Secrets of a Good Memory

[Guest guest]

I've spent a lot of time studying the strategies of memory champions such as

Dominic O'Brien and Andi Bell.

I've read many of their books and their impressive feats (such as memorising a

deck of cards in under

25 seconds) have nothing to do with genetics. O'Brien was repeatedly told by his

childhood teachers

that he was intellectually incompetent.

All of the champions use some form of mnemonic technique. Everything that they

wish to memorise

(cards, names, numbers, addresses) is converted into a picture. The basic

strategy is to develop a

set of " pegs " . For examples you may have 100 pegs, with each peg being a picture

representing the

numbers from 1 to 100. Then, let's say you want to memorise a deck of cards,

you'd convert each card

to a picture and imagine it interacting in some bizarre way with your peg (that

is, card 1 would interact

with peg 1, card 2 would interact with peg 2 and so forth). Provided your images

are sufficiently

vivid, it is then a simple process to recall the entire deck. In fact you could

even recall the deck in

reverse order or recall every second card.

They become champions in the same way that other people become champions...they

practise! I believe

O'Brien drills his mnemonic techniques up to 6 hours per day.

Don Nguyen

Sydney, Australia

[Guest guest]

Mel Siff and Don Nguyen wrote:

<< Don Nguyen:

<I've spent a lot of time studying the strategies of memory champions such as

Dominic O'Brien and Andi Bell.------ O'Brien was repeatedly told by his

childhood teachers that he was intellectually incompetent.

All of the champions use some form of mnemonic technique. Everything that

they wish to memorise (cards, names, numbers, addresses) is converted into a

picture. The basic strategy is to --etc

They become champions in the same way that other people become

champions...they practise! I believe O'Brien drills his mnemonic techniques

up to 6 hours per day.>

Mel Siff,

Note that few, if any, of the more popular memory methods which go back

to the ancient Greeks, through Loisette and others in more modern times,

enhance one's ability to remember and understand complex concepts,

scientific information and mathematical equations.

A fairly well-known tale about the genius Einstein uis relevant in this

regard. When someone commented that he must have a phenomenal memory to be

able to think as he did, old Albert apparently retorted: " Why should I bother

to fill my mind with all trivial facts when I own a perfectly good

encyclopaedia? " Apparently, he felt that the space in one's head should be

very selectively filled with what it needs to remember and the rest should be

left to one's books (and today to our computers).

By the way, my Islamic friends point out that many of them know the entire

Q'uran off by heart and they don't use any special mnemonic devices at all;

just plenty of study and repetition every day of their lives from early

childhood.

When I studied and acted as a schoolboy, I could repeat long poems and

several plays of Shakespeare from memory, but don't ask me to do that today -

not that I couldn't do it again, but I haven't the slightest motivation to do

so. On the other hand, I am very graced to be able to remember vast amounts

of information from several of the sciences - not to diminish the phenomenal

abilities of O'Brien, I am sure that he would struggle to do the same. One

needs to stress that memorisation can be massively enhanced by disciplined

study, fervent motivation, and a love of learning.>>

Telle--

I think you both *may* be missing information due to your incredible " minds " .

Apparently some people are memorizers and some arent--regardless of the

effort. I was considered a prodigy at age 4 ,reading 11-12 year old material.

It didnt take me long to dispell that notion. By the 3rd grade I was lost in

my own little universe apparently struggling with mathematical concepts and

finding not much use for words either!

Still, I was evaluated as an " unmotivated underachiever " and more than a bit

of a " nuisance " (I can hear you now Hamish). I remember trying to learn the

grave diggers speech from " Hamlet " ? in the 8th grade! It took me forever, and

I, not knowing anything about the different types of ADD, on the one hand,

doubted my learning capacities. Yet at the same time I had a vivid experience

of processes and concepts much different from my teachers, professors and

magna cum laude friends.

I figure I would have been a genius like Einstein if my learning was retarded

(his words) and had learned to read at age 6-7 instead of 3-4--Dang!! the

luck anyway!!

Everything else seems in parrallel--a disinterest in facts (because they took

so much effort to acquire--unless salience was high) a fascination with the

interrelatedness of objects, including animal learning and interacting--not

much use for words-- " in their standard form " and a terrible capacity for

learning foreign languages--Einstein again. I have next to no photographic or

eidetic imagery memory.

It is claimed Einstein relished in the fact that he did not have knowledge of

much of his field. A poster on my wall says " Do not worry about your

difficulties in mathematics --I can assure you that mine are still greater "

My guess is he wasn't a great mathematician or " knowledge " ? acquirer

because--he didn't have the capacity!!

If he would have taken a standard American? IQ test in the first or second

grade he would probably have been placed special ed or " learning disabled " An

interesting scenario for the person who turned time on its head! We are all

lucky he entered life in a relatively affluential Jewish family.

I remember reading an article about savants. In an attempt to shed light on

this a college professor? had various undergrads focus intensely on one

aspect of mental processes. e.g. multiplying large numbers in their heads

" rain man " style. Some were able to " savant " them selves with disciplined

focus after a time?

And please don tell me I didn't apply myself--I tried to understand that for

about 30 years and finally trashed it along with all the other " standard "

concepts of IQ, memory and the like. I invested heavy and fruitless time in

Huo-whats-his names mnemonic, pegs, visualizations, blah and everything else

until I accepted I was just different!

I knew I thought analogically-mataphorically even before I discovered a rare

few others had a sense of the same " style " .

It is still my fervent opinion that it is the educational systems

preoccupation with facts, and memorization that limits social, physiological

and creative progress. The sooner they relagate Plato, Descarte, Freud amd

even Skinner to their perspective places in pat history--the sooner we will

move on.

Like I said with the Milo post, when the educational system learns to lift a

little bull instead of just spreading it-- " things " will change!

Jerry Telle

Lakewood CO USA

[Guest guest]

Jerry Telle wrote:

>Still, I was evaluated as an " unmotivated underachiever " and more than a bit

>of a " nuisance " (I can hear you now Hamish).

Heh, they said the same about me at school.

>Huo-whats-his names mnemonic, pegs, visualizations, blah and everything else

>until I accepted I was just different!

No argument there.

>It is still my fervent opinion that it is the educational systems

>preoccupation with facts, and memorization that limits social, physiological

>and creative progress. The sooner they relagate Plato, Descarte, Freud amd

>even Skinner to their perspective places in pat history--the sooner we will

>move on.

At University one chap amassed over 300 points (108 required for an undergrad

degree)

in three years just by using various memory techniques. He always selected

courses

based on multi choice or short answer questions and avoided long essays.

>Like I said with the Milo post, when the educational system learns to lift a

>little bull instead of just spreading it-- " things " will change!

It's not all bad. I didn't learn anything at School or University but at least

at Uni I learned to learn and think for myself. Just a pity it was nothing to

do with the actual courses I was doing.

In terms of application did it really mean anything to you to learn that

information?

Even the best tools lead to poor results if one's heart isn't in it.

Hamish Ferguson

Christchurch, New Zealand

[Guest guest]

Jerry Telle wrote:

>Huo-whats-his names mnemonic, pegs, visualizations, blah and everything else

>until I accepted I was just different!

Hamish Ferguson--

No argument there.

Telle

You Know Hamish, I'm starting to get his real clear picture of you--I'll bet

you have really fast hands and currently your best use of same is a

jab--rarely missing an opening!

Furthermore, with a little more experience you'll have the fat lady singing

her heart out!

>>Telle-

It is still my fervent opinion that it is the educational systems

>preoccupation with facts, and memorization that limits social, physiological

>and creative progress. The sooner they relegate Plato, Descarte, Freud and

>even Skinner to their perspective places in pat history--the sooner we will

>move on.

--snip--

>Like I said with the Milo post, when the educational system learns to lift a

>little bull instead of just spreading it-- " things " will change!

Hamish wrote--

It's not all bad. I didn't learn anything at School or University but at least

at Uni I learned to learn and think for myself. Just a pity it was nothing to

do with the actual courses I was doing.

Telle-

Right, of course its all different aspects of the " cue ball of

knowledge " --cut the ball in half and what do you have? Some would say half a

cue ball--I say half a cue ball by any other metaphor is not half a glass of

water! (How's that, Casler and Harvey Maron?)

Hamish wrote:

In terms of application did it really mean anything to you to learn that

information?

Even the best tools lead to poor results if one's heart isn't in it.

Telle-

Well, as long as I'm just talking to you, it meant a huge amount. But in

Telle's world of hyperbole and embellishment--a point " must " be made!!

Speaking of points--if I had lived 80, 000 years ago--maybe I would have

noticed that an extra 2 inches, on an Atl-atl, would increase effectiveness

20% (operationalized as many more suppers) an atl atl is a stick used to

launch other sticks (light spears--the precursors to arrows)?

As I've expressed before " Creativity is a function of structure (knowledge)

not chaos(ignorance) "

Jerry Telle

Lakewood CO USA