"Calculus" by JP and Mahen Shrestha
Suggested Retail USD$34.99
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Calculus", a CD-ROM by JP and Mahen Shrestha, is one of those cool tools that you'll kick yourself for not having thought of yourself and is a perfect fit for anyone wanting an anytime, anyplace, always ready, piece of mentalism at their fingertips.

Well, that about sums this one up. Thank you and goodnight.

Okay, so you know I can't let things stop at that, but I'm awfully close. "Calculus" works as advertised, does what it should, and is a great way to do "add-a-number" routines without resorting to pads, whiteboards, or clunky looking calculators. For those in the dark, "Calculus" would look something like this:

The performer hands an envelope to someone to hold. Bringing out a cell phone, the performer activates the calculator on it and has a spectator verify that it works and they know how to use it. That spectator enters a string of numbers, completely at random, then hands it to another spectator who does the same thing, adding their number to the previous one. This can be repeated, by the way -- any number of spectators can play. At the end, a spectator presses the equal button and reads the total. Yes, it matches the prediction.

Okay, well, that's the basic way of doing this, but there are a ton of routines out there using the "add-a-number" principle and "Calculus" is right at home with most of them. And if you're out of ideas, some decent ones are included with the documentation. Now, don't expect these to be earth-shattering demonstrations of psychic powers, but they'll be enough to get your own thinking processes jump-started.

"Calculus" is a clever idea. With everybody carrying a cell-phone around nowadays, it's natural to use the calulcator that "comes with" one, isn't it? And, since you're likely carryinng your cell-phone with you everywhere you go, by installing this small application you're ready to perform your effect anytime and anywhere. On the performance side of things, this is extremely easy to use -- from the spectator's end and yours -- and you can get different results each time you use it so repeating it is a piece of cake.

Yeah, I love this one. It's one great, handy tool and, since you're taking your phone with you anyway, why not rig it for some slick effects.

Okay, so let's get to some details. And for once they're all technically-related.

First, the disc is a PC CD-ROM. This may or may not be restrictive to you -- to be honest, I'm not sure anymore what with all those cross-platform media translators out there -- so I mention it in passing. On the CD you are supplied with the program and the documentation (a PDF). The program itself is requires Macromedia/Adobe Flash or Flash Lite to run and that may be a big sticking point for you. Before purchasing "Calculus", check your phone's or your PDA's documentation to make sure that you have a Flash compatible device. If you don't, you can't use this one. The program itself is about 3kb so it should fit comfortably on your device, but check to make sure. Also, your device (phone or PDA) must allow you to edit a file on the device in order to repeat this with a different result. I used a PDA and could do it in seconds; your device may vary.

Well, that's it. The program itself is slick and does what it's supposed to and is yet something else we can carry around with straining our pockets or wallets. This one is simple to recommend: if you're interested in the practicality of having an "add-a-number" on you pretty much all the time, and your device will handle the technical specifics, you'll be happy with "Calculus".

"Calculus" by JP and Mahen Shrestha
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Practicality: 10
Imagine a portable "add-a-number" style calculator you almost always had on you, one that was simple enough to for any spectator to use and where changing the desired number was a piece of cake. How cool would that be? That's exactly what "Calculus" is: portable, easy to reset, easy to use and, thanks to modern tech, completely ubiquitous. If you've got a Flash-enabled phone or PDA and you're of a mentalist bent, you'll love this.

Workmanship: 10
The program is very well written and works like a charm.

Documentation: 10
The documentation describing how to use this is great, but they get extra points for all the links to lists of compatible devices and download locations for any necessary software. A few routines were also included that, though probably not the powerhouses they could be, will at least get the creative juices flowing.

Effect: n/a
It's all in what you do with it, really.

Presentation: n/a
Same here (though they have certainly made it easier to get away with things).

Shane

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