Hacking your memory

HACKING YOUR MEMORYLearn faster. Be smarter.

ABOUT ME

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

DaVita Healthcare Former Enterprise Architect, US Airways Consultant on SOA, EA practices, process

engineering, team development

Related blog: http://TheSkillfulBrain.com

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

DISCLAIMERS AND APOLOGIES

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+

THE ECONOMICS OF MEMORY

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

Emotional Tools

Logic Repetition Brainstorming Cognitive Therapy

Arithmetic Mind Maps Talk Therapy

Algebra Meditation Meditation

Calculus Collaborative Writing

Stress Management

Statistics Stream of Consciousness

Family Counseling

Critical Thinking Free Association Self-Help Books

Etc… Etc… Etc…

WHAT IS “EASY”?

Imagine you have ten dollars in cash. You wish to buy as many cookies as possible. Cookies sell for $3.14 per box. How many boxes can you buy?

A passenger train is 20 miles per hour faster than a freight train. It takes the passenger train half as much time to travel 160 miles as the freight train. How fast are the trains?

A PARTIAL LIST OF AUTHORS WHO WROTE ABOUT MEMORY TECHNIQUES Simonides (556 – 468 BC) Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) Cicero (106 – 43 BC) Quintillian (35 – 100) Hugh of St. Victor (1096 – 1141) Alan of Lille (1120 – 1202?) Boncompagno da Signa (1170 – 1240?) Albertus Magnus (1193? – 1280) Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) Thomas Bradwardine (1290 – 1349) Francesc Eiximenis (1330? – 1409?) John of Metz (13th Century) Peter of Ravenna (1448 – 1508)

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 brain 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.



How do I make a memory durable?

How do I make a memory accessible?

KEY CONCEPT: MEMORY TYPES

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

We excel at remembering Location Emotions Sights Smells

KEY CONCEPT: MAKING IMAGES

“These ought to be full of ridiculous movement, remarkable gesture, savage and cruel expression, bewilderment, sadness, and severity. The reason for this is that things which are great, unbelievable, previously unseen, new, rare, unheard of, deplorable, exceptional, indecent, unique, or very beautiful convey a great amount to our mind, memory, and recollection. For extreme things excite the human senses and the human mind with greater force than do average things.”-The Second and Last Book of Images of Jacobus Publicus (1485 or 1490)

MEMORY TECHNIQUES

Memory

Natural Memory

Artificial Memory

Ad Verbum (word for

word)

Ad Res (concept or summary)

USING ARTIFICIAL MEMORY

Build your mental toolbox with memory techniques for specific situations. Do the necessary preparation work.

When you find something worth remembering: Select the appropriate technique for the thing to

be remembered Follow the rules of the technique

Profit!!!

FOUNDATIONAL MEMORY HACKENGAGING YOUR MEMORY

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

FOUNDATIONAL MEMORY HACKSUBVERT LOCATION

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

Demo

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 TOOLBOXThinking Tools Memory Tools Imagination

ToolsEmotional Tools

Logic Method of Loci Brainstorming Cognitive Therapy

Algebra Peg System Mind Maps Talk Therapy

Calculus Major System Meditation Meditation

Statistics Link System Collaborative Writing

Stress Management

Critical Thinking PAO System Stream of Consciousness

Family Counseling

Critical Analysis Dominic System Etc… Self-Help Books

Etc… Chunking Etc…

Memory Theatre

Etc…

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?

ANYTHING?Data Technique

All my credit card numbers, and the 1-800 numbers to call if they are stolen

Memory Coin

Work to-do listsHoney-do listsShopping lists

Memory Journey

Any large framework, such as the .Net framework

Memory Palace. Use floors, colors, or similar to represent hierarchy.

Where I left my car keys Explicit Memory; Care

Hamlet – all of itThe Bible – all of itHarry Potter – all of it

Memory Palace or Memory Theatre

A new language; new vocabulary words

Memory Journey + Letter Wheel

Large blocks of numbers PAO System or Major System

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 Any book by Mary Carruthers. In fact, just

send her money for being cool.

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UNUSED SLIDES

PRO TIPS

Live longer by defeating the “days speeding past” problem.

Meditation – twice a day, every day. Eastern meditation for mood and focus. Western meditation for memory.

DEEP READING

Survey – looking at chapters, headings, and pictures

Skim – Identify structure and important topics

Read Write in the margins. Mark it up. Doodle. Flag phrases, sections, or information to

memorize Memorize what you think is worth it Meditate

Review major points without referencing the source

Imagine teaching the material to someone else

THE MENTAL TOOLBOX


Logic Brainstorming

Arithmetic Mind Maps

Algebra Meditation

Calculus Collaborative Writing

Statistics Stream of Consciousness

Critical Thinking Free Association

Etc… Etc…

THE MENTAL TOOLBOX


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…

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…

Education

Hacking your memory