md proceed to PhaSl! 11. Which le,lVes us with the fina l possibility (the only non-selfworltingone. which oocurs less than 5% of the time): you are holding a ........ ~ envelope in your left hand, a .......... one in your righ t, and the particip.Jnt has indicated that the ............ env~lope should go on n.:,r pil~. In this case, an easily learned--iU\d highly dettptive-sleighl (NDaley'1 [)elighr, e~plained below) is used to covertly switch the two velo~ as they n e pla ced On their respective piles. This is why ! 19. h <on II< "."1""'1 ..... ~ oK" l'" -...k< clon;c, •• 110.-1"11 ,II< 1"";';1""' '0 "",h.~ .tor . .. 1 ...... k>p..- "" d", ( ..... ,., on< on "'I' of)'OU' .. t.. 1 ",,-t;..~ ,I.., 110;0 io .. <> ...,.,hIc d>< 284 I ............. • "r'" ,~,~dll' 'F ,k " nI f", ~_in J<"" 1"" ...... "'" _1<1 .-b< ..,.,-I!

the swit_hing motion is used when offering thischoiC(': toprepare the participant for viewing the switch should it become necessary. Note that if. at y I;m~ during the oole<:tion process, the participant chooses ·'both~ offered envelopes, the Mud for Ihe fiMal :;.elution swilcll is eliminattd. A$ the participant is offered just such a choicefour limes;~ a WW, it is li kely that she will-if only in pursuit of variety-make it at least once. This is why the true probability of a switch being necessary is considerably l.-,ss than the theQreticat 5% (and also good reason to subtly encourage this particular choice until it is made). All of the above reJds much more complicated than it actua lly is; the selection pn:x;ess is effectively soelf-working except for the one (infrequently encountered) Situation where a simpleenvelopeswitch is necessitated. In general, one need only follow three basic (and fairly obvious) rules; • If you are holding more than two envelopes in the stack, deal two of them to the table, and .. How the participant to choose either--()r both- for herself or you (beginning with her). If you end with a single envelope, it belongs to the person who does not already have three envelopes. • If you end with two envelopes, and the participant already has three, you gel them both; o therwise, divide them between the two piles, making a switch if the participant chooses a "~"'P one for herself. Be sure to emphasize how IlII of the choices made dueing the oolection of envelopes are the participant's"", and that those choices are completely free of encumbrance""; this is the most bewildering aspect of the rou tine, and deserves proper emphasis. nil. "[.., ~ "'" .«kdy '''''". '' you '''' eII"";"1 "'" rn~ from .. tud. Ito, <hoi«> art nud.. I, 'PI"~"" h __ • ,h., <v<n ,h ~ i. h'1""J ro ~' """",,j ( .... ;,;, b..,..,.d 1"'" --I''''-""mrot). 221. ""in. " '" 10<l'!I0 <n ... ,. sh< ~ no< r... ,,, ,h"", ... ;.t.-, .... i<rp<. 285

286 The "Daley's Df igh ~ SwitcfiWHold tho! .....,.. mvelope in the Left Mild. belween the thumb and first t ' " finger. tho! _'D ~nveLope in Iht \ \ right hand, ~ the Ills! and 5e(Ond fingers (Figu~ 0. As they move fQrward, the hands rome togriher and deliberately switch ffivelopes; that l is. lhe right lumd lakes the ..... t" envelope bo!twl!'en its thumb and first finger, while tho! Left hand takes lhe M .... O elwel~ between 11:$ lint and !ItCOIld finV'fS (Figure 2; the mlrt.ed envelope is at the ""'" TNe instinctive motion is then 10 n'W1'lIe directions. as you've just switc:fled en~. lnsl ~, without p.1using. your tight arm rontiJ\ues it' mo""",enito the left. crossing ow, the Itft Qtm, IS your left arm continues ilS movement to the right, paning wnder the right arm (Figure 3~ 50th hands deposit the ir envelopes atop the appropriate piles. The envelopn an!' a<;tu.olly switched twice, onoe between the kands and 0I\C't by crossing your arms, leaving them back where they stlrted. Thfs douhleswilcb ccnlouncisobserv.tion to Iht v:tent that you U1' quite ~ly to i0oi yourself when performing the actions c:orM(tly. Ex~rilN!nt wilhoptimal fingt'. positioning toenable the smoothest p<:>SSible transitioTo of the enve1opo.>s; you will find the actions usier when the right hand moves forwa rd somewhat, rel.tive to the left.

This is why the two envelope piles are positioned lIS theyan'. The easiest exchange of ~n is a front-to-bad: one, of course, though this loses the visual element created by the crossing arms, an important rompo<>ent of the illusion. This is simple sleight to perform, but dl.'fllands thorough pr&cti<:e to IKh~ Ihe necessary smoothness of appe.aran«. Be sure to move t~ hands in a variety of d in'Clions until the motions becmne a part of your personal "muscif, memory"', requiring no COO5Cious thought. Methodology, Phase ll: Reveilling the Results Thesecond bit of sneakiness lies in convincing the audience thai each of your three envelope's contains a single banknote, whereas in re3lity one of them contains a rounterfeit (million·dollar) banknote, one rontains a single note, and the third rontail\lllWO notes. Fortunately, this is simple, and <'OIlvincingly deo:eptive. NO! the least reason for this is that the work is done at a point when nothing of consequence seems to be happening: the envelopes have a\n:oady been masen and divided betwero participant and entertainer. You eam have your respective piles, and are merely opening them to revnl their contents. Open ing the Envelopes Your envelopes must be accessed in a sp.ocific order. the ........ Dl enYf'lope first, followed by the MA~Ml l rnvelope, and finally, the ...... .. envelope. They are seemingly opened in this order as welt but in fact the M A ••• D2 envelope is opened twice, and the ......... one not at all. Everything is managed as follows: Opening' 1 Invite the partictp.U\t to open one of her enwlopes, and comment appropriately as she discover.; and rem0Ye5 its contents. Sob$equently. yow own first opening is conduCled in a rompif,tely aboveboard fashion: pick up the _ a1 envelope from the table, raiSol! ilS flap. then remow, unfold, and display the single banknote therein. The inside of tho. envelope c~d sho ... ld---be briefly (not ostentatiously) exposed to show that it is otherwise empty, implying thereby that the envelope5 themselves are not worthy of !lCrutiny. Following this display of the banknote, place it atop !heenvelope, and deposit both ba(k on the table. 287

288 0.,.nln8 12 Invite the participant 10 open another of he r cnvelop<:'S, again commenting .pproprilltely as she remov6111; contents. Your own second opt'ning is conducted in a less than honest fashion: pick up the ......... 0 2 envelope (Ibp facing you), use the fofefinger of your other hand to raise its fl~p, and i~rt this finger between the Ln.ck of the envelope and the real1TlOl>t b.lnknot<" palm facing you. Withd"w this note, using your thumbs IS ~ry to el\SUl1! tha t Iheother (hidden)nole is notalsoexposed to view. Unfold and display the banknote, this time ensuring that the envelope'S interior is IIel exposed. Another option is available for removing the first banknote. If, when the not~ are first loaded into the env~lope, the frontmost bill is folded to be somewhat wider (as it 5i!!; in the envelope) than the l1!armost one, it is pooosible 10 bow the envelopo;! sufficiently to Irap the wider bill retaining it in place whil~ tipping out the rnrmost bill (fanning powder applied sparingly to the rearm051 bill win aid this ac:ti<m. if il give you trouble). Experiment to find the methQd that works be$t for your needs. Following the ay of the banknote, place it lI top the envelope as pl1!viOllsly, but continue to hold them both in Y01J. hand. Opening I] invite the parti("ip""t 10 ope" her final envelope, commenting appropria tely. Meanwh.l l .. , uSe your free hand to pick up your ."'UN envelope, and-at the moment when audienC1" attention is most focused on the participanfs actions, and looking to ~ what i$ in her last envelope-switd1 it with your _002 envelope. This iuccomplished using (again) the Daley's o..light switdt, this ti~ under cover of the b.lnknote that is atop (and thus hiding) the ...... 0 2 envelope. Subsequently, the banknote and (just switclwd in) ...... " envelope ~re placed on the table, and you are left with the ........ 0 2 envelope in your (otherwise empty) hands. As that MveJ.ope is at this point nremarka ~. you can cleanly withdraw and unfold its contents (the final banknote), again flashing the (now empty) inside of the envelope d uring 'he R'veal. Conclude the sequence by placing the banknote lItop the envelope, as previously, ~nd depositing both on the table.

A Walk-Around Version Although ·Spoiled by Choice" isgo!neraUy prnmted most effectively using. table of some kind to hold the envelopes (bKause it is mo .... ·hands off"), it can also be performed In walk·around situations, whe .... 0() sud> surface is available. Phase I ishandled much the same as pMViously described. eJCcept that the envelope stack is held in your left hand, and the two ftlve[opes proffMed for each choke ill'!,' held,. in V.formation. in the right. Envelopes chosI,>n for the participant are pasS<!d to her, to be held in her hands; thosect.o5en for you are placed (diagonally, such that they remain visible) in your left·hand breast Oa eket or mirl) pocket.'" Phase II i8 significantly changed, as a diffen!nt switch is employed (one even more easily executed than "Daley'S Deligh t", aeNally, and just as deceptive). Prep" '" for this by arranging your chosen ~ envelope packet.. naps upward and facing you, in the following order (which diffe" from the previous one): 1. The _ a ",",velope at the front.. nearest to you; 2. The -"01 envelope behind it, in the emter of the pad<et; 3. 11le ........ envelope behind that.. at the bKk. of the packet. This ~uence is most easily arranged during the selection pfOCtiS: as the envelopes ~ added to your pocket. simply depmit them in their necessary po6itiol1$. for the false revelation of their contents, remove the mVi'lopes as a group from the pocket, hold the envelopes (again, flaps facing you) in you r righ t hand,. along their long sides, finge" at the back.. thumb at the front. Begin by using the forefinger of your left hand to raise the flap of the " _ " Dl envelope. Insert this finger between the back of the envelope and the rearmOlit banknote, palm facing you. Withdraw this note. using your thumbs as necessary to eruu~ that the second note is not exposed to view. Display the banknote, pl. ce it in your justemptied breast pocket, and transfer the (supposedly empty) envelope to the bottom of the slack. by drawing il off to the left.. and placing it behind the Tmlaining two. Apparently repeat this procedu~ with the ........ Dl (now frontmost) envelope; this time, 0' course, thete really is only one b.nknote inside. As you display this second note with your left hand,. lise the fingers and thumb of your right hand to d raw its reannO/lt ll}. Co.," , ... ""." "',hi< f",,,, or p .... n<>t ... '. " " ol" _~ ;"''''''" .... ,Iu, "'" rod:« ..... '" 1" .... ,I>< "" .. lop<> ct-A f .. ,J.: "" .. ""in« .. ,loti, >t<n 10 ...... 1")" p<Io< to "'" f"riOnn.> ... .

envelope slightly to the right of the two above il. keeping the top two envelope$ln alignment. in prepar.ation for ~ following subterfuge: after displaying and pocketing the just-removed note. transfer the top ha)e.welope$ (held as one) to the bottom of the slack. in the s.ame manner as the previous mote legitima te move, FiNlly. Wflove the remaining single banknOle from tIw now fron tmost _ .... 1 envelope. and dispose of all t!we empty(?) envelope$ in a convenient pod<et. If you have prelcn.ded that pocket with In Ulra empty envelope, and take (are to deposit the three envelopesbthind the extra one. you can quickly produce three empty envelope!; for any examination thai might subsequently be deemed nl!(eSsary. Don't draw atten tion to thissequcnce with any overt choreography: just hillldlc the envelopes naturally. 1ne motions are l Imos! identical to what one would do if no deception were Pl'C$enl, and they are eUily accomplished, no special dexterity being nK'l!ssary (though of course yOU should always thoroughly practice fTN'rylhing). Some Presentational Options The three-wly choiC1!S offe..w in the foregoing description can optionally be framed as two separate two-way choices (this is Lar's chosen handling.. while I prefer the choi<:es IS described, offering the ~bol " option more as an afterthought). Simply begin by asking. "Would you likt jU$1 one of /h~ t nwlllpf'S, or both of them?, and if she indicate, the former. following up with. "Would you like this one, or thi, olle?" This creates an even gre ater Sf!rISe of availabl e choices, and may Increase the likelihood that a ~both~ option w!ll be sel<.'1:ted in at least one instana. ltalso lell&thens the routine slightly. which mayor ll'IiIy no4 be to your \lisle. "Sponed by Choice~ ]"n<!s itself well to radio pre:;entariOn, permitting listeners to plrtidpate in the enveloP'! selection,. wlth the nost moderating. In these situ~lions,. replacing the three-way choices with I pair 01 two-way choices is likely the preferable option, as it permits the engagement of more listeners. The itema in the envelopes needn't be the same, as long as the envelopes themselves appear identical with the items i"",ide. So you can use a variety of inl~n'S ti ng "consolation prizesH in the env~lopes destin«! for the participant. And assuggtsted in the running example, you Can also pla«:o diHerent items in the ~UIO envclopes. The fact that you control th~ stq ll~nu of the latter three revelations can be explOited to good effect: instead of producing tl\N.e hundred-dollar

bill5, for example, you rould produce a fifty-d.olJar bill, followed by a huf>d~cL foll owrd by a thousand. Should you use a presentation that n'qUil'l$ the envelopes to appeu raodomly mixed, perform a simple overhand shuffle that runs two single envelopes (the remainder being t056ed on top). followed by a similar snu ffle that runs four enveJopes. Altc~tely, several Charlier shuffles might be used (this being less suggestive of card tricks), followed by a casual CUI 10 return the two ....... ,Det\veiopes to the middLe of the stack. Some Greg Arce Suggestions The always-inventive Greg Arcr! suggests pladng it tiny dab 01 resti ~k.able glue on the frontmost banknole, priotto inserting it in the ...... n Dl envelope; this lightly adheres il to the envelope, providing additional if\5uranre against the retained l hidden note emerging too -. He.1so contributes some presentational Ideas, exploiting the filet thill (unlike most HBank Night"' effects). -Spoiled by Choice'" has tJuttt winning envelopes: • A ta~ presenlation could feature the notion of a HSin Eater", someone who eals the sins of the dead so they can pass 10 the next life in a pure state. You display a c .... d with a large black dot, representing it sin (this might be the card from the " . 00.0 1 envelope). At the conclusion of the plot, it is:,;een that you have taken away all the participant's sins, Optionally. it drawing of a halo might be used for the .... , .. envelopes, • Another biurreidea:aTarotpresentationwnerethepArticipant ends up with three ca rds predicting riches and happiness. the envelopes left behind being The Devi~ Death,. and ~ Tower (three very negative cards). • Finally, a suggestion that this be dono! as a funny dating game: The p;uticip;mt ends up with pin-up model$ and the entertainer with ... wel~ leI's say les9-attractive partner$.And this idea m~y well suggest OINr possibilities. A Bill Fritz Presentation 1hose who d islike the competitive nature of "Bank NightH p lotspitting the entertainer against the pa rtidpant(s}-wiU fU1d much to like in Bill Fritz's refreshing approach. which .ddrtsses this concan. and provides much food for thought as welL 291

292 p~par.l:::: ol"Spoiled by Q,oice" u~ thefollow;ns !lellell drawings This ven "_~ on thin p~ of rard CU I to /I size appropria te to ;15 lafSetS. pm' "" the tn~loprs: ?J .... - .. . . . . . .. " .. ~ fp (X) BASEBALL "" ... GRAPES GlASSES j) BANANA ~ CANOV Ii WITAR The upper four drawings go in the ...... ~ envelopes,. the rest in the _ ••• 0 ones (in My o~r). An additional sealed envelope CQIltains II single folded piece of paper. Performance Bring up the subject of scientific remote viewing tests. and then propose COI'Idurnll8 " fail; "test condiliOl1$· experiment. Oloose a "test sut:;ect", and &eat her in II emir KrOSS the room/sllose, facing away from the othcn. in order no! to.- anything going on (as if in a~te location). Hand m the sealed envelope, explaining thai it contaiN lhe la~t. and is to be kept SNIed. on her Lap. Ow;.ose II second participant (the Mobst'rver") to !wlp out. As the tnt sub;o!ct is rrmole, this observer will CIIrty out her requested actioN, and verify that everything is ;lIS it seems. Fin<1Uy. scientific e:>cperiments require II "rontrol" : this will be your job. DiSplay and mi;< the six envelopes. explaining that three of them contain drawings that match the target. and three do not. Proceed mOlt Of less as in the standard rou tine, asking the test subject which erwelopes she would like to choose, ~nd reject. n-.e observer receives

and guards the chosen envelopes on her behalf. ",nKI the rejected mvelopoes. A I the end of the ,you (the COntrol) the th ~ rejected envelopes. olIld theobservH ho ~ hold by the sub;ect. "1~ Before ~vealing th .. results, Bill li kes to ask ," _ . . ' .. test Subje<:t if .nythmg po~ped Into her n~ when dIoosing the mvelope~ •... "-. i<-Dgments uf 'm~8tS. or /W" /!lisle shQpd Ii« s lri~"g" ~ , , . ' 'J~' u"mpe.· The gNI IS to get her to mention a drde. or any thin round Ev.m if she does not. though, wlut 5he says c.tn ~1tWS ~ ~)a ed-late o one of the I~ $hapes !hal she has ~.'" FilUllly, the ron tenlS of the envelopes.~ N'Vea led. as in the standard routine. This Can be done either by alternating betw~n observer and you. or by first opening all of the observer's vel~ (t/lOSe chosen by the subject). then all of yours.'" Now that the drawings a re on display, a~ members a~ invitt'd to look for common cNrlctmstics among the urious drawings. Often they will rerognixe that all thrft select«! by the test subject In! cil'O.llar in !lOme fashion; if not, draw it to their intention. In either ~se, show that other groupings are possible. For example, if the selected d rawings are the !>ost/lQIl, ~wrgtr, and glflSSeS. point O\lt that if the ~Q QM h4d been chosen instead Q/ the 81irssn. all of the duwings would begin with the letter '8'; if the bw~r, grIlJIG . .. nd C"/Indy had hem chQSel\ they w()Uld ~n lepltStnt something edible ... the point being that ~ skeptic could Iook.t udrawings. and come up with many different possible gtOupin~'" So the key question becomes, ha t is in the target envelope?" The test subject then opens W envelopr that h..s been in her lap the entire . Inside is .. single sheet of pope<. on wtuch is prin~ -CIRCULAR SHAPES-' 11 •. 1!>c d"wi<>s of .... colid)'. 1In~. <OUId ~ to...., .... """"- or_.,..u 115. "'" SI\o,.Jd ,ho l." .. "!,,Io. !>«hooco,. i, i. rr<l<..blc , .... ,,,,,..,..I,,,~ ..... '*"'l ... ~ w.J~,"' .... oJ 11<,"".'. 1M. W;,h , ... ~ ........... ir ,.;I ...... ,)' t.. pooo.l>Ir .. roiro'''''' ............ ... aIioIt .... .......... , Iocpo wIo. <Id... ·ft· .... "1:;'. 293

294 Appendix: The Original "Disjune/ure" Selection Procedure Tht envelope selection pl"!)(.'edure used ;n the original ~Disj ncture ~ W;1115 well received, and pur to successful use by many mystery entertliners. Consequently. although I believe that the abovedescribed methodology is both more im press ~ and more deaptive, I am reproducing the original description here, in the hope that its slnIcture might pro"" of interest to others. and of value in alternative eonlf!xts. Openly mix the six envelo!",s. and lay them out in I row on the table. Note the positions of the .. AUOD envelopes. and continue as follows ... Partid pMlt'i First hoi~ (of fou r) Slide forward (or pick up) the /Our ....... N envelopes, and offer the partidpAl1t a choice of one of them. Have the participant ain it,. or set it aside (unopened). Mix and realign the fiw enwlopes rem.tining on the table. Entertain" r's Fint Choice Instruct the partiripant 10 similarly offer you a choice from among any /Our of the (remaining) envelopes. At least Oil(! of these will of necessity be I NARUD envelope; t~ke it and set it aside for yourself. Mix and realign the fou r remaining envelopes on the table. rlt1id pant'1 SKond OIoice (of th r~) l'oint out INt fewer envelopes renWn. 110 this time the selectioo will be made from /hr«. Slide forw .. d (or pick up) the three lUI .. <!n~~IopH, and offer the participant a choice of Om' of them. This is .dded to the participant's . Entertainer'. Sforond Choice Allow the participant to mix the I~r«el\ve opes ~maining on the table. Choose from among these three envelopes the second N ARMeD envelope, and set it aside for yourself.

f inal Choke (01 two) As only two ( . ....... .. ) envelopes remain, il ;s not poss.ible for both you and the participanl 10 be offmld identical ,hok es. Note this. and- to be as fair as possible with the se~OIUi-allow the participanl \0 decide which of the remaining two~Vf'I~ will be talr:enby you..and which by her. Add these to their respective se~. At the conclusion of this selection pl'l:X«lure, you will have both of the .. AUlD envelopes, plus one o f the ........ ones; the participant will have the other th ................ envelopes. Again. all of this reads much more complicated than it actually is. For the most part one need only follow three basic (and fairly obvious) rules.: • For each pail-of choices, the pacticiplnt lndenlertl.iner always ~hoose from the idrnlicol n"mba uf rnooopn. beginning: with four. • Never offer a ....... £0 envelope for the pMtiQpanllO~. • When choosing an envelope from the pa rticipant'5 offering, .Iways take a ........ 0 one. When using this approach. I emphasite (Vu. my script) how ~f.i"" and free~ the division of envelopes is, and employ these two words repeatedly to emphasize the (purported) characteristics of the selection prQQ:!IS. Each time I am to chOO$e an enW!lopc, I point out how ulal!"" this is. as I am being treated identically to the participant (this is the justifiution for offering choi<:e!l first of lou~ then three envelopes during the respective 5election l~ges; 10 ensure that both parties are presented with identical options). And each time Ihe participant is about to choose, r reiterale how ~freew her choke (of offered envelopes) is. It is important to mix the envelopes following eam selection. 'Though purportedly a further guarantee of randomization. this is necessary to p~vent the participant from detecting thai any specific envelope is consistently withheld from the offered choiocH. Whtn using this technique in a cJose..up situation, I leave the envelopes on the table until they arechosen. [usethe tips of my right hand fingers to maneuver the envelopes being considered; the only items in my left hand a~ the envelopes chosen by me. Thisallows me to keep my chosen envelopes well apart from those of the participant.. 29E

296 and mam for a dun hilildling of tht' finalrevelalion of Ihei r contents. In a fo m~rien ed presentation,. though, I sirive for more visibility. and involve more audience member.;. [ use la rger envelopes, ilIld have a second participant hold my choices. With both of my hands fT~,1 CUI now pick up the sets of ewelopes thai I offer to the participant for her choiao, thus making the actioo more visible. This approach also lends itsoelf well to radio presentatlon, permi"ing listenen to participate in the envelope selection, with the h06! moderating. This yields additional justification (should you feel il n«e$SJIry) for the ~mi!ed.choice aspect of the selection procedure, as such a choice can more easily be described to • listening sudience.

FourSight (A P(uticipatory Numeric Predidion) Paternity This routi ne is a furth.er devt lopment of II principle incorporated in an impromptu card IOutine by Martin Gardner"'. I liked the concept enough to want to build a feature audience· participa tion item around 1t, but felt that its effect was comprom~ed (and Inhertnt mathematical nahlre was exposed) by the fact that the entertainer selects half of the numbers. The offshoot that follows, though no longer in the impromptu category, creates the impressiol'l that participant:; have sel~d aU of the numbers in a completely random fashion. The use of playing cards is also elimina ted. Presentation The s-ral tOm! here is one of • reasonably fOl'TNlI stimtific" ) experiment. A prNktion is written,. and placed under the control of someone who will act as the experiment's official "fudgeH • A second participant is chosen to be the experiment's Mmllthematicia ~ (and optionally looned a calculator if appropriate). Thirdly, an "experimenter" is selected 10 actually conduct Ihe experiment. The audience is then informed thaI, p rior 10 the show, four participants were each asked to randomly select two numbers, writing them on Opposile sides of shipping LoSS. The ~rimt"t" is asked to collect these lags, and nang them in any order on the four empty hooks of .. simple display board. While this is being done, it is confirmed that the numbers were indeed randomly selectf'd,. and the entertainer could not have known in advan((' whallhey would be. The en~"ainer no .... _ats 10 a lOOInon behind the display. AlthougIl being able to ~ the numbers would not appear 10 have an effeet 01\ the ou«:ome, it is wise to suggut that the enlcrtai.ner has no e~1 in them. The ~rimtn ter is now instructed 10 invite audience members 10 indicate tags on the display. which are consequently turned over to reveal the different numbers on their opposite sidn. This continues 217. Go,J ...... ·, "Foo,lcll" 'pp' • .vtd"' Cb..!r. M.~ ' col ... ~ 1ft · 1h, llnkl", Rl .. •. \I0I0 ... );I • .'I"""",, ~ (Ap<~ 1971). PI'- ~1 __ 3. 297

\ until a reasonable percentage of the audience has had an opportunity to affect the outcome. The mQllrl"mgtici<1n then tOia ls the four currently aposed values, and the jwd~ reads th<! written prediction. renaling an exact ITWItm! Participalion This is staged ror a reil$Qnllbly large group, with pl('flty of audiena participation. Seven people are actively involvtd (the j l<dgt, the tZptrimtnltT, the m~IMm~lid~", and the foW" who initially select the numbl!rs). Additional audien~ members participate in the final randomization process. Properties Needed are tour large shipping tags, similar to the illustration in Figure 1. These may boo! purd\ased, or I'OnStructed using fairly stiff card slock. In the p"rformanoe of the routine. it is necessary to distinguish between the two sides of the taS'. If a commerci al tag is used. this may already be m.araderistic of ibi construction. If nut. or should you c:hoo$.e to mab your own,. a hole .e;nforcemoent could boo! added toone side, or a light p"ndl ar-It~. Whatever yoo use, it should look sufficiently natural that the back/front nature of the tags is not blatmtly obviol1s. In what follows, on<! side will boo! referred 10 as the ~marked~ side. o AI$O necessary is llO!T\e sort of stand on which to display the tag" hanging side by side as in Figure 2. You might use a pie«' of corkboard. with four small nails o r pushpi",. lluve used the top of an opened briefcase, to which are temporarily attached four suction cup hook$ (straightened somewhat, 10 avoid fumbling with the lags). Use wh.tever fils best with the nalure of the event and your 298 performilf'lCe style ... a practitioner of ~melltal magic'" might choose

to use. fancy chrome and PJexiglll5 stand, with rolou red plastic tags on which to write the numbers! During the preselltation. it will be~ todesignateindividual t.llgs on the d isplay. Different ool()ured iaS$ could be used fur this. or their positions ma rked with numbers or letters; I prefer to simply $U~t that the tags be called--from the Ieft--dle first, second,. third,. and fou rth. Preparation This entire piece is • straightforward-though elaborately stagedforce; the most important part takes place prior to the performance, when the numbers are chosen. The goal here is the selection of four pairs of numbers that bear a C<!rtain mathematical relationship to each other; without the participants being aware of it. This is done using the following selection proces (appa ret\tly to ensun the "r.ndomoess" of the choice). Inform each participant (they are appl"Oilched se~ ately and. individually, afler verifying that they will be present for the Later performance) that )'()U wish to have twv numbers ~n. bul thaI it is imporlant that they be truly random seleaion$, nOl conscious1y arrived at by either of you. Suggest that you each secretly write down a value, then arrive .lit one random number by add ing the two v.lllues together; and at a !IeCOnd by subtracting one from the other. For e)[lmple, ~y you ehoo6e 13 and the participant chooses 59; the "randomly selectedff numbers then become n (59 .. 13) and 46 participant wrltn / on this side \ 13 lotded here (59-13~ I handle this by fok/ing a busines5 nrd in h.lllf (_ Figure 3), then writing my chosen value such that it will unfold to beo:ome the bottom half. The card is handed to the p<lrticipant such that this value is hidden (i.e., underneath), permitting him to write a valueon the other half. When the card is unfolded, and both values revealed for the first time, they can now easily be added ~nd subtracted (as will b.!come clear, the entertainer's value 15 always subtracted from the participant's). 29

I I , 300 1he first ~l1Indom" number, ~rriV('d al by adding the two values, is written (by the participant!) on the marked~ , ide of the shipping tag (whicb you h~ve provided, along with a dark marking pen with whidl lo write). The second number; arrived a t by subtrxting the value$, is written on the other side; this number will always be the lesser of the two. You must remember this Lower number, at least until you get a chanet' to write it down ahn the participant departs with the shipping tag. nus may all seem quite fair and aboveboard, but if you repeat the pro«du.re for each of three additional partk ipanlS. ""d liSt rht $Ilmt wlul !dell limt (your value, that is; the participants will obviously chooIe differing values), you will end up with four pairs of number, the diffurn~ between each of which will be identical! To continue with the previous example (where the entertainer chose 13). the following results might emerge: _I d\ooses 59 -numbers ~ 72 (59+ 13) and 46 (59- B ) l2.choo8es 31 - numbers are 50 (37+1 3) and 2. (37- 13) I3d\oose$ 64 - numbers are 71 (64+ 13) and 51 (64-13) '4 ~ 82 - numbers are 95 (82 . 13) and 69 (82- 13) Notice thaI, mall cases, thedifference between el ch of the number pairs is a consistent 26 72~26, 5O-2b26, 71-51_26, 95-@ 26), and that this is twice the value choJsen by the entertainer (2)<13=26). nus is the crux of the secret; a rouple of details need to be managed. First. your chosen value must be less than the participant's. This is easily handled: explain that it is important you don't choose the SlIme value. It this would yield zero as one of the random numbers. To prevent thl$, you']] choose a value less than (fMIy)25, and they should choose one ~ater than this; this solves the problem. Incidentally, try to prevent the participant from choosing a huge value; it will work with any value greater than yours,. but if they choose 2020, you'\! end up with the nurnbeT$ 203J and 2OO'l on a tag. which IooI<s somewhat pealliar. Restricting their ct..:.ire to a two-digit value should be aa:eptable. Second. don't let any participantIDoose an already sel~ted value (which would result in two identical tags, and look Ul~tly peculiar). I know of no way to absolutely prevent thi$ from occurring; I avoid it pretty successfully by using previously chosen values II! samples of what I WlUlt; ~TNnk of a two-digit value greater than 25, such as 59 or 37.~ People are much less likely to moose a valu/! that you've