I've just looked up the date, and the first day of the World Memory Championship 2000 (Alexandra Palace, part of the fourth Mind Sports Olympiad), was Monday August 21st. That was, of course, not only the first time I took part in a memory competition, but also (after competing in the first day) the day when I bought a memory book and learned how to use these memory techniques I'd heard people talking about.
It would be nice if the MSO championship next year was on the exact anniversary, but the 21st is a Friday next year, so it's probably not going to be possible to do that. I'll look into it, though...
4 comments:
Do you recall (if that isn't an impolite question towards such an accomplished mnemonist) which first memory book you purchased that fateful day? Details, man, Details are what your adoring public want!
It was "Use Your Memory", or maybe "Master Your Memory", by Tony Buzan. I thought I'd still got the book somewhere, but I can't find it right now. I only ever read the chapters dealing with memorising cards and memorising numbers.
""Master Your Memory", by Tony Buzan"
Ah yes, back then it was still a law , I believe, that any book with the word 'Memory' in its title HAD to have been written by Buzan. How D o'B got away with 'Quantum Memory' one shall never know.
On the subject of 'memory' books, any chance you might write one for more 'advanced' mnemonists/ wannabe-serious competitors in Memory Sports (NOT that I am 'advanced' in anything but years) there seems to be a 'niche' in the market. Lot of 'Mnemonics 101' type books and more each year but once one gets beyond 'one brick, two bricks, red brick, blue brick , build that memory palace' there is a bit of a gap until you hit reading Yates or even Bruno or paying someone for an Advanced Memory Course (which I am sure are excellent but perhaps out of the pocket range of some).
To be honest, I don't think an advanced memory-sports techniques book would be much use to anyone - once you've learned the basic building blocks, the best competitors adapt and develop their own personalised systems. Like I always say, everybody's brain works differently, so copying what someone else does isn't necessarily going to help you at all...
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