The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.

18, 14)15

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The Wisdom of Crowds

Word Reveal New Posts - Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays.
October 25, 2017 (Other junk on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.)

In the first few weeks of this site, I wrote this:

"What is this site?" Click here.
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The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.18, 14)15

My hobby is coming up with ways to reveal a "What is The GLOMM?" Click here.
thought of word. I used to have a long subway A Glossary of terms used here.
commute and whenever my phone would die and I
didn't have a book on me, I would fill my time by
trying to come up with one interesting way to
reveal a word before I got to my stop.

I know what you're thinking:

Andy, I have a few different ways I like to reveal a All mail is appreciated.
thought of word. One is, I write it on a clipboard. Hate mail is usually posted.
But occasionally, for an older audience, I'll bust out
a chalkboard. But when I'm performing at a bar, I
Search
write that shit straight-up on a whiteboard, my
man! [hold for high-five]

Believe it or not, I'm not just talking about what

surface you write the thought of word on. Or if you
say it out loud. Or if you reveal it letter by letter. I'm March 2018
talking more about the context in which the word is
revealed Gardyloo #48
Mar 2, 2018
There was a time when I considered writing a book of
just different ways to reveal a peeked or forced word.
202 Word Reveals, or something like that. But one thing February 2018
I've learned is that the mass magic audience wants a
book with 200 ways to peek a word, not 200 ways to That Bitch-Ass Tart (a presentation
reveal one. I would argue that's the problem with magic, for The Ambitious Card)
but I'm done arguing that point. Feb 28, 2018

Here's something I will argue. Let's say you know what Scheduling Info
Feb 27, 2018
word a spectator wrote down. I believe, for the amateur
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The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.18, 14)15

magician, the least interesting thing you can do with that Social Magic Basics Pt. 3
information is to say, "And now I'll read your mind.... Feb 26, 2018
You're thinking of Clementine." Or any other variation
Gardyloo #47
where you claim to read their mind.
Feb 23, 2018

For the professional it's a bit different. If the audience

Another GH Idea
doesn't know the performer, then they can consider the
Feb 22, 2018
idea that this person has some strange power of
perception or of the mind that allows him/her to divine The Google Home Word Reveal
what someone is thinking. Feb 21, 2018

But, when the spectator knows the performer, they Coming in MFYL: The Damsel
know that's not the case. So to say "I'm going to read Technique
your mind," leads to one of two outcomes: Feb 20, 2018

1. The effect is interesting to them, but it can only ever Social Magic Basics Pt. 2
Feb 19, 2018
be an interesting puzzle. They know you didn't read
their mind. So the trick becomes an unraveling of how
Gardyloo #46
you knew what was written on the paper. This ends up Feb 16, 2018
bringing a ton of heat onto the procedure. Why did he
put it in the wallet? Why did he tear the paper? S.O.W.
Feb 15, 2018
2. They know it wasn't real mind-reading. And they're
not interested. And they don't give it a second thought. Stray the Daisy
Feb 14, 2018
Obviously there are ways to make, "I'm reading your
mind," more interesting and more resonant to a Anti-Social
Feb 13, 2018
spectator, I won't deny that. But in a general sense, I still
think it's fair to say that if you know a word someone is
Social Magic Basics Pt. 1
thinking, the least interesting thing you can do is then Feb 12, 2018
"read their mind" and reveal it. I don't even think that's a
particularly controversial thing to say. And yet so much
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The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.18, 14)15

of magic/mentalism is that exact thing. January 2018

Untitled
Jan 24, 2018

Now Shipping
Jan 16, 2018

The Secret to Happiness Part Two

Jan 8, 2018

Gardyloo #45
Jan 5, 2018

This Saturday - Issue 12 - The End

Originally, the idea was this... I'd be at the library with
Jan 4, 2018
someone and I'd ask her to think of a random word.
When she settled on something I would say, "Is the word Introducing, The Jerx Deck
you're thinking of related to your life in any significant Jan 3, 2018
way, because we don't want it to be. So, if you were
thinking of swimming that wouldn't be a good option Coming Up
because you were a swimmer in high school. Of course Jan 2, 2018

you can relate to almost any word in some way, but I just
My 2018 Focus
don't want it to be a strong correlation. So if it's
Jan 1, 2018
something connected to you in some big way, switch to
a different word." Once she's settled on something that
seems truly random she would write it down (and I
December 2017
would figure out what it was).
2017 Superlatives
Then I'd bring her over to the reference section and pull Dec 22, 2017
out a large book called The Wisdom of Crowds 2017. It
would be the size of one of the big phone books with Confession
the tissue-thin pages. I'd explain to her the publishers of Dec 21, 2017

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The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.18, 14)15

this book have this huge database of information that Practical Misdirection for the
pulls from all sorts of publicly available records and they Amateur Magician
claim that, with this information, they can make Dec 20, 2017

extremely educated guesses about the way people's

Remaining Year Two Schedule
minds work and the choices they make. All they need
Dec 19, 2017
are three data points: your sex, where you were born,
and when you were born. And then that gets cross- A Reminder in Three Well-Worn
referenced with a bunch of different information: #1 Analogies
songs and highest grossing movies from your teenage Dec 18, 2017
years, what books were the most popular at the public
libraries in your city, keyword searches in your local Gardyloo #44
Dec 15, 2017
newspaper, tv ratings, magazine circulation, local school
curriculum—just an endless amount of data.
Happy Hanukkah to All My Fine
Boys and Sweet Girls
The publisher's claim with just those three personal data
Dec 14, 2017
points, and then the massive amount of local and
national statistics, they can predict all sorts of things The Green Grass Test
about you: the career you're likely to go into, how you'll Dec 13, 2017
vote, the number of kids you'll choose to have, the
values that will matter to you, and so on. Of course, this Coming in The JAMM #12
is all expressed in percentages and probabilities—not Dec 12, 2017
every male born in Columbus, OH in 1972 went into the
A Critical Examination of
same career, for example—but they still claim an
Ellusionist's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
extremely high degree of insight based just on those Dec 11, 2017
bits of personal information.
Gardyloo #43
They published this book, "The Wisdom of Crowds," as Dec 8, 2017
proof of the strength of their algorithm. In this book they
suggest they can predict what "random" word a person Redirecting Misdirection
is likely to think of. Dec 6, 2017

Issue #11
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The Wisdom of Crowds Word Reveal — 03.03.18, 14)15

So I would confirm with my friend that she was born in Dec 5, 2017
San Diego, in 1990. Then we'd flip to the San Diego
section, then go to 1990, and look in the female column. The Four Stars
Dec 4, 2017
It would list five likely words a person with those
demographics might think of. And there, at the top of
The Jerx 2017 Gift Taking Guide,
the list, would be her word: buttermilk. Part Three
Dec 1, 2017
I thought that would make for an interesting way to
reveal a word. There was only one small issue, which
was that I had no clue how you'd actually do it. Well, I November 2017
could come up with a method if I was working on a tv
special and had a crew with which to do it, but not really Coming in the JAMM #11
as a workable, reliable trick for a normal setting. Nov 30, 2017

So I changed the premise slightly. The Jerx 2017 Gift Taking Guide,
Part Two
My friend Sophie is visiting and I ask her if she wants to Nov 29, 2017
try something interesting. I have her write down a
random word, fold up the paper and put it in her The Jerx 2017 Gift Taking Guide,
Part One
pocket.
Nov 27, 2017

Then I tell her about a friend of mine who works for this
Gardyloo #42
gigantic data mining company. And I tell her how they
Nov 24, 2017
examine all sorts of information (all the same stuff
mentioned in the presentation above) and are able to Happy Thanksgiving!
make shockingly accurate predictions based on very Nov 23, 2017
little personal information.
A Critical Examination of a $5
"We assume our personality and the decisions we make Magic Set
in life are a function of our DNA or something, but it Nov 22, 2017
turns out a lot of these external factors influence us in
Last Call for the Jerx Deck
profound ways. You think you went into the health field
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because you have an innate desire to help people. But Nov 21, 2017
it might be because George Clooney was on the cover
of People magazine with a high frequency during critical Gardyloo #41
Nov 17, 2017
moments of your adolescent development."

Hooks
So we call my other friend who works for this data
Nov 15, 2017
mining company and give her Sophie's basic
information. Then we ask what random word she is Thoughts on Follow-Thru
likely to have thought of. Nov 13, 2017

After 30 seconds of time for computation, my friend on Gardyloo #40

the phone says:; Nov 10, 2017

"Okay, here's what we've got. There are five 'highly The JAMM, The Deck and Other
likely' options for words she may have thought of. I'll go Things
from least likely to most likely. #5 - train #4 - carton #3 - Nov 9, 2017

desire #2 - coupon #1... buttermilk."

The Faux Secret Imp
Nov 8, 2017
Sophie freaks.
Own a Piece of History
"Seriously? Is that what you were thinking of?" I ask. Nov 7, 2017
Always play dumb.
The Evolution of Magic in the Early
When things settle down I say, "The fucked up thing is 21st Century
no one knows what this company is using this data for. Nov 6, 2017
It's actually kind of spooky to think of how they might be
utilizing.... Oh well, let's go get something to eat." Gardyloo #39
Nov 3, 2017
Now, obviously you'd need a friend to help you out in
JAMM #10 Arrives Next Monday
this version, but it's a relatively easy thing for them. They
Nov 2, 2017
don't have to remember some intricate code or
something, like in some effects that require a partner. All

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you need to do is text them the word before you call. If The Dumbest Thing I've Ever Seen
you text with one thumb it will look like you're just In Magic
navigating to where you need to be on your phone. Nov 1, 2017

No friends? Well, don't worry, you can do pretty much

the same thing without a helper. You just fake a phone October 2017
conversation. In this scenario you would just act as if
you're relaying information you're hearing from Three Quick Administrative Notes
Oct 31, 2017
someone else back to your spectator. I prefer involving
another real human, but I've done it both ways and it
Presentational Density
goes over well regardless. Oct 30, 2017

The idea is not to try and convince your spectator that Gardyloo #38
there really is this massive database that can predict Oct 27, 2017
what random word you're thinking of by aggregating all
sorts of information like which Sega Genesis games Coming Next Tuesday
were most rented in Blockbusters in your city when you Oct 26, 2017
were 13-15. It's just to give them a more interesting
The Wisdom of Crowds Word
premise to think about, that can't be as easily dismissed
Reveal
as, "I'm a mindreader."
Oct 25, 2017

You might say, "Well, what difference does it make then?

4200
If in the end they know it's a trick, and they know it's not Oct 24, 2017
real, then that's no different than them knowing you
can't really read minds. Right?" The White Wand Society and The
Oscar Gamble Gambit
No. That's not my experience. Oct 23, 2017

I've said it before: The world want to be charmed. Gardyloo #37

Oct 20, 2017
People want to be seduced.
Word of Mouth

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When you say: "Write down any word. I'm going to read Oct 19, 2017
your mind. It's apple." You've given them nothing else to
think about other than how you saw the word on the Feeling and Belief
Oct 18, 2017
paper. There's no diversion there. "I'm going to read
your mind" is immediately discarded because they know
Taking Care of Business
you and they know you're not psychic. People Oct 17, 2017
recognize "I'm going to read your mind" as the least you
can do in that situation to justify things. There's no Note to Self
romance in saying, essentially: "Let's pretend I have Oct 16, 2017
super powers."
Gardyloo #36
But when you weave a story, or draw them into an Oct 13, 2017
interesting process, or create a unique visual image for
Coming Soon
them, then you give them other elements to think about.
Oct 12, 2017
Combine that with other presentational tactics that I talk
about here and you can create an experience that is, in The Force Unleashed
many ways, diminished by asking too many questions Oct 11, 2017
about the reality of it all.
No Alarms and No Subscribers
Oct 10, 2017

The Force Awakens

Tomorrow! I'll describe how we built a variation of this Oct 9, 2017
idea into the upcoming release of the Jerx App. In that
Harvest Time
version you'll be consulting a secret data aggregating
Oct 6, 2017
tool on the "dark web" to find out what word your
spectator likely selected. It's some fun shit. The new You're Only A Day Away
release of the Jerx App is coming next week. Oct 5, 2017

September 2017

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