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Chris Bruce Loyal user Canada 213 Posts |
Hi everyone,
I finally finished reading Entity’s e-book The Open Prediction Project. There have been several glowing reviews of this contribution in the Penny for Your Thoughts forum but did not notice any details of the contents of this e-book. I wanted to provide that in case anyone was on the fence about getting this. The first section of the book contains the history of the OP plot beginning with Paul Curry’s Unsolved Card Problem, to Stewart James’ contributions; including the legendary 51 Faces North; to Marlo and continuing right up to the present. For me this was a fascinating and interesting part of the book. I do not believe that the story behind this effect has been so meticulously laid out and I must confess that I did not know all of the details before this. The second (and largest) part of the book contains 51 variations (in homage to Stewart James) of the open prediction. After reading the first 10 I had a smile on my face: there were at least 4 that genuinely surprised me with the ingenuity and thinking behind the methodology. The methods ran the gamut, with some of the solutions being fiendishly simple, and some fairly complex. Several are self-working, some use sleights, some incorporate gaffs, and one method is gaffed more that you would think possible with a deck of cards. Earlier, I read a comment regarding the reason why someone would need 51 methods because you only perform one. The answer is because each method offers something different in terms of which of James’ original conditions are satisfied and the question then becomes what methods are important to the performer (i.e., practicality, examinability, or not touching the deck to name a few.) It doesn’t seem possible that someone reading this won’t find a method that satisfies the conditions that they find important regarding this effect. The third section of the book consists of four appendixes. Two of the appendixes each deal with sleights that seem to be a motif with solutions to this plot, the psychological stop trick and the Hofzinser spread cull. Another appendix outlines why the author feels that solution to 51 Faces North that appeared in the inaugural issue of Penumbra is not actually James’ ultimate solution, and puts forth a rather cogent argument detailing why it in all likelihood does not originate with James’ nor does it satisfy his original conditions. (To be honest, the solution in Penumbra satisfies less of the conditions than do most of the solutions in the OP Project, but I digress.) The final appendix details the who, where, and when of most of the solutions that have appeared in print, starting with Curry. It is reminiscent of the appendix in Mnemonica, and a great resource for anyone wishing to study this plot further. This book is a product of the internet and particularly The Magic Café, where the idea was spawned to make a book of solutions to the OP plot. If you have even a passing interest in this plot I am sure that you already have this e-book on your computer and were smiling at some of the solutions as well. Thanks to Entity and all of the contributors for this, it is a real gem. |
entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Another very nice review from performer David Alexander, copied here with his permission:
There have been a few classic card plots or “problems” as they are sometimes called, that have held the magic community’s interest for a long period of time. Two immediately come to mind, primarily because the two foremost exponents of the effects have kept their methods private. Any Card at Any Number aka “The Berglas Effect” is one and the other is best known as 51 Faces North made famous by Stewart James. While David Berglas has performed his version of ACAAN for dozens of magicians, Stewart James, ironically, is on record as having performed 51 Faces North just twice for magicians. The former’s plot is in the title and the latter is a simple plot with a stunning effect. If you don’t do it, you should. In the classic definition of the effect a prediction is written and, if desired, revealed. From a shuffled deck that can be borrowed (and even incomplete) a spectator is instructed to start dealing cards face up one at a time. At some point they may set one card aside, face down and unseen and then finish dealing through the rest of the deck looking for the predicted card. It is not seen. The tabled card is revealed and it matches the prediction. The magician touches nothing except writing the prediction which is held by a spectator. The effect is stunning, especially when done for magicians. Stewart James, legendary creator of magic, devised a set of criteria that raises the effect to miracle class and claimed to have a method that satisfied all of his conditions. He published a number of solutions but never THE solution, apparently taking that method with him to the grave. Over the years some of magic’s cleverest minds have set themselves the task of solving the problem with varying degrees of success. The latest entry into the scant literature on the subject comes from Thomas Baxter, a well-posted professional magician and mentalist who lives in Canada. (In the interest of full disclosure, Tom is a close friend, but our friendship does not color this report. Tom did not ask me to write this review. I like the product and as such, others should know about it before it becomes unavailable.) Tom wanted to research and publish a history of this fascinating effect but decided to do more. He invited people to send him their solutions, but rather than give a free ebook for every submission (which might prompt less than quality creations to get a free book) Tom chose to reward those he selected for inclusion by conducting a contest. Nearly 100 creations were submitted from all over the world. Appropriately, 51 were chosen. The premise is simple: the ones that were chosen are entries in a contest where the winner will receive $1,000, the winner being chosen by the buyers of the book. Each buyer gets one vote. Only buyers of the book can vote and all votes will be checked for legitimacy. It is a clever premise that has proven its value as it has attracted a wide variety of quality ideas with contributors ranging from amateurs only in magic a few years to well-known and highly successful professionals with decades of experience. Tom includes three of his own ideas, but as editor and publisher, he is NOT eligible to win. The 51 solutions range from an out-of-the-box thought experiment by an amateur who conceived, but did not actually build, what might be the most expensive trick deck in the world to more practical ideas and routines from the likes of Michael Weber, Marc Paul, and Barrie Richardson. All the solutions are clever and all have varying degrees of practicality and appeal. Some are marvelously complicated and others quite direct. The entire 200-page book makes an interesting read, both for the history of the effect and the performing material. There are stage versions and impromptu versions of the effect as well as self-working versions. Literally, there’s something for everyone in this collection. As editor Tom also resolved a pet peeve of mine: the clear explanation of unfamiliar sleights. Tom includes descriptions of the needed work when it is something out of the ordinary. Besides a detailed bibliography of previously published solutions Tom closes the book with his thoughts on the publication of what is claimed to be Stewart James’ “real” solution. Tom’s take is interesting and he makes a strong case for his opinion. Like his previous offerings this ebook will have a limited availability. If you have any interest in this effect you would be wise to buy it now before it becomes unavailable. It’s only $35 by PayPal and you can only get it from Tom. Full details on how to vote are included with the purchase. http://www.thoughtcontrol.ca/TheOpenPredictionProject/ David Alexander
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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