The New Year
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So now you know. You've been alerted or warned or however you want to look at it.
For those who signed up to support year two, receive the Jerx monthly digital magazine, and get the Jerx Deck of cards, I will reach out to you in early 2017 where you will be able to make a lump sum or monthly payments. I don't have a preference.
If you haven't yet signed up, and you want in, scroll down to the form at the bottom of this post and send along your information.
In the meantime...
Explore
A couple weeks ago I was trying to remember this idea I had read about using Gmail's "Undo" feature as part of a presentation for an effect. I was digging through recent ebooks I've purchased and searching the Cafe. Then I finally googled gmail undo "magic trick" and realized I was half-remembering an idea I had and wrote up for the site.
My point being, I've forgotten a lot of the stuff that's on this blog, and I wrote this shit. So you sure as hell can't remember everything. If you're longing for some new posts, check out some old ones, they'll seem new enough. Especially since you're a grade-A cheeba hawk, puffin' on that dank kush before your rea this site every morning.
[BTW, I've put some work into the trick mentioned above and it will appear in an early issue of the Jerx Monthly. I'm still testing different variations.]
Buy
Possibly the trick of the year for 2016 is WikiTest by Marc Kerstein.
Imagine this. Someone searches any subject on Wikipedia on their phone while you are across the room (or even further away). While they're on that Wikipedia page they also just think of any word in the article (they don't zoom in on it, or highlight it, or write it down, they just think of it). You then reveal both words they're thinking of.
You never touch or even look at their phone.
In fact, you can call someone up on their landline and do the trick over the phone without seeing them or their phone/computer. No way. Yes way! I've done it! And it's even easier that way.
The technology behind the effect is brilliant. But it's a bit of non-technology that really takes this from a good to a great effect. The revelation of the thought of word uses a classic mentalism technique (and then uses technology to disguise that technique). And I think it's the combination of old and new that is really powerful. The only way someone is going to figure out this trick is if they are on the cutting edge of app technology and they are well versed in mentalism techniques. Essentially as long as you're not performing it for Marc Kerstein himself, you'll never get busted.
There are a lot of apps out there that are fun to play with, but often there is an element about them that turns me off. Needing an accomplice to perform the effect is obviously a big one. The other big one is needing to handle the spectator's phone. Especially for a shitty reason. "Let me go to google for you!" the magician says, taking their phone. Look, my grandma can't control her bowels, but she can go to google. That's the one thing anybody outside of the Sentenilese tribe can do. So that feels fishy. Would you feel comfortable saying, "Take out a dollar bill. Okay, now I'll fold it in half for you. Okay, now take it back." Probably not, because folding a dollar bill doesn't require your assistance. Neither does going on google.
I have some other ideas about this trick. (I reveal the thought of word differently. I get into the effect very slightly differently. And while my presentation isn't particularly creative, my attitude and approach to it, I think, make it fun and help disguise the method even more.) If I get the okay from Marc, I will probably write up those ideas in a short pdf and give it away to those who've purchased the app. That will likely happen in a few weeks.
Here you can watch David Blaine bust Margot Robbie's brain open with the effect.
Relax
Why not just kick back, grab an Old Gold cigarette, and enjoy the holiday season: the snow (if you're so lucky), the peppermint mochas, the city sidewalks (busy sidewalks) dressed in Hollandaise sauce, and all of that.
I'll be checking in a couple more times before Year 2 officially starts. (And yes, I know it's more like Year 2.5, but whatever.)
If you just NEED a little hit of the Jerx, you can get a literal little hit, with L'il Jerxy if you have The Jerx App. There will be a new Li'l Jerxy post every day for the next month leading up to Year 2.
See you soon.
