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Postmentalism by Alvo Stockman


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mentalism
prediction

"The phone just rang, and I'm not kidding, this guy S C R E A M E D down the line at me and called me a sorceror (never had such a reaction before, ever!). Thank you Alvo. Simply followed all instructions and advice (include added preparation, if desired) and hey ho: one client, whimpering, crying, but terrified NOT to give me future bookings now he knows my true power. Seriously though, many thanks, it's awesome!" -Bob Burns, Mentalist

"I love it. How did you come up with this?? I have to ask!" -Tom Krzystof

"That's sick. I'm going to use it for the next UFC fight." -Morgan Strebler

"That's *!@#'n good. Really good. I'm going to use this." -Oz Pearlman

"It's fantastic.. it's phenomenal.. I think it's great." -Paul Draper

"The device at work in Postmentalism is very clever. Some will want to buy it for the novelty factor. Some will do brilliant things. Now you know and the decision is yours." -Magic Magazine

Postmentalism is impossible to film a standard demo for.  The impact hits when your friend is sitting at home!  So what I did was I told a handful of working pros (Tom Krzystof, Oz Pearlman, Paul Draper and Morgan Strebler) about the effect--what happens--and then I gave them 24 hours to think of a method.  I gave them a call the next day to chat.  The following reactions are from those calls...

Click here to listen to the Postmentalism Demo

Click here to hear the impact of Postmentalism on the radio! Daniel Jay Robison left the DJs stunned on WANR and got an extra mention on the air!

Before a major event (football game, election, etc), you offer to make a prediction to one of your friends. However in the interest of security, you don’t want to hold on to the prediction yourself, nor do you want your friend to. You offer to mail the prediction in the form of a letter to your spectator's house, using the US Postal Service. In this way, it would be a felony to tamper with it!

You write the prediction, put it in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it, and hand it to your friend. You then invite him to put the letter in any mailbox in town.

The following day (or whenever the letter happens to arrive), alone at home, your friend's brain will slowly disassemble itself and finally shut down, trying to figure out how you knew.

YES. It's as clean and straight-forward as it sounds. There's absolutely nothing misleading in this description. Get ready to be talked about, this is a reputation maker.

[excerpt from the manuscript]

Introduction

In envelopes, pockets, folded billets, and boxes, written predictions have become a standard theme in magic. Its easy to see why. The ability to predict the future is something central to being human. In fact, some consider it the most important measure of intelligence. The ability to be prepared for future events is a critical survival skill. Even in our day to day lives, weathermen, stock analysts, marketers, politicians, lawyers, and hundreds of other occupations are focused around the outcome of future events. Predicting the future is a theme everyone can relate to and see the value of.

The focus of any prediction effect inevitably comes down to its integrity.

When a television escape artist puts on chains, traditionally he will have a privately hired member of the local police force examine them to make sure the handcuffs he is using are legitimate. In this way, a 3rd party has vouched to the audience for the effect’s integrity.

There are a couple of drawbacks to this when performing casually for friends. First, most of us are not under 24 hour police surveillance. This makes contracting a member of local law enforcement impractical. And second, even when a privately or even “randomly” selected police officer is chosen from an audience during a stage show, their legitimacy is still in question. Are they really a police officer or an actor who is part of the show? Each time a question like this is asked, it chips away precious credibility from the performance.

In a written prediction effect (particularly between a mentalist and a single individual), there is a dilemma of who to entrust with the prediction until the time of revelation.

If the mentalist holds onto it, the details could be discretely changed (as they often are), compromising the integrity of the prediction. If the spectator holds onto it, they could read it and possibly change the outcome, also compromising the original prediction.

Ideally we would have an escrow style trusted 3rd-party agent who could hang on to the prediction for us until after the predicted event. There would also be severe penalties for either side to tamper with the prediction.

The solution I propose in Postmentalism is to use the US Postal Service to mail a prediction to your friend’s home.

Benefits

Buildup

Anticipation is a huge part of pleasure. It’s what makes Christmas mornings, 16th birthdays and Fridays so much juicier. In Postmentalism, your spectator will be looking forward to receiving this mysterious prediction from you for at least a day or two, listening for the mailman and anticipating what it could be.

Private Reaction

I touched on this concept in my effect “Mix Tape”. Regardless of whether you’re performing on stage or walk-around, it’s impossible to get a truly honest reaction from someone as long as you’re watching them. By sending the prediction to their home, your spectator is somewhere they feel safe, comfortable, relaxed and most importantly, alone, to react completely genuinely to your performance. It’s obviously a different kind of performance where you don’t get to see a “freak-out” moment, but one that hits hard and will be remembered forever regardless.

Souvenir

In many tricks, the spectator is left with some scrap of signed card that the magician gives to them (usually to avoid having to walk it over to the waste basket) with the belief that they will cherish it and remember them fondly forever. The problem is that usually it’s a meaningless shred of a performance. In Postmentalism, the spectator receives an envelope, addressed and mailed to them, delivered to their door the old fashioned way (which is only getting more memorable as email takes over), that they personally put in the mail. This envelope contains a full recount of what happened during the performance and any time they look back at it they will be able to relive the moment.

Postal Integrity

As far as middlemen go, it doesn’t get much better than the USPS. It’s actually a felony to tamper with the mail. Assuming both you and your spectator are performing outside the walls of a prison, this should be more than enough to convince them that no one has changed the prediction.

FAQ

Q: Will Postmentalism work with foreign postal services?
A: Yes! In fact, not only will it work in different countries, it even works when you're mailing from one country to another!

Q: How many times can I perform Postmentalism with the special equipment provided? Will I need refills?
A: You can perform Postmentalism hundreds of times with the equipment provided. You don't need to buy refills for each performance or anything like that. Over time, serious performers of Postmentalism will want to replace the special equipment.

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Featured Magic Tricks

Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 10 of 66)
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Not for me Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on January 12th, 2013
This is one of those items that just doesn't work for me professionally. It's too much work and there are far easier / stronger "Headline predictions" out there that leave a much more solid impression. I find that in the real world, this effect has too many flaws and I believe that it's better left to those who just want to screw with their friends. I would never trust this method with a serious client who is paying me serious money. Too risky. Sorry Alvo.
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
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OMG! I'm so freaked out!!!!!!!!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on February 10th, 2009
That was the response I got after "predicting" the Super Bowl AND the Illinois Little Lottery. I told my friend that a few times in my life I had had kind of "premonitions" or dreams of things that would happen. Kind of like the feeling that you get when you think of somebody you hadn't heard from in a long time and a second later the phone rings and it's that person. "Anyway, last night I had a dream about the Super Bowl and the little lottery." I swore her to secrecy in case I was totally wrong but we went to the post office and she mailed off my predictions.
I think that she and her girlfriends all want to sleep with me know in case I talk in my sleep. :o) - BUY IT!!!!!!!!!
6 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
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Truly ingenious Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on June 23rd, 2009
I live in asia and yes this trick works where I live. I don't think there are countries where this masterpiece can't be preformed...
Anyway, the method is simply amazing, and the prop should last long enough, wish they sold refills though.
A new semester is coming for me, and this really can predict ANYTHING... I have tons of new ideas already!
Add to cart, you won't be disappointed. You might get the best reactions in your life.
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
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WoW!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 23rd, 2008
OMG!!! This trick is fantastic. I don't know how Alvo come up with such a clever trick, but I know that this is one of the best tricks you can ever buy.
You get two gimmicks and each one will last for about 2 years.
The amazing thing is you don't need any skill.
It's just astonishing.
Thank you alvo 100 *.
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
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devious Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
let me start by saying that this effect and method is devious. but in a good way. i had my thoughts of how it was done before i got it but was totally wrong in all aspects. when i got it i couldnt believe. let me tell its great. it really is great. and the best part is you not even around when the magic happens. i mean you could be but its even better when your not so when it happens they flip out and they call you screaming and hollering. it is such a great effect and method it is definately worth the price. get it now.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Great method Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
while the method for this trick is unbeleivable and it WILL leave your spectators stunned, it is best used in certain environments. It is not something that you will be able to incorperate into your daily routine but ideal for promotional magic.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Postmentalism Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
Great concept. Something so simple, yet so powerful. Accurately predict the outcome of an upcoming event. The method is pretty simple but you're kind of forced to go out of your way to find a mailbox. If you live near one then it's great. The best part is, that your friend watches you write their address down, and he or she is the one that puts it in the mailbox. A few days later, they receive the letter with an accurate prediction. Great effect.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Incredible! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
Wow was I surprised in the method for this effect! I would have never guessed it in a million years! I performed this for my parents one night to predict what we would eat for dinner and a few days later when it came in the mail they were blown away! My dad has been doing magic for 30 years and he had no clue how I did it! I booked a gig from my town's mayor by predicting how well his daughter would do in the county spelling bee! He was shocked to say the least! Buy Now!!!
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
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A Masterpiece Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 18th, 2010
Too often, I find myself disappointed by the method of a mentalism effect. Not so with Postmentalism. When I recovered from my awe-induced blackout after reading Alvo Stockman's instructions, I realized exactly what I had just purchased: the high-water mark of future predictions. It seems unfair (in a good way) that this is so easy to perform and so cheap. I'll be using Postmentalism in a stage show in a couple of months, and I wonder if the audience will remember anything else when the show is over.

I've never before reviewed a purchase I've made at Penguin Magic, but listen, if you want to be worshipped, feared, or both, buy this. Buy this now. Or perhaps not - I'd be delighted to keep this one all to myself.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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AWESOMEEEE!!!!!!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on June 13th, 2009
This is the best trick that i've ever bought!!!!
I love it!
There´s nothing hard to do!


3 Words: ADD TO CART!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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