joshua foer

[new haven, ct]

intro’d to Joshua here:

ellaborative encoding

same word – different amount of remembering.. [this guy named Baker, this guy who is a baker]

the name baker means nothing.. but the art of a baker – has meaning to us

so – figure out ways to make capital b bakers to lower case bakers..

as bad as we are at remembering names, phone numbers, et al, we are really good at visual/spatial memory

create an animated edifice… crazy as can be… the more unforgettable..

memorizing – not word for word – but topic for topic – topos – space..

at the most basic level – we remember when we pay attention..

when we are engaged…

the tricks used for the contests.. work because they make you work

ep – our lives are the sum of our memories – how much are we willing to lose from out already short lives, by losing ourselves – by not paying attention to things that matter.. by not being willing to process deeply.

remember to remember..

_________

Joshua Foer (born Sept. 23, 1982) is a freelance journalist living in New Haven, Connecticut, with a primary focus on science. He was the 2006 U.S.A. Memory Champion, which was described in his 2011 book, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. He spoke on TED in February 2012.