Basic Template - A5

(MENTA)LISTS Alexander May

With presentational ideas by Warren Thackeray

Copyright © 2013, Alexander May

Original front & back cover images courtesy of: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/smashy http://www.sxc.hu/profile/calchan

All rights reserved. This book contains material protected under international copyright laws and treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, by any information storage / retrieval system or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author.

CONTENTS

Scene 1

…

…

…

…

…

…

5

Scene 2

…

…

…

…

…

…

8

(Menta)Lists

…

…

…

…

…

11

…

The Dirty Little Secrets

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

21

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

25

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

40

14 The Prediction

…

The Red Herring 25

Full Stage Presentation #1 …

27

Full Stage Presentation #2 …

33

Volunteer As Mentalist 25 Safety Net …

…

…

More Word Possibilities 41 For The Techno Heads 38 Special Thanks

…

…

SCENE 1

D

uring the show, the performer hands five or six people in the audience an index card and pen each. They are instructed to all

write down 10 random words – any words that pop into their minds. It is stressed that they have free choices and there are no forces. He then continues with the show. Later on in the programme the audience members with the index cards are invited to the stage, bringing their lists of words with them. After the mentalist had a quick look through all the words, the lists are mixed and redistributed among the volun-

10.

teers, ensuring that nobody gets their original card. If it turns out that somebody has their own list, they should swop lists with the person next to him or her. Each person is then asked a specific question, like the day of the week they were born on, or whether they like rock or jazz.

After receiving all their answers, the mentalist writes something on a piece of paper, which is placed in a large envelope. This envelope is given to one of the people on stage to hold on to. The mentalist now gives a brief explanation of the game of word association – somebody says a word, and the next person has to say a new word that is related or associated with it. The first person on stage is asked to select any one of the words on his list. He names it out loud, and the person next to him is then asked to associate a word on her list with it.

10.

This goes on down the line, until the last person on stage chooses a word from his list and says it into the microphone. As an example, let us say he picks the word “NOTE.”

The mentalist now offers the envelope to this last person, and he removes the piece of paper that the mentalist placed inside at the beginning of the routine. He is given the microphone and asked to read it out loud. It states: “Tonight, we will play the game of word association. If I was able to read my assistants correctly based on their answers - the last word in this game will be NOTE.”

SCENE 2

T

he mentalist is hanging out with a group of people at a party and he suggests they play a game of word association. He states that

he is working on a way to predict the outcome of this game based on the characteristics of the individuals playing it.

He takes out a bunch of his business cards and hands everyone a pen and a card. He asks that they write down ten random words on the backs of their cards – any random words that they can think of. Once this is all done, he gathers all the cards and looks at all the different words before mixing them

10.

up. Then, he hands one card to each guest at the table, and turns to the first person on his left. He asks this person to name a celebrity he would take with to a desert island. Based on his answer, the mentalist writes a word on the back of another business card, which he folds up and leaves in full view on the table.

He now asks this person to select any word on the list he has in his hand, and to name it out loud. Then, the next person names a word from his list that he can associate with the first word selected. He might have difficulty to find one seeing as the words on the cards are totally random, but eventually he settles on a word. The next person then associates a word from his list with that word just selected, and it continues until the last person has chosen a word off his list, as an example we’ll use the word “BOW.” The mentalist then points out that there were literally thousands of

10.

possible outcomes, depending on the different words written by each person in the beginning as well as the random associations made. He points to the folded card on the table and asks someone to open it and read the word he predicted. Written large on the card is one word – “BOW.”

(MENTA)LISTS

(Menta)Lists is a system I created that allows the mentalist to predict the outcome of a game of word association. We all know the concept of word association. One person thinks of a word, and then the next person says another word that can be associated with it, and so it continues. For example: Frog  Green  Apple  Tree  Squirrel etc. Of course, these associations are pretty obvious. You can also stretch the imagination for more unusual associations, which is what makes the game fun.

12.

I started working on the routine after a friend told me over drinks one evening that he would be very impressed if a mentalist could ask people to play a word association game, and correctly predict the word named by the final player.

It sounded like a fun routine, especially the fact there is inherent comedic potential in the associations made, together with the impossible effect it would create. It is also one of the rare routines that could work on stage and in strolling situations. There are a couple of routines available that are similar in concept (see page ??), most of them seem to based on the original idea of Ned Rutledge. However, none that matches what I wanted to achieve. The main objective for me was that THE PARTICIPANTS TO WRITE THEIR OWN WORDS! I set myself some other strict criteria for the effect as well:

13.

- The words MUST appear random and unrelated.

- I wanted to have all the words and cards examinable, unlike other effects where a few seconds of inspection leaves the method blatantly obvious. I also wanted to use only words and not phrases. - No fishing for the word or number at which the word is located. - It needed to be a strict & pure word association game - somebody thinks of a word, then the next person thinks of a word that can be associated with it. Not a word that rhymes with it or starts with the third letter or anything that can compromise this point.

- No forces to start off with - the volunteers must really have a free choice of what to write.

After many trials and errors, I finally came up with the method you are about to read.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

T

ime to share. The main secret lies in the last two cards that the participants receive. All the other cards contain completely random

and unrelated words. You will also make use of clever wording to keep everything on track. Let’s break it down. THE CARDS All the participants write down ten random words on their cards, and as far as they know you have no say in the whole process. However, seeing that we as mentalists are sneaky, all is not as straight-forward as it may seem. 13.

Once everyone has joined you on stage, you will gather the cards and hand them to one of the people “to mix them and make sure nobody receives their own card.” The reason for mixing the cards of course has nothing to do with that.

Before the show, you will need to prepare two cards in a very special way. These cards will be called the PRIMING CARD and the FORCE CARD. These two prepared cards are secretly added to the stack and are the main secret to the effect. It doesn’t matter how many people take part in the game, as only the last two sets really play a part in the effect. We will get to how you can add them to the stack of cards written by the audience members in a bit. For now, let’s get back to the cards. All the participants receive a card (or paper) each with different words on. These cards really contain random words, except for the two very special cards 13.

that are given to the two people at the end of the line.

THE PRIMING CARD (held by second last participant) has two sets of five words at alternating positions. These words are all related to two words on the second special card. THE FORCE CARD (held by final participant) contains two ‘force’ words and eight random words. I put force in brackets, as it is not a hard force, but works more on a subliminal linguistic principal. The two force words are NOTE and BOW. The words on the PRIMING CARD are all closely related or synonyms of those two words: NOTE: Money, Memo, Post-It, Piano, Pen. BOW: Hair, Violin, Arrow, Bend, Arch.

13.

Regardless of the word that is chosen from the PRIMING CARD the last person should always associate either BOW or NOTE with it.

MONEY MONEY HAIR HAIR MEMO MEMO VIOLIN VIOLIN POST-IT POST-IT ARROW ARROW PIANO PIANO RIBBON RIBBON PEN PEN ARCH ARCH

PRIMING CARD

NUANCE NUANCE DIFFERENT DIFFERENT SINCE SINCE NOTE NOTE JUMPING JUMPING BOW BOW DURING DURING ACTUALLY ACTUALLY GUILE GUILE PARTLY PARTLY

FORCE CARD

The other eight words on the FORCE CARD were carefully selected and are virtually impossible to associate with any other ones, as long as you use the wording correctly.

Remember to write the two prepared cards in different handwriting as the two people holding the 13.

cards are standing right next to each other and might just catch a glimpse of each other’s cards! The other lists that the participants write can consist of ANY words that they like, as they obviously have no impact whatsoever on the outcome. Let us consider an example chain quickly. You have asked all the participants a random question and made your prediction (we will discuss this part in depth in a second). Turn to the first spectator in the line, and ask him to select ANY one of the ten words that appear on his card, and to name it out loud. Let us say he decides to go for “CIRCUS” as his word. The next person associates “CIRCUS” with a word on his list, which might be “CROWD.” The next person can associate “CROWD” with “FESTIVAL” on his list.

The next person may go for “BAND” to associate with this word, again, it really makes no difference what he says. 13.

Now we come to the crux of the effect. The next person (second last in line) is holding the PRIMING CARD and is about to do all our work for us. He looks at his list for something to associate with “BAND” and by doing so will influence the final spectator to choose either one of the two force words. Let us imagine he chooses the word “VIOLIN” from his card. The last person now picks an object from his list – the FORCE CARD - to associate with “VIOLIN.” He has no real choice but to choose “BOW.”

As you can see all the words chosen by the first couple of spectators have no impact on the effect, as all the work is done by the last two spectators. You should always end up with either the word “BOW” or “NOTE.”

13.

CARDS ACROSS The two prepared cards are ready and waiting in an easily obtainable place. While one of the participants gathers all the other cards and mixes them, you secure them in a palmed position. When he is done mixing, he gives the cards back to you and you start handing them out one by one to each person.

Here is where the “move” comes in. There is a classic magic effect known as “Cards Across” which you can find in numerous magic books. The usual effect is that you count ten cards into two volunteers’ hands, then make three fly invisibly and when they are recounted the first volunteer only holds seven cards and the other now has thirteen. We will use the principle here and in the process ensure that the final two participants receive the PRIMING CARD and the FORCE CARD as opposed to the real cards they wrote. 13.

As you get the mixed cards back, you place the two palmed cards on top of the stack, with the FORCE CARD on top. You now start handing out the cards from the end of the line, meaning the last person in line receives the FORCE CARD, the person next to him gets the PRIMING CARD, the person next to him receives a random card that was written on earlier, and so forth. As you get to the first person in line, you simply hand him a card and keep the remaining two cards hidden in your palm. They are easily ditched in the pocket as you remove a pen or the like. For a more detailed description on exactly how to perform the “Cards Across” refer to “The Royal Road to Card Magic” by Hugard and Braue¹. The effect of this procedure is that while everyone else has a card with random words on, the last two people in the line are each holding a specially prepared card.

13.

WORDING Preparing a proper script for the presentation of this effect is quite necessary. As you go from person to person, you will be giving them subtle instructions that will ensure a successful conclusion. Instead of asking them to associate a word with the one they just heard, they are told to associate SOMETHING with the word they just heard. It plays a crucial role, as you want them to think of a physical object and not just a word. On the final card held by the last spectator, there are only two real objects listed - the other eight are abstract words. These two words are our force words. Limiting their choice to an actual object ensures that the final person chooses either of the force words, and doesn’t make some weird association in his head. 13.

For example, your presentation could go like this, “Good, so he chose elephant, now I want you to associate something on your list with an elephant.” Or, “Which object on your list would you associate with a cabinet?”

¹ “The Royal Road to Card Magic” by Jean Hugard & Frederick Braue, World Publishing Company.

THE PREDICTION

A

s you will understand by now, you will need to make two predictions for this effect, as there are two words that can be chosen.

There are countless books and DVD’s that offer solutions and methods for this situation. I will discuss my way of dealing with it; you are obviously free to use any other method you may prefer. ON STAGE Performing this on stage, the easiest way to reveal the prediction is within a two-way envelope¹. I am

22.

sure you are familiar with the concept – depending on which way the envelope is opened, you will find a different prediction paper inside. The one side of the envelope is pre-loaded with a prediction for “BOW.” You can either just place a paper inside with the word written in large print across it, or you can have a longer message that somebody on stage can read.

Once you are on stage you then take a piece of blank paper and write the prediction for “NOTE” on it, without letting the audience see of course. You fold it up and slip it inside the envelope, which is placed somewhere in full view. Once the final word has been selected, all that is needed is for you to open the correct side of the two-way envelope. You can now offer it to one of the spectators on stage to remove the paper inside and to check 23.

that there is nothing else inside. This is quite a nice way to remain hands-off from the prediction. A good idea is to mark one side of the two way envelope so that you always open the correct side! STROLLING & CLOSE-UP

If you are working in a more intimate setting, you may consider writing the prediction on the back of your business card, which is folded up and placed on the table. You do of course need another, similar folded card already written with the other word hidden somewhere, ready for a billet switch. The reader no doubt has his own favourite billet switch and I am not about to reinvent the wheel. There are numerous books available that describe ways to switch billets. Just go to the classics of mentalism like Corinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism². I personally use Jay Sankey’s Paperclipped Prediction Switch³, it just works for me. 13.

Out of experience, it seems that for some reason “NOTE” is selected more often than “BOW” and I always make the card I write in performance with “NOTE” on.

This means that if the final person does choose this word, I don’t even have to touch the

prediction

card. I simply point to it and repeat that it has been lying on the table the entire time and then ask one of the people to open it and read my prediction. Of course, should they select “BOW” I can just get the already prepared card from my pocket and do the billet switch. At this point all the attention is on that person reading the prediction and it is easy to dump the other card. Another solution would be to make use of a Himber Wallet. You can carry the lists inside the one compartment together with one prediction slip, and the other prediction is of course placed in the other side. This will keep everything together and the effect is self-contained.

¹ An easy method to make one can be found in “Practical Mental Magic” by Theo Annemann, Dover Publications, Inc. ² “Thirteen Steps to Mentalism” by Corinda, Louis Tannen N.Y.C. ³ Jay Sankey Paperclipped, http://www.sankeymagic.com/detail.aspx?ID=48076

THE RED HERRING

W

hile cards are always shown openly to the audience, it might be a good idea to utilize another bit of misdirection to lead

them down the garden path. The easiest would be to throw in a red herring that can send them in the complete opposite direction should they try to reverse engineer the effect. The idea is to ask every person taking part in the game a seemingly random and arbitrary question, and then pretending that whatever they say has a profound influence on your prediction.

26.

Simple questions like asking them to mention the day of the week they were born on or which celebrity they would want to be stranded on an island with, will do the trick. Once you have these answers you act as if they are very interesting, and now you are able to make your prediction.

Read through the “STAGE PRESENTATION #1” section to see how these questions are used during the actual performance. While it has no influence on the routine, if you play it correctly you can convince the audience that this is how you were able to achieve the effect. Remember, the main secret lies in the sets of words on the last two cards, so downplay their role and make a big deal about your questions and the participants’ answers.

STAGE PRESENTATION #1

S

ix people are lined up on the stage to assist you with your next miracle. The first five all received an index card earlier in the show

and were asked to write down any ten random words on each. You gather all the cards, have a quick glance at all the words on them and then give them a quick mix. They are now redistributed so that all five are holding a list different than their own. You now move to the first person in line. “Thank you so much for being willing to take part in this experiment. I need to ask you just one question, 13.

and I need you to answer as truthfully as possible. Is that a deal? Good. How old were you when you had your first kiss?” “Hmm… I was 15 I think.”

“Perfect! Thank you very much. Now we move on to you madam. If you can, please tell us which day of the week you were born on?” “On a Wednesday.” Very good thank you. You sir, if you could choose between a holiday on a tropical island or a European skiing village, which one would you rather go to?” “I’d go for the tropical island!” “Perfect. Madam, if you could please tell us, what is the colour of the car you are currently driving?” “Blue.”

13.

“Thank you. And finally sir, if you had to buy your wife an anniversary present, would you go for diamond earrings, or a pearl necklace?” “I guess diamond earrings.”

“Great! I have now asked all these people a question which has given me enough information about them to tell me exactly which choices they will make tonight. I am going to write down a prediction on here and place it in this envelope which I am going to give to you sir for safe-keeping.” Everybody holding a list is told to hold it so that they can see all the words on their card. The first person chooses any word he wishes from all ten random words and names it out loud. The person next to him then associates a word on her list with the one just mentioned, etc. Once the final word is chosen and named out loud, you can write it on a big white board for all to see. As an example, let’s say the last word is “NOTE.” 13.

You move your attention back to the gentleman holding the envelope.

“Sir, you have been holding on to my prediction that I made before we got started. Would you please be so kind as to read what I have predicted?” Of course, the prediction contains only one word, “NOTE.” Thanks to the two prepared cards you secretly added, the wording you used, and of course the double envelope your prediction matches perfectly. The rest is all theatrics and showmanship, hiding the real method behind the smoke and mirrors of the questions being asked – inferring that the answers will lead you to the right word.

STAGE PRESENTATION #2

P

erforming (Menta)Lists on a stage or platform is going to require you to bring a certain number of people on stage. Here is an idea to

make use of this fact and turn it into a full stage routine. If you can blend two good effects into one flowing routine, you can get a good amount of stage time and entertainment value in one go.

What is described here is just one concept that the reader may find useful, or may inspire other routines featuring (Menta)Lists.

13.

In this routine, the lists are already made and they will not write their own words. While this might take away the impromptu feeling of the original routine, you will make up for it by adding more layers of deception.

Eight people are invited to join you on stage. They are lined up to fill the stage from left to right. The person on the far left is asked to mix up eight big envelopes that each has a large question mark on the front.

While he is busy with that, you ask each of the other participants to name any celebrity they would like to invite to dinner. You now make a prediction based on their answers, which is sealed in another envelope and placed in full view on a table. You return to the person mixing the eight envelopes. Once he is satisfied that they are all mixed up, he hands every other person on stage an envelope, keeping one for himself. 13.

Everyone now opens their envelopes and is instructed to remove its contents. Inside they find one large laminated paper containing random words. The reverse side of each list is also a different colour, to distinguish them.

You now start with the first person in the line on stage and instruct him to select ANY one of the random words on the list he is holding. Once he names it, you turn to the next person in line, asking him to associate any word on his list with the word just mentioned. This goes on down the line, until the final person has chosen a word off her list. Hold the mic to her and ask her to name it out loud. She says, “NOTE.” You now point to the prediction envelope that has been in full view on the table the entire time. The contents are removed and the lady is asked to read what it says. 13.

“Tonight, [insert your name here] will attempt a dazzling feat of mind reading and prediction of human behaviour on not one, but eight different individuals. If he is successful, a random game of word association will end with the word NOTE!

Not only that, but he will also have influenced the random mixture of envelopes in such a way that the order on stage will be, from left to right: Green, yellow, red, blue, purple, orange, white and black.” The eight people on stage hold up their lists with the colour side showing, and would you believe it – all eight colours in perfect order as predicted! *** The working is pretty straight-forward and allows you to concentrate on your presentation. The (Menta)Lists part is still more or less the same as

13.

described earlier, only dressed up and paired with another great routine. Obviously there is no need to secretly add the two prepared cards anymore, as they are in play right from the start.

The mixing procedure followed by the person shuffling is obviously controlled. In other words, regardless of how well the envelopes are seemingly mixed, the outcome is always the same. The classic books of card magic are full of these false shuffles and counts, which can easily be adapted to envelopes. One very practical example would be the Swindle Switch by Paul Curry (often referred to as Deal or Switch). It can be found in Paul Curry’s Worlds Beyond¹ and there are also a number of other routines available that uses the principle. Another very convincing technique of apparently mixing 13.

envelopes is published in Doug Dyment’s Stimulacra².

As you can see from the above description, (Menta)Lists can be used as a stand-alone effect, but also work well as part of a bigger presentation. You probably already have other ideas for your own routines!

¹ “Paul Curry’s Worlds Beyond” by Paul Curry, Hermetic Press. ² “Stimulacra” by Doug Dyment, Self-published.

VOLUNTEER AS MENTALIST

I

f you are a fan of the “Spectator as Mind Reader” ploy you can easily adapt (Menta)Lists and fry their brains a bit more. Instead of you as

performer predicting the final word, you can have one of the audience members make the correct prediction! Now you are only the facilitator in the experiment and you are endowing them with insane powers. Think of Derren Brown standing on the sidewalk with a sign reading, “Be a mind reader for 10p” in one of his first TV shows.

13.

The market place is full with books and effects that can make you achieve this. The principles of dual reality or instant stooging are used most of the time, and as a mentalist you will undoubtedly have your favourite ways of doing this. While I am not about to give away other people’s secrets, you can easily find the material with an internet search. Imagine if you like, having another person join you and you have a quick ‘chat’ with her – in a soft voice so that nobody else can hear. The final person playing the game (the one that will choose either “BOW” or “NOTE”) then doesn’t say his word out loud, but rather writes it on a white board or clipboard. You of course only have to peak at the first letter he writes to know which word he went for, and you can now cue the volunteer mentalist to write down the correct word as well. ***

13.

If you go back to Stage Presentation #1 on page ?? you can also try the following variation which will turn a member of the audience into a mind reader. This method does not involve either dual reality or instant stooging, if you are someone who is not a fan of these principles. Variation to Stage Presentation #1 As all the people who wrote a list join you on stage, you ask another audience member to come up as well. This person does not have a word list, but you explain that he will actually be the mentalist in this game. On the table in front of him are 10 numbered pay envelopes. In a few moments, he will have to pick up one of those envelopes. But before he does so, you are going to ask each of the other participants a question and you explain that you want him to listen very carefully to their answers. 13.

After everyone has answered, you move back to apprentice mentalist, who you now instruct to keep all the answers he heard in mind, and then pick up any one of the ten numbered envelopes in front of him. This is a free choice and he can really pick any one he wishes. He is instructed to hold on to this until the end of the game. The game of word association is played as normal and once the final word has been selected you move your attention back to the person holding the prediction envelope. “Sir, you heard all the answers these people gave and based on that chose envelope number 3. Did you ever feel forced to do so or were you free to choose any one you wanted?” “I believe it was a free choice.” “I would like to show you something very interesting regarding the other nine envelopes left on the table.” 13.

You proceed to open all the other envelopes left on the table and show that they are all EMPTY – there is nothing inside any of them. You open the envelope that the participant selected, and inside there is one folded piece of paper with only one word written on it. You hand it to the participant to read, and it is of course the word “NOTE.” *** This utilizes the old “Bank Night” principle, which can be found in books like Darwin’s 101 Thumb Tip Tricks.¹ The only difference is that here you will need two thumb tips, each containing a slip of paper with one of the two force words. You can have a thumb tip in each of your pockets and once you have shown all the other envelopes empty, you simply get the correct thumb tip in position. All the envelopes are obviously empty, so it does not matter which one he picks.

13.

Tear open the top of his selected envelope, stick your thumb and index finger inside and take the slip from the thumb tip. The thumb tip remains inside the envelope which you can crumple up and place in your pocket.

¹ “101 Thumb Tip Tricks” by Gary Darwin & Geno Munari, Houdini’s Magic Shop Press.

SAFETY NET

W

hile you are pretty much guaranteed a successful outcome as long as you follow the scripts as outlined in this

book, there is of course a real possibility that some clown will not follow the instructions and choose a wrong word of the last card. Many mentalism effects carry this risk and with experience comes the knowledge to avert them, whether it be by knowing who to choose as assistants or by proper scripting and wording.

However, if you are not somebody who likes to stare fear in the face and laugh or simply someone who 13.

does not like effects that are not 100% guaranteed, there are remedies available to ensure your prediction will ALWAYS be correct, regardless of whether they choose the force words or not. One method is to use a pocket index, where you substitute billets for the cards. Many magic shops sell these and you can also find instructions on how to construct your own in the book “Practical Mental Magic” by Theo Annemann¹. It would be a very simple matter to obtain the correct billet from the index and switch it out with the original prediction via a billet switch. Paul Brook also has an effect called ‘Underhanded’ available on his website². Here is the ad copy for it:

“The performer removes a single folded post-it note from his pocket. There is nothing else in his hands and he can show both hands to be empty except for the folded post-it note. He closes his hand around the folded post-it and keeps both hands in full view the entire time. The participant freely names any one of thirteen drinks. She

13. takes the billet, and opens it and the only thing written on the billet is her chosen drink. Being a utility gimmick you will be able to use up to thirteen of anything for the participant to select. You are not limited to drinks!”

Indeed, you are not limited to drinks, you can also use words! With either a pocket index or ‘Underhanded’ as your safety net there will be no more risks involved and all ten words on the final card are covered. It might be worth a look if you are afraid that your last participant might not play ball.

¹ “Practical Mental Magic” by Theo Annemann, Dover Publications, Inc. ² http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/heknows/underhanded.htm

MORE WORD POSSIBILITIES

B

y now you understand that the concept of (Menta)Lists is based on the fact that you are limiting the possible associations that

they can make by using words that are either closely related or synonyms of the force words.

While trial and error has shown that “NOTE” and “BOW” are the best and most successful for this routine, you may want to choose your own words and that is certainly very possible. One thing to keep in mind is that the whole point is to ensure that your priming words are not blatantly obvious. If ‘vehicle’ is your force word, having priming words such as car, truck, taxi, automobile, 13.

sedan, bus and the like is most certainly NOT what you should be going for! To get you started, here are just a couple of ideas to get you started off: RING: Diamond, Doorbell, Telephone, Sphere, Jewelry. ROCK: Boulder, Concert, Meteorite, Guitar, Pebble. ROPE: Knot, Noose, Skip, Nylon, Line. While I wouldn’t suggest using these words, you can see the thinking behind it.

FOR THE TECHNO HEADS

I

f you are a fan of using technology in your perfor-mances, the following idea might be of interest to you.

Instead of having the prediction written on the back of a business card or the like, why not have it printed as a QR Code on your card? Once the last person has selected a word, somebody scans the QR Code that has been in full view the entire time, which redirects to a dedicated page on your (hopefully mobile friendly) website. On that page they will find the word as chosen by the last 13.

person… perhaps even a short video of you making the prediction! There are a bunch of free QR Code Generators available on the net, so once you have your prediction ready simply type it in there and you are sorted.

CREDITS

T

he original idea that this is based on is usually credited to Ned Rutledge (Minding The Store). For related effects, see also:

“Mental Yarn” – Bill Goldman “RhymeTime” – Mick Ayres “RhymeTime Sublime” – Bill Cushman “To-do Voodoo” – Rick Lax “Magic List” – Jim Pace

If I have left anyone out, please let me know and I will correct the omission.

SPECIAL THANKS

A

big thank you to everyone who assisted in the creation of the effect, especially Warren Thackeray who very generously contributed

his ideas. A word of thanks as well to Aubrey de Wet and of course to everyone else I have bugged while ironing out the effect. Please do get in touch and share your thoughts and ideas regarding (Menta)Lists with me. My inbox is always open! Alexander May  [email protected]