Google Guessing
by Oliver Meech

Oliver Meech is a 27-year old Oxford University Psychology graduate who creates TV commercials when he's not creating illusions. His first magic book, The Plot Thickens, is available from www.olivermeech.co.uk

A 21st century book test without the book.

Effect
You memorise Google.

Required
A small pad of paper.
Two pens.
A mug.
A computer connected to the internet.

Preparation
None.

Method
You must use a memory system to memorise the top 10,000 searches on Google. Not really. Actually, the method is painfully simple but don't make the mistake of thinking that it's any less impressive because of it.

Two words: one ahead.

Yep, it's that hoary old chestnut brought into the digital age.

Explain to the spectators that since you don't always have access to a computer, you have made your life easier by memorising Google. Admit that that memorising the whole thing would be exhausting so you've merely memorised the first result for the top 10,000 search terms (ignoring the ubiquitous sponsored links;Wikipedia, Amazon and Ebay). Offer to prove your claim.

Ask them for a random word. Concentrate for a moment then apparently write down the title of a website on a strip. In fact you write “404 Error: page not found”, fold it up and drop it into a mug. Now you have committed yourself, have them type in the word and see what comes up. Nod sagely as if it's what you expected.

Have the spectator write down the title of the website so they'll recall it later. Or, if you are performing for at least five people, assign each person a site title to recall.

For your second guess, actually write down the site from the previous guess, fold it and drop it into the mug.

Repeat this process for the next three guesses, each time writing the site from the previous guess.

On the final guess, repeat the same process but act confused as you try and recall the site. Say that it's changed a few times and there was some problem with it. Act unsure then write down the site from the fourth guess and drop it in the mug.

Briefly recap what's happened then have someone tip out the slips and open them one by one. They will find that they are all correct, apart from the one you were unsure of. You can explain this one away by remarking that “they must have fixed their site”.

Notes
You could make your guesses seem progressively more difficult by increasing the degree of freedom that the spectators have in their choice of word. For the first couple of guesses you would request, for example, a fruit, animal, year or place. For the last few guesses you would open it up to any word at all.

Credits
When writing this up I discovered that Luke Jermay has a trick that shares this plot. I haven't read so can't say if it uses the same method, though comments made by a reviewer regarding the long set-up time makes me think that it probably does not.

Oliver Meech