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San Francisco, 8:42 PM
Fri Dec 18
27 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Counterglow Counterglow
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    Just a shout-out to an old high school librarian who's probably dead now. His last name was Johnson. We called him "Wimpy" because of a slight resemblance to the character in "Popeye". On many occasions, somebody would ask him a question about some topic or other, and he'd not only tell you what books to get and EXACTLY where they were in the library (as in "three shelves down, five from the left"), but the pages and paragraphs of the information you wanted. He couldn't always supply that level of detail, but it was far from uncommon, and he was never wrong as far as I know. And he never sent anybody looking for a book that had been checked out.

    He was a truly astonishing man who worked without fanfare in a nondescript job in a small Canadian high school.
     Reply
    Grey_Area promoted this comment Edited by Counterglow at 12/07/09 7:42 PM Counterglow was starred Counterglow was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    12/07/09

    @Counterglow: Okay, way off topic, but fine librarians such as this deserve a shout out. Rock on "Wimpy" Johnson, wherever you may be.

    Io9 Commentariat, SALUTE!!
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of Counterglow Counterglow
    12/08/09

    @Grey_Area: Thanks for getting into the spirit. I was reading about all those methods of accurately storing all kinds of information in your head, and here was a guy who kept a whole library up there.

    Funny...he didn't LOOK like a mentat.
     Reply
    Counterglow was starred Counterglow was unstarred
    Image of hwilam hwilam
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    Anne McCaffery's Pern books create an entire catalogue of teaching ballads to remind humanity of the tasks necessary when the red star comes near.
     Reply
    Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment hwilam was starred hwilam was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    Dan Simmons used the diary bit in Hyperion with the girl who was ageing backwards. That always creeped me out.

    "See you later alligator."
    "In a while crocodile."
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of Dr Emilio Lizardo Dr Emilio Lizardo
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    Buckaroo Banzai: write it on your palm, lick your palm, slap your mentor on the forehead so he gets a copy too.
     Reply
    Dr Emilio Lizardo was starred Dr Emilio Lizardo was unstarred
    Image of RoboBagins RoboBagins
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    Gundam is only an acronym in alternative universe of Gundam Seed.

    In fact, I'm not sure of where it comes from in classic Universal Century (UC). In UC Lunar Titanium is renamed to Gundarium alloy after being used to armor the Gundam.

    ok. enough Gundam babbling from me.
     Reply
    RoboBagins was starred RoboBagins was unstarred
    Image of techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    OH GOD TVTROPES

    Thanks io9, for making me fail this semester!!! XD
     Reply
    techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte was starred techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte was unstarred
    Image of Charlie Jane Anders Charlie Jane Anders
    12/07/09

    @techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte: I freakin love tvtropes. They do such a great job.
     Reply
    Charlie Jane Anders was starred Charlie Jane Anders was unstarred
    Image of Ruthless, If you let me Ruthless, If you let me
    12/07/09

    @techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte: Someone linked tvtropes in a comic article last week. It totally OBLITERATED my afternoon.
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me was starred Ruthless, If you let me was unstarred
    Image of goldfarb goldfarb
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    the 'Method of loci' is, and always will be, the coolest way to remember things...
     Reply
    goldfarb was starred goldfarb was unstarred
    Image of Ruthless, If you let me Ruthless, If you let me
    12/07/09

    @goldfarb: I've never heard of this method before. I wiki'd it, and I have decided that this method, or close to it, got me through high school and college.

    When taking a test, or writing an essay, or even verbally answering something, I would recall various pages in the text, and remember where on the page I had seen it, I.e: pg. 53, 3rd paragraph, 4th sentence. (Even where I had read the passage originally [library, bedroom, etc.]) After that, I could remember the necessary information (or quote) almost verbatim.
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me was starred Ruthless, If you let me was unstarred
    Image of goldfarb goldfarb
    12/07/09

    @Ruthless, If you let me: cool...
    sometimes it's called Cathedral Memory...because everyone knew all the different places in a church (nave, apse, altar etc) they could place items to remember is specifics spots...then just walk through their Cathedral to remember things...
     Reply
    goldfarb was starred goldfarb was unstarred
    Image of Ruthless, If you let me Ruthless, If you let me
    12/07/09

    @goldfarb: I read a book when I was younger about a mage that recalled spells much like Cathedral memory, except it was a Manor house, with multitudes of rooms. I likened it to a real-life version of that.
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me was starred Ruthless, If you let me was unstarred
    Image of goldfarb goldfarb
    12/07/09

    @Ruthless, If you let me: and I think Sagan refers to it in Cosmos...
     Reply
    goldfarb was starred goldfarb was unstarred
    Image of firstofnormalin firstofnormalin
    12/07/09

    @Ruthless, If you let me:
    I do somewhat of the same thing when I'm memorizing lines (especially from Shakespeare--I mean, I swear Old Bill sometimes didn't write English...) Anyway, I visualize where the line is on the page and it jogs my memory. I also learn the last line of two of someone else's speech that leads into mine. I'm finding that now I don't need to know that I know the line--the line is there, even if I can't remember it until I need it. Mostly I use something that's close to hypnosis--progressive relaxation then repeat the line in my head. just before I go to sleep.
    BTW, the guy who's credited with the "memory palace" where objects are associated with furniture, etc. was Simonides of Ceo, back in 500BC.
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me promoted this comment firstofnormalin was starred firstofnormalin was unstarred
    Image of Belabras Belabras
    12/07/09

    In reply to How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
    I thought of another one, but I forgot it.
     Reply
    Belabras was starred Belabras was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    11/12/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    Man, GOATS is just about the worst, most horrible, most self-indulgent webcomic ever. I can't believe you linked to it. #2012
     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of AmishJohn AmishJohn
    11/11/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    I'm hoping big bunches of yutzes go all 'Heaven's Gate' and free up resources for the rest of us. #2012
     Reply
    AmishJohn was starred AmishJohn was unstarred
    Image of Post-Nuked Post-Nuked
    11/11/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    I hope its not eco-apocalypse. After seeing The Happening, that whole idea became. unappealing. My vote, aliens! #2012
     Reply
    Post-Nuked was starred Post-Nuked was unstarred
    Image of Skunky Skunky
    11/11/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012

    Actually, what everyone thinks is the mayan calendar was actually a graphical warning of what would cause the end of the world. Here, take a look at the "calendar": #2012
     Reply
    Skunky was starred Skunky was unstarred
    Image of Skunky Skunky
    11/11/09


    @Skunky: Now, let's look at what they had seen when they looked into the future. #2012
     Reply
    Skunky was starred Skunky was unstarred
    Image of Gemini2 Gemini2
    11/11/09

    @Skunky: I could do the same with a spiral graph. #2012
     Reply
    Skunky promoted this comment Gemini2 was starred Gemini2 was unstarred
    Image of Skunky Skunky
    11/11/09

    @Gemini2: All the secrets of the ancients have been revealed! #2012
     Reply
    Skunky was starred Skunky was unstarred
    Image of mr_dude mr_dude
    11/11/09


    @Skunky: #2012
     Reply
    mr_dude was starred mr_dude was unstarred
    Image of Skunky Skunky
    11/11/09


    @mr_dude: #2012
     Reply
    Skunky was starred Skunky was unstarred
    Image of mr_dude mr_dude
    11/11/09

    @Skunky: Truly the apocalypse is upon us. #2012
     Reply
    mr_dude was starred mr_dude was unstarred
    Image of FrankN.Stein FrankN.Stein
    11/11/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    Wow - the world HAS to end, because we will totally run out of end-of-the-world-scenarios in 2013 - and what then? #2012
     Reply
    Post-Nuked promoted this comment FrankN.Stein was starred FrankN.Stein was unstarred
    Image of reddingofish reddingofish
    11/11/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    I imagine the guys that carved out that calendar way back in olden days figured that 2012 was far enough away that it wouldn't make any difference. It is like making a business plan. You can make 5 year plans and 10 year plans maybe even a 20 year plan, but what is the point of making plans any longer than that. #2012
     Reply
    reddingofish was starred reddingofish was unstarred
    Image of closeencounter closeencounter
    11/10/09

    In reply to Seven Ways the World Could End in 2012
    At the end of the year 2011, all the world's computers will come crashing down because of a glitch with the date....oh wait....uhhh, nevermind......
     Reply
    Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment Edited by closeencounter at 11/10/09 9:57 PM closeencounter was starred closeencounter was unstarred
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