The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

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Tom Frame
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The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Tom Frame » December 22nd, 2011, 11:39 am

The Miracle ACAAN (PDF) by Lloyd Barnes 5 / $7.80
9 pages, 1 photograph, 6 diagrams
Available at: http://www.ltbmagic.com/miracle-acaan


In this PDF, Lloyd Barnes offers yet another version of the card trick du jour, ACAAN. Theyre coming out of the woodwork I tell ya!

The authors writing is rough and it appears that the text wasnt proofread or edited. There are numerous typographical errors. Several words and an entire sentence are missing. Despite this sloppy production, the author manages to teach the handling.

He credits Lewis Leval for inspiring him to use a cell phone to select the number.

The photograph and diagrams are clear and helpful.


The performer shuffles a deck of cards and tables it face down near a participant. The participant freely names any card. The performer hands his face down cell phone to her and asks her to choose a number by blindly tapping the numeric keypad once or twice. He retrieves his phone, turns it face up and displays a number on the screen.

The participant deals the cards into a face up pile and discovers her selected card at her selected number.


Click on the link at the top of the page to view two performance videos.

There is a big difference between blindly choosing a number and freely choosing a number. The former involves chance. The latter involves will. Im just saying.

I dont like the authors method. Why oh why would anyone use a phone to select a number? Asking a participant to name a number from one to fifty-two is a normal, simple, effective procedure for generating a number. It takes about five seconds.

Choosing a number from one to fifty-two by tapping the keys of a face down phone is an odd, unfamiliar, contrived procedure. It takes Mr. Barnes about twenty seconds.

An observant participant whose spatial orientation is intact will likely notice that the numbers she tapped arent the same numbers that appear on the screen.

Mr. Barnes does not prohibit the participant from tapping the same number twice. What happens when the participant does so and then sees that her number consists of two different digits?

Considering that a deck has fifty-two cards, why would the performer employ a selection procedure in which the blind participant could easily choose a number higher than fifty-two, which couldnt be used? Why would he knowingly use a procedure that is prone to generating unusable numbers?

Wont the participant notice that the performer fiddles with the phone after the card is named?

Mr. Barnes doesnt address any of these issues.

A number of superior, straightforward, phone-free methods are available. You dont need this miracle.


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Lloyd Barnes
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Lloyd Barnes » December 22nd, 2011, 12:29 pm

Thank you for taking the time out to review this, Tom.

I don't mind that you do not recommend this. I think it's better for others to see the negative reviews along with the positive. It allows people to get a really balanced view of the product before they buy it.

All of your opinions are golden to me and will allow me to improve upon this eBook and tackle every issue noted. Lot have people have been working with me to add things here and there on this and in the new year I'll be updating this, leaving no stone left unturned.

Thank you for being honest.

Happy holidays,

Lloyd

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mrgoat
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby mrgoat » December 22nd, 2011, 12:32 pm

Lloyd Barnes wrote:Thank you for taking the time out to review this, Tom.

I don't mind that you do not recommend this. I think it's better for others to see the negative reviews along with the positive. It allows people to get a really balanced view of the product before they buy it.

All of your opinions are golden to me and will allow me to improve upon this eBook and tackle every issue noted. Lot have people have been working with me to add things here and there on this and in the new year I'll be updating this, leaving no stone left unturned.

Thank you for being honest.

Happy holidays,

Lloyd


And that is how you respond to criticism gracefully. L&L staff take note.

Yiyong
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Yiyong » December 23rd, 2011, 4:25 pm

"I think it's better for others to see the negative reviews along with the positive."


What POSITIVE reviews? Who, when, where? Am I missing something?

Yiyong

Brad Henderson
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Brad Henderson » December 23rd, 2011, 5:16 pm

I concur with the goat. Lloyd's response was mature and respectful. My opinion of mr barnes (based solely on his postings) has been raised. I don't see the point of yiyong's post, other than a desire just to be mean.

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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 23rd, 2011, 6:49 pm

YiYong is the Italian guy who created that other handling of The Berglas Effect that created the big tsuris (and not in a good way) this past summer.
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Brad Henderson
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Brad Henderson » December 23rd, 2011, 6:54 pm

That explains a lot.

Edward Pungot
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Edward Pungot » December 23rd, 2011, 11:12 pm

The nice thing about the Genii Forum is one tends to mature as a performer and a human being really quick if one doesn't take the criticism personal. Yes, I believe Master Barnes has indeed been welcomed back into the circle of luminous light. Cheers Mate ;)

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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby jason156 » December 24th, 2011, 12:42 am

Brad Henderson wrote:I concur with the goat. Lloyd's response was mature and respectful. My opinion of mr barnes (based solely on his postings) has been raised. I don't see the point of yiyong's post, other than a desire just to be mean.



The post really didn't seem all that mean to me, I myself would like to read other reviews of this particular effect, just to see how they compare with Mr. Stone's review.

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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Brad Henderson » December 24th, 2011, 2:18 am

A guy gets a bad review and is incredibly graceful about it. How is yiyong's post anything more than an attempt to rub his nose in it?

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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby mrgoat » December 24th, 2011, 3:37 am

Brad Henderson wrote:A guy gets a bad review and is incredibly graceful about it. How is yiyong's post anything more than an attempt to rub his nose in it?


Seems like the sort of personal attack threads now get deleted for to me.

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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 24th, 2011, 11:09 am

YiYong has been banned.
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Tom Frame
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Tom Frame » December 24th, 2011, 12:39 pm

The post really didn't seem all that mean to me, I myself would like to read other reviews of this particular effect, just to see how they compare with Mr. Stone's review. [/quote]


I'd like to read Mr. Stone's review. Where can we find it?

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Tom Stone
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby Tom Stone » December 24th, 2011, 4:45 pm

Tom Frame wrote:I'd like to read Mr. Stone's review. Where can we find it?

I think he's referring to the guy who wrote this book:
http://mjmmagic.blogspot.com/2011/11/pr ... stone.html

;)

jason156
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Re: The Miracle ACAAN by Lloyd Barnes

Postby jason156 » December 24th, 2011, 7:23 pm

Tom Frame wrote:The post really didn't seem all that mean to me, I myself would like to read other reviews of this particular effect, just to see how they compare with Mr. Stone's review.



I'd like to read Mr. Stone's review. Where can we find it? [/quote]



Ouch....that's what I get for trying to do 3 things at once while talking on the phone.


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