What are some textual tricks?

Aug 19, 2009
51
1
I'm currently writing a paper for my English class, and I need some sort of trick that can be performed through text. It can involve math or mentalism. So do you guys know of any tricks that can be conveyed through writing?

Thanks in advance!
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
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Louisville, OH
You may want to look into a Magic Square and even perform it for the class up on the board. Get it down fast and play it up correctly and it fries people.
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,182
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Houston, TX
Quite honestly, I ALWAYS ask for someone's phone number and tell them I'm going to send them a text, but they can't look at it. I text them something like "you will choose the 5 of <3 ;D" I then force said card and leave it face down on the table. Then, I show all cards are different. I give them the option to look at the card or text first. It ALWAYS kills, I've even gotten screams from it. Then I'll usually have them open the camera on their phone and go into Smile by Justin Miller.
 
Nov 14, 2011
62
2
I'm currently writing a paper for my English class, and I need some sort of trick that can be performed through text. It can involve math or mentalism. So do you guys know of any tricks that can be conveyed through writing?

Thanks in advance!

You might wanna look into Paralies by Joshua Quinn theres a nice effect in there it is called Xijatsey check it out.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,483
3
A Land Down Under
Xijatsey is an interesting concept, but no so much an effect, also the suggested procedure used in conjunction would not work within the context of a paper.

Personally I would look into something like? Nu-Sense by Allan Nu, it would be the closest thing to being able to work under your conditions.

However the real question is why do you want to do it?
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
14
64
Northampton, MA - USA
If you are looking at using actual text book text there are hundreds of things available to you and not all them "book test" type sequences. Ted Lesley has a cute twist using his Teleport Envelope in which a page in a book is apparently removed and ends up in the sealed empty envelope for an example (the page is missing from the same book that was inspected previously and held by a participant).

You might be able to do a version of "Between the Lines" which is one of my favorite bits.

When it comes to Book Tests, they don't all involve words; why not draw a picture of an image they are looking at in the book (or just describe it)?

If you have a decent sense of memory you could force a book and the page only to "recite" a poem or quote found on the page in question. . . certainly a decent climax to a Book Test type bit. Then again, you might memorize two or three different sections used alternative forces for the page number (there's plenty of them that are clean) so as to prove that you've apparently memorized the whole book. . . of course, that could get you into sheep dip later when your teachers question you on homework assignments and test scores. . .

Use your imagination!
 
Aug 19, 2009
51
1
You may want to look into a Magic Square and even perform it for the class up on the board. Get it down fast and play it up correctly and it fries people.

This is so interesting! I will definitely use this in other settings, but this will not really work in the context of an essay per-say. Thank you very much for the recommendation! This is really cool!
 
Aug 19, 2009
51
1
Quite honestly, I ALWAYS ask for someone's phone number and tell them I'm going to send them a text, but they can't look at it. I text them something like "you will choose the 5 of <3 ;D" I then force said card and leave it face down on the table. Then, I show all cards are different. I give them the option to look at the card or text first. It ALWAYS kills, I've even gotten screams from it. Then I'll usually have them open the camera on their phone and go into Smile by Justin Miller.

Thank you for the recommendation! Again, this is really cool, but I was looking for something that is short and simple and can be in the context of an essay. As of right now, I'm looking at maybe something mathematically oriented "magic trick" that be explained in maybe a paragraph.
 
Aug 19, 2009
51
1
Xijatsey is an interesting concept, but no so much an effect, also the suggested procedure used in conjunction would not work within the context of a paper.

Personally I would look into something like? Nu-Sense by Allan Nu, it would be the closest thing to being able to work under your conditions.

However the real question is why do you want to do it?


Thank you! I will also take your suggestion under consideration.

As for your question, a simple magic trick will tie into the greater message of my paper. The main premise is that creativity has been on the decline in our generation. There is a plethora of data that supports the idea that creativity levels (although the measurement of creativity is subjective, there is still some substance to be taken out of the research) have been declining. I want to parallel this phenomenon with my experience as a magician and highlight the differences in reactions I get between older people and younger people. In my experience, younger people have generally had more skeptical responses, and this supports the previous premise I outlined.

I want the simple magic trick in the beginning of the paper to be a self-evident of this difference in reactions. I want to highlight the "That's so cool!" reaction with the "So what? It's obviously not real reaction", and I believe that having a small little trick will allow me to expound on this in greater depth with a concrete example.
 
Aug 19, 2009
51
1
If you are looking at using actual text book text there are hundreds of things available to you and not all them "book test" type sequences. Ted Lesley has a cute twist using his Teleport Envelope in which a page in a book is apparently removed and ends up in the sealed empty envelope for an example (the page is missing from the same book that was inspected previously and held by a participant).

You might be able to do a version of "Between the Lines" which is one of my favorite bits.

When it comes to Book Tests, they don't all involve words; why not draw a picture of an image they are looking at in the book (or just describe it)?

If you have a decent sense of memory you could force a book and the page only to "recite" a poem or quote found on the page in question. . . certainly a decent climax to a Book Test type bit. Then again, you might memorize two or three different sections used alternative forces for the page number (there's plenty of them that are clean) so as to prove that you've apparently memorized the whole book. . . of course, that could get you into sheep dip later when your teachers question you on homework assignments and test scores. . .

Use your imagination!

Thanks for the recommendations on book tests, but I'm looking for a small trick (maybe a self-working math trick) that can be described in a paragraph or two.
 
David Blaine has one in his book. He finds your card thru text, It was pretty cool. I don't know the name of it. He also did it on stage once while the whole audience had a deck of cards. I found this pretty weird I mean I think it would be easier to perform a stage trick for them to all see? But They seemed to enjoy it.
 
Aug 19, 2009
51
1
David Blaine has one in his book. He finds your card thru text, It was pretty cool. I don't know the name of it. He also did it on stage once while the whole audience had a deck of cards. I found this pretty weird I mean I think it would be easier to perform a stage trick for them to all see? But They seemed to enjoy it.

Name of the book?
 
Dec 29, 2011
703
17
What about one of those ones where they can think of a number between 1 and ten or something and then it goes through a bunch of processes and no matter what they picked it will always end up being the same?
 
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