Mind-Reading, Mentalism & Mentalists
Review of Bionik by David Penn
You've seen magicians bend forks and spoons, well, how about knives? David Penn's new "Bionik" system allows you to bend knives and the handles of spoons and forks. It's practical and workable.
Mind Reading - Techniques Versus Props
A discussion on relying on technique or props for "mind reading." Also, a discussion the well known "Thought Transmitter."
Review of Shared Dreams by Marcelo Insúa
Shared Dreams is a marketed effect that allows you to apparently predict the future - random inputs from spectators. And Tru Test is a variation on a book test that works with a Newsweek or Time magazine. Both are strong.
Magic by Larry Becker and Lee Earle
In the world of Mentalism, Larry Becker and Lee Earle are creative developers who market a wide range of effects. Here's a collection of our reviews of Becker/Earl products.
NBC's "The Phenomenon" - Final Thoughts
"Phenomenon" pitted contestants against each other "American Idol" style and had judges: Criss Angel and Uri Geller. Television audiences voted via phone or the web - losers were eliminated and the winner, Mike Super, took home $250,000. Was the show good for magic and mentalism? Who came out ahead? Does "American Idol" work for magic? Also, check out our readers' comments.
Book Test Resources
In a classic book test routine, a spectator turns to any page in a book and selects a word or sentence, and the magician can name the word or offer an impression of what's in the sentence. It's a traditional and powerful mentalism effect. If you're interested in performing a book test, here are some resources.
Easy Magic: Mind Reader
A spectator shuffles a deck of cards and memorizes the card at the bottom of the deck. So you can’t see the selected card, the deck is slipped back into its box. After a bit of mumbo-jumbo, psycho-babble, you’re able to tell the spectator the exact card that he is thinking of.
Trick Review: Daryl’s Group Session
If you’ve always wanted to perform the “Tossed Out Deck,” but wanted to maintain control over the cards, Daryl’s “Group Session” offers a great alternative method. “Group Session” comes with the necessary props, paper instructions and a DVD and is a fantastic system that provides all of the tools that you need to learn and perform the effect.
Easy Trick: Dark Magic
Here’s a great trick to perform at a party. You ask someone to select an item while you’re out of the room, tell everyone else which item was selected and leave it in place. When you return, another person goes from object to object touching them in a random order. When the person touches the chosen object, you’re able to tell everyone that this...
Easy Trick: The Good Guess
You display a couple of cards, place them into a bag and then remove one. When you ask your spectator which one remains, he or she is always right or wrong. It’s your choice and completely under your control.
Interactive Magic: The Mystery Wheel
Here's a web-based magic trick. Even though you select a random number, we’re going to try and predict where you will end up. Take a magic journey.