Our privacy is under siege.

The government, corporations, our employers,

even neighbors seek information about us. Our last refuge may be our own
minds but not for long.
Body language can reveal a lot of information about what a person is
thinking. For instance, the eyes are a good place to look for subtle clues.
Facial expressions and speech patterns can also betray a persons thoughts.
Let me demonstrate.
After getting a participant to join me, I recite four objects. Lets say theyre
a ring, a quarter, a key and a watch. I ask the participant to pick one
mentally. Its a free choice and I dont influence it in any way.
Do you have an object in mind? Great! I will ask you a question. You may
answer it either truthfully or by lying. Its your choice.
I stand a few feet away and stare into the participants eyes as I ask the
question.
Is the object you have in mind either the quarter or the key?
The participant answers No.
Youre making good eye contact. You have a nice smile. Youre not giving up
your thoughts easily. Your body language is subtle. I cant tell yet if youre
being truthful. So lets try it again. I will ask you another question. If you
answered truthfully the first time, then please answer this next question
truthfully as well. If you lied the first time, then please lie again. Understood?
Is the object you have in mind either the watch or the quarter?
The participant answers No.
There are no facial tics to give you away. Youd make a good Poker player.
But I believe I now have a reliable baseline to work from. Ill ask you one
more question. If you told the truth the last time, then please do so again. If
you lied, then please lie again. Understood?
Is the object you have in mind either the key or the watch?
The participant answers Yes.

You took a little longer to start answering and you averted your eyes. I will
take a chance. Your body language is telling me that youre lying. Am I right?
Oh, by the way, the object you have in mind is the quarter.
With a willing participant who can follow instructions, the result will be
correct 100% of the time.

How?
I dont bother messing around with body language. The real secret is the
binary code. All it takes are 3 questions and some simple addition, and I can
tell whether the subject is lying or telling the truth and what the object is.
Heres how it works.
I begin by assigning numbers to the objects: ring=0, quarter=3, key=5,
watch=6. How Ive assigned the numbers determines the questions. The
quarter or key makes up the 1st question, the quarter or watch makes up
the second question, and the key or watch makes up the third question.
The first question is worth 1 point if the participant answers yes. Otherwise
its worth nothing. The second question is worth 2 points for yes. The third
question is worth 4 points.
In our example, the participant answered No, No, Yes, which adds up to 4
points. None of the objects has a value of 4, which means the participant lied
when answering the three questions. To arrive at the correct object, I
subtract 4 from 7, which gives me 3 points. So, I now know the chosen
object is the quarter and the participant was lying throughout.
Here are all the possible totals and what they mean:
A total of 0 means ring and the person told the truth.
A total of 3 means quarter and the person told the truth.
A total of 5 means key and the person told the truth.
A total of 6 means watch and the person told the truth.
A total of 1 means watch and the person lied.
A total of 2 means key and the person lied.
A total of 4 means quarter and the person lied.
A total of 7 means ring and the person lied.
SUMMARY
The participant may either answer the three questions by lying or answer the
three truthfully. The objects are represented below by A, B, C and D.
A=0, B=3, C=5, D=6

Question 1: B or C, worth 1 point

Question 2: B or D, worth 2 points
Question 3: C or D, worth 4 points

The effect will work with any number of objects. More objects add more
complexity and the effect with 4 objects seems just about right. But if youre
so inclined, here are a few more examples:
TRUTH TELLING WITH THE FIVE ZENER CARDS
Wavy lines=3, Square=4, Circle=9, Star=13, Cross=14
Question
Question
Question
Question

1:
2:
3:
4:

Wavy lines, Circle, or Star, worth 1 point

Wavy lines or Cross, worth 2 points
Square, Star or Cross, worth 4 points
Circle, Star or Cross, worth 8 points.

If the answers add up to a number different than the numbers assigned, then
the person is lying. In that case, subtract the number from 15 to find out
which symbol the person has selected.
TRUTH TELLING WITH 8 OBJECTS
A=1, B=3, C=4, D=6, E=8, F=10, G=13, H=15
Question
Question
Question
Question

1:
2:
3:
4:

A, B, G or H, worth 1 point
B, D, F or H, worth 2 points
C, D, G or H, worth 4 points
E, F, G or H, worth 8 points

Ive done this version with 8 Tarot cards taken from the Rider-Waite Tarot
Deck. The numbers are printed right on the cards themselves.
The Magician=1, The Empress=3, The Emperor=4, The Lovers=6,
Strength=8, Wheel of Fortune=10, Death=13, The Devil=15
Question
Question
Question
Question

1:
2:
3:
4:

The Magician, The Empress, Death, or The Devil

The Empress, The Lovers, Wheel of Fortune, or The Devil
The Emperor, The Lovers, Death, or The Devil
Strength, Wheel of Fortune, Death or The Devil

Alternatively, the following set of Tarot cards will work equally well.
The Fool=0, The High Priestess=2, The Hierophant=5, The Chariot=7, The
Hermit=9, Justice=11, The Hanged Man=12, Temperance=14
Question
Question
Question
Question

1:
2:
3:
4:

The
The
The
The

Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hermit, or Justice

High Priestess, The Chariot, Justice, or Temperance
Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hanged Man, or Temperance
Hermit, Justice, The Hanged Man, or Temperance