Addendum: A Different Approach Using a Two-Base Code

This is Four Told on steroids! This system is different and not as easy to do, but it allows you to get as
close as possible to real mindreading. Although the 1, 2, 4 binary system explained in the original directions is
very deceptive, this alternative system kicks it up another level.
The reason for this alternative approach is that the majority of people will think of one of the force
symbols. I realized with the 1, 2, 4 system that a third call was always needed if a person thought of a star or a
circle. Since the star is the most commonly thought-of symbol, you will almost always have to do three calls.
Since the force symbols are the most often chosen, I wondered if there were ways to do everything in two calls
(in most cases) and eliminate the third call altogether. Doing only two calls would make it appear even more
impossible and closer to real mindreading. What follows is what I developed.
In this method, you may need a hidden cue chart, but I will also show you an easy way to memorize
what you need by using simple memory aids.
With this system you use a computer style two-base binary code. Only ones and zeros are used. A
participant’s eyes closed = 1, and a participant’s eyes open = 0. With this system you are tracking not only
which participants have their eyes closed, but also which ones have them open. This technique allows you to
get all the information you need in order to know which symbols the participants are thinking of by using only
two calls, provided they thought of a force symbol. The first call is completely concealed in a subtle way, it
does not appear to be a call and will fly by everyone. You only need a third call if someone thought of the cross
or square. Even this is not needed if you use my more advanced techniques.

HOW TO DO IT: Instead of four columns, you will use four rows, one for each of the four participants. Your
first two calls are entirely different from the first two calls used in the 1, 2, 4 base system. In each participant’s
row you mark down whether he had his eyes open or closed. If he closed his eyes, jot down a 1. If he left his
eyes open, jot down a 0. It is as simple as that.

THE FIRST CALL – STRAIGHT LINES: No actual symbols called out!

“Concentrate on your symbol, and I will try to pick up impressions. I am starting to get impressions,
some are stronger than others. I'm receiving some impressions, but I feel they are mixed with the audience's
thoughts. I'm clearly getting some curved lines... they are often easier to transmit. Straight lines are a lot harder
and require more concentration from you. If the symbol you are thinking of has straight lines in it, then CLOSE
YOUR EYES and really CONCENTRATE on sending it to me.
“With your eyes closed, see the darkness and then draw the design in your mind. See the straight lines of
the symbol clearly in your mind. Okay, open your eyes and clear your mind.”
In the first call, you are not calling out any symbols! Just for the participants to help you by closing their
eyes and drawing the symbol in their mind if it has straight lines. Only three of the symbols have straight
lines, the star, the cross, and the square. Anyone who has their eyes closed is thinking of one of those
symbols. For this example, we will assume the first participant thought of a circle. The second participant
is thinking of wavy lines, and the third and fourth participants are both thinking of the star. Only the
third and fourth participants will have their eyes closed. So mark your rows as follows:

Participant One (Circle): 0

Participant Two (Wavy Lines): 0
Participant Three (Star): 1
Participant Four (Star): 1
THE SECOND CALL – Colors: Red and Blue
“I got strong impressions of some symbols, but I am still not sure about some of your thoughts. Let’s try
another approach. Sometimes it is easier to send thoughts of colors, rather than symbols, so everyone please
focus on your symbol’s color. I will see if I can pick up some color impressions and call out the strongest
thoughts. Please concentrate ONLY on the color of your symbol. (Close your eyes and pause for a few
moments as in deep concentration.) I am getting WEAK impressions of the colors RED…and BLUE. I think
that is because you are seeing all the other colors in the room and that is confusing me. I need you to block
those other colors out. If you are thinking of either RED or BLUE, then close your eyes and see that color in
your mind. First see the darkness and then form a bright vivid image of your color so I can pick up your
thoughts. Okay, open your eyes and clear your mind.”

Jot a 1 or 0 in each person’s row, a 1 if his eyes are closed and a 0 if open, to the right of the first value
you wrote. For this example, we will assume the first participant thought of a circle. The second
participant is thinking of wavy lines, and the third and fourth participants are both thinking of the star.
The second, third and fourth participants will have their eyes closed. Only the first participant will have
his eyes open. So mark your rows as follows:

Participant One (Circle): 00

Participant Two (Wavy Lines): 01
Participant Three (Star): 11
Participant Four (Star): 11
As incredible as it may seem, at this point you will know all three symbols, and a third call is not
needed! What is amazing is that you have not called out the circle or the color white. Yet you know participant
one is thinking of the circle!

Here is the key along with simple memory aids:

00 = Circle Easy to remember because it is two zeros that look like a circles.
01 = Wavy Lines The 0 is curved and the 1 looks like a line. Think curved lines, hence wavy lines.
11 = Star 11 is the HIGHest value in the base-two system. Stars are HIGH in the sky.
You can have this cue list concealed in your pad, or it is easily memorized. Just remember the symbols
are in ascending order in value: Circle (1), Wavy Lines (3), and Star (5). If everyone thought of a force symbol
then the third call is not needed. This happens a lot with this effect.

You only need the third call if someone thought of the cross or square. This is easy to spot because
you will have a value of 10 in his row. Think of this as a ten. Any time you see a 10, you need a third call.
Look at the next example. The fourth participant is thinking of the square. His row shows 10, so you need to
make a third call.

Participant One (Circle): 00

Participant Two (Wavy Lines): 01
Participant Three (Star): 11
Participant Four (Square): 10

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THE THIRD CALL – Color & Symbol: Green and Circle
“Wait a minute; I am getting MULTIPLE impressions. I will call out the impressions as I get them. I am
getting the color green, and I am getting the impression of a circle. These impressions are very WEAK and may
be coming from the audience. If you are thinking of either the circle or the color green, then CLOSE YOUR
EYES and really CONCENTRATE on sending it to me.

Jot a 1 or 0 in each person’s row THAT HAS A VALUE OF 10, a 1 if his eyes are closed and a 0 if
open, to the right of the first TWO values you wrote. For this example, we will assume the first
participant thought of a circle. The second participant is thinking of wavy lines, and the third participant
is thinking of the star. The fourth participant is thinking of the square. Only the first and fourth
participants will have their eyes closed. You need only mark the rows where the value is 10. Even though
the first participant has his eyes closed, you do not make a mark in his row as it has a value of 00. READ
THIS AGAIN. Make sure you understand this.

Participant One (Circle): 00

Participant Two (Wavy Lines): 01
Participant Three (Star): 11
Participant Four (Cross): 100
Here is the key for the third call when needed:

100 = Square An easy memory aid is that a dollar ($1.00) bill and a square both have four corners.
101 = Cross An easy memory aid is to remember 100 plus 1 = 101. The cross looks like a plus sign.

COMPLETE CUE LIST FOR BASE-TWO SYSTEM

00 = Circle
01 = Wavy Lines
11 = Star
100 = Square
101 = Cross
There you have it, the alternative system. The big benefit is that you can complete the effect in most
cases by doing only two calls and the first call does not really appear to be a call. You can still use this system
with the endings I gave you earlier in these directions, where more than one person thinks of the same symbol.

What about tracking audience members? You can still do this to a certain extent. After your first call,
take note of any people in the first few rows that have their eyes closed. After the second call, note who has
their eyes closed. These people will have a value of 11 and all will be thinking of the star. After your
participants have gone back to their seats, you say:

“I was getting several strong impressions of the star from the audience. You sir, you were thinking of the
star, correct? You ma’am, I was also getting a strong impression of a star from you. Was that your symbol
too?”

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DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO DO THE THIRD CALL WITH AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHO HAVE A
VALUE OF 10. YOU ARE ONLY CALLING OUT TWO THINGS. If anyone closes their eyes, to the
audience you have a 50/50 chance of being correct. Not very impressive, and doing this could tip off the
method to astute audience members. You should only point to people who thought of the star.

If after the second call, only one person has a value of 10, then there is a clever way to avoid the third
call completely. If two or more people (very unlikely) have a value of 10, then the third call is needed. In the
next section, I will teach you an alternative instead of doing the third call. This may not appeal to everyone, but
some of you will find great value in this ploy.

ELIMINATING THE THIRD CALL COMPLETELY

In the original 1, 2, 4 base system, the third call told you which one of three possible symbols was being
thought of. The third call determined whether a participant was thinking of the circle, square or star. With my
base-two system, the third call determines whether a participant is thinking of either the square or cross. That
means you have a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly, without the need of doing a third call. Actually, the odds
are better and I will explain that later in these directions.

Let me point out again, this ploy is only used when one participant has a value of 10. If two or more
participants have a value of 10, then you MUST do the third call. As mentioned before, due to the force
symbols, it is highly unlikely that more than one person will be thinking of something other than a force
symbol.

For this example, assume the third participant has a value of 10. He can only be thinking of either the
cross or square. The odds are in favor that he is thinking of the square. When a person is just asked to quickly
name a simple shape, they will usually say a square. Also, tests have shown when people are asked to think of
one of the ESP symbols, the star is the first choice and the cross is the LAST choice.

On the chart, the square (although not a force symbol) is bright yellow and is almost invariably chosen
more than the green cross. What all this means is that the odds are more like 70/30 in favor of your participant
thinking of the square!

You will give this person a face-down ESP card with a square on the face. In most cases it will be a hit.
If you are wrong and the symbol is a cross, it will be considered a NEAR MISS; if you use the patter I give you.
The near miss will sound very logical and make it appear you really can read minds.

As you hand him the face-down square say:

“I’m not 100% sure about your symbol. I was a little confused and may have received your image in
REVERSE.”

Do not say anymore about the word REVERSE or try to explain it. It is only used as a near miss out, if
needed. Continue by giving the other three participants their symbols. With these other three people you
know you will be 100% correct.

You will start your reveals by asking the participant who is holding the square what his symbol is. You
start with him just in case it becomes a near miss. The other three symbols will be correct and will build to a
strong climax, or even stronger, if two or more people are thinking of the same symbol, which is highly likely.

“Tell us, what symbol are you thinking of?”

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IF HE SAYS SQUARE
“As I said earlier, I wasn’t completely sure of your symbol. Show us your card.”
At this point the audience is in suspense. Are you right or wrong? He shows you are indeed correct and
you get a strong round of applause.

IF HE SAYS CROSS

This will not happen too often, but when it does, you will turn it into an amazing near miss. The near
miss in this case makes it appear you really can read minds and will still result in applause from the audience. It
is important to point out the near miss and take credit for it.

Do NOT have him show his face-down card until you say the following:

“Remember, I told you earlier that I felt I had received your image in reverse. Well I did. A cross has
four INSIDE CORNERS, (Point to the cross on your chart and follow an inside corner with your finger as
an illustration.) while a square has four outside corners. I was definitely getting the impression of four corners.
If you could turn a cross INSIDE OUT, the four inside corners would make a square. That is why I said I felt I
got your symbol in reverse. Show us your card.

This explanation REALLY works. Had you given him anything other than a square, it would not. You
will find if you do the patter as given, that the audience will be impressed and will often gasp. It appears you
really are psychic and you should get a round of applause at this point. Even though it is a near miss, the
audience will still consider it a partial hit based on the four corner ploy!

ADVANCED TECHNIQUE FOR EXPERTS: It should be obvious to many of you, that you really do not
need to jot down a 0 on your pad. Just leave a blank space there. I only jot down the 1. I know that the blank
space either before or after the 1 represents a 0. Just make sure you leave sufficient space after the blank space
so you know the 1 is from the second call, otherwise you may confuse yourself. For example if nothing was
written in a participant’s row, that would be the same as 00. You would know that person was thinking of the
circle. Only try this after you have done this many times and fully understand the principle. Once you get
proficient, you can really speed things up by just putting a dot (.) instead of a 1. If anyone sees your pad
afterward, he will only see a few dots on the pad, which will mean nothing to him.

You now have two systems and lots of ideas to experiment with. Enjoy.

Devin Knight
June 2011

Copyright 2011 by Devin Knight Graphics by Jason Ring Edited by Jerry Dunn