External memory for the brain.

Originally posted by Astyanax
One way or the other, I am grateful to the people who brought me the internet. I don’t know what it does to other people, but I swear it hasn’t made me more stupid or more forgetful. I’m no more stupid now than I always was; as for whether I’m more forgetful or not, well, I had an opinion on that but it has slipped my memory.

Thanks for the eloquent reply Astyanax. (as always )

(wouldn't you know it my Internet goes down for two days the moment I post a thread so sorry for the late reply...) Although I understand what you say the argument wasn't exactly that Internet makes you "more stupid" or "more forgetful", it's the way we learn new information that seems to change...

For instance you pick up some trivial fact about there being 1,929,770,126,028,800 different color combinations on a Rubik's Cube ( ). If you know this information can be retrieved you will not try so hard to remember the exact number, knowing that there are about 1929 trillion different comibations will suffice. If you want to be specific you can always look it up.

But when you know the number 1,929,770,126,028,800 will be presented only once and if you have a need to repeat it again you'll have to remember the exact number or count 'm yourself (provided this trivial fact might ever be really important to you)

To me it would appear that the Internet makes the brain "outsource" certain tasks that it should be able to handle by it self but it takes more effort. As much as it's an effort for an athlete to keep it's body in top condition so is keeping your brain in top condition an effort.

The brain on Internet is the equivalent of an athlete watching Sunday afternoon sports to keep his body in shape, it's not making us more stupid or more forgetful but it does make our brains more lazy!!

Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime

For instance you pick up some trivial fact about there being 1,929,770,126,028,800 different color combinations on a Rubik's Cube. If you know this information can be retrieved you will not try so hard to remember the exact number, knowing that there are about 1929 trillion different comibations will suffice. If you want to be specific you can always look it up.

Correct. And I suspect this is how all intelligent people use their memories.

At university, we learnt that it was more important to know how and where to look something up than to have the knowledge at our fingertips. When I began working, my first boss gave me a book called Success by Michael Korda, a now-forgotten but once very successful tycoon. One of Korda’s tips for success was ‘never try to memorize phone numbers and other details of that kind; you should be using your brain for other things.’

Since then, I have never seriously tried to memorize anything, with the solitary exception of where the notes fall on the fingerboard of my guitar.

Originally posted by Astyanax
One of Korda’s tips for success was ‘never try to memorize phone numbers and other details of that kind; you should be using your brain for other things.’

I can understand this reasoning and I agree but wouldn't mr. Korda also point out the importance of controlling that information? I mean, I do not need to remember the phonenumbers that are important to me but I would have to remember and keep control of my rollerdex.

It's static in terms of where it is located. The Internet is a dynamic place, information keeps shifting from left to right, it chances from one day to the next.

In this context, what is the value of this "external memory"?

Since then, I have never seriously tried to memorize anything, with the solitary exception of where the notes fall on the fingerboard of my guitar.

Rock on!!!

Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime

wouldn't mr. Korda also point out the importance of controlling that information?

Yes, but the great thing is that Rolodexes – as well as secretaries and other aides-memoires – exist, and are there to be made use of.

I mean, I do not need to remember the phonenumbers that are important to me but I would have to remember and keep control of my rollerdex.

One datum in place of about a dozen. Easier, surely?

The Internet is a dynamic place, information keeps shifting from left to right, it chances from one day to the next. In this context, what is the value of this "external memory"?

I’m not sure it changes that fast, but even if it changed every minute of the day, what matter when we have Google to find it for us?

Originally posted by Astyanax
reply to post by operation mindcrime

 

wouldn't mr. Korda also point out the importance of controlling that information?

Yes, but the great thing is that Rolodexes – as well as secretaries and other aides-memoires – exist, and are there to be made use of.

The physical process of delegating information to an external reference point is in itself an act of memory which provides a link in 'short hand' to a much larger body of data stored outside of immediate memory, allowing you to free 'processing' space. I have to have regular breaks to put information into note form, otherwise, day to day routine functions become too difficult due to short term memory leakage. Some people can work on that level, they generally have people to take care of the day to day things though...or only themselves to worry about perhaps...I filter out unnecessary information and replace it with mental markers that allow me to know where in my notes I can find the reference, a mental card index system, to a physical filing system as back up. But the information is still stored in my memory, but it has been placed in the long-long-term section, the physical notes only serve as back-up, I reorganise the notes as a means of reorganising the information in my memory. But then I learn most effectively kinetically and I have adapted to that.

If the house burnt down and I lost notes and books, I still have the structure stored internally to enable continuation, and I would be unable to see information patterns in their wider context if I didn't have that memory. It is all in the compartmentalism. The internet is a fantastic reference tool, but no source of information should be relied on as always being available or accurate. Once read, most information can then be reduced to much smaller bundles that can be fitted into existing memory space/catagories. Although that said, I don't have photographic memory, and I will reread if I think I missed something the first time.

The key really is to know how your own mind works, and structure your storage use, external and internal, to meet the constraints that you may have. I can't absord information through listening without being physically occupied, for example, school was a waste of time for me, I learnt very, very little, nothing stuck. Our brains, and how we use them are unique to each individual, there is plenty of spare storage space in there, seem a shame in my opinion not to use it, but should I suffer a head injury that impacts on my memory, I do have the notes and books to help me find routes back into my memories. Just as I have photos of my son so that I can remind myself of when he was a baby and how that felt. The photo itself only stimulates the memory, it is not the memory itself.

reply to post by BigBruddah


this happens because of the small neuron network in the heart itself. Look for "transplanting memories" documentary on youtube..