OK, all of us here at the Magic Nook missed the meeting where a bunch of magicians/mentalists must have gotten together and coined the word "confabulation" to describe any prediction of three or more random events or expressions made during a show. At least I think that's what's being defined. Suddenly it's a new buzz word and we didn't even get a memo about it! What's going on? Seriously, though, does anyone know who coined the word (and when) and why everyone feels that they have to group all such predictions under that term (like tissues have to be called Kleenex)?

I believe you will find that it is generally attributed to Alan Shaxon. He certainly made the simplified 3 prediction a thing of simplicity and beauty. Before him Hen Fetech came up with the Mental Epic wiich also used three predictions.

I feel to use the term "confabulation" in a context other than Alan Shaxon's brillant contribution is an injustice.

Richard

Thanks for the clues. The overuse of "Confabulation" to include a whole category of prediction routines may also be "flattery gone wild." In any case, your clues helped me add Alan Shaxon to my brief biographies of inventors and I included a note about a possible origin of the name. http://www.magicnook.com/forum/bioQRS.htm

By the way, Hen Fetsch wasn't the first. Before him, UF Grant had already conceived of the gimmickless "Citation" which was the apparent grand-daddy of all the "three for the price of one" prediction routines.

Does not surprise me that Gen Grant had the Citation slate. I supsect that Anneman or Corinda had some three way predictions also. I should go back into my 1920;s scrapebooks and see who had sent some ideas to W.W. Durbin to use that were included in his notebooks. We might end up back with Thayer and Alexander.

Richard

What about the Al Baker slates? That has to figure in there somewhere. That was the first mental effect I performed having someone add 3 mumbers and the total matching a perdiction.

Gerry

Al Baker slates are more like an Add a number pad. I believe what is being discussed are three separate predictions, using something like a one ahead principle.

Richard

I don't know... he's got a point.... three separate numbers...predict the total. It just needs a good story. There's no rule about what principle can be used. To Confabulate or not to Confabulate...that is the question.