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Last night I met a friend to discuss mentalism and so on, and I ended up showing him my own imp pad. After we discussed it a bit, and played around with a few ideas, he asked how it compared to other pads, i.e Janus pad. I didn't know the answer having only ever used my own pad.

Anyway, on the way home I started thinking about it and a horrible thought occured to me. What if my pad was pretty much the same as the Janus (etc.) pad? What if I'd shown the pad to someone, claiming it as my own invention, and they later get a Janus (etc.) pad and thought "wait a minute this guy is passing off the Janus pad as his own work!"

Since my pad doesn't involve spanking or doorways, I don't think it is the same as the Janus but it may be similar to others. Could the owners of imp. pads please say whether they can do the following with their pad:

The pad itself is A6 with spirals at the top and a bit of elastic at the back that you wrap around over the top flap to hold it closed. The sort of pad you can buy from any stationers.

• hand the pad to a spectator
• they open and write a list of questions, short letter, draw a picture, etc.
• they rip out the page they used.
• close the pad and pull the elastic over the top to hold it closed.
• you take back the pad, and without looking at it, put in in your pocket.
• you never take the pad out your pocket (unless people want to inspect it)
• you reveal whatever it is you need to for the effect.

As for effects, I can have a spectator write a letter on the pad, tear out the sheet and put it in an envelope, which they put in their pocket. They close the pad and I put that straight in my pocket. I have my back turned while the spec is writing. I never handle the letter and they never take it out of their pocket. I put the closed pad straight in my pocket without even glancing at it, and never go in that pocket again. I can then reveal the content of their letter. Usually, I phone someone up and ask them questions that were in the letter and give the answers to the spectator (i.e. the person I phoned remotely viewed the letter as the spectator wrote it).

Can any other pad marketed together do this? If not, I'm safe.

Your help appreciated.

I cant really help.. but i have to say that your pad sounds AMAZING! I would love something like this it really sounds great!

Well, there are methods that will allow you to do what you are saying your pad does, without actually holding one in my hand I couldn't tell you one way or other (but will give you kudos for a clever approach to hawking your device)...

I happen to collect imp pads and have at least a few dozen on hand to compare with but, if you are using a certain something mentions by Bob Cassidy in his books or which has been popularized by John Riggs in his products I'd say the chances are very probable that you're not quite as "original" as you think you are... again, without seeing the device it would nearly impossible to say one way or the other as to if it compares and how to other systems.

but will give you kudos for a clever approach to hawking your device

Thanks Craig, I was worried I'd over-egged the pudding at bit.

The originality in my pad would be in the method in which the impression is peeked rather than the way the impression is caught. I am familar with Riggs' boards but not his notepads. As for the method he uses (to get the impression) I'm not personally keen on it. This isn't to say that his clipboards are brilliant, they are.

When I created my pad, it was the ability to peek with information without ever having to open the pad or even look at it after the spec had written their thing that I had in mind. The spec draws, shuts the pad, and it is never opened again. Unlike, say an Outlaw wallet (another brilliant device, although not an imp.) whatever the spec wrote doesn't have to be in the pad when it is shut.

As far as I'm aware, the other pads don't do this. If this is the case, then when I have finished using it, I will hawk the pad.

Well, it is the Yule Tide... send me one and I'll taunt everyone with it

If it is in fact that clean and clever you've got something! I'd be more than glad to feature it in a VISIONS article if that were the case.

Sounds like a great product S.Lea

If it helps any, what you describe it isn't like the Janus Pad or Scott Creasey's First Impression Pad (although bouth use similar sized notebooks).

It is also quite different to Mark Elsdon's Mindspy Pad.

My favourite of those above is the First Impression Pad and I use it a lot. Yours does sound very interesting though.

Craig Browning wrote:Well, it is the Yule Tide... send me one and I'll taunt everyone with it

If it is in fact that clean and clever you've got something! I'd be more than glad to feature it in a VISIONS article if that were the case.

I'd be happy to send one out to you Craig

I don't know if it will arrive before the big day, according the Post Office, the deadline for the USA is the 11th.

Please PM me an address to send it to.

Sounds very nice, what sort of price will they be going out at?