Interview with a Memory Expert: Memory Athletes Annalena and Christian Schäfer

Here's the latest in the "Interview with a Memory Expert" series: Annalena and Christian Schäfer! The 22- and 23-year-old memory athletes from Wuerzburg, Germany, have been fixtures on the memory competition circuit for over six years now. They met at a competition in 2010. Now they’re married! I got in touch with them to discuss their relationship with memory sports and the many exciting things (TV appearances, their own memory events, etc.) they’ve been up to. Hope you enjoy!

"Memory sports is still something quite exotic, so it’s great to always have someone to discuss about competitions or new strategies that come up to our minds. If one of us is highly motivated to practice, he/she thrills the other one. But also if one of us wants to do something more relaxing, the other one doesn’t want to do memory training alone."
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Interview with a Memory Expert: Memory Athlete Johannes Zhou

I’ve got another memory expert interview for you: Johannes Zhou! Only 19 years old, Johannes was the top online qualifier for the 2015 Extreme Memory Tournament and this year’s runner-up (check out Johannes’s qualification videos here). After jumping onto the memory scene in 2013, the Frankfurt resident has been tearing up the rankings and thrashing opponents left and right. Watch out for him in Group F at the upcoming XMT (June 24-26). I got in touch with...

"Knowing that I'm able to memorize hundreds of numbers in a few minutes somehow made me a more self-confident person. It's hard to put in words, but it's just a great feeling to challenge your brain on a day to day basis."

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Feature on BBC Future!

A while ago I spoke with someone from the BBC, and yesterday I was very pleased to find this! The author, Helen Thompson, explores the history of memory palaces and gets into my own story and techniques for cards, numbers, etc. She also spoke with 2x world memory champion Jonas von Essen. A little biased, but I think she did a great job, although the Sherlock comparison may be a bit much! Click the photo below to check it out. 

Memory Feature in the London Times Educational Supplement

I was interviewed for a memory/learning article that came out recently in the London Times Educational Supplement. The author, Joseph Lee, explores up-to-date memory and learning research to offer ways in which teachers can implement the ideas in the classroom. I'm only featured on the first page, but he goes on to interview a slew of well-known researchers from around the world. A great read for any teacher or student interested in capitalizing on science to boost their learning efficiency. Click the above link or the image below to view the PDF.