An article of memory

[Dennis Kyriakos]

An interesting article for those learning or using a mem deck.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2114925/?GT1=6208

Enjoy

[James Foster]

I've read this article and it's astonishing. I've also checked out some other materials which focus on these memory experts. However, I wonder if their approach is suitable for those memorizing a deck of cards for performance use.

Much of the literature on memorized deck work focuses on the both the order of the deck as well as the association between a position (say, #41) and a card. While the approaches that the memory experts use to memorize 4 or more decks of cards may work for their competitions, there seems to be a difference. I'm pretty certain their techniques wouldn't provide for an immediate answer to which card was in a specific position. It's just not the focus of their techniques.

Nonetheless, their skills are amazing and certainly should provide some reassurance that our memory can be trained.

[Guest]

Originally posted by James Foster:
... I wonder if their approach is suitable for those memorizing a deck of cards for performance use.
...I'm pretty certain their techniques wouldn't provide for an immediate answer to which card was in a specific position.

It's possible, actually quite easy, to immediately name the card at any specific position.
When you commit your "journey" to memory, you just have to remember the sequence number of each step. For example, in my "journey", I know that the bookshelf is the 12th step, the fridge is number 22, the bathtub is 25, etc.
So if I want to know, say, the 24th card, I just instantly recall the scene that was happening at the bookshelf. If Salvador Dali was playing the guitar, I know that the 23rd and 24th cards are the 6 of diamonds and the 5 of clubs, respectively.
It's a bit more difficult if you start with the card's name, and locate its position. If I need the king of diamonds, I have to recall the location of Bill Gates (or the computer) along the journey. If he was in the hallway, I know that the KD is the 25th card.
Of course, if you always use the same stack, after some time you won't need to use any mnemonics anymore, as the cards and positions will naturally become ingrained in your memory. :whack:

For anyone who hasn't tried the "journey system", I strongly recommend it. Within a few days, I could memorize a shuffled deck in under 5 minutes. Something like a shopping list of 50 or so items is even easier.
I've been demonstrating it in my classes recently--one woman told me the other day, "You're like Jesus Christ!" :confused:

[CHRIS]

Hey, I didn't know that Austria ranks number one in memory. That's nice ot hear that we are good at something else than skiing :-)

BTW. I offer several memory ebooks, one by Dominic O'Brien.

Chris....

[James Foster]

Originally posted by Mito:
It's possible, actually quite easy, to immediately name the card at any specific position.

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't understand that a "stop" on the journey was associated with a "number".

James