[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.27,0:00:04.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd like to invite you to close your eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.68,0:00:07.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine yourself standing
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.100,0:00:11.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside the front door of your home.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.12,0:00:14.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd like you to notice the color of the door,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.79,0:00:18.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the material that it's made out of.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.79,0:00:25.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now visualize a pack of overweight nudists on bicycles.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.51,0:00:28.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are competing in a naked bicycle race,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.71,0:00:32.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they are headed straight for your front door.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.46,0:00:34.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I need you to actually see this.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.41,0:00:37.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are pedaling really hard, they're sweaty,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.50,0:00:40.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're bouncing around a lot.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.40,0:00:44.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they crash straight into the front door of your home.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.21,0:00:48.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bicycles fly everywhere, wheels roll past you,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.13,0:00:51.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,spokes end up in awkward places.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.96,0:00:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Step over the threshold of your door
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.18,0:00:58.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into your foyer, your hallway, whatever's on the other side,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.02,0:01:01.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and appreciate the quality of the light.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.93,0:01:07.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The light is shining down on Cookie Monster.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.61,0:01:10.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Cookie Monster is waving at you
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.79,0:01:13.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from his perch on top of a tan horse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.50,0:01:15.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a talking horse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.30,0:01:19.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can practically feel his blue fur tickling your nose.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.84,0:01:24.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can smell the oatmeal raisin cookie that he's about to shovel into his mouth.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.11,0:01:27.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Walk past him. Walk past him into your living room.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.92,0:01:30.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In your living room, in full imaginative broadband,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.96,0:01:33.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,picture Britney Spears.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.77,0:01:39.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She is scantily clad, she's dancing on your coffee table,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.26,0:01:41.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she's singing "Hit Me Baby One More Time."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.81,0:01:44.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then follow me into your kitchen.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.73,0:01:49.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In your kitchen, the floor has been paved over with a yellow brick road
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.03,0:01:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and out of your oven are coming towards you
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.72,0:01:54.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dorothy, the Tin Man,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.79,0:01:57.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Scarecrow and the Lion from "The Wizard of Oz,"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.17,0:02:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hand-in-hand skipping straight towards you.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.00,0:02:04.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay. Open your eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.33,0:02:07.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to tell you about a very bizarre contest
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.79,0:02:10.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is held every spring in New York City.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.88,0:02:14.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's called the United States Memory Championship.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.36,0:02:17.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I had gone to cover this contest a few years back
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.26,0:02:19.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a science journalist
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.46,0:02:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,expecting, I guess, that this was going to be
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.79,0:02:24.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the Superbowl of savants.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.62,0:02:28.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was a bunch of guys and a few ladies,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.13,0:02:32.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,widely varying in both age and hygienic upkeep.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.87,0:02:35.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.15,0:02:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were memorizing hundreds of random numbers,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.36,0:02:40.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking at them just once.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.77,0:02:45.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were memorizing the names of dozens and dozens and dozens of strangers.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.13,0:02:48.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were memorizing entire poems in just a few minutes.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.57,0:02:50.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were competing to see who could memorize
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.75,0:02:54.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the order of a shuffled pack of playing cards the fastest.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.75,0:02:56.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was like, this is unbelievable.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.59,0:02:59.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These people must be freaks of nature.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.75,0:03:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I started talking to a few of the competitors.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.38,0:03:04.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a guy called Ed Cook
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.75,0:03:06.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had come over from England
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.32,0:03:08.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where he had one of the best trained memories.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.28,0:03:12.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said to him, "Ed, when did you realize
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.05,0:03:14.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you were a savant?"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.56,0:03:17.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Ed was like, "I'm not a savant.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.32,0:03:19.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, I have just an average memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.90,0:03:21.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everybody who competes in this contest
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.57,0:03:24.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will tell you that they have just an average memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.83,0:03:26.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've all trained ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.71,0:03:30.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to perform these utterly miraculous feats of memory
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.93,0:03:32.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using a set of ancient techniques,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.99,0:03:36.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,techniques invented 2,500 years ago in Greece,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.54,0:03:39.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same techniques that Cicero had used
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.67,0:03:41.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to memorize his speeches,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.53,0:03:45.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that medieval scholars had used to memorize entire books."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.72,0:03:49.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was like, "Whoa. How come I never heard of this before?"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.44,0:03:52.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we were standing outside the competition hall,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.16,0:03:55.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Ed, who is a wonderful, brilliant,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.83,0:03:58.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but somewhat eccentric English guy,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.90,0:04:03.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,says to me, "Josh, you're an American journalist.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.33,0:04:05.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you know Britney Spears?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.44,0:04:10.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm like, "What? No. Why?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.25,0:04:13.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Because I really want to teach Britney Spears
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.33,0:04:15.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how to memorize the order of a shuffled pack of playing cards
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.96,0:04:18.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on U.S. national television.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.21,0:04:21.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It will prove to the world that anybody can do this."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.48,0:04:25.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.89,0:04:29.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was like, "Well I'm not Britney Spears,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.38,0:04:32.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but maybe you could teach me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.15,0:04:34.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, you've got to start somewhere, right?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.58,0:04:38.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that was the beginning of a very strange journey for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.38,0:04:41.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I ended up spending the better part of the next year
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.28,0:04:43.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not only training my memory,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.38,0:04:45.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also investigating it,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.12,0:04:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to understand how it works,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.23,0:04:49.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why it sometimes doesn't work
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.50,0:04:51.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what its potential might be.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.99,0:04:54.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I met a host of really interesting people.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.29,0:04:56.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a guy called E.P.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.08,0:04:58.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He's an amnesic who had, very possibly,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.58,0:05:01.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the very worst memory in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.29,0:05:02.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His memory was so bad
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.95,0:05:05.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he didn't even remember he had a memory problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.70,0:05:07.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is amazing.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.59,0:05:09.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he was this incredibly tragic figure,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.30,0:05:11.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but he was a window into the extent
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.29,0:05:15.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to which our memories make us who we are.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.10,0:05:18.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The other end of the spectrum: I met this guy.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.14,0:05:19.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is Kim Peek.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.88,0:05:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was the basis for Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.36,0:05:26.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We spent an afternoon together
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.05,0:05:29.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Salt Lake City Public Library memorizing phone books,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.68,0:05:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was scintillating.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.77,0:05:35.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.73,0:05:39.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I went back and I read a whole host of memory treatises,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.16,0:05:42.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,treatises written 2,000-plus years ago
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.99,0:05:44.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Latin in Antiquity
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.90,0:05:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then later in the Middle Ages.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.23,0:05:49.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I learned a whole bunch of really interesting stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.80,0:05:53.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the really interesting things that I learned
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.04,0:05:55.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that once upon a time,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.51,0:06:01.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this idea of having a trained, disciplined, cultivated memory
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.29,0:06:06.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was not nearly so alien as it would seem to us to be today.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.31,0:06:11.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once upon a time, people invested in their memories,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.07,0:06:16.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in laboriously furnishing their minds.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.10,0:06:18.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over the last few millenia
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.22,0:06:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've invented a series of technologies --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.96,0:06:23.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the alphabet to the scroll
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.38,0:06:25.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the codex, the printing press, photography,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.69,0:06:27.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the computer, the smartphone --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.61,0:06:30.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that have made it progressively easier and easier
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.54,0:06:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for us to externalize our memories,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.12,0:06:35.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for us to essentially outsource
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.37,0:06:39.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this fundamental human capacity.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.08,0:06:42.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These technologies have made our modern world possible,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.68,0:06:44.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they've also changed us.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.48,0:06:46.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They've changed us culturally,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.23,0:06:49.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I would argue that they've changed us cognitively.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.76,0:06:52.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Having little need to remember anymore,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.33,0:06:55.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it sometimes seems like we've forgotten how.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.44,0:06:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the last places on Earth
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.18,0:07:00.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you still find people passionate about this idea
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.29,0:07:03.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a trained, disciplined, cultivated memory
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.53,0:07:06.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is at this totally singular memory contest.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.29,0:07:07.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's actually not that singular,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.60,0:07:09.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are contests held all over the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.93,0:07:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was fascinated, I wanted to know how do these guys do it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.09,0:07:18.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few years back a group of researchers at University College London
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.81,0:07:21.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,brought a bunch of memory champions into the lab.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.58,0:07:23.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They wanted to know:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.09,0:07:24.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do these guys have brains
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.46,0:07:28.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are somehow structurally, anatomically different from the rest of ours?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.90,0:07:31.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The answer was no.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.90,0:07:35.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Are they smarter than the rest of us?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.01,0:07:36.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They gave them a bunch of cognitive tests,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.72,0:07:38.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the answer was not really.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.99,0:07:42.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was however one really interesting and telling difference
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.32,0:07:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between the brains of the memory champions
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.42,0:07:46.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the control subjects that they were comparing them to.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.99,0:07:49.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they put these guys in an fMRI machine,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.67,0:07:51.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scanned their brains
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.71,0:07:56.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while they were memorizing numbers and people's faces and pictures of snowflakes,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.72,0:07:59.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they found that the memory champions
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.03,0:08:01.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were lighting up different parts of the brain
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.28,0:08:03.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than everyone else.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.29,0:08:06.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of note, they were using, or they seemed to be using,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.57,0:08:10.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a part of the brain that's involved in spatial memory and navigation.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.79,0:08:17.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why? And is there something the rest of us can learn from this?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.03,0:08:21.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The sport of competitive memorizing
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.23,0:08:24.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is driven by a kind of arms race
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.08,0:08:27.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where every year somebody comes up
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.12,0:08:29.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a new way to remember more stuff more quickly,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.81,0:08:31.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then the rest of the field has to play catchup.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.65,0:08:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is my friend Ben Pridmore,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.50,0:08:35.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,three-time world memory champion.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.25,0:08:37.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On his desk in front of him
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.08,0:08:40.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are 36 shuffled packs of playing cards
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.78,0:08:43.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he is about to try to memorize in one hour,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.52,0:08:47.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using a technique that he invented and he alone has mastered.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.88,0:08:49.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He used a similar technique
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.79,0:08:52.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to memorize the precise order
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.23,0:08:58.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of 4,140 random binary digits
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.04,0:09:00.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in half an hour.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.94,0:09:02.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.88,0:09:06.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And while there are a whole host of ways
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.42,0:09:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of remembering stuff in these competitions,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.00,0:09:12.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,everything, all of the techniques that are being used,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.89,0:09:15.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ultimately come down to a concept
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.50,0:09:19.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that psychologists refer to as elaborative encoding.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.15,0:09:21.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's well illustrated by a nifty paradox
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.83,0:09:23.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,known as the Baker/baker paradox,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.88,0:09:25.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which goes like this:
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.44,0:09:28.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I tell two people to remember the same word,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.33,0:09:29.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if I say to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.90,0:09:33.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Remember that there is a guy named Baker."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.53,0:09:35.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's his name.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.03,0:09:40.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I say to you, "Remember that there is a guy who is a baker."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.82,0:09:44.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I come back to you at some point later on,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.06,0:09:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I say, "Do you remember that word
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.10,0:09:48.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I told you a while back?
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.48,0:09:50.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you remember what it was?"
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.28,0:09:53.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The person who was told his name is Baker
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.54,0:09:55.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is less likely to remember the same word
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.86,0:09:59.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than the person was told his job is that he is a baker.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.71,0:10:02.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Same word, different amount of remembering; that's weird.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.79,0:10:04.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What's going on here?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.77,0:10:09.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well the name Baker doesn't actually mean anything to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.80,0:10:12.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is entirely untethered
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.10,0:10:15.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from all of the other memories floating around in your skull.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.33,0:10:17.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the common noun baker,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.22,0:10:19.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we know bakers.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.09,0:10:21.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bakers wear funny white hats.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.12,0:10:22.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bakers have flour on their hands.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.75,0:10:24.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bakers smell good when they come home from work.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.82,0:10:26.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe we even know a baker.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.95,0:10:28.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when we first hear that word,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.36,0:10:31.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we start putting these associational hooks into it
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.21,0:10:35.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that make it easier to fish it back out at some later date.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.28,0:10:38.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The entire art of what is going on
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.24,0:10:40.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in these memory contests
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.35,0:10:43.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the entire art of remembering stuff better in everyday life
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.58,0:10:47.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is figuring out ways to transform capital B Bakers
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.56,0:10:49.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into lower-case B bakers --
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.56,0:10:52.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to take information that is lacking in context,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.95,0:10:55.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in significance, in meaning
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.25,0:10:56.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and transform it in some way
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.80,0:10:58.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that it becomes meaningful
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.98,0:11:03.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the light of all the other things that you have in your mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.76,0:11:07.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the more elaborate techniques for doing this
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.50,0:11:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dates back 2,500 years to Ancient Greece.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.42,0:11:13.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It came to be known as the memory palace.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.40,0:11:16.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The story behind its creation goes like this:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.82,0:11:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a poet called Simonides
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.79,0:11:21.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who was attending a banquet.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.70,0:11:23.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was actually the hired entertainment,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.95,0:11:26.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because back then if you wanted to throw a really slamming party,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.96,0:11:30.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you didn't hire a D.J., you hired a poet.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.17,0:11:35.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he stands up, delivers his poem from memory, walks out the door,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.04,0:11:40.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at the moment he does, the banquet hall collapses,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.15,0:11:42.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kills everybody inside.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.83,0:11:45.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It doesn't just kill everybody,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.40,0:11:49.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it mangles the bodies beyond all recognition.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.26,0:11:51.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nobody can say who was inside,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.58,0:11:54.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nobody can say where they were sitting.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.75,0:11:56.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bodies can't be properly buried.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.99,0:12:00.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's one tragedy compounding another.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.84,0:12:03.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Simonides, standing outside,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.54,0:12:05.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sole survivor amid the wreckage,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.67,0:12:09.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,closes his eyes and has this realization,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.31,0:12:11.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is that in his mind's eye,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.84,0:12:16.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he can see where each of the guests at the banquet had been sitting.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.99,0:12:19.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he takes the relatives by the hand
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.33,0:12:23.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and guides them each to their loved ones amid the wreckage.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.39,0:12:26.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What Simonides figured out at that moment
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.66,0:12:30.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is something that I think we all kind of intuitively know,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.09,0:12:32.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is that, as bad as we are
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.50,0:12:35.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at remembering names and phone numbers
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.39,0:12:38.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and word-for-word instructions from our colleagues,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.05,0:12:43.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have really exceptional visual and spatial memories.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.54,0:12:47.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I asked you to recount the first 10 words
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.14,0:12:49.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the story that I just told you about Simonides,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.60,0:12:52.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,chances are you would have a tough time with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.09,0:12:54.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I would wager
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.40,0:12:57.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that if I asked you to recall
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.09,0:13:01.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is sitting on top of a talking tan horse
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.64,0:13:03.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in your foyer right now,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:03.64,0:13:05.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you would be able to see that.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.97,0:13:08.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The idea behind the memory palace
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.50,0:13:13.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to create this imagined edifice in your mind's eye
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.13,0:13:14.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and populate it with images
Dialogue: 0,0:13:14.88,0:13:17.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the things that you want to remember --
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.08,0:13:20.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the crazier, weirder, more bizarre,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.41,0:13:24.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,funnier, raunchier, stinkier the image is,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.01,0:13:26.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more unforgettable it's likely to be.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.89,0:13:29.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is advice that goes back 2,000-plus years
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.72,0:13:32.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the earliest Latin memory treatises.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.51,0:13:34.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how does this work?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.34,0:13:36.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's say that you've been invited
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.88,0:13:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to TED center stage to give a speech
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.68,0:13:43.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you want to do it from memory,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.22,0:13:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you want to do it the way that Cicero would have done it
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.26,0:13:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if he had been invited to TEDxRome 2,000 years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.92,0:13:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you might do
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.18,0:14:00.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is picture yourself at the front door of your house.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:00.40,0:14:02.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you'd come up with some sort
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.44,0:14:05.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of an absolutely crazy, ridiculous, unforgettable image
Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.95,0:14:08.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remind you that the first thing you want to talk about
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.93,0:14:11.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is this totally bizarre contest.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.72,0:14:14.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then you'd go inside your house,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.55,0:14:17.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you would see an image of Cookie Monster
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.41,0:14:19.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on top of Mister Ed.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.29,0:14:20.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that would remind you
Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.56,0:14:23.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you would want to then introduce your friend Ed Cook.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:23.74,0:14:26.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then you'd see an image of Britney Spears
Dialogue: 0,0:14:26.40,0:14:29.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remind you of this funny anecdote you want to tell.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:29.21,0:14:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you go into your kitchen,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.88,0:14:32.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the fourth topic you were going to talk about
Dialogue: 0,0:14:32.73,0:14:35.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was this strange journey that you went on for a year,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.67,0:14:40.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you have some friends to help you remember that.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:40.63,0:14:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is how Roman orators memorized their speeches --
Dialogue: 0,0:14:44.85,0:14:48.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not word-for-word, which is just going to screw you up,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.24,0:14:50.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but topic-for-topic.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.66,0:14:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, the phrase "topic sentence,"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.56,0:14:56.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that comes from the Greek word "topos,"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.86,0:14:58.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which means "place."
Dialogue: 0,0:14:58.58,0:15:00.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a vestige
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.15,0:15:02.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of when people used to think about oratory and rhetoric
Dialogue: 0,0:15:02.47,0:15:04.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in these sorts of spatial terms.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.71,0:15:06.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The phrase "in the first place,"
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.64,0:15:10.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's like in the first place of your memory palace.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.07,0:15:12.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought this was just fascinating,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:12.05,0:15:13.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I got really into it.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.95,0:15:16.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I went to a few more of these memory contests.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:16.70,0:15:19.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I had this notion that I might write something longer
Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.26,0:15:22.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about this subculture of competitive memorizers.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.55,0:15:24.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there was a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.58,0:15:27.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem was that a memory contest
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.32,0:15:31.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a pathologically boring event.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:31.05,0:15:33.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.66,0:15:38.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Truly, it is like a bunch of people sitting around taking the SATs.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.21,0:15:39.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, the most dramatic it gets
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.90,0:15:41.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is when somebody starts massaging their temples.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:41.28,0:15:44.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm a journalist, I need something to write about.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:44.32,0:15:48.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know that there's this incredible stuff happening in these people's minds,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.10,0:15:50.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I don't have access to it.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:50.20,0:15:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I realized, if I was going to tell this story,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:52.92,0:15:55.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I needed to walk in their shoes a little bit.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:55.67,0:15:59.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I started trying to spend 15 or 20 minutes
Dialogue: 0,0:15:59.25,0:16:02.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every morning before I sat down with my New York Times
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.08,0:16:04.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just trying to remember something.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.60,0:16:06.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe it was a poem.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.27,0:16:08.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe it was names from an old yearbook
Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.31,0:16:10.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I bought at a flea market.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:10.57,0:16:16.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I found that this was shockingly fun.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:16.07,0:16:18.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I never would have expected that.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.14,0:16:21.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was fun because this is actually not about training your memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:21.51,0:16:24.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you're doing is you're trying to get better and better and better
Dialogue: 0,0:16:24.55,0:16:26.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at creating, at dreaming up,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:26.98,0:16:29.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these utterly ludicrous, raunchy, hilarious
Dialogue: 0,0:16:29.87,0:16:33.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and hopefully unforgettable images in your mind's eye.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:33.99,0:16:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I got pretty into it.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:35.58,0:16:42.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is me wearing my standard competitive memorizer's training kit.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.23,0:16:44.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a pair of earmuffs
Dialogue: 0,0:16:44.20,0:16:47.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a set of safety goggles that have been masked over
Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.61,0:16:50.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,except for two small pinholes,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:50.28,0:16:55.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because distraction is the competitive memorizer's greatest enemy.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:55.61,0:17:01.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I ended up coming back to that same contest that I had covered a year earlier.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:01.38,0:17:03.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I had this notion that I might enter it,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:03.48,0:17:06.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of as an experiment in participatory journalism.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:06.78,0:17:11.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It'd make, I thought, maybe a nice epilogue to all my research.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:11.30,0:17:15.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Problem was the experiment went haywire.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:15.04,0:17:17.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I won the contest,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:17.78,0:17:20.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which really wasn't supposed to happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.88,0:17:26.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.73,0:17:28.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now it is nice
Dialogue: 0,0:17:28.44,0:17:31.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be able to memorize speeches
Dialogue: 0,0:17:31.26,0:17:34.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and phone numbers and shopping lists,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:34.36,0:17:37.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's actually kind of beside the point.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:37.13,0:17:39.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are just tricks.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.33,0:17:41.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are tricks that work
Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.33,0:17:44.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they're based on some pretty basic principles
Dialogue: 0,0:17:44.52,0:17:46.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about how our brains work.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:46.29,0:17:50.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you don't have to be building memory palaces
Dialogue: 0,0:17:50.24,0:17:52.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or memorizing packs of playing cards
Dialogue: 0,0:17:52.25,0:17:54.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to benefit from a little bit of insight
Dialogue: 0,0:17:54.26,0:17:56.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about how your mind works.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:56.91,0:17:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We often talk about people with great memories
Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.70,0:18:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as though it were some sort of an innate gift,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:01.00,0:18:02.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that is not the case.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:02.89,0:18:06.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Great memories are learned.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:06.66,0:18:10.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the most basic level, we remember when we pay attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:10.13,0:18:13.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We remember when we are deeply engaged.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:13.33,0:18:14.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We remember when we are able
Dialogue: 0,0:18:14.85,0:18:17.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to take a piece of information and experience
Dialogue: 0,0:18:17.62,0:18:19.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and figure out why it is meaningful to us,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:19.73,0:18:22.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why it is significant, why it's colorful,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:22.17,0:18:25.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we're able to transform it in some way
Dialogue: 0,0:18:25.10,0:18:26.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it makes sense
Dialogue: 0,0:18:26.59,0:18:28.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the light of all of the other things floating around in our minds,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:28.82,0:18:34.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we're able to transform Bakers into bakers.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:34.08,0:18:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The memory palace, these memory techniques,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:36.50,0:18:38.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're just shortcuts.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:38.38,0:18:40.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, they're not even really shortcuts.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:40.94,0:18:44.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They work because they make you work.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:44.34,0:18:48.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They force a kind of depth of processing,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:48.28,0:18:49.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a kind of mindfulness,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:49.80,0:18:54.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that most of us don't normally walk around exercising.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:54.03,0:18:56.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there actually are no shortcuts.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:56.59,0:18:59.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is how stuff is made memorable.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:59.45,0:19:03.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think if there's one thing that I want to leave you with,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:03.59,0:19:06.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's what E.P.,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:06.33,0:19:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the amnesic who couldn't even remember that he had a memory problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:10.12,0:19:11.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,left me with,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:11.62,0:19:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the notion
Dialogue: 0,0:19:13.71,0:19:18.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that our lives are the sum of our memories.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:18.75,0:19:24.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How much are we willing to lose
Dialogue: 0,0:19:24.58,0:19:28.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from our already short lives
Dialogue: 0,0:19:28.25,0:19:35.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by losing ourselves in our Blackberries, our iPhones,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:35.21,0:19:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by not paying attention to the human being across from us
Dialogue: 0,0:19:39.01,0:19:40.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is talking with us,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:40.58,0:19:42.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by being so lazy that we're not willing
Dialogue: 0,0:19:42.65,0:19:46.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to process deeply?
Dialogue: 0,0:19:46.34,0:19:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I learned firsthand
Dialogue: 0,0:19:48.79,0:19:52.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that there are incredible memory capacities
Dialogue: 0,0:19:52.18,0:19:54.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,latent in all of us.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:54.19,0:19:57.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if you want to live a memorable life,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:57.58,0:19:59.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have to be the kind of person
Dialogue: 0,0:19:59.97,0:20:02.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who remembers to remember.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:02.94,0:20:04.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:04.71,0:20:07.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)