Items related to Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Rememberin...

Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything - Hardcover

 
9781594202292: Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
Foer's unlikely journey from chronically forgetful science journalist to U.S. Memory Champion frames a revelatory exploration of the vast, hidden impact of memory on every aspect of our lives.

On average, people squander forty days annually compensating for things they've forgotten. Joshua Foer used to be one of those people. But after a year of memory training, he found himself in the finals of the U.S. Memory Championship. Even more important, Foer found a vital truth we too often forget: In every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.

Moonwalking with Einstein draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of memory, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human remembering. Under the tutelage of top "mental athletes," he learns ancient techniques once employed by Cicero to memorize his speeches and by Medieval scholars to memorize entire books. Using methods that have been largely forgotten, Foer discovers that we can all dramatically improve our memories.

Immersing himself obsessively in a quirky subculture of competitive memorizers, Foer learns to apply techniques that call on imagination as much as determination-showing that memorization can be anything but rote. From the PAO system, which converts numbers into lurid images, to the memory palace, in which memories are stored in the rooms of imaginary structures, Foer's experience shows that the World Memory Championships are less a test of memory than of perseverance and creativity.

Foer takes his inquiry well beyond the arena of mental athletes-across the country and deep into his own mind. In San Diego, he meets an affable old man with one of the most severe case of amnesia on record, where he learns that memory is at once more elusive and more reliable than we might think. In Salt Lake City, he swaps secrets with a savant who claims to have memorized more than nine thousand books. At a high school in the South Bronx, he finds a history teacher using twenty- five-hundred-year-old memory techniques to give his students an edge in the state Regents exam.

At a time when electronic devices have all but rendered our individual memories obsolete, Foer's bid to resurrect the forgotten art of remembering becomes an urgent quest. Moonwalking with Einstein brings Joshua Foer to the apex of the U.S. Memory Championship and readers to a profound appreciation of a gift we all possess but that too often slips our minds.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2011: Moonwalking with Einstein follows Joshua Foer's compelling journey as a participant in the U.S. Memory Championship. As a science journalist covering the competition, Foer became captivated by the secrets of the competitors, like how the current world memory champion, Ben Pridmore, could memorize the exact order of 1,528 digits in an hour. He met with individuals whose memories are truly unique—from one man whose memory only extends back to his most recent thought, to another who can memorize complex mathematical formulas without knowing any math. Brains remember visual imagery but have a harder time with other information, like lists, and so with the help of experts, Foer learned how to transform the kinds of memories he forgot into the kind his brain remembered naturally. The techniques he mastered made it easier to remember information, and Foer's story demonstrates that the tricks of the masters are accessible to anyone.
--Miriam Landis

Author Q&A with Joshua Foer

Q: First, can you explain the title of you book, Moonwalking with Einstein?

A: The title refers to a memory device I used in the US Memory Championship—specifically it's a mnemonic that helped me memorize a deck of playing cards. Moonwalking with Einstein works as a mnemonic because it's such a goofy image. Things that are weird or colorful are the most memorable. If you try to picture Albert Einstein sliding backwards across a dance floor wearing penny loafers and a diamond glove, that's pretty much unforgettable.

Q: What are the U.S. Memory Championships? How did you become involved?

A: The U.S. Memory Championship is a rather bizarre contest held each spring in New York City, in which people get together to see who can remember the most names of strangers, the most lines of poetry, the most random digits. I went to the event as a science journalist, to cover what I assumed would be the Super Bowl of savants. But when I talked to the competitors, they told me something really interesting. They weren't savants. And they didn't have photographic memories. Rather, they'd trained their memories using ancient techniques. They said anyone could do it. I was skeptical. Frankly, I didn't believe them. I said, well, if anyone can do it, could you teach me? A guy named Ed Cooke, who has one of the best trained memories in the world, took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew about memory techniques. A year later I came back to the contest, this time to try and compete, as a sort of exercise in participatory journalism. I was curious simply to see how well I'd do, but I ended up winning the contest. That really wasn't supposed to happen.

Q: What was the most surprising thing you found out about yourself competing in the Memory Championships?

A: In the process of studying these techniques, I learned something remarkable: that there's far more potential in our minds than we often give them credit for. I'm not just talking about the fact that it's possible to memorize lots of information using memory techniques. I'm talking about a lesson that is more general, and in a way much bigger: that it's possible, with training and hard work, to teach oneself to do something that might seem really difficult.

Q: Can you explain the "OK Plateau?"

A: The OK Plateau is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might type and type and type all day long, but once you reach a certain level, you just never get appreciably faster at it. That's because it's become automatic. You've moved it to the back of your mind's filing cabinet. If you want to become a faster typer, it's possible, of course. But you've got to bring the task back under your conscious control. You've got to push yourself past where you're comfortable. You have to watch yourself fail and learn from your mistakes. That's the way to get better at anything. And it's how I improved my memory.

Q: What do you mean by saying there an "art" to memory?

A: The "art of memory" refers to a set of techniques that were invented in ancient Greece. These are the same techniques that Cicero used to memorize his speeches, and that medieval scholars used to memorize entire books. The "art" is in creating imagery in your mind that is so unusual, so colorful, so unlike anything you've ever seen before that it's unlikely to be forgotten. That's why mnemonists like to say that their skills are as much about creativity as memory.

Q: How do you think technology has affected how and what we remember?

A: Once upon a time people invested in their memories, they cultivated them. They studiously furnished their minds. They remembered. Today, of course, we've got books, and computers and smart phones to hold our memories for us. We've outsourced our memories to external devices. The result is that we no longer trust our memories. We see every small forgotten thing as evidence that they're failing us altogether. We've forgotten how to remember.

Q: What is the connection between memory and our sense of time?

A: As we get older, life seems to fly by faster and faster. That's because we structure our experience of time around memories. We remember events in relation to other events. But as we get older, and our experiences become less unique, our memories can blend together. If yesterday's lunch is indistinguishable from the one you ate the day before, it'll end up being forgotten. That's why it's so hard to remember meals. In the same way, if you're not doing things that are unique and different and memorable, this year can come to resemble the last, and end up being just as forgettable as yesterday's lunch. That's why it's so important to pack your life with interesting experiences that make your life memorable, and provide a texture to the passage of time.

Q: How is your memory now?

A: Ironically, not much better than when I started this whole journey. The techniques I learned, and used in the memory contest, are great for remembering structured information like shopping lists or phone numbers, but they don't improve any sort of underlying, generalizable memory ability. Unfortunately, I still misplace my car keys.

(Photo of Joshua Foer © Emil Salman Haaretz)

About the Author:
Joshua Foer has written for National Geographic, Esquire, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherThe Penguin Press
  • Publication date2011
  • ISBN 10 159420229X
  • ISBN 13 9781594202292
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages320
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780143120537: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780143120537
Publisher: Penguin Books, 2012
Softcover

  • 9780141032139: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

    Pengui..., 2012
    Unknown Binding

  • 9781594135316: Moonwalking With Einstein

    Large ..., 2012
    Softcover

  • 9781410439154: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)

    Thornd..., 2011
    Hardcover

  • 9781846140297: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

    Allen ..., 2011
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
KuleliBooks
(Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description hardcover. Condition: New. Fast Shipping - Safe and secure Mailer. Seller Inventory # 521PY6001ZID

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.25
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by Penguin Books (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
BookOutlet
(Thorold, ON, Canada)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Hardcover. Publisher overstock, may contain remainder mark on edge. Seller Inventory # 9781594202292B

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 10.25
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
From Canada to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Joshua Foer
Published by Penguin Press HC, The (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
upickbook
(Daly City, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # mon0000195178

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 10.49
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.49
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Sequitur Books
(Boonsboro, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description hardcover. Condition: New. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Clean, unmarked pages. Seller Inventory # 2403030089

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.99
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Foggypaws
(Sonoma, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description hardcover. Condition: New. Hardcover. Seller Inventory # mon0000065822

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.86
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 6.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
International Edition
International Edition

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Paperback Quantity: 3
International Edition
Seller:
Bookstore99
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: NEW. International Edition, Paperback, Brand New, Same author , ISBN and Cover image may differ. Legal to use despite any disclaimer, We ship to PO , APO and FPO adresses in U.S.A .Choose Expedited Shipping for FASTER DELIVERY.Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # US_9780141032139

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 16.30
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Joshua Foer
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Ergodebooks
(Houston, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # DADAX159420229X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 18.19
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
ACJBooks
(Staten Island, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. This is a hardcover book with a dust jacket. Seller Inventory # mon0000014654

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.99
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 10
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9781594202292

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 21.10
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Foer, Joshua
Published by The Penguin Press (2011)
ISBN 10: 159420229X ISBN 13: 9781594202292
New Hardcover Quantity: 17
Seller:
Lakeside Books
(Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books!. Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9781594202292

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.21
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book