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, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:05PM
If anyone can create a virus that fits in 400bytes, this guy can be your delivery mechanism
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:11PM
According to the documentary [imdb.com], the virus will be "protected" by killing him right after he finishes reading it out.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday November 11 2015, @09:53PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:29PM
32 bit virus: 10011100011010101
I bet they all start giggling
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday November 11 2015, @10:32PM
I count 17 bits. It's not even a power of two!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @11:13AM
What a bloated virus! 640 bits should be enough for anybody!
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:35PM
Isn't that what we invented computers for?
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @09:24PM
Running?
Isn't that what we invented the wheel for?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @08:35AM
Running is for exercise. You could say that memorizing random garbage is exercising your brain, but then you would have a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to truly understand something. Rote memorization is not a virtue and should be avoided when possible; having a deep understanding of the universe around you is much more important.
Our culture has been poisoned by the idea that having a good memory means you're intelligent, and education suffers for it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @09:17AM
They're not trying to exercise or understand something, they're competing.
Competitive running is not for exercise.
Neither is competitive memorizing.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday November 12 2015, @02:17PM
Quite the contrary. Rote memorization frees up the brain to do stuff other than the routine. Routine shit is what rote memorization is for. Times tables and other basic math formulas, spelling, grammar, and other stuff that doesn't change from one day to the next -- learn it once by rote memorization and you'll never need to spend another brain cell on it. Don't memorize it, and it's a chore every time you encounter the need to process that information.
As a realworld example, I tutor folks in creative writing, and I've found the Great Divide between writers for whom words come easily, and writers who struggle with every sentence, is whether or not they have that rote memorization of the rules of grammar.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 4, Funny) by timbim on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:37PM
asking for a friend.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:38PM
As many phone numbers as you can memorize from the phone book.
(Score: 2) by dbe on Wednesday November 11 2015, @09:00PM
Human nature is predictable... that was the original motivation of the narrator:
18 years old and in hospital with nothing to do but try to impress the nurses (sic)
-dbe
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @03:36AM
dbe(1422) is the most predictable (so I here). (1422) is also below average intelligence.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday November 11 2015, @08:40PM
TFA never did get around to explaining how he remembered 2000 sequences of 0's and 1's.
In fact TFA seemed pretty thin on details but long on fanciful suggestions.
For him, in his brain, it all boils down to thinking of something as if it were something else: "Picture cytoplasm as ectoplasm from ghostbusters." That "goofy association" wouldn't work for me.
For me, its sufficient to learn the meaning of words, or word roots. I don't need to think of something else to know the meaning of the word, and doing so would be a waste of time, a huge distraction, and would lead to wrong results. I'd be just as likely to forget the goofy association, as I would the definition of the word in question.
His method perhaps works for him. But it seems hardly universal.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(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.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 11 2015, @11:01PM
Symbol sequence memory isn't all that great for sequences of more than 7 symbols. What makes it possible (easy?) to remember things like 10 digit phone numbers is grouping the latin characters into larger symbols:
321-555-1212 would be hard to remember as 3-2-1-5-5-5-1-2-1-2, but as 3 familiar groupings, it's a piece of cake.
Now, how guys make 2000 sequences of 01010010101010101010100011110010 stick in their heads is beyond me, but I believe that it's not too hard to build a "vocabulary" of 4000+ symbols that are readily available for sequence storage/recovery.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @12:03AM
You can compress into streaks and remember whether it started on zero or one.
01010010101010101010100011110010
start=0
streak_length=1111 2 111111111111111 342 11
Then compress into streaks of streaks:
4 , 1
1 , 2
15, 1
1 , 3
1 , 4
1 , 2
2, 1
One initial value and seven pairs would be doable.
(Score: 2) by Covalent on Thursday November 12 2015, @12:22AM
I thought maybe the way to do it would be to memorize the ASCII table and translate your 4000 bits into 4000/8 = 500 letters and symbols. Those letters might be more easily memorized. Or maybe take them 8 at a time and turn them into decimal and remember the decimal. Or hex maybe?
Seems like the ascii table memorization would be easier (only 256 things for permanent memory and many are in an obvious order).
You can't rationally argue somebody out of a position they didn't rationally get into.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @02:55AM
Steve Roberts pedaled around on a recumbent bike in the 1980s with 4 buttons on each hand grip. He typed "chorded ascii" into a TRS-80 Model 100 while pedaling. iirc, he also had some ham radio way to send and receive text while on the road.
http://teknomadics.com/2011/10/the-original-technomad/ [teknomadics.com]
I met him at an event, he said it wasn't very hard to learn this "keyboard" -- has any one here tried this (for regular typing)?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Dunbal on Wednesday November 11 2015, @10:14PM
In other news, centenarians argue that anyone can live to advanced age, it's rather easy.
(Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday November 12 2015, @12:45AM
True, but at least their skill has some sort of usefulness for the person involved.
I mean I could sit down for a week and write out 4000 completely and utterly useless things for people to spend enormous amounts of time on...
Not to say they are not welcome to it. Just wondering why it's "news"?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @11:02PM
I can't even remember the last time I remembered something.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2015, @11:20PM
Like Chess, its really all about having the best cheating device implanted on your thigh
(Score: 2) by engblom on Thursday November 12 2015, @05:55AM
A bit better memory would be to benefit when typing the ms harassments glued on the bottom of computers... Those that only law followers end up typing from a sticker.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Thursday November 12 2015, @09:54AM
I follow the law yet haven't type a ms product key since 1998
(Score: 2) by engblom on Thursday November 12 2015, @11:09AM
I follow the law yet haven't type a ms product key since 1998
It depends on your occupation...
I am working for a computer shop dealing mostly with business computers. Quite often I need to do a complete clean install (to make sure I do not have any pre-installed ad-wares, which some manufacturers are bundling in). I am talking about a real clean installed and not a system restore to factory defaults.
Also, with some computers, you are not able to clone the computer to another one without changing the product key. If you do not manually change the product key, it will after some time claim it got a pirated version of windows installed.
So if a someone wants 40 laptops (all same brand and model), I only install one and set it up with the programs the customer wants and all other customization. Then I create an image of the hard disk and drop the image to all the other. After this I manually type the key from under the laptop to make sure it will not complain later about pirate versions.
It looks like a lot of this work will end with Win10 as Win10 will recognize if it has been earlier legally installed in the same computer.
(Score: 4, Funny) by CirclesInSand on Thursday November 12 2015, @07:37AM
Man I bet this guy is gonna have a hard time being married.
"Honey, I asked you to take out the trash."
"Sorry, I forgot."
*Wife holds up world champion memorization trophy*
"Oh crap"
(Score: 1) by devnulljapan on Thursday November 12 2015, @08:43AM
Can't take seriously anyone who suggests that cell structure is boring. Really, anyone who says "all these intensely boring-sounding concepts such as cytoplasm, centrioles, mitochondria or, more encouragingly, the “golgi apparatus" is a fuckwit. I don't care how many 1s and 0s he can memorise. He's a moron.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Reziac on Thursday November 12 2015, @02:23PM
A crude approximation, but I kinda agree: this describes someone who needs everything to be structured, ordered, and defined, and is stressed out by stuff that defies pigeonholing; biology tends to slop around the edges in not-so-predictable ways and is therefore (in their worldview) to be avoided.
Or, why there are a great many of these pathologically-orderly types in the fields of math, physics, and programming, but not so in the fields of biology.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.