Silent Running

[Ben Harris]

You may have heard the buzz on this. If not, here's the official info:

SILENT RUNNING
by Ben Harris
(with BONUS Material from Bob Cassidy, Devin Knight and Steve Shufton)

$39.95 (ebook or physical book)
$49.95 (Limited Edition version)
60 pages, printed on acid free paper, color cover. Beautifully printed and bound.


POSSIBLY THE MOST AMAZING "THINK OF A CARD
METHOD IN YEARS!

If you are seeking the holy grail of truly prop-less mentalism then you NEED to get this routine. Bens thinking has always been unique and here he excels himself!
Marc Paul (UK)

WHAT IS SILENT RUNNING?
SILENT RUNNING is a "Think Of A Card" concept that requires no props at all. You don't even need a deck of cards. Any spectator is asked to THINK of any number from 1-10, and then asked to THINK of a suit (either Clubs, Hearts, Spades or Diamonds). She does ALL OF THIS IN HER HEADTELLING YOU NOTHING. In her MIND she combines the chosen number and suit to create the visual image of a playing card. Again, SHE SAYS NOTHING! Once its confirmed that she is thinking of a card that NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY KNOW, you proceed to reveal it in any number of ways, including:

DIRECT MIND READ
You ask the spectator to concentrate. You then reveal her thought-of card with 100% accuracy. It's that simple. Once you know the method you'll be able to do this at ANY TIME, ANYWHERE! In fact, you'll be doing this for the rest of your life. It is that strong, practical and simple!

THE DISSOLVING CARD
The spectator is handed a deck of cards BEFORE YOU BEGIN. She is asked to think of a card WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. When she has confirmed that she has a card in her mind, you ask her to imagine it "slowly fading way. Upon confirming that her mental image is gone, she is asked to take the deck and to remove her thought-of card. She attempts to do this, and counts the cards. However, there are ONLY 51 cards and her thought-of card IS NOT PRESENTIT HAS REALLY FADED INTO NOTHING! You NEVER touch the deckin fact you never need to know her thought of card at all! Thanks to a clever Bob Cassidy idea, you can even do this with TWO spectators, having TWO cards DISSOLVE one after the other!

SPIRITED CARD STAB
A deck is shuffled by a spectator, spread upon the table, and covered with a sheet of newspaper. A knife is introduced and the spectator is asked to THINK OF A CARD. Once she has done this, she is asked to imagine the spirit of HER IMAGINED CARD flowing down her arms, through her wrists, into her hands and finally into the knife. AT NO TIME DOES SHE REVEAL HER THOUGHT OF CARD. The performer now takes the knife and lunges it through the newspaperwhere it stands proud for all to see. Now, for the FIRST TIME, the spectator announces her thought-of card to the audience. The knife is ripped from the newspaper and is seen to be IMPALING THE VERY SAME CARD. There are no switchesthe thought-of card is genuinely impaled on the knife blade!

IMPORTANT POINTS
**Nothing is EVER written downthis is strictly a verbal procedure!
**There is NO dual reality. The spectator and audience experience the same effect!
**There are NO GIMMICKS used at all, no nail writers, electronicsNOTHING!
**The effect is EASILY learned!
**Perform for a single spectator or a thousand!

BONUS IDEAS, ROUTINES & EFFECTS
In addition to the above, STEVE SHUFTON contributes further nuance for card workers and presents SPEECHLESSa devastating version of The Open Prediction.

As a very special treat, professional mentalist DEVIN KNIGHT provides TWO FULLY DEVELOPED ROUTINESeach bristling with fine detail and subtlety. Any of these bonus items are worth the price of admission on their own!


What they're saying about SILENT RUNNING:


F*#%ing Brilliant!
Nathan Kranzo (USA)

This is going to become the best effect of 2010 and possibly of the decade...the genius magic engineer Ben Harris has done it again.
Chris Wasshuber (Lybrary.com)

I highly recommend Silent Running to serious students of the art as well as to professional workers.
Bob Cassidy (USA)

The perfect effect for those times when someone says Do Something and you have nothing with you. With this effect you need only your mind.
Devin Knight (USA)

I love the newspaper Card Stab as it has the perfect combination of drama and impossibility. Great stuff.
Peter Duffie (Scotland)

I will definitely be working this
amazing stuff.
Dee Christopher (UK)

Silent Running is published March 30, 2010 and will be available from all fine dealers during the first week of April. The ebook is available March 30.

VISIT www.wowbound.com for the PRE-PUBLICATION offer and availability of the special LIMITED EDITION version (100 copies only)

[Richard Kaufman]

Norman, "Cosmosis" is a self-working floating match using invisible thread. This is a mentalism/card trick. How can you compare them?

[Richard Kaufman]

Norman, he can't compare them. The question is unanswerable. Why would you even expect a response?

[Jonathan Townsend]

Norman, what sort of comparison - using what criteria are you expecting?

[Ben Harris]

Hi Norman.

I must admit I am baffled by your question.

Benny

[Richard Kaufman]

Ben, in retrospect I think most people agree that "Cosmosis" was overpriced when it came out (regardless of the time it took to make at that point). For serious close-up guys, and that's most of the people who were trying to do stuff with invisible thread decades ago, it was not what they were expecting for that amount of money.

Its ingenuity, in that it allows anyone to float something with invisible thread with neither practice nor ability, has been proven by how many tens (hundreds?) of thousands of them have been copied and sold around the world, even in children's magic sets.

This should end the talk about "Cosmosis" and we await "Silent Running," which sounds clever indeed.

[mrgoat]

40 bucks for a one trick PDF download?

Can't wait to see the reviews of this.

[David Alexander]

Well, it's not "one trick." It's an extremely clever method that is adaptable to several effects that are detailed in the manuscript. To someone who works, is an entertainer, and knows value, this is not expensive at all.

[Ben Harris]

Point taken, Richard.

Benny

[mrgoat]

Well, it's not "one trick." It's an extremely clever method that is adaptable to several effects that are detailed in the manuscript. To someone who works, is an entertainer, and knows value, this is not expensive at all.

40 bucks, per se, isn't expensive at all. You miss my point. People baulk at 35 buck one trick DVDs. For good reason. You can get wonderful books chock full of amazing tricks for that money.

My point, and I am sure you didn't really miss it, is that 40 bucks for what is ADVERTISED as a 'one trick' method with slight variations is expensive compared to other one trick DVDs. And laughably expensive on a per trick basis compared with almost ANY book. And this has no associated costs aside from layout.

That was my point.

I can afford it, I work, but I don't "know its value" as the only people so far that seem to be praising it are people directly involved in it.

As I said, I await reviews eagerly. Being about to get a 1:40 100% hit ratio would be awesome. However, something in me suggests it would disappoint me if I bought it. I hope it's great.

Bring on the independent reviews.

[El Mystico]

mrgoat;
Mr Harris wrote on another forum a precise description of what happens.
I quote it verbatim (ie I cut and pasted)

"Please THINK of a number from one to ten - BUT DON'T TELL ME WHAT IT IS. Have you done that? Good!"

"Now, THINK of one the card suits--diamonds, hearts, clubs, spades--BUT DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING! Have you done that? Wonderful!"

"Please combine the number and suit IN YOUR HEAD to create the image of a playing card, BUT DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING. Have you done that? Excellent."

"Would you agree that NO ONE could know the number you have SILENTLY thought of, and that NO ONE could know the suit you have SILENTLY thought of? This card you are imagining can exist ONLY IN YOUR HEAD. Would you concur?"

"Now, please CONCENTRATE ON YOUR IMAGINED CARD..."

From here you can perform any of the effects detailed in the book, and will be able to create your own effects BECAUSE YOU KNOW the SILENTLY thought of card.

end of quote.

So - a card merely thought of, no actions made, nothing said, and yet you know the card.

This has to be Grail of mental magic.

Are you saying you wouldn't pay a measly 40 bucks for the closest thing to a miracle I've come across?

from Ben's description it has to beat Brainwave.

I've not seen it, but it's got to be right up there with his'Inverted Thought'.

[mrgoat]

El Mystico,

Yes I am precisely saying that. I do online marketing. I think Mr Harris is probably the single best magic trick marketeer out there. I bought a couple of his effects based on the ads and/or the packaging. He produces stunning ads, amazing hype and beautifully produced material.

But to me, I have *so far* always felt very let down when I see the actual method employed.

You are right indeed, it certainly SOUNDS like the holy grail of magic. If a speccy can think of any card from a selection of 40 and then WITH NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENING the magi just simply tells them their thoughts, then Mr Harris has certainly pulled off the most amazing thing to happen in magic history PERIOD.

Actually, thinking about it, in hindsight, I may be wrong commenting on the extremely high price of this ebook/pdf. If it does what the description says, he could get what, 200, 300, 500 bucks for this?

When is Genii or Magic reviewing it?

[Tom Frame]

Ben will be sending me a copy for review. Stay tuned.

[Ben Harris]

Mrgoat,

This is not a one trick pdf. OK?

It is a compendium of ideas based around a concept (developed with Peter Duffie) that creates a "tool box" for practical, prop free mentalism.

The book contains:

Foreword by Looch.
History of the effect.
How Silent Running Works
How to Perform Silent Running
Routine One - The Dissolving Card
Routine Two - Direct Mind Reading
Routine Three - Spirited Card Stab

Appendix with additional material to assist in the above

Bonus Section

Bob Cassidy - two ideas
Paolo Cavalli - one idea
Devin Knight - two FULL ROUTINES
Jason Messina - one full routine
Steve Shufton - one FULL ROUTINE, several ideas.

A few NEW endoresements:

"Awesome, if you could really read thoughts you wouldn't need anyone to say anything. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!" --Marc Spelmann

"A great and WORKABLE effect" - JC Wagner (see JC in this month's Genii)

This is so much more than just an effect. It is a powerful subtlety that is a MUST HAVE for your mentalism tool box!"-- Banachek

And from the Foreword by Looch:

"That evening I had been booked to perform at a private diner party in Nottinghamshire countryside. It was on this night that I would see if this would work in the real world. Nearly a dozen direct hits over the course of the night with a 100% success rate. I can hand-on-heart say this works, and it works wonderfully. Your audiences will genuinely believe you are right there with them inside their head."

I will send preview copies to Tom Frame and Richard Kaufman this weekend. If you trust their opinions, you will, I'm sure, see that your concerns about Silent Running are unfounded.

El Mystico, you WILL forgive me for "Inverted Thought" once Silent Running is released. Even PEA founding member Bob Cassidy is adding the "Card Stab" version of Silent Running to his repertoire. He's forgiven me.

Cheers

Benny

[mrgoat]

Mrgoat,

This is not a one trick pdf. OK?

OK. It's a one-method-3-effects trick PDF.

My bad.

I hope, and I mean this so sincerely, that your ad copy is accurate. That a spec thinks of one of 40 cards and then NOTHING HAPPENS AT ALL and you know instantly what they are thinking of with 100% success. If that *is* what happens, I will be sending you 40 bucks faster than I would mock Bishop.

I look forward to the reviews.

[Dustin Stinett]

I'm very curious about something mrgoat: You have been "let down" in the past by methods, but have you tried them on the laity to see whether or not THEY were "let down" by the effect?

One of the best freakin' tricks I do for laymen uses a shuttle pass and a paddle move. It's a marketed trick that I have purchased multiple times for backups (a lesson I learned from Paul Green: If you like and use it, buy at least two). I cannot help but wonder if the method would be a "let down" to you.

Dustin

[mrgoat]

I'm very curious about something mrgoat: You have been "let down" in the past by methods, but have you tried them on the laity to see whether or not THEY were "let down" by the effect?

Do call me Damian :)
And no. I didn't try them. They weren't right for me.

One of the best freakin' tricks I do for laymen uses a shuttle pass and a paddle move. I cannot help but wonder if the method would be a "let down" to you.

Mr S, you misunderstand me I think. I don't care at all what a method is, if it is a good trick. I am happy to really cheat in sneaky, nasty ways. One of the best tricks I do for laypeople is self working. Totally self working. Easy methods are my lifeblood. I don't have any crazy chops.

As I said, if this copy is accurate then Mr Harris has a veritable miracle on his hands and the fact you can apply one principle to create a variety of effects is even better. I genuinely do look forward to the reviews.

[Dustin Stinett]

I didn't try them. They weren't right for me.

Damian,

Now Im actually more confused. Were the effects wrong for you or the methods?

I don't care at all what a method is As I said, if this copy is accurate then Mr Harris has a veritable miracle on his hands and the fact you can apply one principle to create a variety of effects is even better. I genuinely do look forward to the reviews.

Then bear in mind that the ad copy of the effect is what the spectator sees and recalls, not necessarily what actually happens. For example:

The magician has a card thought of.

He shows a card to the spectatorits the wrong one.

He blows on its face, turns it around and it is the thought of card.

That is a perfectly acceptable description of a peek, control to the top, double lift, replacement, and revelation because thats how a layman would remember it (if one uses the correct language when having a card peeked at and remembered).

I too look forward to the reviews.

Dustin

[mrgoat]

We disagree. I do not think that is a fair description if it was ad copy.

[Dustin Stinett]

What should it say?

[Nathan Muir]

Point taken, Richard.

Benny

You're welcome. Your new item appears to offer substantial material. All the best with it.

[Ben Harris]

Thanks, Nathan.

It is quite substantial, but not as substantial as it could be. Not a day goes by without extra material coming in from mentalists and magicians of repute.

This is being used by professionals and I think EVERYONE will use some element of it.

Is it better than Brainwave? Probably not, but it does have the advantage that you don't actually need a deck of cards. It's completely impromptu.

The ad copy, by the way, is entirely accurate. Imagine Crossroads BUT eliminating the equivoque. Now also eliminate the need for the spectator to state his or her chosen number and eliminate the need for him/her to state the chosen suit. They create the card SILENTLY IN THEIR HEAD.

Anyway, both TOM FRAME and RICHARD KAUFMAN will have review copies within 36 hours.

There is so much material being created by those in the loop--there will be a sequel: "Run Silent, Run Deep."

Cheers

Benny

[David Alexander]

Damian/goatie wrote:

"But to me, I have *so far* always felt very let down when I see the actual method employed."

Then shortly thereafter in reply to Dustin's comment:

"Mr S, you misunderstand me I think. I don't care at all what a method is, if it is a good trick."

Care to clarify, Damian?

[mrgoat]

Damian/goatie wrote:

"But to me, I have *so far* always felt very let down when I see the actual method employed."

Then shortly thereafter in reply to Dustin's comment:

"Mr S, you misunderstand me I think. I don't care at all what a method is, if it is a good trick."

Care to clarify, Damian?

I thought I did. Let's try again.

I am more than happy to use sneaky, cheaty low-down methods to accomplish a good effect. It is the effect that is important. I have used stooges. I have used trick decks. However, a couple of Mr Harris tricks I felt used ad copy that was very misleading. Hence me using the phrase 'let down'. So, I mean I am happy to cheat like a bitch to achieve an effect. But Mr Harris I feel has written ad copy that simply isn't close to reality. To be fair, Mr Harris has apologised for one of the tricks in this very thread!

I felt let down because I fell for the hype, I bought the sales pitch. As a marketeer myself I felt stupid having believed what was writ.

Hope that is clear now.

And, as Mr Harris has clarified the ad copy is completely, 100% accurate, I can't wait for the reviews. Clearly my snark was misplaced and this 40 buck PDF will disappoint no one. It's the holy grail! And for only 40 bucks! Well done Mr Harris.

[Ben Harris]

Damian says...

"Clearly my snark was misplaced and this 40 buck PDF will disappoint no one. It's the holy grail!"

Your claim, not mine.

Benny

[mrgoat]

Damian says...

"Clearly my snark was misplaced and this 40 buck PDF will disappoint no one. It's the holy grail!"

Your claim, not mine.

Benny

Don't be so bashful Mr Harris! If someone thinks of one of 40 items and you do nothing and say nothing and then instantly with 100% accuracy you know the card they are thinking off, that is a motherfricking miracle of the highest order.

I can't wait for this to come out now, the more I think about it, now you told us the ad copy is 100% accurate, the more I am excited!

[Richard Kaufman]

Jeez, can we at least let the guy get his trick on the market before criticizing it?

[David Alexander]

Damian works hard at becoming tiresome. He's getting quite good at it.

[mrgoat]

Damian works hard at becoming tiresome. He's getting quite good at it.

Feel free to put me on ignore David. Then hey presto! I vanish!

Isn't choice wonderful?

You simply see one of my posts, and click on my name to view my profile. There you will see the 'ignore this user' function. Then my tiresomeness need not trouble you any more. I made a screen grab in case you get lost.




HTH.

Damian

[David Alexander]

I forgot to add condescending as well. REALLY good at that, too. Apparently practice does make perfect.

[mrgoat]

I forgot to add condescending as well. REALLY good at that, too. Apparently practice does make perfect.

Mr Alexander, I would cordially suggest if you want to carry on just calling me names you start a new thread about how condescending and tiresome I am and stop derailing this thread about Mr Harris' new effect.

Or maybe a blog?

I set up

http://mrgoatannoysme.wordpress.com/

for you.

Just PM me for the password.

Damian

[magicam]

Damian works hard at becoming tiresome. He's getting quite good at it.

Well someone needs to replace Mark Lewis ...

[David Alexander]

Clay, I think Damian did that silly blog thing for someone else in an attempt to insult them. He's now into repeating himself and providing more proof of being tiresome. And of course his suggestions about "ignore this user" works two ways. Apparently he hasn't figured that out yet.

Benny's "Silent Running" is a clever idea that can be used in several ways which are described in detail. For a working performer who wants something out of the ordinary, it's well-worth the price.

Now we're back on track.

[Steve Bryant]

Can Ben run a video of this? It's very difficult to read hype, for any trick, and not think that it's too good to be true, especially if the guy writing the ad copy does not describe exactly what happens. I recently purchased John Kennedy's Mojoe, and loved it; but before buying it I saw John demo it for the camera. This new trick though, and I sincerely hope it's as great as some of you think, reminds me of something Lin Searles wrote a long time ago for Ibidem. (I just published it today, coincidentally, on littleegyptmagic.com/magic.html.) Until a reviewer I trust tells me exactly what happens, or until Ben posts a video, I'll remain skeptical. (And this doesn't address the issue of whether ANY one-trick or one-method download is worth $40.)

[Ben Harris]

Hi Steve,

Tom Frame and Richard Kaufman will have review copies in a few hours. The final editing of the manuscript is complete. I trust their reviews will be accepted.

The PRINT and EBOOK Versions are published March 30. (The PRINTED version is going to press Monday and will ship to dealers worldwide first week of April. The EBOOK version will be available March 30).


Benny

[Nathan Muir]

Wait, $40 for an ebook? I skimmed and missed that.

Unbelievable. I fear we are in end times, as far as magic goes.

[Ben Harris]

Nathan,

What drugs are you on? Can you read? You can have a PRINTED BOOK or an EBOOK. You could even have one of the few limited edition copies that remain, but only if you hurry. End times? Get a life man! Why is it apocalyptic to expect to be PAID for creativity?

Are you one of those takers, finger poised over the photocopy machine or "download now" buttons at the P2P download sites? Well, before you TAKE, I'm going to MAKE. Some of us actually do this for a living.

Review copies sent to Tom Frame and Richard Kaufman. Will you be ripping their comments apart no matter what their opinions? I think so. Some people you can never please. Especially those who hide behind bogus names on magic forums.


Benny

[Richard Kaufman]

You are paying for the material, not the cost of the printing. Have you been involved in some other hobby for your entire life? Or have you never recognized this? That fact that I am responsible for spoiling everyone by putting out enormous books with 80 or so tricks for a relatively low price is turning out to be a pain in the ass for lots of people, me as well.

Customers will vote with their purchase: those who want a physically printed book for $40 can buy one. Those who want an ebook (same price) can buy one. No one is FORCING you to buy the ebook.

And if you fear we are in the end of times now, you can retreat to your cave (without your laptop, I might add) because things are only going to change more rapidly.

[Evan Shuster]

I ordered a collector's edition and I'm anxiously looking forward to receiving it. I have NEVER been disappointed by anything I've ordered from Mr. Harris, and I can't imagine that this purchase will be any different. Best of luck, Benny!

[NCMarsh]

when you can get an actual book from other magic creators for the same price.

You can also get an actual book from Ben Harris -- indeed, the same book, in solid form -- for the same price. $40 is for your choice of pixels or paper (cf. Mr. Harris' question about reading, above.)

N.