JAMES BISS Presents:
WHITE TAGGER
A WILD APPROACH TO MIND BLOWINGI
INTRODUCTION TO WHITE TAGGERS Although I first observed White Tigers in Northern India and in Las Vegas, my first encounter with a White Tagger was, curiously, on the Gulf of Mexico. We were on our annual winter vacation and I was in a Target store - not especially well known for its wild life. As I passed by one of the aisles I picked up a hand held device that enabled users to produce beautiful and professional looking little white labels or "tags" with the greatest of ease. There were several different price points and styles of the devices and my "extremely mental" mind began formulating dozens of applications for the world of mind reading. I bought one of each - as I'm apt to do on such occasions - and my fertile mind was distracted all evening and especially at dinner over how these things could be employed. Serendipitously, we dined in a Chinese restaurant - though not a particularly great one. But at the end of the meal we were offered the bill along with a small collection of fortune cookies... FORTUNE COOKIES! The perfect oracle! And the little fortunes inside looked an awful lot like ... little white tags from my "taggers"! My thought process took off and I barely slept all night. These hand held thermal printers by companies such as DYMO and Brother are not well known outside of North America. In fact, my international Mentalist friends and fans have shared with me that they are oddly unavailable in a great many countries. You won't find mention of them in any of the magical or mental literature in print or online. They come in a variety of shapes and flavours in my comer of the globe but after experimenting with virtually all of them (my office is full of a wide spectrum of the things much to the frustration of my wife Laurie) I settled on one particular model by DYMO that suits my mind blowing needs perfectly. It's called the QX-50. The key feature is that it can be operated with one hand, yet can remain stable on a flat surface. It also has a full QWERTY key board which allows rapid and accurate keying in of information back stage - or even on stage. It's compact and quiet and works brilliantly at producing little tags in a wide range of fonts as well as font sizes. The tags can be set to a fixed length. The QX-50 thus became my full time secret assistant. The actual labels by DYMO are equally perfect. First of all, they don't have an overly plastic quality to them as their competitors do. They are more like durable paper and look surprisingly like fortunes in fortune cookies. Secondly, they have an adhesive backing on them which splits from the middle, making it easy to remove. The competition is remarkably less friendly. Trust me. They're a struggle to peel - more so at show time. And the adhesive on the DYMO labels resists the oil of skin - even mine which means when they are fixed upon the under side of the ring finger - they stay there. In fact, they stay as long as you wish. When you're ready to ditch it, it just curls up into a tiny roll which can fall unnoticed to the floor with a flick of the thumb. This creates some remarkable possibilities... All of these qualities are ideally suited for the effects which follow and I suspect you too will discover the joys of working with your very own secret assistant. When my I
Oompa Loompas tipped me off that DYMO was phasing out the QX-50 for some PCbased replacement, I began my own crusade to save these White Taggers from extinction. I thought of creating a glass habitat for them in the desert or even selling plush toys to raise funds for the cause. In the end, however, I decided to negotiate with DYMO's Oornpa Loompas and acquire all the QX-50's that were left in their holding areas. While a few may tum up from time to time in non magical places, I am pleased to report that I have secured enough of the beasts to insure they find a suitable home with Mentalists world-wide for some time to come. I know that you will take very good care of yours and that the following terrific effects will insure that your White Tagger will give you many astonishing and heart warming moments.
TAKING PICTURES I'm not a big fan of Q & A routines. I can honestly say that there is only one, or possibly two, performers around today that can really work information - peeked right from under audiences' noses - into entertaining mentalism. Generally speaking, divining obscure trivia about individual spectators doesn't make for an engaging experience for the rest of the audience! For example if the performer clairvoyantly knows, for example, that the person two rows ahead of you has a niece named Nisha in Nepal - I'm not sure how you're supposed to be enthralled. This is especially true if there is lots of fiddling with "billets" (whatever the hell they're supposed to be) and suspicious activity galore. Even the writing down of such information is itself, in the first place, quite simply suspect. Please don't shoot the messenger. I'm simply sharing a personal observation from witnessing countless Q & A presentations. Perhaps they made more sense in a Spiritualist milieu, but such a routine seems strangely anachronistic today. In any case, should you wish to pursue a traditional Q & A presentation there are a number of great reference works to assist you. In particular, there are a number of secrets to taking specific information you find on audience member's slips and build them into much, much more. Richard Osterlind's extensive work on this has popularized these approaches and for more complete study of the Cold Reading subtleties which can really "punch up" information I would recommend you also consult the writings of Robert Nelson, Burling Hill, Theodore Annemman, T. A. Waters, John Riggs (specifically The Compleat Fortune Teller), Lee Earle, George Anderson (specifically It Must Be Mind Reading) and perhaps Brad Henderson's publication The Dance. TAKING PICTURES evolved out of a desire to rethink the Q & A idea and make it more engaging to everyone in the audience. Twanted a presentation that would keep everyone involved and observant, but also I wanted something that (sort of) justified the use of pencil and paper in the first place. I think the routine that follows, to some extent anyway, gives a context for jotting something down and then revealing it later. Most importantly, I wanted a presentation that opened up lots of opportunity for quick wit and real interaction with the crowd - something I deem as essential to mind blowing. The idea evolved over a great many performances into the strong routine which follows. It's flexible and fun and can play in the smallest to the largest of spaces with little baggage. I also like it very much. Lately I've been using it as a show opener. 2
Before my performance, to save time, I've handed out (or left on their chairs) little pencils and pieces of paper about three inches square. [I've included some samples of what I like to use in this package. Personally, I buy the pencils by the gross at Staples.]] I've instructed audience members to picture something important in their homes - an obj ect - something that truly matters to them. They are told to then draw a picture of that object - identifying it with text if they wish - or if they're poor artists! The slips of paper are folded in half and later collected in an opaque bag by a suitably eager young boy or girl. We'll call him Juan.
How many ofyou have an active imagination? Ah - quite a few! Perfect! Some ofyou seem to have a VERY vivid imagination and use it frequently I think. And that's a perfectly good thing not to be ashamed Of .. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I too have a very vivid imagination. I can picture things in mind with great clarity. In fact with very imaginative people. I can even imagine what they're imagining' Can you imagine that? I can!! Earlier I asked you to picture something special in your mind. On top of that I asked you to draw a picture of it to truly focus on that thing alone. Juan here has been skillfully guarding your drawings, right Juan? No one's come near them and even you can't see through that bag can you? Good. So unless there are any final contributions, please seal the bag closed. I'd now like all ofyou to see those pictures in your mind. You can close your eyes
if it helps - but leave your mind open and focus just on that image. Maybe see yourself drawing that picture again.
If you've got a really
vivid imagination - I may just get a glimpse of that picture
too ... I wave my right hand, holding a magic marker, in the air as if trying to catch a thought. My eyes are closed to make the moment more authentic. I then shout out, YES, THERE'S ONE' Everyone open their eyes! I think I may have got an image of someone 's thought. I go to my sketch pad and begin drawing (depending upon the audience size, I may use a large flipchart). I intentionally draw the image non-sequentially so the lines and curves don't make sense at first and then gradually start to take shape. Each member of the audience watches intently to see if I'm actually drawing the thing in their minds. Their curiosity is natural.
Who's picturing something like this? It's a sad looking stick dog with long curly
fur. A man raises his hand and stands. You sir! Thanks for standing. What the hell is this? He reveals that it is in fact his pet dog "Major" (or whatever). Sir your dog Major needs a better diet! How sad is that? And this is like the picture in your mind sir, correct? Please give him a round of applause to acknowledge his honesty ladies and gentlemen!
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Alright let's see if [ can pick up another image from someone very focused Everyone try to imagine their image once again. Some of you are breaking your concentration. Whoa someone has a very strong image in their mind [don't know where but [think [ have something. You can stop sending now. Let's see if [ can reproduce it here. Again I start drawing an unrecognizable picture at first, suggesting I'm getting inputs in a somewhat jumbled way. There 's a curved line here and straight lines here and is that some sort ofpersonal computer and monitor? Who's sending that image my way? THREE OF YOU! NO WONDER IT'S SO STRONG! But there's this flat monitor like this and the key board is flat too. Does that resonate with one ofyou in particular? Yes? You sir. Very good. [thought it might. Please give these folks a little appreciation ... Well done! I've zeroed in on the one particular person who imagined their personal computer that way, but as often happens, two other folks were thinking the same thing but picturing it differently. For a larger audience, I can continue with another two images in this way for a longer set, but typically I'll do only two if I can get enough mileage with the second image. In any case, I'm now set for the final revelation and the end of the routine. I draw attention to my guarding spectator (Juan) who has been holding everyone's pictures the entire time. (For larger audiences, there may be several of these guardians spread throughout the theatre.)
Juan, earlier you sealed everyone's drawings in that bag, correct? And there's no way that neither you nor the people near you could have been peeking at them, right? Ladies and Gentlemen, let me know try and attempt something really challenging. Juan do you have a vivid imagination? No? Well let 's see. For the first time, [want you to open the bag. There's a tear strip to help you. Right where you're standing, please open the bag and reach in and grab just one drawing. But don't show anybody yet. Just one and keep it to yourselffor the time being. Pass the bag forward to the stage and keep that one picture concealed in your hand With Juan standing somewhere in the audience, he has apparently freely chosen one of the pictures and send the bag forward to me. One at a time I pullout two or three slips of paper, with my hands otherwise clearly empty. Juan you could have chosen this one, which looks like a vase with a giant sunflower. Whose is that? You my dear? Thank you. You also could have chosen this one, which looks like an enormous massage device. Whose is that? Something very important indeed Thankyoufor sharing that!
But you do have one picture in your hand Juan, I'm going to close my eyes and [ want you now to look at that image for the first time and then close YOUR eyes and picture it in your mind as clearly as you can. Come on Juan. Concentrate. 1'm not getting anything yet! 1 still have my eyes closed Would the person next to Juan also look at the picture and concentrate on that image alone - and would everyone else please not focus on anything in particular. [now have two people thinking ofthe same picture and I'm now getting a faint image. ['II give it a try.
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With my eyes opened, I start to draw, cryptically at first, but then it takes shape it's a bottle of wine on a tray. Does this make any sense? Juan what were you two focusing on? From the centre of the room Juan and his friend reveal that they were indeed thinking of a bottle of wine on some sort of tray! Ladies and gentlemen a huge round ofapplause for these two visionaries! And thank YOU!
CRYSTAL BALLS The first phase of this effect is a delightful bit of carry-around mentalism I keep in my wallet. It uses the White Tagger in a much less immediate way than the other effects presented here, but the particular features of the device prove especially useful. The result is a relatively impromptu performance piece that apparently happens quite spontaneously using a single item which has been borrowed But by using my White Tagger backstage when I can, it offers a very powerful second phase which takes the trick over the top...
You may not be aware of this, but we have one of the truly great psychics in our midst. Chad would you come up here with a little appreciation from our audience, I begin. I've chosen a quite unsuspecting spectator who appears at first glance to be the most unlikely of superheroes. After he's joined me I say, thankyou Chadfor gracing us with your presence today, by any chance can you show us some incredible feat of clairvoyance andpsychic prestidigitation?
Whatever he replies, I respond with, Excellent! We're in for a treat! Did you bring your crystal balls Chad? You do have crystal balls, right Chad? No? Well we'll have to use one ofmine! I reach into my pocket with my left hand and with a little mime, pullout an invisible crystal ball about six inches in diameter. How's this", I deadpan with Chad. Here you go. Go ahead and hold the crystal ball in your left hand. You're not left handed are you? I thought so. Perhaps you should give it a few magical gestures to get it warmed up. Inevitably he will make some comical motions around the little bit of nothing he is apparently grasping. That's interesting, I continue, I always thought it was more ofa polishing gesture like this. I reach over to again grab the sphere with my left hand and do a "polishing" like action above and around the imaginary ball with my right hand. For this test we'll need someone in the audience with a cell phone. You sir! I believe you have a cell phone with you, correct? And we didn't meet before tonight, did we? You seem happy about that sir. The gentleman indeed pulls out a phone, but remains in the audience. Are your ready Chad? Yes? Sir, does your phone have a "last number dialed" feature? Perfect. Would you go to that number please but don't call it out. In a moment I believe Chad's going to try doing that for you! Chad, please gaze through the crystal ball and see if you can see the first three digits on this gentlemen's cell phone ... He does so and calls out "297". Is that right sir? 5
REALLY? CHAD! Ladies and gentlemen! Now, I know what you're thinking! Of course, that's a local area code Chad. Let's see if by any chance you can see the more difficult next three! He looks into the imaginary crystal ball and calls out "322". How did he do? The gentlemen in the audience acknowledges that these too are correct. Oh come on folks! Religions have been based on less than this! Chad, you're doing brilliantly. People are going to go wild with applause if you can do the following three numbers on this gentlemen's cell phone. And you've never met each other have you? I knew that. Okay Chad. Give it a go! Chad calls out three more numbers and they are also correct! Ladies and gentlemen this is a long shot but if you can get the last number right Chad, these folks are going to give you a standing ovation! Chad calls out "3". The audience member however announces that this is not correct. Oh Chad. I'm so sorry. Nonetheless that's pretty incredible folks. Let me give the crystal ball a wee polish. I wave my hand in slight polishing action and say it's a 5 isn't it? The gentleman in the audience confirms that this indeed correct! Chad, take this crystal ball as a small token of our appreciation for what you 'w shown us today. I apparently hand him the crystal ball and in the process show that there is nothing in my left hand. As he retums to his seat and accepts his applause, I stop things for a moment and draw attention once again to the man with the cell phone. Wait! Let me see that crystal ball again. Sir, we've not met before tonight and I obviously don't know your private cell phone number. You seem REALLY happy about that. You've not told me or written it downfor me have you? With a mock rub of the imaginary ball in my right hand I look down and callout a phone number. The number is the gentlemen's cell number! A person I've never met before this evening! I return the "gift" to Chad and accept a well earned round of applause, showing both my hands empty...
CHINESE ORACLE As I suggested previously, my initial excitement with the potential of White Taggers - and the QX-50 in particular - took off after visiting a Chinese Restaurant near Venice, Florida I had been spending several days pondering the perfect prediction effect and wondering about the ideal "vehicle" or "container" for a powerful prognostication. Such things obsess me you see. What is a logical medium for a message of the future? What is the nature of my clairvoyance about what is to come? What does it comefrom? (Should something external to me be the source of my intuition and insight?) I've had considerable experience with sneaky envelopes like I've provided you with in this package and I've written about them extensively elsewhere. But thematically and artistically (?) what would audience members associate with foretelling of the future? What would be an interesting artifact to bring up on stage or, more precisely, to send along to some dignitary in advance of a show? A Surprise Gift Wrapped Box seems interesting but not quite right. A Time Capsule is both interesting and sensible - and I had been doing lots of brainstorming in this direction - building upon John Kennedy's 6
and Michael Close's work along these lines involving visible but just out-of-reach dummy slips. (For this reason a long and funky Lay's stacked potato chip tube had got me very excited on the plane ride south!) But it was the serendipitous night of Chinese food that really thrilled me. FORTUNE COOKIES!!!! How perfect are fortune cookies. Almost everybody knows what they are (in my corner of the world anyway) and almost everybody associates them with PREDICTING in a fun way. They are an immediately recognizable oracle - all wrapped up in a delightful package! (They also deflect MY source of advanced knowledge - prophesy - to something I can live with along with my audience members.) The presentational elements of a truly mind blowing piece of mentalism seemed obvious to me. The CHINESE ORACLE was born that very evening and the QX-50 provided the means to something quite remarkable. [By the way, the message inside my cookie that night read YOUR LOVE LIFE WILL BE HAPPY & HARMONIOUS. It was accurate to an astonishing degree.]
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you, one ofthe truly great oracles of our time. A future predictor rhat Kings and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers, Management and Front line employees all have consulted and no doubt you do, too! I'm speaking ofcourse ofa window into thefuture that has allowed even me to see ahead with remarkable wisdom and insight. I'm speaking of course - ofFortune Cookies!!! How many oj you have consulted the wisdom of Fortune Cookies in the past, I ask. Inevitably most hands go up mixed with no small amount of giggling and nodding. Well two weeks ago I sent a very big Fortune Cookie to our host, Mr. Big. Isn't that correct sir? Some appropriate dignitary or executive in the audience stands to acknowledge that indeed they have received such a thing from me, well in advance of today's show, and generally they hold it up prominently to display it to everyone present. It is an enormous Fortune Cookie at least 4 inches in diameter still sealed in a transparent bag. Mr. Big, would you be kind enough to continue holding the bag in plain view without opening its package or place it in some very prominent spot so that none of us can touch it just yet. Generally they will put it in some very visible location or dutifully continue holding it so the audience can keep track of it. To begin with, I'd like anyfive people to take these large cards I'm handing out and print a very large letter on the front of it with these markers. It can be any letter in the alphabet but ideally a couple ofyou at least will choose some vowels. You 'll see why in a moment, I explain. I've handed out large card stock [like the cover of this manuscript] and magic markers and five or six people are encouraged to create a giant letter card. When they are finished I send them up to the stage. While we continue, I'd like you folks to meet together on stage over here and put your letters together to come up with a last name. Please try to come up with as real a name as you can with the all oj the letters you've created. It doesn't matter rhat it's silly. While I continue on with the audience, this group meets as a committee and tries to put their letters together to arrive at some sort of name. The process is ridiculous of course and with the letters they've 7
created, H U AMY (or whatever) all they seem to be able to come up with as a committee is "MAYHU".
Meanwhile, for all the rest ofyou in the audience, I'd like to invite you to pick up your pencils and papers and jot down your very favourite food in the whole world I'm crazy about sushi myself, Unagi to be precise, but I want you print the one taste sensation that's your private pleasure. Just jot it down on your paper now please and we'll come around to collect your choices. If you fold them in half that would be helpful to keep them private for the time being. I collect a few in the bag but eventually hand over the task to a spectator, Heather we'll call her, to continue collecting them all in a transparent zip lock bag. How are you all doing up here, I ask of the team on stage. I see you've come up withMAYHU I wonder how you might pronounce that. "May Huu" I guess. How very odd. It actually sounds a tiny bit Chinese. How appropriate. M-A-Y-H-U Please take a magic marker and jot that name down on this flip chart so everyone in the audience can see it. MR Mayhu would be great. I hand them a marker from my table or case and direct them to a flip chart or my sketch pad to copy their name down before returning to their seats with my thanks. Do we have everyone's personal passions collected? I ask to gather up the bag which has accumulated the audience's selections. Please come on up here Heather with the bag. Let's give them a really good shake up to mix them up. Heather comes up on stage with a collection of slips in the bag and the slips are mixed up. Will you now please, Heather, reach down inside the bag and pull out just four slips. Just the four please! She does and I invite her to read them out loud. They are Pizza, KD, Samosas and Ice Cream. All excellent choices, I declare. Mr. Big it's now time to come up on stage with your Fortune Cookie. Would you please take it out ofits bag and examine it. It's still intact isn't it? Just as when I sent it to you two weeks ago (or whatever). Please give it a shake. Do you hear the fortunes inside it? Yes? Show Heather. Can you hear them too Heather? They verify that the cookie is intact and that things are inside the enormous cookie. Please hold open your two hands facing up please Mr. Big and we 'll break the cookie open. I break the cookie right in Mr. Big's hands and he acknowledges that there are indeed three pieces of long paper strips - fortunes - folded length-wise in half Heather please pick out one ofthe fortunes and read it out loud to the audience. What does this wise Oracle say first of all? She reads "YOUR FAVOURITE FOODS ARE PIZZA, KD, ICE CREAM & SAMOSAS" - just as has been determined randomly by the entire audience moments ago! Mr. Big ...you've had this cookie for more than a week, right? But this audience just came up with their list of favourite things a few minutes ago! There's another fortune Heather. Hurry. Please read that one! She reads "YOUR LUCKY NUMBERS ARE 2 10 12 23 37 41" Ahhh, I say. That's interesting. Do you ever play lucky numbers from Fortune Cookies folks? Did you pick those lucky numbers in this past week's lotto Mr. Rig? He says no. That's really unfortunate Mr. Big, because you 've had those numbers for two weeks in that Fortune Cookie and guess 8
which numbers had a 20 million dollar prize the other day? I pullout of my pocket a Lottery outlet prize announcement or newspaper that confirms that these are in fact the numbers of the week's winning lottery! Wow! There's one last fortune in your hands Mr. Big. I'm afraid to look at it. Go ahead and read it out to us. He reads, "HELP ME - I'M TRAPPED IN A COOKIE FACfORY - MR. MAYHU"! The crowd goes wild...
All of this amounts to a fantastic prediction ROUTINE. In my view, it really doesn't get any better - from anyone. Triple powerful predictions, with real time variables, all on properly printed slips of paper which are fully examinable - and Mr. Big gets to hand out cookie crumbs to the audience ... (Note: The actual order the slips are read in is random of course so the reading sequence above will vary from performance to performance. Upon careful reflection however, I think you'll agree that each prediction is equally startling. Indeed the third revelation can be emphasized - with greater impact - for different reasons in each case.)
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TAKING PICTURES REVEALED Anyone who has dabbled with design duplication, including my own IMPRESSIONABLE MIND BOARD, is well aware that such demonstrations are among the most effective in mentalism. Duplicating a picture, especially of something unique in an audience's mind, looks and feels like real psychic ability. This routine offers such an experience but shared across the entire audience. I can assure you from repeated performances, every member of the audience zeros in on what you're drawing as the image takes shape on your flip chart, bristol board or sketch pad. [I've included a sample flip chart/sketch pad I use for most shows.] There is a natural curiosity as the picture takes shape that is difficult to duplicate with a traditional Q & A presentation. Because I typically invite someone from the audience to inspect the sketch pad or flip chart before I begin and because my eyes are obviously closed (to "concentrate") during the grasping of the images on people's minds, there is little suspicion of any gimmicks or electronics. Regardless, there isn't any! The images really do seem to be occurring to me in real time from the collection in the sealed bag, in the centre of the audience - or as presented, actually from their imaginations. This is a powerful and collective design duplication that looks, disturbingly, like the real thing. For me, the hardest part of presenting such an imageupon-image-upon-image design duplication effect has always been remembering what the heck I know the images to be from earlier! Because I like to work with clean drawing surfaces, detailed and legible "cheat sheet" notes have never really been a viable option. Remember, the cards and paper are all fully examinable before and after the presentation. My White Tagger created the elegant solution which I now employ without fail! Printed on my thick magic marker, in clear print are my cues to exactly what I have to duplicate. In the presentation above, my marker (generally the thicker, flatter, "chisel tip") is clearly labeled HRY STCK DOG FLAT PC WINBOTL TRAY or similar. [I've included a sample of what I use as well.] 10
Trust me. In the heat of performance, it's amazing what the rushing mind of the mentalist can forget from just a few minutes before. Unlike a White Tiger perhaps, my White Tagger has actually saved me on several occasions! (Sorry. I couldn't resist.) The labels on the markers are clear and easy to read in any lighting. You can casually peek at them in a natural manner, at any time, as the marker approaches eye level while being waived in the air. The idea of such a cue on a pen or crayon is of course as old as the hills and I've no idea who credit should be given to for first dreaming the idea up. But thanks to the way they're made, the adhesive labels from DYMO can also be easily curled and rolled off the marker to the floor, in the end, to finish cleanly. I've gotten use to abbreviating the information in the style suggested above. (Reading lots of "vanity" personalized license plates while driving helps to refine the process. My plate reads MENTALST by the way.) The little abbreviations immediately jog the memory and the little details like "hairy" and "flat" and "tray" help sell the image beyond apparent psychological forces and you can nail the particular image almost exactly - at least close enough to seem really clairvoyant.. Note: For an added touch, if you have the luxury of a partner or assistant to work with you, the magic marker can be delivered to you mid-performance of course with standardized coding that you both are comfortable with. In this way, it is possible to perform the entire PICTURE TAKING routine in real time with no pre-show on your part whatsoever. You just take up the marker from them and run with it! They've loaded the marker with all ofyour clues. So how do I get the images from the audience members? As you've probably guessed, I don't call it "Picture Taking" for nothing. You TAKE their pictures! In fact, you steal them from right out of the bag when they aren't looking in the classic tradition of greats like Robert Nelson, Burling Hull, Dunninger and currently The Amazing Kreskin. While this may seem embarrassingly bold to some people, it is in fact remarkably simple to execute and quite deceptively practical. I must confess I learned the technique by simply observing the brilliant Kreskin's move (a Ill. Nelson, Burling Hull and probably Moses) over several performances. The trick is to wait patiently until you've collected many of the slips, ideally when you're in the back of the house - the rear of your performing space. With your right side facing away from the audience your right hand goes into the bag, removes a bunch of slips of paper and deposits them into your right pant or jacket pocket. From a distance, the move is practically invisible and is allover in an instant. With practice I've found it can be done in a near continuous motion as you continue to collect more papers from the audience. Once I have my secret stash I select a suitable young person to continue collecting and mumble something like, here why don't you collect all the slips you can - I don't want to come near any' Curiously, after the show, people will swear that I never came in contact with the slips at all. While your young guardian continues to collect the last few, you pullout your stolen slips in private, review them and choose three or four interesting candidates for revelation soon after. Because not all of the slips will be useable or may be duplicate images - as will happen - having at least four slips is essential to avoid any hassles later. You then pullout my White Tagger and tap out an abbreviated label to attach to the marker. (The washroom cubicle has always been the traditional place for such clandestine activity since the dawn of Mentalism!) 11
[Note: Again, if you do have an assistant, s/he may do all of this instead and load up the marker accordingly. In this way, there is absolutely no connection between yourself and the slips of paper in the minds of most audience members. Best of all, the entire routine can be done in real time from the stage without the need for pre-show preparation.]
The final phase of the routine is designed of course to throw off any audience members (magicians?) who may be suspecting that I'm divining slips of paper which aren't actually still in the bag. Instead the final phase takes advantage of a force - but in this case, a force done in the spectator's (Juan's) own hands. While the routine doesn't necessary require this closure and often times I've left it out, wherever possible it makes for a truly baffling conclusion. The "bag" I'm using here is in fact a double-sided switching envelope as first detailed in Tarbell (Vol. 5, Page 172) and popularized by Ted Lesley as a "Teleport Envelope" in ParaMiracles. My own contribution here is the adaptation to a poly shipping style bag modified with a tear strip and self sealing flaps. The result is a clean and easy to set up opaque change bag which spectators can handle freely. Yet, once they themselves have sealed it, the only way it can be opened is with the tear strip, which automatically opens to the force side! There is none of the fiddling associated with earlier versions of this idea and the whole thing can truly take place in the middle of the audience as it does here. These opaque "Mind Changer Bags" have secretly been favourites of my mentalist friends around the globe and I'm delighted to share them with you here. (Some of the most famous psychics around the world have used them on stage and live television specials. In one instance, a Hollywood star found a chosen card appear in her previously empty envelope, despite the fact that the Mentalist star was on the other side of the planet where the card was chosen.) My favourite use of the envelopes is in my BIG HEADLINE PREDICTION described elsewhere. I've included a couple of these for you to try out and more are available on request. As a result, when Juan opens up the bag which he himself sealed, the only possible choices he can remove are force slips in the side compartment. Each of these slips has drawing variations of a wine bottle as in the presentation described above. I prefer to get the bag out of the audience as soon as possible which is why I ask that it be passed forward, but in fact I've never had somebody go fishing into the bag to actually look at the slips - which are of course all of wine bottles or whatever. As an interesting subtlety I misread some of the slips from the force side of the bag once it's back into my hands. Generally these are some of the choices still printed.on my magic marker. Certainly this adds to the mystery and makes the final slip in the audience seem that much fairer. It also creates a nice circle to the idea that all of the audience's choices are in the bag and are fair game.
If you ever feel the need to improvise and bluff a little on your drawings you're allegedly picking up - I've found that iPods, Personal Computers and toilets (!) come up with remarkable regularity. In a larger audience these can make for amusing psychological forces should the situation warrant it! Check out your own leftovers after every show to get your own repeaters. You'll find the results interesting and useful. 12
CRYSTAL BALLS REVEALED One of the lovely aspects of the particular tags that your White Taggar spits out is that they have a fine adhesive which sticks well on the inside of the ring finger, between the inner and outer joint crease. Because you're not actually palming the tag, it will remain on your skin and allow your hands and fingers to move naturally. The tag will stay there as long as you wish (despite sweaty palms), but is easily disposed of when necessary by a simple rolling action by the thumb in a downward motion. The resulting tiny "tube" will fall to the floor unnoticed and you end up completely clean. Your hand can be displayed as completely empty in the end. The scripting above gives you lots of opportunity to cover the action. This aspect is used to maximum advantage in CRYSTAL BALLS. Chad is able to see the numbers on the gentlemen's cell phone because they are clearly printed on a tag stuck on your ring finger! (This is a variation of a wonderful old method I first discovered in an old boy's book of magic from my youth - I think it was the great Bill Sevem's - which used a finger palmed pip from a playing card in much the same way.) The printing is clear and easy to read thanks to your White Tagger and remains in place as long as you need Chad to reference it. Your fingers can be spread open to hold the mimed crystal ball with far greater ease than if you were actually palming something. I've found that without exception, the "instant stooge" ploy works extremely well and that the chosen member of the audience will play along with no resistance. To insure this, my instructions are reasonably clear...
please gaze through. the crystal ball and see if yOIl can see the first three digits on this gentlemen's cell phone. When they look through the imaginary ball, they alone will see the printed numbers. They get it! As added insurance, I've introduced the spectator, in this case Chad, as a gifted psychic and it is clear to him that I will be aiding him to look great in front of the audience. By flattering him and assisting him along the way, rather than teasing him as many mentalists tend to do, my spectator understands implicitly to play along and all will go well for them.
13
The "miss" on the [mal number is nonetheless a little subtlety to make the ending that much stronger and gives you as a performer a final kick to increase your credibility. This also plays with the "too perfect" theory and provides a little redemption at the finish of the piece. The result is a more dramatic conclusion to the predictable finish by the time that Chad (or whoever) has already got nine nwnbers correct. The very final twist is a lovely touch based on idea given to me by Uri Gellar's successor, Lior Suchard... The last nwnber dialed on the audience member's phone is of course - dialed by you! Before the show you find someone with a cell phone (or two different people as a back up if you can) and ask them if you can "try out their phone to see if it will work in here". I've found this is a perfectly reasonable request as many phones do indeed have difficulty working inside some theatres, clubs and homes. In actuality you simply dial your own cell phone number and let the call be placed. This takes only a few moments as only one "ring" will do the trick. As a result, the last number dialed on this spectator's phone will correspond to your own - providing they don't make any more calls before your show, which is a reasonable assumption. The tag affixed to the inside of your ring finger is simply your own, previously printed. I carry these prepared labels in my wallet for impromptu standup performances. Through the magic of Call Display, because the nwnber you dialed was allowed to ring at least once, the cell number it was called from will now be displayed on YOUl' phone as the last nwnber incoming. By leaving the ringer turned to "silent", backstage (or in your pocket), your phone will thus quietly capture a private cell number that your audience member has never shared with you! They will be just as astonished as the rest of the audience that you know their nwnber! Typically, in a full show, I use my White Tagger backstage to print out a tag with this private number to stick on my right ring finger. In this way, when I look back into the crystal ball in my right hand - I can comfortably see the phone nwnber I need for the closing piece ... and ditch it at the right moment with a roll of my thumb to the floor or the microphone or my pant leg.
CHINESE ORACLE
REVEALED On many levels, for me, CHINESE ORACLE is the perfect prediction effect. The problem with many headline prediction presentations - including my own in MESSING WITH MINDS - is that for the audience, it all comes down to the reliability of the dignitary who allegedly got the sealed prediction in advance. If spectators have any concern that the person guarding the prediction is in caboots with the performer, some of the impact is lost. The same is somewhat true if a spectator guesses (correctly'} that the sealed envelope was tampered with, just before show time. With CHINESE ORACLE 14
however, two of the three phases are based on outcomes determined collectively by the audience themselves - in real time during the performance - after they have observed the sealed prediction (i.e. the Fortune Cookie) and they have kept a collective eye on it. Furthermore, with all prediction effects, spectators inevitably wonder about using such prophesy to pick winning lottery numbers. (I'm asked this EVERY time, without exception.) So in this presentation this element is included but in a light hearted way they are just lucky numbers that happen to have turned out VERY lucky. I'm allowed to be just as surprised and as delighted as the audience, without really having the moralllogical dilemma of apparently knowing something so valuable ahead of time. Of course this is also a lot of fun from an entertainment standpoint because of the whole tie-in to the nonsense of Fortune Cookies in general. Kenton Knepper, Docc Hilford and Jay Sankey (to name three) have all played with the theme in the past. [Note: Kenton's "Slip of a Reading" effect for example would make for a delicious and customizable tie-in with a White Tagger! You'll find an excerpt from his "Lasting Effects" book, in the section following.] For performers who don't have a cultural connection to such things or who just don't like the Fortune Cookie premise, obviously the "container" can be changed to be anything you wish. As I mentioned earlier, the "Time Capsule" premise is especially appealing to me for example, or the surprise gift wrapped package. Obviously it's possible to craft these out of the Model Magic material as well. So let me break down the various secrets behind CHINESE ORACLE to help make it all come together as I've described. It's a tad complex. For novelty sake I'll explain these things in a series of Questions and Answers ... Question: Oracle, where do such large Fortune Cookies come from? Where can I get them? Answer: You make them! You don't have to buy them anywhere. They're really quite easy even for baking-challenged magi. As Master Hofzinger might direct, you'll need: ~ ~ ~ ~
~
I egg white 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract I pinch salt 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup white sugar
Then you must: I. Preheat your oven to 400"F. Butter a cookie sheet. Print out copies of one fortune on your WHITE TAGGER of a set length. This slip will read YOUR FAVOURITE FOODS ARE PIZZA, KD, ICE CREAM & SAMOSAS or similar. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets. 2. Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.
15
3. Place teaspoonsfull of the batter at least 6 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes at least 5 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookies have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do. 4. Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other. 5. Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm. Alternatively, a terrific alternative to actually baking real cookies is to form your cookie props from children's modeling clay. The best possible material I've used is called "Model Magic" (how appropriate!) from CrayolalBinney & Smith. (See http://www.crayolacornlproducts) Most toy shops, art supply stores and office supply stores (such as Staples) stock it - or you can buy it on-line. It's lightweight and spongy and dries to a consistency that's kind of cookie-ish. It will break in your hands just as a real cookie does. It will also keep its form indefinitely and doesn't crumble or fall apart between shows. Its only handicap is that it is white in colour, although it can be painted. In my experience this is hardly an issue. But Question: Oracle, how do you get the audience to choose the food choices pre-printed by the WHITE TAGGER - and "baked" into the Fortune Cookie before the show even starts? Answer: The choices on the label in the cookie are in fact forced. Members of the audience will come up with dozens of their personal preferences and these are indeed dropped into a "Zip lock" type bag which circulates through out the crowd. However the bag is one of my very useful MIND CHANGER BAGS and is, in fact, a completely clear "change bag". These bags look quite innocent - unlike most change bags available to magicians but contain a secret side compartment. [I've given you a couple to work with and dispose of when they start looking worn out. More are available on request.] The four forced food items are written by me in advance of the show to correspond to the choices inside the Fortune Cookie.
16
Because of the design of the bags, these forced choices can remain "locked" in the side panel without fear of detection. People can handle the bag and drop in their slips without noticing the few slips off to the side. The force slips ofKD, Samosas etc. can be loaded into the side panel sereptiously, once a few of the real slips have been collected. In my experience, you can get away with pre-loading them before the show. In the confusion of people writing and handing in their slips from different parts of the room it's easy to just pullout the bag and get on with it. Folks just seem to assume that the four slips in the bag are from people other than themselves - especially if you start collecting from the rear. This is generally how I get the job done! To actually force the slips of paper you want the audience member to pick, you apparently zip the bag closed and give the bag a shake, a rattle and a roll. It is then logical for you to unlock the zip closure and then to open the force side of the bag. By directing the spectator with the words Heather, reach down inside the bag and pull out just four slips. Just the four please! That's exactly what she'll do. If you ask them to close their eyes and reach into the bag with one hand as you hold it high in the air, this too will throw them off and they will easily pullout just what you want them to. (Spectators tend to be nervous on stage and with their eyes closed they will quickly latch onto the four slips of paper without much hesitation.) Question: Okay Oracle, I understand how the Fortune Cookie can contain one of the tags, the one about the food choices, but how do the other two get in there if I don't bake them in? Answer: Elementary, my dear Grasshopper. The tags are never actually IN the Fortune Cookie. They're IN your hands as you break open the cookie. The labels from the WHITE TAGGER are pleasantly rigid when folded in half lengthwise - like a fortune. As a result, they can be comfortably finger palmed between the inner and outer joint crease on each of your two ring fingers. As you break open the cookie and the pieces fall into the spectators outstretched palms, you simply release your palming grip and they fall into the pile along with the one tag already there. The illusion is perfect! Even from up close they appear to emerge from within the cookie itself. In fact, the large cookie completely covers the tags in your hand as you're holding
17
it and the whole process seems completely clean as it crumbles apart. As they say, you'll fool yourself (Jay Sankey's done similar things with a bread roll on his hit TVO show Spellz.) Question: So the lottery numbers are just printed up by my WHITE TAGGER before the show and then added in when I break the cookie - from one of my hands? Answer: Exactly. Question: Wow! Then how the heck do I get the other printed tag with the name already on it? Surely that's not forced, Oracle. Answer: Correct! Your WHITE TAGGER also has a delightful memory feature, whether it is on or off, and it remembers the last thing that has been typed into it. Before your
show you make sure that HELP ME - I'M TRAPPED IN A COOKIE FACTORYMR. is already to go for printing. All that's missing is the last five characters which form the name. Question: Holy cow! So let me guess. You push five buttons on the WHITE TAGGER and then press the Print and Cut button and it delivers the tag on your table or in your bag? And the whole long message is fully printed out. .. Answer: Well Grasshopper, if you want the solo version of CHINESE ORACLE, yes, that's what you do. It's a bit knacky but thanks to the unique design of the QX-50, you can actually do this with one hand and one finger in a couple of seconds - right under people's noses. Lior Suchard for one, prefers this route. Personally, I like the easier path to revelation. I have a devotee backstage listening in on the show. When I say I see you've
come up with MAYHU. I wonder haw you might pronounce that. ''May Huu" I guess. How very odd It actually sounds a tiny bit Chinese. How appropriate. M-AY-H-U. Please take a magic marker and jot that name dawn on 18
this flip chart so everyone in the audience can see it. MR. Mayhu would be great ... this gives my assistant all kinds of time to clearly hear the five letters, punch them in and deliver to me a printed and folded tag - along with the magic marker (or whatever) I've referenced. It's simple and it works. (There's simply no "heat" on the performer at this point of course as the Fortune Cookie has not yet been opened. There is still time misdirection because the food choices are yet to be made.) Question: So I just finger palm the two tags, the lottery number one and the name one, in each hand, and then break open the cookie at the appropriate time, creating the illusion that all three were in the Fortune Cookie the whole time and for days? Answer: Just so, Grasshopper. Question: I'm overwhelmed with the simple yet elegant solution to this incredible mystery, Oracle. The WHITE TAGGER is indeed a wondrous beast, just as it is. But I have one last question if it is not too impertinent of me to ask. Is there any way that it would be possible to break open the Fortune Cookie at the very start ... before any food has been chosen by the audience and even before the name has been decided by the committee on stage ... yet still the labels would be correct? That would truly be a miracle of a semi-religious nature! Answer: You've asked a very challenging question Grasshopper, but the answer is YES! I have indeed performed the CHINESE ORACLE in this way and it is truly MIND BLOWING! But to learn this yourself you must seek out one more master for this added element. His name is Devin Knight and he calls this lesson the "Glass Box Prediction". Master Knight's wisdom combined with the QX-50's magical length setting feature - make this astonishment possible. Seek him out for this wisdom, Grasshopper! Question: Thank your Oracle! Answer: May your audiences thank you for it, too, Grasshopper.
And so there you have it. A strong multi-phase prediction ROUTINE that will change lives - hopefully yours too! Note: Quite seriously, if you don't already have the Glass Box Prediction you can reach Devin Knight at
[email protected]. I'll be happy to clarify its application to fhe Chinese Oracle upon request. The combination of the two takes CHINESE ORACLE to the next level...
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SLIP OF A READING From the book LASTING EFFECTS by Kenton Knepper Here's a bonus effect ideally suited for White Tagger handlers, compliments of my oracle and friend, Kenton Knepper. Creative mentalists will see some interesting possibilities of creating a more customized (and accurate") ending - even printed omfor a selected spectator ifyou like with just a little advanced preparation. »
. .0"-a. ~
that!"
"Cynics think that intuitive readings are like fortune cookies . They imagine readings are general and can fit just anyone. Cynics think people make readings fit them. We'll see about .....
The performer spreads little sheets of fortune cookie type papers along a table, writing side down. "Let's create a reading. Use your psychic powers, if you have them, and hand me six slips of paper, one at a time. Don't look at them yet. We won't stand for your cheating! We'll check your abilities once you are finished" The participant selects various unseen papers and they are put into a paperclip to make one completed reading. The clipped papers are handed to another person to read. "Read these aloud and let's see if the person admits this reading more or less fits their actual personality or life circumstance." The second person reads the papers, and while some might argue the rearlings are a little general in nature, they do seem to fit the person who chose these papers. "Perhaps you feel this rearling has been too general, or that you could have chosen other papers that would have made a better reading for you. The only objective way to check your abilities is to look at the papers you did not select." The other papers on the table are read by the person and found to be anything but fitting. One paper reads, "You wear green lipstick" and the Caucasian woman certainly does not wear that! "You are a Black Asian Man," reads another paper - not even close. "Your shoes are made of paper", "You have been smoking coffee" and other bizarre and entirely unfitting prerlictions are revealed as the ones left behind.
20
"It would seem to me that you selected the only writings that come close to fitting your unique personality. Perhaps there is something to this after all. Or maybe it was all luck"
What 1 like most about this commercial effect is the constant subtext that takes a skeptical assumption and makes it out to be ludicrous in an indirect way. The working is easy enough. You have a dozen or so funny and outrageous predictions that are unlikely to fit anyone. You secretly select a person for this effect that is sure to never match any of these predictions (a white woman so the black man prediction could not likely be, for instance) Six other, more common cold reading predictions, are used and clipped into a paperclip ahead of time These are finger palmed. A second paperclip is attached to an elastic cord. This is Corinda's marvelous idea. The chosen papers are put into the paperclip that is also secretly a pull. The same hand holding this pull-clip holds the finger palmed predictions. After six papers are collected and put one at a time into the clip, the performer states that will be enough for the test. Turning to another spectator, the performer says that they ought to act as a third party (for fairness), and read the predictions selected During this tum, the pull is released and the chosen papers go up the sleeve or jacket as the finger palmed papers are extended to be read. It is important to encourage the "psychic spectator" to consider how each prediction read might actually fit her. In other words, you play this part as if it is a legitimate reading. No matter what debate about the accuracy ensues, the punch of comedy makes a fine bit of entertainment for all in the end, proving the spectator was psychic. Note too that this ending indirectly implies that any cynicism is wrong and that we might need to keep an open mind. All readings might be better than we first assume, more accurate than they appear on the surface, and so on. Devious subtext is definitely at play. It's a bit of entertainment that can provoke interesting discussion at a party or restaurant, especially at a Chinese restaurant where fortune cookies are common. Using the notion of fortune cookie readings makes sense of the otherwise odd slips of paper. Such readings in cookies are already considered general or humorous from the start, so the ending is a real turnabout, while remaining in context theatrically. Some Odd and Funny Paper Slip Examples You wear green lipstick. Your coat is made of cat fur. Your pants are purple and green stripes. You were bom a Black Asian Man. You bave a busby beard on your face. Your eyelids are pierced with knitting needles. 21
You have blue polka dots on your face. Your shoes are made of paper. Your socks are woolen mittens. You have been smoking coffee. Your underwear is made of glass. Your favorite hat is a bucket. Your favorite drink is meat.
Some Basic and Generalized Cookie Style Readings You're smarter than you think. Insecurity is your biggest hurdle. Your fmances will improve greatly. Don't waste time with self-pity. You constantly struggle for self-improvement. You see beauty where others do not. Avoid negative thinking. It's right in front of you. You understand marketable ideas. It's behind you now. You believe in the goodness of mankind. Now is about the time some critic snidely remarks that I apparently endorse all that is horrid in readings As a few critics have entirely misunderstood practical entertainment value in such effects from my previous writings, allow me to point out what I thought was obvious. Such effects are meant as entertainment, not legitimate psychic readings.
22
Further, the subtext and indirect commentary is often more powerful than directly dodging and weaving to appear to make the point seriously. I am all for readings that are more serious in tone, if they be woven with respect. But often the very critics who bash a piece of entertainment as being anti-readings are the same ones who insist that real readings are nonexistent or that people who have such beliefs are morons. Unless of course, they listen to those very finely honed readings as performed by the critic. There is a place for seriously addressing readings and all manner of more esoteric thought. This effect happens to be one that is not like that. Not directly, anyway Frankly I believe that there are times when mirth can make a serious point better than self-important and heavy-handed readings. Good comedians and entertainers of all kinds are aware that when people laugh at an idea, they let down their defenses against that idea Often the minds of the public are changed by laughter or humor Insight can be had or shared with a wink.
If you have yet to learn that, I hope you too will soon discover the truth in the dance of humor, It is among the tools of any esoteric performer, real 01' imagined,
Note: One more idea 10 consider in addition to Kenton's use of a paperclip P1l1l here, is to take a fresh look at Jay Sankey's paperclip switch This would fit in beautifullyfor this routine and it's delightfully sneaky ...
One more thing. I have another terrific bonus effect to share with you based upon George Schindler's "Watch Your Thoughts". It's a killer routine which I've dubbed "Cellular Thoughts" and it uses a borrowed cell phone and your White Tagger in a rather interesting way. You'll love this and will carry it with you as one of your favourite impromptu pieces. Send me an e-mail with the subject "CELLULAR THOUGHTS" and include your name and the serial number from the inside front cover of this manuscript I'll forward it to you right away as an attachment. While you're at it, tell me how you're using your White Tagger! You can reach me at
[email protected] ... I look forward to hearing from you.
23
CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR
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INSTALLING BATTERIES:
L On the back of the unit, push the tab and lift the battery compartment cover off (fig,
A) 2, Match the + and - marks on the batteries to the + and - marks in the battery compartment case and insert 5 "AA" alkaline batteries, Start with the single battery in the upper slot, then slide the second and third under the bridge, Slot in the fourth and fifth batteries, 3, Press the battery cover back into place, Remove the batteries if the unit is to remain unused for an extended period of time, INSTALLING LABEL CARTRIDGES:
L Press the tab on the front side of the cassette cover (figure B) and open cover. Insert the cassette, The cassette inserts with the tape exiting to the top of the machine. Gently press on the center of the tape until it clicks into position. 26
2. Close the cassette cover.
me DlSPLAY: The display will show 9 characters including the cursor and feature indicators that are highlighted when a feature is activated. • . ~ 12345571
Feature indicators include: CAPS Characters are typed as capital letters
Fixed length is activated
B
The label will be printed in BIG FONT
~ The label will be printed in a certain type of box STYLE The label will print with the style selected 123
Number lock
ABC The text will be underlined If an incorrect key sequence is pressed, the display will flash.
mE FUNCTION KEYS: ON/OFF
~ums the unit on or off. When turning the unit on, a DYMO welcome screen will be displayed for a few seconds. The unit will automatically turn off after 2 minutes if no keys are pressed. The last label will be saved and displayed when the unit is turned on again. [Note: If the batteries are removed for more than a few seconds the text and settings will not be saved.]
CANCELS The
e
key enables you to exit from a menu or to cancel an action.
[Note: The printing function can not be cancelled.]
DELETE~ Press the ~ key to delete the character on the left of the cursor. CLEAR
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Press the key and the ~ key to clear off the text from the display. This also will restore the style and size to the default settings. 27
NUMBER LOCKg While this feature is active, only numbers will be typed
....
SIZE _~n_.
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1. Press the key to display the size menu: narrovv(condensed)
normal wide (extended) B big font (full print height) 2. Use the > and < of the Navigation Key to scroll the cursor to the size desired. 3. Press
It?> to select or press IE3 Key to exit menu and return to prior setting.
4. If Big Font is selected, B will be shown on the display. 5, Label prints in selected size.
[Note: For 2-line labels, each size will be half their normal height. Big Font size is not available for 2-line labels.)
STYLEC:~) 1. Press and < of the Navigation scroll the cursor to the style desired. 3. Press (2) to select a style or press ,"~ Key to exit menu and return to prior setting. 4. The label prints in the selected style. Each style is independent and cannot be combined with other styles or with Big Font setting. BOXIUNDERLINE
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1. Press the Key to display the box/underline menu which shows 8 box options: Fl. DYIIO Text without a box A DYIIO Underline Square box C·~ Square box with rounded corners C CEID Shaded box I[ 0ii'iiiJ Pointed box «DYMO> Zigzag box I DYIlIO \ Crocodile box
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28
2. Use the > and < of the Navigation Key to scroll the cursor to the desired box or underline selection. 3. Press IE:?) to select or press
8
Key to exit menu and return to prior setting.
4. The ~ will be highlighted on the display to show feature is activated 5. Text will print on the label in the selected format. [Note: The underline and box settings cannot be combined or used with the Big Font size selection.]
EXTENDED MEMORY Adding to the buffer/ label breaks The extended memory can store up to 70 characters for a maximum of 20 labels.
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Key and the Key to insert a label break. I. Press and hold the 2. The --11-- will show on the display in between the labels to indicate the beginning! end of each label that is stored in the memory.
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3. Press the key + < to move to the beginning of the buffer or ~) + > to move to the end of the buffer. The labels will remain in the memory buffer, even if the unit is turned off. If you try to type when the memory buffer is full, the message ERROR 4 will be displayed. Delete part or all of the text in the buffer in order to store a new label in the memory. 4. To clear the entire memory buffer, press the
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REVIEW This feature allows you to review all the text/labels stored in the extended memory. I. Press Key and Key. 2. The text will scroll across the display. Key to exit. 3. Press
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LENGTH Length is automatically set based on the text entered, but length can be adjusted if desired. Key and the Key to set a fixed length. 1. Press and hold the 2. The screen will display X.X inches (or XX mm depending on the language selected). 3. The length of the label can be increased or decreased in steps of 0.1 inches or 2 mm by using the A or V arrows on the Navigation Key. The maximum length is 12 inches or 300mm. Press I(2j when the correct length is selected. 4. The fixed length indicator will highlight on the display. If the selected length is too short for the label, the display will flash ERROR 5.
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29
5. To return to automatic length default setting, press and hold the SKey and the Key.
6
[Note: For a fixed length label, such as I use for Fortune Cookie slips, the text is always centered.] TEXT FIRST LINE SECOND LINE COPIES 9 copies of a label can be printed at one time. 1. Enter the text for the label.
2. Press and hold the f::"~Key and the
FIRSTUNE
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Key.
SECOND LINE TEXT 3. The screen will display n= I. 4. Use the A or v arrows on the Navigation Key to set the desired number of copies (1-9).
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and the labels will 5. Once you have entered the correct number of copies press print the text. The labels will print in one continuous label with a vertical chain mark to indicate where to manually cut the labels. FEED Additional blank label tape (1/2 inch or l2mm) will exit from the unit when the Key and the ~ Key are pressed.
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SYMBOLS
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1. Press the Key. 2. The display will show: A and 7 symbols. 3. Use the Navigation Key to cursor to the desired symbols. The A or v arrows will scroll through the various symbol rows. enter it into text. The last 4. Once the cursor is under the desired symbol, press symbol row selected will be displayed the next time the symbol menu is entered.
ao
Changing the Language The labelmaker default setting is English with additional international character sets that can be accessed by selecting a different language. The selection of a language defines which characters (see next section), measurement setting and currency symbols can be accessed. For example, if Spanish is selected then the diacritical characters for Spanish will be available first with the measurements in millimeters and the currency pesos.
To change the hmgllage setting: 1. Press the Key and key
arrows on the Navigation Key. If you want to edit the label, use the navigation Key to move the cursor through the text to the place you want, then type or delete. PRINTING A LABEL
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Type in the text for your label and press
e' Key.
PRINTING A LABEL FROM THE MEMORY
e
8
1. Press and hold the Key and Key to view the labels stored in memory. 2. Use the < or > arrows on the Navigation Key to position cursor inside the text of the label desired to print. 3. Press
e
During printing the message PRiNT ... will be displayed.
CUTTING THE LABEL
~
After the label is printed use the cutter button on the left-hand side of the unit and press inwards, towards the machine (see Figure E). Labels have easy peel split back tape for easy removal of the tape backing. DO NOT PUSH THE CUTTER BUTTON WHILE THE LABEL IS BEING PRINTED, THIS WILL CAUSE LABELS TO JAM AND DAMAGE THE UNIT. PRINT CONTRAST
e
6
1. Press Key and the Key simultaneously. 2. The display will show the 5 contrast symbols. 3. Use the < and > arrows on the Navigation Key to select a lighter or darker setting. 4. Press IE?) to select desired contrast setting. TROUBLE SHOOTING: PROBLEM ... SOLUTION
Error] Tape jammed or low battery ... Remove cassette to clear the tape jam. Replace batteries. Error 2 Big Font cannot be selected... Select another format with characters in memory Error 3 Big Font cannot be selected with style/box/underline/Z line or lower case Select another format. Error 4 Memory buffer is full .. , Delete some or all of the buffer text Error 5 Text is bigger than defined length ... Choose a longer label length Error 6 2 line cannot be selected with the format ... Select another format Display Blinks The cursor cannot move further to the left or right ... Wrong key pressed in editing mode. Wrong key pressed in menu. No display. Check that machine is on . Check batteries and replace. No response from keys Remove batteries and re-insert after a short period of time. The machine will reset and return to default settings. No printing or poor text Check batteries and replace if necessary. Check installation of cassette. Clean print head regularly. See figure D.
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·..AFTERTHOUGHTS You're now armed with an incredible utility device and some of the strongest and Your WHITE TAGGER will most entertaining pieces of Mentalism available! undoubtedly give you many years of remarkable assistance- quietly in the background These effects described in this manuscript are only the beginning of some remarkable things that are possible. I hope they serve you well and help you to blow the minds of your audiences. I also hope that they will be the foundation for remarkable pieces of mentalism that you develop yourself. Special thanks to Kenton Knepper, Haim Goldenberg, Bill Abbott, David Peck, Richard Sanders, Patrik Kuffs, James Allan, Lior Suchard, Rob Evans, Christina Kaya, Christopher Caldwell, Andrew Gerard, Robert Wong, Gordon Precious and Tony Iacoviello for all their feedback and inspiration on this project. My appreciation as well goes out to the Oompa Loompas who have made your unit and put your package together • and who continue to amaze me with their patience for my various brainstorms. I've set you up with enough supplies in this package to serve you well for several performances. When you're ready for more, replacement kits with the transparent and the opaque MIND CHANGER BAGS are available from your favourite dealer or myself. Standard DYMO refill cassettes for the QX-50 labels are available from office supply retailers around the world, or you're welcome to contact me for help. If you have any technical questions or problems or simply need service for your QX-50 itself, help is available from
[email protected]. (You'll find your serial number inside the cassette cover.) Let me know how you make out with your WHITE TAGGER and what routines you develop on your own. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your suggestions or thoughts.
James Biss
[email protected] 98 Guildwood Drive Hamilton, ON CANADA
L9C 6S4 P.S. Ask your favourite dealer about the IMPRESSIONABLE MIND BOARD (if you haven't got your own yet) and my new book MIND BLOWING... 33
