20080610

June 10, 2008

Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter

*** PREDICTIONARY - Frank Velasco & Devin Knight
*** THE QUEST - Frank Velasco
*** POSTMENTALISM - Alvo Stockman
*** THE TUBE - Jason Messina
*** MIND SCANNER - Boris Wild
*** CONVERSATIONS OF THE MIND - FINALLY!

To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com
and use the shopping cart. If you're unable to do
this, you may respond to this e-mail.

To make sure you've not been missing any newsletters, check
out my blog, which is accessible from the main page. All of
the recent past newsletters are archived there.

*********
Controversy! Again. (sigh) And, no, it has nothing to with
Big Brown stunning's loss at the Belmont Stakes this past
weekend in which this classy horse just decided he wasn't
going to run the race anymore (which I warned you would
probably happen, though I was rooting for him to win, too).

No, this controversy centers on Alvo Stockman and his
PostMentalism, which is a debated rip-off of Kenton
Knepper's Perfected Prediction. Specifically, the routine
applies a particular product to a mentalism routine that
Kenton had already explored in a previous work released some
years ago. More details on that below.

Also, this issue features Predictionary, a product that I
highly recommend, and I must note that if you order one,
there may be a short wait before you get it. Though I did
have some reserved, the majority of the initial stock from
my distributor was pre-sold. Because of the popularity of
Devin Knight's products (and for good reason), this seems to
be the norm. Fortunately, Frank Velasco, the co-creator of
the effect, alerted me to this product and I was able to
increase my order a little bit, but they won't last long. I
definitely expect more to be available within 30 days and,
if you order now and I'm out of stock, I will ship when it
arrives.

**** PRODUCT UPDATES
Other new items that will be discussed in upcoming
newsletters and/or added soon to my catalog are Alvo
Stockman's POETRY READING, Bill Cushman's MIND INDEX, Menny
Lindenfeld's PSYCHIC CREDIT CARD, Sean Field's EXPLICIT
FOOTAGE: TOME and EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: BENZ, Kenton Knepper's
TIME MACHINE AND TOUCHES and KENTON'S DUCT TAPE BLINDFOLD,
John Sheets' NAILED IT, Haim Goldenberg's INSIDE THOUGHTS
and MY PRECIOUS, Dr. Charles Scott's THE CICARDI PROJECT
DVD, Rachel Colombini's WORDS OF WISDOM, and a bunch of cool
stuff from Craig Browning. Some of this stuff is already on
the website with comments. Some of this stuff I will not
catalog.

**** CONVERSATIONS OF THE MIND
Time has flown by and, among other projects, I've been
working on getting a schedule in order for Conversations of
the Mind. Finally, I've set the first conversation to take
place on Thursday, June 19, at 6 p.m. PST. There's more on
the topic of that conversation below. (Originally, I had
it planned for Wednesday, June 11, but I wanted to have
some stuff set up and that's not ready yet. Plus, a
technical diffic--, er..oversight is another
reason.)

For those who are new to my newsletters, this is an all-new
feature that consists of conference calls discussing various
subjects and also to converse with top performers in the
field. Many top performers are not releasing books or new
material and do not fit the format of the Journal of the
Mind, but they would be ideal for the new Conversations of
the Mind. Subjects that I've been requested to cover include
structuring acts, effects that can be done totally impromptu
and with ungimmicked items, Q&A routines, marketing, and
selecting material for your act.

These conversations, which will be recorded and available
for download, will be accessible only to those who have
Marketplace Memberships. However, the very first one will
be available to all newsletter subscribers as that one will
be available later for everyone as a preview edition.

So, here's the topic:

Jheff's 10 Secrets to Making Mentalism More Effective,
Entertaining, & Successful.

Basically, I'll be online to chat and answer any questions
that you may have starting a few minutes prior to that and
then there will be a question and answer session following
my talk on the topic. Look for more details as to the phone
number and how to join the chat in the next regular
newsletter and a special reminder newsletter that will be
come to you on Monday, June 16.

**** PAST NEWSLETTERS NOW ON-LINE
Finally, I broke down and just decided to be plain lazy.
Instead of taking the time to re-format the newsletters and
make them all pretty looking for the blog, I decided I'd
rather spend the time on other more important things like,
oh, keeping the website up to date with the current
mentalism products and my comments.

So, there's a whole new section where you can see all the
past newsletters. If you subscribed and aren't receiving
them, either check to make sure that the newsletters aren't
being considered spam by your Internet provider, or
re-subscribe (which is the easiest).

***** MARKETPLACE MEMBERSHIP CLUB FOR 2008 AVAILABLE NOW!
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights Paul
Brook, who just recently published an incredible new book
which is featured in the issue, The Alchemical Tools. To
get this issue, you need to buy a membership in the
Marketplace of the Mind.

For the $37 cost you get a subscription to the 2008 issues
of Jheff's Journal of the Mind, an all-new e-zine for
mentalists, an additional 5% discount off merchandise from
the Marketplace of the Mind, and many other very cool
features. If you want a taste of what you get, check out the
preview edition of the Bonus #0 issue featuring Jack Kent
Tillar. Go to the website and click on the banner at the
top. Or use the link below.

Check it out here: www.marketplaceofthemind.com/jmmc.html

***** THE FRIENDS OF THE MARKETPLACE
Don't forget to check out the new Friends of the Marketplace
section. This is for those creators who are producing
wonderful products that I don't carry. This is because, to
save overhead, I order as needed from my distributor, and
these creators aren't mass distributing it. If you'd like
me to review your product and help you sell it, then you'll
find details about the Friends of the Marketplace program on
the website. There's a button on the left hand side for you
to click on.

I've just added ILLUSIONS OF INFLUENCE by Samuel Catoe, a
wonderful exploration of the art of equivoque. Two other
recent additions are THE SAFWAN PAPERS by Bryn Reynolds and
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS by Jerome Finley, both solid
collections of memorable, mentalism material. Also, new to
the section are BILL MASON'S SENSATIONAL by E. Raymond
Carlyle, which is a wonderful Q&A act, and Dr. Bill's
MIRABILL, an elegant update on a Stewart James classic.
Outlaw-Effects have a beautiful new aged book called THE
WITCHES' ALMANAC and it is their best aged book yet. Enrique
Enriquez has a wonderful new e-book on the Tarot, LOOKING AT
THE MARSEILLES TAROT, which is suitable for both beginners
and experienced readers. Also new to the section are Ron
Martin's THE TAROT READER'S NOTEBOOK, a must-have for Tarot
readers; Joshua Quinn's DUPLICITY, which takes your favorite
drawing dupe routine to the next level; Loren Tindall's
beautiful new THE DELPHI PORTAL, which is a must-have prop
for anyone who is a reader; and Gene Nielsen's THE MAGICK
YEARS, a jam-packed e-book filled with over 70 professional
and varied routines.

Remember, I don't make a dime on this stuff. I do this
because I think the stuff is very good and worth it.

http://www.jheff.com/friendsofthemarketplace.html

Until next time. -- Jheff

*********
FRANK VELASCO AND DEVIN KNIGHT
PREDICTIONARY
JMOM Price: $36
Suggested Retail Price: $39.95

THE BLURB:
This new utility gimmick will allow you to transmit your
thoughts and make near impossible appearing predictions. You
can do all of this without the aid of nail-writers or any
other secret writing devices. Here are just a few of the
effects possible with the Predictionary Gimmick.

Mentalist says he is thinking of a word and will send it to
the spectator's mind. The spectator then calls out a word(no
force of any kind). The mentalist hands the person a
dictionary containing a bookmark. He says his prediction is
on that page. When the person opens to the bookmarked page
he finds the very word he just called out circled has been
circled with a black marker!

DO-AS-I-DO The mentalist and a participant both secretly
circle a word in a dictionary. When the dictionaries are
compared both have circled the same word!

A spectator thinks of a word, he doesn’t write it down. He
doesn’t call it out. He just thinks of it. The mentalist
says he will circle the word the person is thinking of. He
circles a word and bookmarks the page and hands the
dictionary to any audience member to hold. He doesn’t touch
it again. The person opens to the bookmark page and reads
the word circled. The circled word is the same word the
person on stage is thinking of! He only confirms the word is
correct after the audience member says the word.

A person can think of word, not even tell you the word. You
hand him the bookmarked dictionary and he opens to the
bookmarked page and finds one word circled. A word that
defines the very word he thought of! The person need never
write down the word nor tell the mentalist what the word is.
Yet your prediction will be 100% correct.

It comes with all the needed gimmicks, sharpies, bookmarks
and several additional routines by Jeff Pierce, Bob Klase
and Michael Sibbernsen. Use your dictionary.

* NO STOOGES OR INSTANT STOOGES.
* NO DUAL REALITY.
* NO NAIL WRITERS.
* NO SECRET WRITING OF ANY KIND.
* NO PRE-SHOW WORK.
* USE ANY BORROWED DICTIONARY.

"Predictionary incorporates a very clever idea that I have
not seen used in this way before. It is a great utility
device that creates some fantastic mysteries! It should find
favor with many mentalists." - Richard Osterlind

MY COMMENTS:
It's not often that a mentalism gimmick comes along that is
versatile and ingenious. Predictionary is just that. Even
better, the title indicates it's to be used for
dictionaries, which is definitely not true. There are a
variety of uses of which the dictionary is only the starting
point for one's imagination.

Obviously, I can't reveal just what the gimmick is.
However, for those knowledgeable mentalists, think about Ray
Piatt's Gyp Pad merged with the circled word plot. This
gimmick, though, does not need a special pad. It's
functions are similar, but it's working is totally
different. There is a special pen included, but it's a
ordinary marker pen that's been prepared that doesn't need
to be used. It depends on the routine. I will also mention
that you get 35 of these gimmicks in the package, seven each
of five different sizes. According to Devin, he claims to
have been using the same one for quite some time.

My only quibble with this product is the name. It's really
quite misleading. It implies that the gimmick either is a
dictionary or that you must use a dictionary in order to use
the effect. Neither is true. In fact, you don't even get a
dictionary, or any book, with the package. You supply your
own. It's very versatile and the name just doesn't reflect
that. But, hey, if it was called the Ultimate Circled Word
on Page gimmick then everybody would want one and so maybe
this name isn't such a bad thing. In any case, the name has
nothing to do with its functionality and is a very minor
issue.

The 24 page manual that comes with it is packed with many
ideas for its use. Along with ones from Frank Velazco and
Devin Knight, there are ideas from Jeff Pierce, Bob Klase,
and Michael Sibbernsen. I'll stress again, though, that
these are not the only things you can do with this.
Knowledgeable and professional mentalists will definitely
find some great and original uses with this. Those who
aren't quite as knowledgeable can certainly use the
suggested routines as they are quite good. There's no
question that this is a fabulous utility gimmick that I
highly recommend.

*********
FRANK VELASCO
THE QUEST
Suggested Retail Price: $25
Available at:
http://www.mystore.com/fvmagicproductions

THE BLURB:
There have been many versions of the 'any selected card at
any number' over the years, some gimmicked, some sleight of
hand, some convincing, others not so... but all striving to
achieve the effect of having any card selected in the deck
to appear at any named number.

Welcome to the mix - The Quest
Some features of The Quest:

- No sleights, no switches, no needing to even touch the
cards as they are dealt... the spectators does the dealing.

- No difficult calculations to perform, or difficult
formulas to remember.

- Only ONE deck in use throughout, no switching or needing
to carry around multiple decks.

- No gaffed/gimmicked cards in use, so no specially printed
cards, no rough and smooth, no short cards, no sticky stuff
of any kind etc etc.

- It will not be the same card and or number every
performance, and no convoluted procedures to come to a
number or specific card... card is freely selected and the
number is freely named.

- No stooges instant or otherwise.

- No angle issues, and instantly resets.

- The cards before and after the selection can be shown to
be different.

As well as all of the above points, The Quest has to be one
of the easiest to accomplish, and is easily within the reach
of everyone, no matter there skill level.

MY COMMENTS:
This is a very practical, elegant, and easy approach to the
Any Card at Any Number plot and definitely worth your while.
The best way for me to continue this discussion is by
comparing it to John Born's Meant To Be and Bob Farmer's
Bammo Dekronomicon, two of the more recent high-profiled
versions of the Any Card At Any Number plot. The Born
version is indeed a true Any Card At Any Number, but it
requires some gimmicking, some memorization, and lots of
practice. But it is quite clean. Bob Farmer's version is
also quite respectable, though it really is more of Card at
Any Number plot, since the participant only has the illusion
of choosing any card. The issue with Bob Farmer's version
is that uses quite a bit of pocket space.

You can consider this as a one-deck version of Bob Farmer's
solution or a technically easier Meant To Be. This is not
to say that The Quest is a variation of either of these,
because it isn't. I'm merely comparing key features. With
The Quest, you use a single deck of cards and the spectator
deals the cards. It is not a true Any Card at Any Number.
However, like Bob Farmer's version, the participant is given
a very fair selection and it will appear as though any card
could have been freely selected. Once the number is
revealed, and the number is an absolutely free choice, like
Born's version, the cards are removed from the box in an
apparently very straightforward manner and handed to the
participant. This procedure is much easier than the Born
version and, as said above, requires less memorization.

The package includes the special deck of cards and a 13 page
instruction manual, which has photos and quite a few
presentational ideas. You can also contact Frank Velasco if
you'd just like to get the PDF instructions, however it will
cost you about $25 worth of decks to make the deck yourself.

*********
ALVO STOCKMAN
POSTMENTALISM DVD
JMOM Price: $27
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95

THE BLURB:
Postmentalism is impossible to film a standard demo for.
The impact hits when your friend is sitting at home! So
what I did was I told a handful of working pros (Tom
Krzystof, Oz Pearlman, Paul Draper and Morgan Strebler)
about the effect, what happens and then I gave them 24 hours
to think of a method. Then I gave them a call the next day
to chat. The following reactions are from those calls...

"I love it. How did you come up with this?? I have to ask!"
-- Tom Krzystof

"That's sick. I'm going to use it for the next UFC fight."
-- Morgan Strebler

"That's *!@#'n good. Really good. I'm going to use this." --
Oz Pearlman

"It's fantastic.. it's phenomenal.. I think it's great." --
Paul Draper

"I just came back from the future, and everyone there was
doing this trick. Seriously." -- Alvo Stockman

Before a major event (football game, election, etc), you
offer to make a prediction to one of your friends. However
in the interest of security, you don’t want to hold on to
the prediction yourself, nor do you want your friend to. You
offer to mail the prediction in the form of a letter to your
spectator's house, using the US Postal Service. In this way,
it would be a felony to tamper with it!

You write the prediction, put it in an envelope, address it,
put a stamp on it, and hand it to your friend. You then
invite him to put the letter in any mailbox in town.

The following day (or whenever the letter happens to
arrive), alone at home, your friend's brain will slowly
disassemble itself and finally shut down, trying to figure
out how you knew.

YES. It's as clean and straight-forward as it sounds.
There's absolutely nothing misleading in this description.
Get ready to be talked about, this is a reputation maker.

MY COMMENTS:
This is Kenton Knepper's Perfected Prediction. Kenton's
routine is more of a formal stage presentation, where this
version is more of a one-on-one effect. Also, Kenton did
lecture on this routine and briefly mentioned this idea in
Perfected Prediction, but didn't fully explore the mail
premise that Alvo uses. The other difference is that the
pens are included and that Kenton's manuscript is far
superior. And, just to be clear, the controversy really
centers around the crediting for the use of these specific
pens in a mentalism routine.

Alvo and Penguin have agreed to include the
following:

"Kenton Knepper originally published a method for posting a
prediction letter using vanishing ink way back in 1998 and
again in 2005! While Postmentalism was independently
conceived and developed, the historical record of our Art
matters, and it should be noted that Kenton's work on these
kinds of prediction effects preceded this one. Kenton's work
is worth looking into for additional predictions and other
uses for your pen too. His thinking on the subject is
available in his manuscript "Perfected Prediction" available
from www.wonderwizards.com"

Penguin/Alva offered no monetary compensation, nor do they
offer to pull it from the market. A letter from
WonderWizards (Kenton's official product site, though it's
not run by Kenton) sent out an e-mail suggesting that you
buy this so you can easily obtain the pens, but then get
Kenton's original manuscript which has much more material on
the subject of its uses. Originally, I was going to pull
the item from my catalog due to it being a ripoff.
Technically, it is, since the creators now know its history
and continue to sell it. However, since WonderWizards has
sent that e-mail suggesting that you buy the pens and then
get the book, and with Kenton's consent, I will follow their
lead and do the same.

I do think that this is a wonderful idea that can be used
for some great publicity or a great piece in one's show. I
only wish that Penguin had done their research and/or that
they had decided to compensate Kenton. Penguin has a
history of being quite an unethical company. And, though
they claim they're trying to change their image, this
incident has proven that their infamous reputation is
well-deserved. The package comes with a booklet detailing
the routine, the pens, and some refills.

*********
JASON MESSINA
THE TUBE
JMOM Price: $32
Suggested Retail Price: $35

THE BLURB:
Here's just some of what's possible with the TUBE system:

You meet someone at a party, and explain that you had a
dream about them a month ago. You write something down on a
piece of paper, fold it up and hand it over. It could be put
in an envelope or hung from the ceiling. YOU NEVER HAVE TO
TOUCH IT AGAIN.

You explain that your dream had something to do with a book.
You hand them the book and they turn to ANY PAGE they want.
The book is completely normal. No duplicate pages, no
forcing of page numbers, no peeks. They begin reading from
that page and you looked stunned. You refuse to have them
open the paper. It's just too strange....

The paper is finally opened and there is link to a YouTube
video written down. You never touch the paper, nothing is
switched, no double writing. When they go to your YouTube
page there is ONE video, clearly uploaded a month ago. The
video shows you sleeping in bed, then violently awaking and
talking to the computer. You tell the camera that you just
had a dream and start describing the scene from the book
that your friend just read out loud.

I've done this and people start screaming and beg to have
the video turned off. It's that powerful. And the video
REALLY was uploaded a month ago to YouTube!

Here's another quick one:

You mention that the ghost of a dead celebrity has been
following you. Have someone close their eyes and try to get
the impression of who that dead celebrity might be. They
close their eyes and start describing their impressions.
Finally they name who they think the celebrity is and go to
your YouTube video (the only one and it was uploaded a week
ago!). There is a video of you talking about the same dead
celebrity. Or you could be possessed by the celebrity or
watching a movie with them in it or ....well you get the
idea.

For more conventional means, you could have someone think of
a card and you reveal it on video. Again, you write down the
YouTube link to your video beforehand and it's the only
video there, uploaded well before the performance date.

Now you can duplicate drawings, predict future events, read
minds and even travel in time with the greatest of ease.

This will be in booklet form, contents include:

History (How I came across this devious little principle)

Multiple Methods (There are different methods for different
performing situations, each one described in exhaustive
detail)

10 Effects (Ten different effects possible with the TUBE
system, explained in full detail with complete handlings)

Presentational Ploys (Ideas to get you started on creating
your own brand of interactive miracles with the TUBE system)

Tips/Tricks/Additional Handlings (Everything you need to
know to make this a reputation maker for you and some added
ideas to spark your creativity)

QuickStart Guide (A guide to getting started immediately on
using the TUBE system, even if you've never used any sites
like YouTube, I'll guide you through the entire process of
setting up an account and uploading a video. It's a cinch!)

Bonus Effect: E-Prophecy (This handling of the TUBE
principle is super sneaky and highly effective way to
predict someone's thoughts using email. Again, you never
touch the computer and your prediction is made in advance of
their selection.)

Pages 27 - Saddle Stitched, 8 1/2" x 11"

MY COMMENTS:
This is one of those ideas that rests upon some knowledge of
the YouTube website that many may not know about. It's a
great little bit of information, but Jason has applied this
to its use in mentalism and mental magic. It does take a
one-time preparation for each different presentation you
want to do. And, since it does require using YouTube
videos, you do need to be somewhat tech savvy to be able to
produce your own videos and upload them to YouTube in order
to do this. This 27 page book contains instructions on how
to use the YouTube, but if you're unfamiliar with taking
digital video, you'll need to learn.

I really like this versatile idea and think it would be a
great promotional type of business. For instance, you call
a potential client and ask them to name any state in the
U.S. Have them do a search on YouTube, or send them a link,
and they can play a video in which you name the state!
Again, you do need to be a bit tech savvy in order to do
this, but the extraordinary potential is there. If this
piques your interest, I certainly recommend this.

*********
BORIS WILD
MIND SCANNER
JMOM Price: n/a
Suggested Retail Price: $69.95

THE BLURB:
Invented by the highly creative mind of Boris Wild and
beautifully produced by Daryl - The Magician’s Magician and
Fooler Doolers.

Mind Scanner will blow your audience away and has HUGE comic
potential.

"Hilarious!"

"Incredible!"

"Impossible!"

"Mind-blowing"

...these were just a few of the audience’s comments after
Daryl performed this mystery at a private party recently.

Imagine, turning any freely selected member of your audience
into an instant mind reader! Boris Wild’s Mind Scanner is an
incredible electronic device that "reads" a thought from a
volunteer’s mind and then sends that "psychic vibration" to
be revealed by ANY member of the audience!

A volunteer begins by making a mental selection... this can
be any one of an unlimited number of possibilities. Once the
volunteer concentrates on his mental impression, the Mind
Scanner is activated and it’s used to "read" the volunteer's
thought. The volunteer then freely selects ANY member of the
audience to act as the receiver. With 100% accuracy, this
freely selected spectator reads the volunteer's "psychic
vibrations" and reveals the mental selection. The volunteer
is completely bamboozled and has absolutely NO IDEA how the
spectator was able to read his mind!

The presentational possibilities are limitless! A few
examples of possible mental selections include playing
cards, numbers, words from books, magazines or newspaper
columns, E.S.P. symbols, objects on the table or from a
spectator’s pocket or purse, cities anywhere in the world,
CDs, DVDs, people (movie stars, sports figures, politicians,
etc.) or even the UPC bar codes from any product!

Boris Wild's Mind Scanner comes complete with the Mind
Scanner prop (batteries included), a very special deck of
Bicycle cards to get you started and a twelve page
instructional booklet which includes two handlings for the
basic routine plus fifteen additional presentations.

This entertaining and mind-boggling mystery can be performed
close up and surrounded, in a parlour type setting or on
stage for thousands. It's a welcome addition to anyone's
performing repertoire.

Available in either Blue or Red Bicycle Deck. Choice of
color not an option.

MY COMMENTS:
BORIS WILD
MIND SCANNER
JMOM Price: n/a
Suggested Retail Price: $69.95

THE BLURB:
Invented by the highly creative mind of Boris Wild and
beautifully produced by Daryl - The Magician’s Magician and
Fooler Doolers.

Mind Scanner will blow your audience away and has HUGE comic
potential.

"Hilarious!"

"Incredible!"

"Impossible!"

"Mind-blowing"

...these were just a few of the audience’s comments after
Daryl performed this mystery at a private party recently.

This entertaining and mind-boggling mystery can be performed
close up and surrounded, in a parlour type setting or on
stage for thousands. It's a welcome addition to anyone's
performing repertoire.

Available in either Blue or Red Bicycle Deck. Choice of
color not an option.

MY COMMENTS:
I'm sure that this can be loads of fun for the average
magician, but I'm having a real hard time visualizing a
professional mentalist using this prop, or more
specifically, this routine. If the routine involved was
simply dual reality, as the blurb suggests, then I'd think
much more highly of it. However, the volunteer may not know
how the selected spectator reads his mind, but the entire
rest of the audience does. This is important because that
makes the Mind Scanner more of a gag, rather than a serious
demonstration of someone's mental abilities.

The prop is one of those toys that when spun fast, lights up
and displays a message. It also comes with a special deck
of cards, though it's not really necessary. It is quite
possible to adapt this to a regular deck of cards. Now, I
have nothing against the magician using this routine as I'm
sure this can be quite fun in a capable performer's hands,
but this routine is not something I'd recommend to a working
mentalist. However, one can certainly be creative. If you
can think of a creative use for the prop, I can certainly
special order one for you, though I suspect you could
purchase it in a toy store for less.

*********
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