XMT Time!

Last bit of training before I head out early Thursday for this year's Extreme Memory Tournament! In its third year now, the XMT is easily the coolest and most fun-to-watch memory competition out there. Make sure to check out all the action at XMTLive.com. In addition to the usual live display showing all competitors' screens and results, Florian Delle (founder of Memory-Sports.com; I interviewed him earlier this past year) and Max Berkowitz (an actual sportscaster!) are going to be adding some color commentary all day long. It's gonna be great! So be sure to tune in online for the group stage starting 8:30 am PDT on Friday. 

Numbers System Details

I've added a slightly more in-depth description of my numbers system to the FAQ:

Since mid-2014, I have used a 3-digit system (one unique image for each 3-digit combo from 000-999) based on the [Major System phonetic code][9], shown below. My system is approximately ⅓ people and ⅔ objects. I place two of these 3-digit images per locus. 

Each digit is assigned a corresponding phonetic sound:
0    s, z
1    t, d
2    n
3    m
4    r
5    l
6    j, ch, sh, soft g
7    k, hard g
8    f, v
9    p, b

For a given 3-digit combo, I squeeze the three sounds together to form an image. For example, 375 might correspond to MKL, so I chose “Michael Jordan” as my image for 375. 357 became “milk.” 604 became “chess rook.” 970 became “Biggie Smalls.”

Here are a few links I used to brainstorm Major system images (if you're stuck on a number, try plugging it into these for some ideas):

http://major-system.info/en/?n=279
http://www.phoneticmnemonic.com/lookup.php?num=279&submit=Lookup
http://www.rememberg.com/

Interview with a Memory Expert: U.S. Memory Athlete Everett Chew

Just 14 years old, Everett Chew is striking fear into the hearts of America’s top memory competitors. At his first ever competition, the 2015 USA Memory Championship, the Southern California native posted a 41 sec speed cards time on his first attempt and went on to reach the finals. In a few weeks, he’ll be competing right next to me in Group D at the Extreme Memory Tournament. He’ll follow that up with his first-ever WMSC competition: the U.S. Memory Open. What will he do next? I contacted Everett late last year to discuss his future plans, his advice for breaking through plateaus, and how he applies memory techniques in his school and personal lives.

"I have found two techniques mentioned in Moonwalking with Einstein called deliberate practice and the 'plateau breaker.' The idea of the 'plateau breaker' is to push myself outside of my comfort zone so that I’m forced to make mistakes. I then identify what’s holding me back and use deliberate practice to clean up those areas. Combining these two techniques is an extremely efficient way to practice and my go-to training method, especially when I attempt to beat one of my personal bests."
Read more

Feature in The New Yorker

Sorry to be bombarding with articles, but this is one I'm really excited about: The New Yorker! Probably the most in-depth, personal piece I've done. Thanks to author Ian Frisch for writing a really cool article. He and photographer Jonno Rattman came over to my parents' apartment outside New York the day after the USA Memory Championship. It was a surreal experience, and I'm pretty sure my parents, Ian, Jonno, and I were just discussing random, non-memory related things most of the time. We even went out for Memphis-style barbecue toward the end. After they left, I was worried I hadn't given him enough to work with. But the man knows what he's doing. Check it out by clicking the photo below. Hope you enjoy!

Photo by Jonno Rattman for The New Yorker

Photo by Jonno Rattman for The New Yorker

Washington Post Article & Let's Talk Jackson Podcast

Two new pieces out today. 

The first is a Washington Post article centered around the recent USA Memory Championship. I spoke with the author, Devin, while stuffing my face with lunch between the morning and afternoon rounds. He covers the highlights of the competition and drops quotes from a few other competitors, including runner-up Brad Sundstrom. Devin interweaves the competition results with bits about memory techniques and science quite smoothly. Check it out.

The second is a 30-min podcast interview I did with Beau York for his show "Let's Talk Jackson" (Jackson = where I live). This one was really cool for me since it's the only podcast I've done actually in the studio, mics and everything. Pretty fun. We get into the basics of memory competitions and how the sport works before delving into a bit about Mullen Memory. 

Hope you enjoy!

Recalling the Order of Images on a Locus

Here's a question I've been getting a lot recently. I've added it to the FAQ.

When you have multiple images in one locus, how do you remember their order?

Since I use "single-image" systems -- each digit/card/etc group always translates to a single image -- I must still recall the order of images within each locus. Contrast that with PA- or PAO-type systems, which by definition give you...

Read more