August 25, 2008
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** RANDOM THOUGHTS - Devin Knight
*** E.S.PERFECT - Peter Nardi
*** PRECOGNITION VIDEO PREDICTION SYSTEM
- Martin Lewis
*** ANDROID - Jay Crowe
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.
*********
Wow! It's been just about a month since I've updated the
site and sent out a newsletter. I apologize to all of you
who have been waiting for your fix of mentalism product
news. Part of the issue was that there just wasn't a lot of
stuff coming out for the first few weeks of that period and
then I was packing everything up and in the middle of a
move. I still am getting settled in that move, actually,
but I took a break to update the site and get this out. So,
yep, I got a new address, new home, new phone #s (my
business phone stayed the same, though), and my stock shelf
is now back up and organized and ready to go. I may very
well have lost a few orders in the process. If you think I
have, please let me know. (Oh, and I'll apologize in
advance)
Anyhow, there's been a few items coming in. I've had a
chance to view some and write comments. Most are on the
site now and available for order. You can see a complete
list below in the product update section of the stuff that's
on my desk and ready to review.
As to upcoming news in the world of mentalism, Mindvention
2008 is scheduled for November 9-11. Featured presenters
are Max Maven, Marc Spellmann, Docc Hilford, Rick Maue, and
Luke Jermay. I'll also be doing a short presentation.
Anyone have any requests for what they want me to
include? Let me know. There are more details and
registration info at www.Mindvention.com.
Also, Luke Jermay's next Mentalism Master Class will be held
November 7-8. That's just before the Mindvention. For more
information on this event which also features Michael Weber
and Eric Mead, go to
http://www.penguinmagic.com/lukejermay.php
And then November 12-14 Jeff McBride will be holding the
Master Class for Mentalists featuring Ross Johnson and
Eugene Burger. For information on that, go to
http://www.magicalwisdom.com
There you go. A whole week of mentalism education. Get
those plane tickets and hotel reservations now!
Okay, that's enough for now. I'll be back with more stuff
later this week. I promise.
**** PRODUCT UPDATES
Other new items that will be discussed in upcoming
newsletters and/or added soon to my catalog are David Hoy's
THE E.S.P. LECTURES, Chris Kenworthey's TELETHOUGHT WALLET,
Paul Hallas' MAGIC FROM THE OVERGROUND, Jay Crowe's THE
GAME, Aldo Colombini's TRI-COLOR DIVINATION, Jerome Finley's
THOUGHT DIAL, Menny Lindenfeld's PSYCHIC CREDIT CARD, Sean
Field's EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: TOME and EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: BENZ,
John Sheets' NAILED IT, Haim Goldenberg's INSIDE THOUGHTS
and MY PRECIOUS, 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.
***** JOURNAL OF THE MIND 2008 SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE NOW!
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights
BANACHEK, one of the most respected and controversial
mentalists of our time. To get this issue, you need to buy a
membership in the Marketplace of the Mind.
For $47 you get a subscription to the 2008 issues of Jheff's
Journal of the Mind, an all-new e-zine for mentalists.
Plus, you get 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
*********
DEVIN KNIGHT
RANDOM THOUGHTS
JMOM Price: $18
Suggested Retail: $19.95
THE BLURB:
The performer says prior to the show, he jotted down some
"Random Thoughts" and place them inside an envelope. He
shows the audience this envelope and places it in FULL VIEW
before the effect begins. Any spectator is invited to help.
No stooges or pre-show work.
The spectator is then shown an ungimmicked newspaper and is
asked to choose of the sheets from it. The performer then
tears that newspaper sheet in half four times resulting in a
stack of torn papers. This stack is placed on a table. The
spectator then counts down into packet,using a number that
was arrived at by throwing a pair of ungimmicked dice. The
number selection is fair and any number rolled can be used.
The spectator (not the performer) then counts down into the
packet of torn papers and removes the piece at the random
number just thrown.
The spectator is then asked to verify that the random torn
piece has words printed on both sides. There could be an
article on BOTH SIDES! He is then ask to freely choose
either side to read from. He is asked to look over that side
and call off random words that would be unique to that
article. Names of people, numbers, company names, etc.
As he calls out this information at random the performer
writes the words called out on a large piece of cardboard so
the audience can see and remember the words.
The envelope that has been in full view is opened and a
single index card is dumped onto the table showing the
envelope otherwise empty. The performer doesn't touch the
prediction. Written on the index card in BOLD LETTERS are
the random words the participant just called out!
This is one of the strongest and most impossible-looking
prediction effects you will find. Strong enough to close a
show!
NO DUPLICATE PIECES, NO SWITCHES, NO NAIL-WRITERS, NO SECRET
WRITING AT ANY TIME, NO COMPLEX FORMULAS, NO SPECIALLY
PRINTED NEWSPAPERS. Use any borrowed newspaper. No sleights.
Dice are ungimmicked.
Comes complete with everything you need to do the effect
including envelopes and dice. You provide the newspaper.
Includes 27 pages of fully illustrated directions covering
every detail and nuance of this effect.
MY COMMENTS:
Even though props are included (envelopes and dice), they
are not gimmicked, and not the point of this product. Devin
Knight has provided a 28 page manuscript detailing a
technique that enables you to control a specific piece of
newspaper. I can't be any more specific, but I'm sure that
professionals will understand the utility and the importance
of having such an ability. Getting back to the manuscript,
the basics of this are old, but Devin has improved this
technique into something powerful that can even be used
impromptu. The technique does require practice to get the
control down smoothly, but it's not difficult. There is
also a small bit of memorization, but Devin Knight has
provided some excellent tips that make it easier.
I really do like this and do plan on spending the time to
practice this. This is certainly one of those pieces of
knowledge that, at the very least, doesn't hurt to know and,
at its best, can be used as a killer routine in your act.
Sure, once read, there are certainly other techniques that
accomplish similar routines, but there is quite a bit of
very useful information here and it's priced quite
reasonably. Professionals really won't have anything to
lose by buying this manuscript. Devin Knight has a pretty
strong track record when it comes to mentalism ideas and
products. I highly recommend this.
*********
PETER NARDI & ALAKAZAM MAGIC
E.S.PERFECT - THE PROJECT DVD
JMOM Price: $28
Suggested Retail Price: $31.25
THE BLURB:
E.S.Perfect has been a best selling packet ESP effect for
well over 6 years! On this DVD Peter Nardi teaches his full
routine including all the tips, ideas & subtleties that has
help put this effect into the working repertoire of many
professional performers!
The DVD also covers some of Peter Nardis other presentations
using the principle; including his pet routine Perfect
Poker, an absolute killer of an effect that uses the popular
poker theme.
Routines included on the DVD
E.S.Perfect
Win Lose Or Draw
Right Choice
Perfect Poker
and the effect that started it all, Peter Nardi and
Mozique’s Beyond Belief.
The DVD comes complete with all the cards to perform the
fantastic E.S.Perfect effect and full instructions on how to
construct the gimmicks for all the other effects performed.
Running Time Approximately 25min
MY COMMENTS:
This is a fun and powerful packet trick. Unfortunately, the
blurb doesn't really describe the title routine, so let me
do that for you.
The performer shows five cards with the five ESP symbols on
it. The participant names one symbol and the performer
shows he knew which one would be named. Then the
participant is handed a second set of face-down ESP symbol
cards with a different colored back. The performer hands one
of his cards to the participant followed by the participant
handing one to the performer. The participant reveals the
card the performer chose. Then the performer reveals the
card the participant handed over is a match. As a kicker
ending, the participant looks at the remaining cards he was
handed and they are all blank.
The method isn't new, but the technique in making the
gimmick may be new to you. That's one of the great features
of this video is that Peter Nardi explains how to make the
gimmick and how to apply the technique to any type of
plastic-coasted card. Of course, you can certainly use this
method for many, many other effects. The other effects on
this disc are good, though obvious, variations of the
ESPerfect idea. For instance, one effect uses poker hands.
The participant gets a good hand, but the performer gets a
royal flush.
I will also note that I've had the opportunity to perform
this and I got very good reactions to it. The package
includes the DVD instructions plus all the cards necessary
to perform the ESPerfect effect. Since you can certainly
apply this idea to other types of effects, I'll definitely
recommend it.
*********
MARTIN LEWIS
PRECOGNITION VIDEO PREDICTION SYSTEM
JMOM Price: $32
Suggested Retail Price: $35
THE BLURB:
"The roots of this idea go back 400 years -- but Martin
Lewis has yanked it into the 21st century. It was worth the
wait."-Max Maven
Precognition: Clairvoyance relating to an event or state not
yet experienced. In this case to foretell a video event
before it occurs.
A spectator chooses one of six disks and places it into a
DVD player. They then choose an episode on that disk, then a
chapter from that episode. Before they hit the play button
you describe a scene in detail. They then play their
selection and it matches your description perfectly.
The disks can be checked both before and after, all the
episodes and chapters are different.
The effect plays in almost any venue, from a TV set in a
living room to a full size auditorium. If the theater has
multimedia capabilities the effect plays huge.
NOTE: This product is compatible with most DVD players,
however there may be some off brand, or older machines, with
which it is not compatible. Please check first.
MY COMMENTS:
If you're looking for an effect involving predicting a
specific scene from a group of DVDs, then this certainly
demands your consideration. Obviously, you'll need a DVD
player. A notebook computer works well and Martin Lewis
also suggests an inexpensive portable DVD player. Larger
venues can use a projector system.
What's not in the blurb is that you get a set of six DVDs
filled with episodes of the 60s/70s TV Western show Bonanza
about the fictional Cartwright family starring Lorne Greene
and Michael Landon. Why Bonanza? Martin provides three
reasons. First, the disc looks like a cheap set of discs
that are available in discount DVD bins (well, let's face
it, they are a cheap set of discs as I'll mention again
below). Second, most people are familiar with Bonanza, but
not intimately familiar with the 400+ episodes of the
series. Third, these episodes are in the public domain so
you can legally and freely use them in your act.
The principle here, as Max's testimonial informs, is quite
old, but still being used today in booktests and various
other routines. This is the first time that I've seen it
applied to DVDs. There is a very clever use of music that
makes it very easy to make certain that everything's going
right. In fact, I can't help thinking that Martin may have
taken that idea further so that this routine can be
repeatable. As it is, it's really not repeatable, and
experienced mentalists could probably correctly guess why.
For that reason, I certainly don't recommend this as a
walkaround item, nor do I recommend using it if your
audiences tend to be repeat audiences.
Other than these considerations, you get six discs in a
large DVD clamshell case that holds them all. The quality
of the videos is very similar to that of the discount bin
DVDs, meaning the quality is serviceable but not HD. The
cover art for Precognition can be flipped over so that you
have the cover art for the Essential Bonanza set. The
instructions are printed on a single, folded-page insert.
This is certainly an easy-to-do effect and if you're
interested in this, then it certainly delivers what it
promises and is recommended.
*********
JAY CROWE
ANDROID
JMOM Price: $27
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95
THE BLURB:
The performer explains to the spectator how much he likes to
travel, so they are going to make a mind trip to an unknown
location in the world.
The performer says: "you know, in one of my trips I met
someone incredible, she lives in the UK and is a psychic.
She has the amazing ability to remote view. Would you like
to make an experiment?"
The performer opens his wallet, takes out a business card
and hands out the card to the spectator saying: "here you
have her phone number, I told her that I was going to have
show today and asked if she could help me. She is very busy
today, but she told me that I could text message her."
"I have some post cards of previous trips with me. Would you
please select ANY destination? Do not let me influence you
in any way. I want your choice to be as fair as possible,
and you can change your mind if you want."
The spectator chooses one of the postcards, let's say
"Greece".
The performer, takes out his cell phone and asks the
spectator to text the psychic. The spectator text messages
the psychic number, asks which destination was chosen. A Few
moments later the psychic replies back with the spectators
selected destination.
This is an incredible self working system that you can carry
always with you.
Plus, the choices are not limited to postcards. You can also
perform ANDROID© with objects! Imagine taking some borrowed
objects, asking the spectator to select one, and the
ANDROID© guesses the chosen object! Always ready to go.
* No forces
* NO software to install
* No stooges
* No assistants
* One time EASY setup
* EASY to do
Comes complete with everything you need to perform this
amazing effect.
Once you have ANDROID© with you, you can perform it
impromptu at anytime and anywhere. Excellent for walk
around, stage, close-up, cruises, street magic, trade shows
etc
In order to perform the effect your mobile phone/operator
must be able to allow you to send/receive text messages from
a UK or US number. If you are unsure please check with your
mobile operator.
Pages 20 - Saddle Stitched
MY COMMENTS:
I really like this a lot. Essentially, this is an instant
messaging version of Larry Becker & Lee Earle's Influence U.
Now, this is not a rip-off of that version as the
methodology and platforms are different, but it's still the
basic idea of modernizing the old Mr. Wizard card effect and
making it much more versatile. In this case, no secret
assistants are used. Modern day technology takes care of
that end and this booklet walks through the steps in how to
do this.
Of course, in order to do this, you must use a cellphone
that sends or receives text messages. The blurb certainly
mentions this. And you do need to access to the Internet to
be able to sign up for the service. Also, texting is not
free, but the cost is certainly minimal. Finally, there are
instructions included in how to set this up for U.S. and
users in other countries.
If you use a cellphone (and most of us do), this is an
incredible, versatile, and powerful piece of knowledge to
have and use. For those who are, shall we say, "computer
geeks," be warned that you may already be aware of the
knowledge contained in this 5.5" x 8" 20 page booklet, but
you may not have used it for mentalism purposes yet. This
book has done all the work and will walk you through the
necessary steps in order to get started. All that's left is
to use one's imagination and create killer miracles with
this.
*********
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