The Sword and Laser discussion

Link bait of the day from Digg:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/a...

I forget what it's about.

Interesting article. I like “Bob” and the fact she wrote a book about her book of books. How meta!

At a recent dinner party we were discussing movies and someone asked me how I could recall so many details about them even though I’d only seen some of them once. I think the answer is twofold: 1) I *really* like movies, and 2) growing up poor in the 1970s before video tape or cable TV meant I could only afford to see a movie once. (And of course, if you missed an episode of a TV show, it was probably gone forever. Our whole lives were essentially Snapchat.) I inadvertently trained myself to memorize movies out of necessity.

If only I could have applied that skill to schoolwork. 😜 When we get our android bodies, the first I’m doing is getting the Memory Upgrade package,

This is me. Read it and forget it. For the most part at least.

I look over the books here on my "read" shelf, and probably most I can't recall what they were about unless I've read them more than once or really enjoyed them (or they part of a series I was reading). Even the ones I really enjoyed or were a series, I might have only vague recollections of the plot, character names even less so. (I'm bad with names in real life as well, though).

Same with classes I take for work. I come back, and I'm all "Good class! Couldn't tell what I learned or how to apply it to my job."

I guess my take away from that article (at least for work) is that I need to review whatever I want to remember for a bit for a few days to make sure it sticks.

In a book called Why We Sleep, it talks about your mind choosing which things to remember while sleeping. I think I remember things from that book because I talked about it with other people over a period of many days.

That's what a lot of link bait and pop culture is, things to bait your attention and then be quickly forgotten (or tv news).

I can remember stories very well. Too well for those around me. If someone mentions something connected to a book I read decades ago it takes a serious effort not to bore them to death with the entire story along with suggestions for related books. I have an urge to go through the whole thing with gestures, voices and sound effects, much to the annoyance of any innocent bystanders (note that I'm not claiming that I do it well)

Remembering books is not a problem for me.

Remembering where I put my shoes, glasses or keys however...

It's also possible that a lot of what we read is unmemorable crap:)

I mostly don't remember details but I remember what I felt when I was reading that book. Same with presentations. I don't remember what people were saying with their PowerPoints but I will remember how they make me feel (inspired, or utter boredom)

William wrote: "Remembering books is not a problem for me.

Remembering where I put my shoes, glasses or keys however... "

Word:

As one gets older the important questions linger, such as, "Have I lived a purpose-driven life?" and "Why did I come into the kitchen?"

— Trike (@Trike) November 20, 2017

goodreads is my Bob. I utilize the updates & reviews to remind me when I need it. Of course dedicating my mind to the effort of a review makes the review less necessary as a reminder...

Yep I also use GR as reminders but I could only make reviews for maybe 80% of the books I read so...the other 20% were completely not impressive in good or bad way.

A good way to keep the memories is also joining fandom either online or offline communities. I still remember most of the Targaryen kings or Harry Potter spells just because I am active in the ASOIAF and HP fandoms.

Trike wrote: "William wrote: "Remembering books is not a problem for me.

Remembering where I put my shoes, glasses or keys however... "

Word:

As one gets older the important questions linger, such as, "Have I..."

What I took away from the article is that we were never that good at it anyway. So it's okay if I forget the plot of a book or characters from a movie. And the way I look at it is that I can go back and re-read or watch a thing that I forgot and experience it almost like new all over.

I've proven many times on this forum that my memory is not to be trusted. Heck, I even had to have Rob correct me on when I joined. At the same time, I think my memory is better then it is, so that makes me often not want to invest the time rereading something. I instead look for new stories. There are exceptions, but if I think I remember the plot, it makes it hard to do. Exceptions have been made for Neal Stephenson, and I plan on doing the same for Patrick Rothfuss. I think with both these authors it is much more about enjoying the style of the writing, then the plot. Coincidentally Frankenstein is one of the few others I've reread, but that was mostly due to both being done in classes, one in HS, the other in college.

I guess the same could be said for really good movies, the difference being that I'm only investing a couple hours for a movie, where a book takes much longer at the pace I read. On the other hand, if they are not on in the background, TV series have to be particularly good for a rewatch from me. Sorkin and Whedon shows are the two that come to mind most.

The key to memory is tattoos.

William wrote: "I can remember stories very well. Too well for those around me. If someone mentions something connected to a book I read decades ago it takes a serious effort not to bore them to death with the ent..."

I know someone who has that skill as well and it makes me very jealous. I often forget what has happened in a book before I've even finished it!

There's a lot of books I remember purely in terms of dreamlike impressions and memory of feelings and reactions. NEUROMANCER was a major one -- I read it in 1990, went ape for it, but upon reflecting a few years down the road, realized all I could remember in terms of specifics was "sky tuned to a dead channel" and "something about space rastafarians."

Luckily, books like that are easy to revisit and rediscover, as they are relatively short and easy to reread (which I did).

Interesting article!

I've noticed it too that the more I have to go through the trouble of reaccessing a memory, the more it gets ingrained into my long-term memory. It's a useful technique when studying - going throught the notes and then questioning myself whether I can remember the contents myself.

However, reading books for enjoyment is another thing for me. I don't feel like I need to remember every detail, character names or even the exact storyline after I've finished. What I want to remember is the feel or the atmosphrere of the book. I just love looking through my bookshelves and thinking "oh, that book was so imaginative and mindblowing!" or "that book makes me feel cozy and nostalgic". Occasionally I reread them, to experience the characters and the story again. So maybe it's a good thing I don't remember the details, I get to experience it again :D.

Of course, there are some books which just stay with you, years after years. Not just the story but the little details too, certain quotes or scenes keep playing in your mind word-to-word...

AndrewP wrote: "It's also possible that a lot of what we read is unmemorable crap:)"

I think you got it in one.

I don't tend to remember titles too well, so I'll pick up a book and find on about page 37 that I've read it before. When it's a good book, it's not too problematic. On the other hand.....

I've started to keep a list of books not worth re-reading. It's growing faster than my to-be-read list.