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from the I-forgot-what-I-was-going-to-write dept.
If you wanted to pinpoint the most absurdly geeky event in the world calendar, it would be difficult to beat the binary numbers challenge at the World Memory Championships. In it, a bevy of trained memory masters fight it out over 30 minutes to memorise as many 1s and 0s in order as they possibly can.
Back when this was my idea of a good time, I was able to "do" more than 2,000 1s and 0s in the half-hour. My then arch-rival, Dr Gunther Karsten of Germany, was not afraid to tell me this level of performance was "really quite lame". He could do 3,200. The current world record is over 4,000: more than two 1s and 0s every second.
Dig past the mystery of such feats, and you discover a set of techniques and an approach to learning that is full of strikingly simple wisdom and fun. Even if, quite sensibly, you've no interest in learning to recite computer code, the memory techniques that enable such performance are a treasure trove of insight into how to motivate and direct the learning brain.
(Score: 3, Informative) by dyingtolive on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:58PM
The goofy association is one that I've heard touted often though it's not really worked out well for me either.
I find it's easier for me to remember something if I've written it down. Generally I can remember it well enough without referring to it, or at least the majority of it. I don't know if it's something solidifying in the thought process of writing, or if it's having something visual to remember. If I just hear something, or get told something in passing though? It's gone in five minutes.
Of course, this leads to the silly outcome of having notebook after notebook laying around with a few things scribbled on each page such as that grocery list I don't actually bother taking to the store with me, just because I needed something to put in my head for a day or so.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Wednesday November 11 2015, @10:17PM
Of course, this leads to the silly outcome of having notebook after notebook laying around
There's an app for that. ;-)
Or, there are a hundred apps for that, and the problem becomes one of remembering which app has what stuff in it.
These days I just try to remember where I can find answers rather than trying to remember all the answers I learned
in the past.
Learning methods seem to be quite common and diverse, which suggests to me that there is more than one way to wire a brain.
One method recommended to me, which DOES seem to work for me is:
1) learn/read it today,
2) revisit it tomorrow or the day after, and
3) Revisit it again in a week if you really need it to stick around for a long time.
From then on, even if it is something you only occasionally need, even infrequent use will suffice to refresh the knowledge.
I make no assertions this will work for anyone else.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.