As a teenager, long before Benedictine Cucumber-Patch as Sure-lock Homes (see how it works?) made Memory Palaces popular, I had read "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. Generally, mnemonics are an aid for short-term memory. Only repetition really seems to nail things down. Preferably spaced repetition. The exception is number-encoding systems (Major, Dominic) since numbers really are too abstract. Plus it gives you a game to play with license plates when stuck in traffic.
The thing about the "art of the locus", the journey method, the memory palace method, etc. is that they add context to memories. Human memory doesn't have a numerical or alphabetical index. Instead it is based on context, preferably physical locations. On paper, or on computers, outlines and mind maps provide a location-independent context. That's why something like the TWOutlier (or something better made) can help your own mind remember what kinds of information you have squirreled away ... somewhere. -- Mark On Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 3:48:34 AM UTC-7, @TiddlyTweeter wrote: > > Before the idea of "external memory" (writing, then computers) we had the > "art of the locus". First mentioned in Ancient Greece. > > This method of organising information uses associative memory. A computer > before computing. Typically one would visualise a complex building with > alcoves, statues, pathways and other VISUAL markers. You'd rehearse the > environment in mind till it got stable. Then you'd associate points in it > with things you needed to remember. > > For instance, to recall a telephone number of Jennifer you'd maybe > associate her image and number with the left knee of the visualised statue > of Michaelangelo's David. It works. > > One of the problems with "modern memory" is its crap ... externalisation > of memory (via various techs) increasingly obviates the need for internal > cognitive practice. Without that you end in dependency on tech. I'm not > convinced that is entirely healthy. > > One of the things that interests me about TiddlyWiki is whether it could > be used to foster a VISUAL memory system too. > > Modern computing is driven by text. The "other" soft-edged-signifiers, > visual, sonic & movemental meaning, have, still, a secondary place. > Probably because they can't be ordered to order. > > It might be interesting to create a TW where all navigation is through > images. > > Just wide thoughts > Josiah > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tiddlywiki/ca3ac0c0-a821-41c6-afc4-a6d570a1f3ac%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
