Scale It Back

“To memorize a pack of cards I create a story in my head where each image represents a pair of cards.”

Accountant Ben Pridmore is the 2004/2008/2009 world champion in memory sport, a relatively new way in which primates compete to see who can memorize (and recite back accurately) the most information. He utilizes, among other techniques, visual thinking which leverages, “the part of the brain that is emotional and creative to organize information in an intuitive and simultaneous way.” It’s another example of how our brains are incredibly malleable abstract reasoning machines, capable of iterative self-reconfiguration to better solve complex problems.

This music video by Ewan Jones Morris & Casey Raymond depicts one bizarre narrative that Mr. Pridmore developed for memorizing a deck of cards and it’s fascinating peek inside his award-winning grey matter. The choon is dope, too; DJ Shadow is one of my all-time favorites. Preemptive Strike was frequently spinning inside my Discman at college, the perfect companion for long walks across campus and all-night paper-writing sessions. I whole-heartedly recommend you check it out.

[ DJ Shadow "Scale It Back" ]

posted by respondcreate on Dec. 05, 2011 in Videos  |  tags: ben pridmore, bizarre, brain, casey raymond, dj shadow, ewan jones morris, hd, memory, music video, trippy

Fly Neuron Brainbow

“You’re looking at the brainscan of a fruit fly, which has been injected with fluorescent proteins to trace out and highlight neuron networks in the brain, making each neuron glow one of a 100 custom colors.” –Adrian Covert, Gizmodo”

Scientists sure are smart. Read more about this fascinating process (called ‘brainbow’) at Technology Review.

[ Fly Over the 'Brainbow' via Gizmodo > FastCo ]

posted by respondcreate on Mar. 18, 2011 in Pictures  |  tags: brain, brainbow, colorful, fly, insects, nature, science, trippy