I've finally got the advance copy of "Moonwalking With Einstein" that Joshua Foer kindly sent me. Autographed, too! I'm building up quite a collection of signed memory books by other people. Almost but not quite motivates me to write a proper one of my own!
I'll read it properly at a later date, but I thought I should give it a quick plug tonight on the strength of five minutes' skimming - it's a fun, light-hearted account of Josh's year-and-a-bit exploring the world of memory competitions. It seems like the kind of thing that might appeal even to someone who's never heard of memory sports before, so if you fall into that category (I can't imagine how you come to be reading my blog if you do, but you never know), please do check it out anyway.
If you're into the present-day memory scene, of course, the book is five years behind the times, but still fun in a nostalgic kind of way. Judging by the sheer volume of questions the fact-checker bombarded me with, in fact, the last five years have been spent editing ten volumes' worth of words from it, because I think the majority of the 'facts' I confirmed way back when didn't make it into the finished work. Also, having been fact-checked, I feel entitled, even obliged, to sue the publishers for the assertion that I met Josh for the first time in Oxford rather than Germany, or that I was 'temporarily unemployed' during the time he was looking me up on the internet. I was actually in full-time work for the entire three-year period around that point, which is wildly unlike me, I know. Also, it says "principle" when it means "principal" at one point. There's probably a mnemonic for remembering how to get that right. I'll create one and put it in my next book.
But those are my only complaints! Go on, buy the book! It's well worth reading, and I'm in it!
13 comments:
Just out of curiosity: what's been the development in the last five years? Presumably towards more complexity?
People have come and gone, the people who've come and the people who've stuck around have got a lot better at memorising things, and occasional international people have thrown reasonable amounts of money at the event every now and then.
The basic principles of memory competitions are still the same, we've just got better at it.
Walk like a Moonraker.
Everything comes together in the end. Like Bananarama being good for your brain. 'They travel across Egypt tracking the microfilm plans, meeting Jaws – a good-sized assassin with steel teeth – along the way.'
The really disturbing thing is that I just turned on the radio earlier today only to hear "Walk Like An Egyptian" playing...
The title of this post just reminded me of a conversation with my mother and bf last week - we want to re-write the a-for-alpha stuff with something more confusing. Like K for Knife, M for Mnemonic, P for Pterodactyl and W for Wrong. Can't think of a good B though, but thought I'd share the challenge.
I like the A for 'Orses, B for Mutton version myself. Incidentally, you're not in the book, even though you met Josh at Ed's party that time and he does write about that in 'Moonwalking With Einstein'. You should sue the publisher too.
I've just started Josh's book. Ben pops up right away on page 6. I didn't know Ben learned 50k of pi. Cool.
Did I? To be honest, I met rather a lot of people that weekend and had pretty much no idea who any of them were!
Zoomy, what's the best way to get a hold of you I have a quick question. You can just email me a steve dot morin at the domain gmail dot com
So, have you finished reading Moonwalk like a Mnemonist yet? What are you're thoughts?
I'm thinking of buying it.......
Have you written any books yourself or are you planning too? I'd buy it.......
I thought I'd read somewhere that you were going to write a book on memeory, etc?? Seems to me that a book from a person with your experience on the subject would be worth reading.....
thanks
Jonathan
The mnemonic I learned was "the principal is your 'pal'." Of course everyone in school hates the principal because you only see him when you get in trouble.
Shawn - that mnemonic is probably what confuses Americans. What this book's proof-reader needs is a mnemonic to remind them that 'principal' is an adjective and 'principle' is a noun. The internet suggests 'The principal alphabetic principle places A before E' (which seems terminally unmemorable to me, but obviously I'm in a mean-spirited critical mood tonight. I'll try to snap out of it.)
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