BIP Book 2.0 by Scott Creasey

BIP Book 2.0 by Scott Creasey, now good to go wherever you are, with a new ending thrown in just because.

Picture this: you hand someone what looks like an official book from the British Institute of Parapsychology, sounds fancy, right? Inside, each page is a jumble of a word, a time, colourful shapes, and numbers from 10 to 999. Why? Who knows. But it works.

• First participant opens it, picks a number, and uses it to pick a country from the front. They mull over that country, its capital, and landmarks. Don't ask me why.
• Second participant finds a word and links it to something at the back.
• Third participant keeps an eye on two shapes and their colours.
• Fourth participant grabs a 2 or 3 digit number for good measure.
• Fifth participant notes a time. As you do.

And then, somehow, you know what each one picked without touching the book again. You can name the items, scribble them down, or even predict the last one if you're feeling brave. Plenty of ways to mess with people's heads here.

It's small enough to fit in your shirt pocket but good for walk-around, table-hopping, parlour, and even on stage, if you're that way inclined. No peeking, sleights, or mental gymnastics required. You can even be across the room when they make their choices. Not sure why it's so effective, but there we go.

Wayne Dobson summed it up nicely: "If it was any cleaner, the pages would be blank." If Wayne's impressed, that's probably saying something.