Stimulacra by Doug Dyment

“The Real Thing” offers a new and much more deceptive approach to a wonderfully corporate-friendly plot first proposed by Bruce Bernstein. A number of participants are invited on stage, and handed an equal number of document-sized envelopes. They then clearly, thoroughly, and openly mix the envelopes, and distribute them among themselves as they stand lined up on stage. The final envelope positions are truly — and visibly — random, as determined by the participants themselves. And yet, when the envelopes are opened (simultaneously, by the participants), each is found to contain a single large letter; these letters have unpredictably been arranged into the precise order necessary to spell out some event-appropriate, customized message for the audience. The entertainer does not touch the envelopes once they have been initially handed out, the participants do all the mixing, and no switches or gimmicked props are involved.
“Disjuncture” is a highly deceptive approach to a classic of mentalism: the venerable Bank Night effect. In this ultra-clean version, a participant and the entertainer alternately choose from a set of six or more envelopes, with the participant consistently going first. As envelopes are removed, the number from which to choose obviously decreases, but the participant is always offered both a free (unambiguous, unconstrained) and fair (identical to that of the entertainer) choice. At the conclusion, the entertainer is left with three envelopes, each of which is opened to reveal a large-denomination banknote; the three (or more) remaining envelopes—those chosen by the participant—all contain coloured slips of paper. The envelope contents (which are clearly visible inside the envelope prior to being removed) can be adjusted as desired, and the multiple-envelopes-for-each-recipient approach lends itself to a great variety of effective presentational premises. No extra (or gimmicked) envelopes or equivocal statements are used, and the effect can be repeated with no change in procedure.
“Square, Circled” revisits the 4×4 magic square methodology pioneered in the highly acclaimed Mindsights, this time with a greater focus on platform presentations. As with the original, this version is free of difficult calculations, works well for numbers of different sizes (including three-digit values that total to chosen calendar years), and can be repeated for the same audience (even the same target number, with differing results). Each square adds to the chosen number in twenty-eight distinct and intriguing ways. Perhaps of most interest, however, is the introduction of new presentational concepts for this popular effect, ideas that maintain the interest level, increase the number of climaxes obtained, and are particularly well-suited to corporate and trade show venues.
“The Polliwog Progression” is believed to be the first published full-deck Zener (“ESP”) card stack that (1) uses all 25 cards of the standard pack, (2) is cyclic, so can be mixed using any method that does no more than repeatedly cut the pack, (3) exhibits, even with careful inspection, no repeated patterns (or “clumping”) of any kind, (4) requires no arithmetic to determine succeeding cards in the sequence, and (5) incorporates an innovative mnemonic design, making it easily learned. A terrific tool for Zener card enthusiasts.
Two different methods for the re-creation of classic parapsychological-research-style experiments using standard “ESP” cards, one making use of the aforementioned Polliwog Progression, the other exploiting a little-known characteristic of the traditional Zener deck.
You’ll also discover an exciting new type of psychological force; an “anomalous motion” optical illusion (which some find quite disorienting); and more musings on the performance of mentalism, by a past President of the Psychic Entertainers Association.