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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?