Matias, I love that theme with the pendulum and torn up paper pieces!. I keep a really old "haunted key" type skeleton key on about 18" of velvet piping (which is useful for ring & string effects..or in this case string off-of-head-of-key...) and the key on the end of it works great for a pendulum.
As a shameless plug that probabally should be posted elsewhere (but is in line with this topic), my PROPHET Pens use a similar principle, but much "cleaner", self contained instant reset, and the pens can be used for normal writing.
http://www.mindmagicsite.com

I'm not familiar with all these principles but it sounds fairly obvious that all you need is some way of making the utencil write differently at the very beginning of the first letter than anything after that such as being a little dry or having some kind of substance on the pen that rubs off when first applied to the paper.

Would it be too much to add this to a simple reading where instead of just having them write down one thing you have them write more words "just to prove it's real" or something? It doesn't sound practical but just thought I'd throw it out, it was the first thing that came to mind. I love the pendulum addition which makes everything make perfect sense. Although it has no place in my act because I don't do close-up anymore but stage instead. The stooge effect does intrigue me though.

How about having a spectator write them all down like it said and use the guise of reading the spectator's voice? To me that would be a lot more convincing than to say you are mentally divining it. But, it's quite an accomplishment to be able to read someone's voice patterns when they are trying their hardest to make them all the same. I'm just fascinated with the idea of using tricks to convince others of body readings, voice reading, stuff like that that it seems like someone who is an expert and really studied hard might be able to do but sounds almost impossible! Plus it adds much more variety to a mentalism act! I would think you would be more entertaining overall to an audience that way or at least more audience-friendly (a la Marc Salem). Maybe even be blindfolded so you can't see what is written (ha, since no one can see through a blind-fold right?). A blindfold would make more sense so you shouldn't see how he/she writes them on the paper cuz it might give a clue as to where the actual thing was written. Then it would be okay to have it facing you so you could read it (you'd need tweaking so you can know what it is through a blindfold and from far away. Maybe a stooge gives a subtle audio signal) and the absence of sight helps you read the voice!

Just brainstorming here.

This is off-the-topic and I might should make this a new thread but what do you think of an effect this has just given me an idea for. I'm working on getting the final marketing stuff done on something that can be used for this effect:

Mentalist has a vision so he goes to the guy who booked the show weeks in advance and tape records a short conversation explaining the vision he has and asks the person to name 20 or so items or basically ANYTHING that can be written or drawn. On the cassette, the conversation is recorded with the 20 or so items explained by the guy. For a finale at the actual show, the tape which has been given to the guy for safe keeping (never switched, no stooge work at ALL, the only one in on the trick is YOU) is brought out and a point is made that you never touched it and the guy puts it himself into a borrowed tape recorder (ungimmicked obviously) and presses play.

While you are nowhere near the tape player, the tape starts and everyone hears the conversation with the vision explained (the vision was of the performance which is about to happen) and the 20 or so items...a big poster or something is brought out with the 20 or so items written down on random places or in a chart or something. The tape instructs like 15 spectators or so to come on stage (again they are not stooges and they can be anyone...randomly picked) and one by one to go up and choose any one of the items pointing to it so the audience can tell what they have chosen (they can also be instructed to not choose something previously chosen). One by one they do this as the tape is playing and the tape reveals which item they were thinking of as they are pointing to it. All 15 are revealed this way. The ending is up to you I suppose, but it really is your voice on the tape the whole time and you actually did record the divinations ahead of time. The tape can then be given out to the person or one of the volunteers. You can even have the guy think of 20 or so items at the end of the tape and give the tape to him right then and you not not touch it till after the performance so the vision with the divinations is before the 20 items are given meaning the 20 or so items was divined in and of itself!

I just now thought of that as an application to the product for which there are thousands of possible applications.

What do you think?

Jonathan Grant

P.S. What you hear is actually coming out of the tape and the recorder so that is all legit.

You could also have them X out what they were thinking of on the chart as a way of divining the left over item. I'd have to think that through a little more but it can be done.

Jonathan Grant

Any thoughts on this?

Jonathan Grant

Jonathan:
You are on it as far as my Prophet Pens go. Its an "old" principle but I think my addition is "cleaner," repeatable and resetable under their noses,& self-contained within the pen for you to decide to use this principle or just use the pen for regular writing.
As far as your taped prediction you have given me some food for thought!
Bryn
http://www.mindmagicsite.com

Good, I'd be honored to be the source of some food for thought. ha ha ha

Jonathan Grant