Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

It's possible to assess the person (say, an eighty year old lady from the United Kingdom) and then use the name "Albert" as a statistically-likely significant name.

This doesn't need to be THE name that was thought of - a good mentalist can convince the subject that "Albert" is actually the "loved one" they were thinking of, even if it wasn't the first name to be considered. People are inclined to be agreeable, especially in an unfamiliar setting with a large number of strangers staring at them and even more so if the person is alone and elderly.



But wouldn't it be fairly obvious to the audience that this kind of manipulation is happening and thus find it less interesting?




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: