Mind Control Re-Mastered

INTRODUCTION

Mind Control is an effect that I created based on a dealer item entitled Hypnotic Choice. The original product featured 3 cards with coloured 'hypno' circles on them, a coloured pencil/pen and a coin envelope to hold the cards in. The spectator would select one of the coloured cards (either red, blue or yellow) and you (the mastermind performer!) would show them that you had predicted their choice by showing an indelible prediction that was in-play from the beginning.





I liked the effect but not the props that came with the routine. I wanted something that seemed random, impromptu and spontaneous. I also wanted this to be something I could perform at a house party, client meeting or in an unplanned performance moment. I also wanted to expand the potential or possibilities to something more incredible than a 1 in 3 outcome. My solution to this was/is Mind Control.

Three things I always find I have with me 24-7 are:
1. My set of keys 2. My business cards. 3. A pen.
With this in mind I knew that if I utilized these items that were always with me, I always had the ability to perform the effect, anywhere. These are natural items found in the 'real world' and not props found in a magic shop and therefore would not excite suspicion.

Mind Control also adds to the mystery by adding to the number of objects in play (6, 10 or 20) and in addition almost all of the props that are added to the mix are borrowed, random objects.

With the props supplied in the Mind Control set (pen, key chain and business card) you have the ability to perform a powerful piece of mentalism at anytime and anywhere


MIND CONTROL ROUTINE

One (of the many) featured routines on the instructional DVD is one that I most often perform at house parties. It's a great ice breaker before starting a more formal show because it involves people and their personal belongings in an immediate way. Essentially, several objects are borrowed from the audience and laid out in a row on a coffee table or even the floor. I usually use 6 objects but you can use up to 20 or more if you like. I select someone from the group that I think has good intuitive skills and ask them to narrow down the choice of objects by calling out 'odd' or 'even'. Whatever they say, I ask whether they want to eliminate the odds or keep them. Based on their answer we do exactly as they command, so we are now down to three objects.

At this point I pick up small pad/business card/scrap piece of paper and write down the three objects left on the table and hand the paper and pen to the participant. I distance myself from the spectator and ask that they mentally select one of the three objects. Once they verify this, I ask that they put an 'X' beside the object they have mentally selected. While they are doing this I turn away. Now with my back to them I ask them if they have just selected ____________ (a particular object on the list of three). They agree that they have in fact selected that very object! You then reveal that you have had an indelible prediction in play from the very beginning that clearly predicted the object they would choose!


THE PRO-TIP

The ability to name the thought-of object before you reveal your prediction is something I have been performing for the past two years and something I have only divulged in a small handful of lecture appearances. It is a simple method, but the impact of it only drives home the idea that you truly predicted their actions and thoughts. What is it? Pencil reading. If your sphincter just tightened, loosen up and read on! In making a list of the remaining three objects on the pad/paper/card, you are actually forcing your participant to place his/her 'X' in a specific place. See photo below.

By placing a box beside each object and spacing them down the page, it is VERY easy to tell which object they place the 'X' beside especially from a distance. By noting the location of their hand and the pen on the paper, you can now easily deduce which object they are thinking of. The timing of this is crucial to the success. As soon the participant has put the pen to the paper to make his/her 'X' I immediately turn and face the opposite direction, wait a beat and ask, "Have you done that?" The distinct impression is that you had your back turned WHILE they were placing their 'X' on the paper. Now, with your back still turned, you simply ask if they were thinking of the object that you now KNOW they placed their 'X' beside, and of course they were answer, "Yes!" You then go on to reveal the indelible prediction that is featured in the Mind Control routine provided.

Until next time, think nice thoughts.

Sincerely,
Bill

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The Virtues of a Well-Selected Wine Glass

So, you've come to realize that your home is in one of the premier wine regions in the country. You begin to make the rounds to the various wineries, engage in critical wine tasting and develop a cultured palate for the stuff.





Over time you begin building a well-represented wine collection and consider yourself somewhat knowledgeable on the topic. Family and friends turn to you when it comes time to select the perfect wine for a particularly well thought out meal or event. You ascend from the depths of your wine cellar with a choice bottle of merlot, selected for its unusually productive and climatically sound year. You share the fact that it has been aged in French oak and will blend handsomely with its myriad of peppery flavors to accentuate the meal. Uncorking the bottle, you smile with a confident satisfaction. You turn to the credenza and bring over a silver tray filled with glasses. Not just any glasses, but mugs adorned with the logos of your favorite National Hockey League teams. Oh, the horror. Your guests have been insulted and all hastily leave in utter disgust. Your spouse faints with a mournful groan and a dramatic flourish of the arm and the dog relieves himself in your favorite slippers. You have revealed yourself as an uncultured heathen; a veritable barbarian.
Could this tragedy have been avoided? Had you taken but a few moments to learn of the virtuous nature of the well-developed wine glass, this ugly matter might never have happened. Fortunately for you, we will start your wine glass education here and now, before it's too late. Before you begin an irreversible, irretrievable journey into the dark depths of what we now recognize as a disease. A disease called Vitis Vinifera Ignoramus. It's too awful to even contemplate.
Since you may still be in the infantile stages of wine glass appreciation, you should start with a more inexpensive glass, since breaking them is not uncommon. If, for example, you consider a home-based wine-tasting event, perhaps with other members of your Hells Angels chapter, you might want to have enough glasses to provide several for each participant. The experience of comparing good wines with their color and bouquet will surely bring delight to your friends as they reflect back on the moment, roaring down the road on their Harley hogs.
Next, we will consider the exterior of the glass. Wine glasses can be purchased in a myriad of sizes, shapes, styles, and exterior designs. Even the glass itself can be tinted in a seemingly limitless selection of colors. Part of the experience of sampling a wine is peering through the glass, like a lusty peeping Tom, to better ascertain its rich colors.
The rim of the glass should be thin and not overly large. Inhibiting the flow of wine is bad. Also, a large rounded rim induces an annoying dribble that trickles down the side of your glass, ultimately dripping onto your freshly pressed leather butt-less chaps. The stem should be long enough to allow for a firm grip without jeopardizing the stability of the freestanding glass. One must be discouraged from holding a glass of wine by the bowl, as it is likely to warm the wine above its optimal drinking temperature. The stem can be simple or ornate, depending on the stylistic preference of the owner. A pistol grip is particularly handsome.
Contrary to consoling comments from some women, size is important. A wine glass that is too small leaves the wine drinker with an awkward, unsatisfied feeling. One should be invited by the sense of abundance awaiting in the glass. But it should not be so abundant as to create chandelier swinging events or the old lampshade on the noggin routine. It is universally considered to be in poor taste to spoil a wine tasting event by prodigious amounts of projectile vomiting. Not that people won't find that entertaining.
That said, we press onward. The final consideration in examining the elegance and functionality of a wine glass is how to properly fill it. Pour from the decanter or bottle in a controlled, even flow. One should pour to the halfway point to allow the bouquet room to flourish. You will need room to swirl the wine in the glass to determine the amount of sugar present, a process not to be confused with the swirly, which so aptly set your hairstyle in college.
You are now qualified to select the proper wine glass for your drinking pleasure. We hope you have found some benefit in this brief, humble tutorial, and we leave you with a few words of wisdom. In response to wealthy socialite Bessie Braddock observing, "Sir, you are drunk!" Winston Churchill responded with these fitting words, "Madam, you are ugly. So enjoy your wine with unfettered ebullience and remember to use the valuable tools gleaned from your wine glass education.

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