H ACKING Y OUR M EMORY Learn faster. Be smarter

HACKING YOUR MEMORYLearn faster. Be smarter.

ABOUT ME

Microsoft Developer – C#, F# Former Development Manager Former Enterprise Architect, US Airways

Currently writing the next Great Windows 8 Killer App in order to Get Rich Quick.

Blog: http://TheSkillfulBrain.com

AGENDA Story telling: The Experiment The Case for Memorization Three Key Concepts Foundational Memory Hack: Engaging Your Memory Foundational Memory Hack: Subverting Location Foundational Memory Hack: Beating the Numbers Wrap-up and Review Resources

THE EXPERIMENT

Initial result: Seven plus or minus two

THE EXPERIMENT REVISED 5 minutes. 43 presidents. 100% retention at two weeks. 80% retention at four weeks.

1. George Washington

2. John Adams

3. Thomas Jefferson

4. James Madison

5. James Monroe

6. John Quincy Adams

7. Andrew Jackson

8. Martin Van Buren

9. William Henry Harrison

10. John Tyler

11. James K. Polk

12. Zachary Taylor

13. Millard Fillmore

14. Franklin Pierce

15. James Buchanan

16. Abraham Lincoln

17. Andrew Johnson

18. Ulysses S. Grant

19. Rutherford B. Hayes

20. James A. Garfield

21. Chester A. Arthur

22. Grover Cleveland

23. Benjamin Harrison

24. Grover Cleveland (again)

25. William McKinley

26. Theodore Roosevelt

27. William Howard Taft

28. Woodrow Wilson

29. Warren G. Harding

30. Calvin Coolidge

31. Herbert Hoover

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt

33. Harry S. Truman

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower

35. John F. Kennedy

36. Lyndon B. Johnson

37. Richard Nixon

38. Gerald Ford

39. Jimmy Carter

40. Ronald Reagan

41. George H. W. Bush

42. Bill Clinton

43. George W Bush

44. Barack Obama

THE EXPERIMENT REVISED

1. African Lion2. African Wild Dog

(cape hunting dog)

3. Aldabra Tortoise4. Andean Bear5. Arabian Oryx6. Asian Elephant7. Bald Eagle8. Bornean

Orangutan9. Capybara10. Cheetah11. Chilean Flamingo12. Coyote13. Crowned Pigeon14. Desert Tortoise

15. Fennec Fox16. Galapagos

Tortoise17. Golden Conure18. Golden Lion

Tamarin19. Grevy Zebra20. Hamadryas

Baboon21. Mandrill22. Meerkat or

Suricate23. Mexican Gray Wolf24. Mhorr Gazelle25. Mountain Lion26. Ocelot27. Palawan Peacock

Pheasant28. Prairie Dog29. Radiated Tortoise30. Reticulated Giraffe31. Rhinoceros

Hornbill32. Ring-tailed Lemur33. Rothschild's

Mynah34. Spotted Necked

Otter35. Squirrel Monkey36. Sumatran Tiger37. Thick-billed Parrot38. Warthog39. White Faced Saki40. White Rhinoceros

THE EXPERIMENT

Initial result: Seven plus or minus two Final result: 100+

MODERN ASSUMPTIONS

Premise: Memorization is very expensive. Premise: We are very busy. Premise: We have Google and Bing. Conclusion: Memorization isn’t cost effective.

Store information here

Do thinking here

THE LIMITED ACCESS PROBLEM

See Pragmatic Thinking And Learning, Andy Hunt

THE MENTAL TOOLBOX

Thinking Tools Memory Tools Imagination Tools

Logic Brainstorming

Arithmetic Mind Maps

Algebra Meditation

Calculus Collaborative Writing

Statistics Stream of Consciousness

Critical Thinking Free Association

Etc… Etc…

THOMAS AQUINAS – 1225-1274

A HISTORY OF ACCESSING INFORMATION

A HISTORY OF ACCESSING INFORMATION

EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Trivium Grammar – the mechanics of language Logic – analysis and thinking Rhetoric – communication

Invention Arrangement Style Memory Delivery

Quadrivium Geometry Arithmetic Astronomy Music

THE CASE FOR MEMORY: SUMMARY There is evidence that having more facts in your

brain leads to better thinking. There is evidence that Google is not a substitute for knowing stuff.

Training in how to use memory was a foundational part of a classical education for hundreds of years.

The techniques work, but require considerable effort. Imagine doing math without any kind of training.

That’s what you’re currently doing with your memory. Specific memory techniques exist to help you

remember faces, numbers, conversations, large sections of text (word for word), large sections of text (Cliff Notes version), lists, sequences, and relations.

KEY CONCEPT: MEMORY RULES

How the decides if something is worth remembering:1. Will it keep you from getting eaten by a

tiger?2. Is it new? Is it novel?3. Is it relevant for understanding social

norms?a) Is it gossip?b) Does it illustrate where social boundaries are?

4. Is it emotionally charged?5. Will it get you food, safety, or prestige?6. ….7. Lots and lots of repetition

KEY CONCEPT: THE NETWORK

The problem is not storing the memory; the problem is accessing the memory.

KEY CONCEPT: MEMORY TYPES

We suck at remembering Abstract anything Numbers Anything we aren’t emotionally engaged with Anything we perceive as routine

We excel at remembering Location Emotions Sights Smells

FOUNDATIONAL MEMORY HACKENGAGING YOUR MEMORY

1. Care.2. Get emotional.3. Make memory explicit.

FOUNDATIONAL MEMORY HACKSUBVERT LOCATION

Many names for the same thing Method of Loci Memory Palace Memory Journey Memory Theatre

Demo

FOUNDATIONAL MEMORY HACKBEATING THE NUMBERS 01: Captain America 02: Captain Marvel 03: Deadpool 04: Hawkeye 05: Hulk 06: Iron Man 07: Spider-Man 08: Spider-Woman 09: Thor 10: Wasp 11: Wolverine 12: Doctor Doom 13: Green Goblin 14: Red Skull 15: Batman 16: Superman 17: Wonder Woman

18: Walt Disney 19: Natalie Portman 20: Billy Crystal 21: Christopher

Hitchens 22: Ellen Degeneris 23: Regina Spektor 24: Hugh Laurie 25: Omar Epps 26: Scott Guthrie 27: Lucille Ball 28: Pink 29: Mark Twain 30: Stephen Hawking 31: Albert Einstein 32: Carl Sagan 33: Darren Brown 34: Jennifer Anniston

35: Bill Gates 36: Natalie Imbruglia 37: Sam Harris 38: Ricky Gervais 39: Sandra Bullock 40: Adolf Hitler 41: Lenin 42: Stalin 43: George Washington 44: John Adams 45: Thomas Jefferson 46: Abraham Lincoln 47: Teddy Roosevelt 48: FDR 49: Harry Truman 50: Hymen Rickover Etc…

MEMORIZATION DEFINED

The explicit, emotional, creative act of storing information in your brain using a disciplined, structured approach.

Memory does NOT “just happen”.Repetition, while often necessary, should be minimized.

HOW TO REMEMBER

1. Develop a Memory Toolbox2. Explicitly decide to remember3. Use the right memory technique for the

data to be memorized

THE MENTAL TOOLBOX

Thinking Tools Memory Tools Imagination Tools

Logic Method of Loci Brainstorming

Algebra Peg System Mind Maps

Calculus Major System Meditation

Statistics Link System Collaborative Writing

Critical Thinking PAO System Stream of Consciousness

Critical Analysis Dominic System Etc…

Etc… Chunking

Memory Theatre

Etc…

SUGGESTED READING

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy

Hunt Mindhacker by Ron and Mary Hale-Evans The Book of Memory by Mary Carruthers Max Your Memory by Pascale Michelon

Blog: http://theskillfulbrain.com

WHAT IF? What if you memorized a list of design patterns, their

uses, strengths, and weaknesses? What if you could easily recall all the WCF hosting

options, including their tradeoffs and which environments support which options?

What if you could quote the agile manifesto word for word? Or the 12 core principles of agile development?

Learning another language? What if the time to learn new vocabulary words was cut by a factor of 5? Or 10?

Learning another computer language? What if memorizing a list of ALL of the keywords took only an hour?

What if you could actually learn and visualize most of the .NET (or WinRT) namespaces?