I'm currently working on an effect as a card trick, but it could easily be adapted to mentalism with having images of objects, numbers or anything really, appear on a spectator's phone. We do this with the use of smart phone technology like the Galaxy S III has.

We have a special programmed micro ship that does all the work "behind the scenes" If there is interest in an effect like this for the mentalism community send me a message and I'll create a version where you can simply place your hand on someone's cell phone and have your image appear on THEIR phone! The one I'm working on now is called Smart Phone Card Trick. (Something I used to tell all of my customers as I was doing a demo and I mentioned the name of an effect like "sponge balls" I would immediately follow it up with "magician's aren't that creative when it comes to naming tricks" so in that line of thought.... Smart Phone Card Trick!

Thanks,
Keith

Hello Keith. I was thinking about similar effect some time ago; if you wish I pm you more details. I think effects with a borrowed phones are really great, methods does matter, but with good presentation effect like this which you described can be powerful kicker!

The effect works with any nfc enabled phone. The spectator is asked to make sure his nfc technology is turned on because once the phone understands what I'm trying to send it, it will need permission to go online and try to find an image of what I'm thinking... (or something like that.)

It's a simple force with some cool technology behind it, that allows you to change the force on your specific micro-chips so it isn't the same card all the time. Imagine a Svengali deck with the ability to be different every time you did it, and it was all done with the same deck of cards! This effect comes with a free online account to activate your microchips and attach them to your account so you can easily change the force at any time. We even have an iphone and android app we're working on to change your chip on the fly! Replace any card reference with a thought of object / magician's choice force or any creative routine that leads to doing the reveal on THEIR cell phone is possible. Because this is new cutting edge technology, there are limitations as far as what phone can be used because the phone has to have a nfc reader built into the hardware. In 3 - 6 months I'm guessing all the new smart phones will have it included because it's the same technology they use for wallet / swipe pay type apps and that's just starting to come out on the big popular phones. In our favor though, the biggest selling / used android phone on the market is the Galaxy S III and it has an nfc reader. I would simply make the conversation about how much smarter the Galaxy S III is and go into a routine showing what it can do in the thought transmission realm and all the possibilities that go with that! Do that while they hold their own phone the whole time and you merely touch it and it displays your desired image. Repeat it with a different outcome within minutes, in front of the same crowd and a different audience member with a Galaxy S III phone.

Here is a link to the :60 demo for the card version. Should give you an idea of what's possible with a mentalism version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMP-R3ZbsSU

Very nice! Without any unnecessary moves, really nice and smooth work. I like it. With some strong effect this method can be very powerful; modern magic in highest style.

Thanks for the positive comments Vanitas!

Sorry, but I am missing this. This looks like a magic trick, not mentalism. I can imagine it being an intriguing bit of close-up magic, but fail to see its application in mentalism.

I guess it's whatever you want to make it. If you don't think you would feel comfortable using it that's ok. I'm looking for all feedback not just positive. Thanks for your thoughts Tony!

I think in the video we can see only one of much more using of this method. But we can do some mind reading with it as well and then make "Smart phone" effect. It can be really nice kicker.

Keith, it is not that I am uncomfortable using it - it just has the feel of a pure magic trick. I don't see how anyone could use this and call it mentalism. Unless you are leaving something out of the description. At best it is mental magic. Cool mental magic - very cool. But not mentalism. Mentalism has a different feel than mental magic, and I don't feel it here.

According to wikipedia:

Definition: Mentalism is a field of magic that involves feats of the mind. Common mentalism effects include: mind-reading; predicting the future; telekinesis, being able to move or alter objects without touching them; and being able to discern what objects are owned by a particular person and more.

Practical uses for mentalism off the top of my head:
Move or alter data without touching the phone
mind-reading (sending a thought to the smart phone - Using your mind to make an image appear on their phone)
Predicting the future - predict the card, image, coin, object that will appear on someone else's phone.

How are you defining mentalism different than mental magic?? I've been performing magic for 38 years and have owned my own magic shop. To me, mentalism is just another form of magic (cards / coins / stage / mentalism / escape / illusions ) so if the routine is focused around using your mind to alter, control, select or reveal the selected item it's still magic but more specifically it's mentalism.

Keith

Wikipedia is not very good source but never mind; I just want to say that all of it can be true, but in my opinion the main thing in mentalism is - I don't know is it the right word but I'll try - mood, I mean a whole effect, if audience finds an effect as "psychic", regardless what effect is it, then I think I can call it "mental". But of course "mentalism" isn't only that what I describe. It's many effects and things that interference each other.

Keith, if you are influencing a phone with your mind, that is a mental magic trick. I hope you don't think I am being critical here. It looks very cool. Well ahead of other apps I have seen. But it is mental magic, not mentalism. There is a big difference.

Perhaps my definition is a bit narrow - I would not class telekenisis (spoon bending) as mentalism. But under most definitions the phone app is mental magic. Market it as such and it should be a big success.

By the way, will it be available on the iphone?

The app to control your effect will be available on iphone. USING an iphone for the effect isn't possible now because Apple doesn't have the nfc technology in their phones yet. I would guess we'll see it in the next version to come out.

My general definition that I have gone by as long as I've enjoyed magic is mentalism is any effect that has the appearance of using mental / mind / your brain to accomplish whatever the outcome is. I guess I'm not following your distinction between Mental Magic and Mentalism. There is a secret, trick or gimmick to all of it regardless what you call it correct?

I think the biggest problem is that its obvious how it happens to anyone who knows the basics about their phone. Right now, it looks cool as this technology is very new and being used by, from what I understand, one phone. But as it becomes popular in the next 6 months, youd have to be a caveman not to know whats going on. Just from you revealing the name Samsung Galaxy III, it became obvious as that is the new feature of samsungs phone.

Toby, I disagree fully...there are a ton of applications that this smartphone technology can be used in mentalism...more than magic in my opinion. The problem with the above trick is trying to pass technology off as magic. It should be used as a tool, not an effect.

Now in saying this, there are applications that could make sense. For example, you ask someone to think of a name or word. You touch phones together and their thought of word appears on their phone. Even better, the image on their phone is not only their thought of word, but your business card. You use it as a tool to promote yourself. (thats just a simple foundation idea that can be built on). This way you arent hiding the technology being used and trying to pass what people know off as magic...you are just changing how you reveal a prediction or mind reading outcome. Your card trick is very cool visually, but will be outdated in just a few months time once everyone experiences this new technology. Its much like those $1500 magic pads that showed on a screen what was being written on the pad. Now they arent worth $250 because technology has caught up. Difference is they were 3 years ahead so it worked for awhile. Not trying to be negative, just honest.

You are on the right path. Take it a step further and don't try to pass off known technology as being magic...that would be like sending somone a text and saying "you will receive a text magicly." These days, there is nothing magical about receiving a text. Just as there will be nothing magical about setting someones phone on a card and it appearing, worse, with an obvious sound bite. Had you come up with this two years ago before phones were capable, then youd be rolling in money. There are tons of app ideas...Think one step further!

I will finish by saying I truely appreciate you showing this to us first. Takes guts to do so on these boards...and great to see you thinking about new effects. Keep working hard!

The technology is currently on at least 25 phones on the market. The unique part about it is all the programming on the back end that allows you to tie your unique microchips into an online account and have full control over what is displayed on a spectator's phone on the fly. The technology isn't the magic in that sense. The technology only gets the selected card from the internet to their phone! After all, that's ALL the technology is doing. Getting the programmed image from point A to their phone. You don't need to touch phones or make it look like you're simply exchanging info from one phone to the other. The effect will include two additional programmed microchips so you can use them where ever you like... (Thumbtip, close up mat, card box etc.) Presentation is everything. From a magic viewpoint everyone knows what a force is. To a layperson, having one person select a random card and then having that selection appearing on another spectator's phone has merit I believe! It LOOKS magical when it happens even if you know the technology.

Hers is a good example I believe.... the technology will allow you to touch phones and add your contact info to the other users phone. The magic with the technology will allow a magician to merely wave his hand around a phone and have his name, email and contact number automatically added to the contact list of the other smart phone. I feel the technology plus the magic makes doing it a much grander presentation. Like all magic, you get out of it what you put into it!

The patter also openly discusses the technology and the things phones like the Iphone and Galaxy phones can do, and refers to the Galaxy as the Smarter Phone because it also has the ability to do a pretty cool ______ trick. We talk about the technology so it doesn't look like we're using the technology and playing it off as magic. The technology is important to the trick because it's what's going to allow your phone to go online and find the image it's looking for... The image that you set on the microchip right before the show!

This effect will probably retail for $49.95 and include a gimmicked custom minted solid metal poker card guard, two additional microchips and online access to change your force / displayed item. Nowhere near the $1,500 price range of "technology" tricks that have been out there!

Be careful. Not all Android phones carry NFC either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFC-enabled_handsets

I think the initial "Hey, do you have a mobile phone with NFC and is it turned on?" might rather spoil the impact of this.

Phill