My memories go back to my first year, in the early Eisenhower administration. Furthermore, somehow I know approximately how old I was when those events happened, even though for the first 3 years, I didn't know at the time how old I was.
I've had a few of these memories confirmed in odd ways. For example, one day, my three years older brother asked me if I remembered the day we had both stopped eating eggs. "Well, I remember the day that *I* stopped eating eggs, but I didn't know you stopped on the same day. How old were you?"
My brother said he'd been five. And I'd been two, so it fit.
1
This sound s mysteriously like "Ghost in the Shell", the recent film (2017) starring Scarlet Johansson, which is "based" on the Japanese comic name "THE Ghost in the Shell", written by Shirow Masamune, and then his anime film (same name, with "The" added), made in 1995.
Director Rupert Sanders, was called "visionary" on the disc. I am sorry, he has made a whopping total of 2 films; this one and a Snow White takeoff, starring Kristen Stewart, who played Snow White. He may be wealthy, but not visionary.
For GITS, Mr. Sanders used 18 CGI companies, which is outrageous. The list of cgi artists is like reading the wall on Ellis Island: thousands of computer compositors, computer graphic artists, computer animation artists, etc. I don't know how they found enough greenscreen to film it.
I absolutely do not knock Ms. Johansson. I think she is a unique actress. She is highly intelligent; attractive, sexy yes; more importantly, truly brilliant.
Ditto for Kristen Stewart; she is a brilliant actress, as well. I loved her in "The Cake Eaters"; an absolutely stunning performance. Although she is a few years younger than Ms. Johansson, the two of them will (hopefully) be around for years to come.
I am not a big fan of "comic book" films. I am ancient compared to them. My favorite director is Stanley Kubrick, I have seen (and own) all of his films at least 25 to 50 times each. My favorite actors are James Cagney (before 1960) and Steve McQueen (after 1960. But that is me.
1
Someone should mention that Alzheimer's was rare until 1980 or so when it began to increase tenfold. There is a real possibility that the toxins in our lives, flame retardants in furniture, carcinogens in fragrances, Preservatives in foods etc increased after 1980.
We need to be looking for what ever changed and why Mexico has one tenth the Alzheimers that we have.
see:
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/alzheimers-dementia/by...
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More likely is that people with Alzheimer's were simply diagnosed with dementia decades ago.
Someone should mention that Alzheimer's was often misdiagnosed as dementia until 1980. There is a real possibility that people mistake an increase in reporting with and increase in incidence.
We need to be looking for why people think Mexico has one tenth the Alzheimers when it really doesn't.
1
Very interesting! How do you get the implant into the right spot?
NYT should include links to the primary paper (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29410414) when discussing recent research papers. It makes it so much easier to dig in for details.
4
How stupid!
The main factor degrading normal human memory formation are electric devices like smart phones.
Oh well.
If you can beat them, become stupider and lazier with them.
1
"The scientists are in discussions to commercialize the technology.." Doesn't this explain the sad state of medicine in the US today?
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Right- get altzheimers = get stupid. Way to go OF!
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I've always wondered whether we have the stored memory of lives past. Do we inherit memory in a familial sense, a tribal sense or as a species? Certainly physical attributes are passed down and transmogrify in the process but how about memory? Can memory be codified like blue eyes and having a predilection for abuse of alcohol? I'm not sure if scientists have discovered what all that so called junk DNA is for or why we use only a small percentage of our brain capacity but is it possible that if we do have kind of a storage capability in our software, akin to the computers hardware! How trippy would it be to suddenly have those hitherto gates, open! I think when we sleep or have those deja vu moments, some of that ancient memory bubbles to the surface. Or perhaps even under the influence of a phototropic drug.
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Well, wonder no more!
No, we don't inherit memories.
2
Techniques and skills on how to memorize should become a major faculty for the first few years or longer at all schools.It begins at birth, but most parents are not aware of this vital important driving force. A good memory is all you need pass exams and is the foundation for prosperity to all. It is a very very long time overdue.
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I have an excessively good memory for things I would much rather forget. What I need is an memory editing implant.
My brain often misfires, though, especially when I am in a migraine cycle. Yesterday I found myself saying the exact opposite of what I meant — what I intended to say — and it wasn’t even Opposite Day. At least I got my shoes on the correct feet, so thank goodness for small triumphs.
8
I woke up this morning thinking about a girl named Joanna I knew in the fifties who was the first girl who ever liked me despite the fact that she had beautiful straw colored hair and was way smarter than me. Her family moved away one day and that was the end of that. I hope today that she’s happy and well and has had a good life. Day-by-day, I never know the places my memory will take me.
20
I could have used this yesterday when I forgot my umbrella at the theater. It was my ex-wife who reminded me that I had forgotten it, 30 minutes after we left the theater. She was my "memory-chip," until we got divorced. I guess she still is sometimes. I think my memory is OK, but only average. Hers however is amazing, at least to me. But there is a trade-off: I tend to be happy-go-lucky. I don't think too much or often about the difficulties in my past. Maybe I have just had it easy. She, meanwhile, often thinks of the difficulties in her much more troubled past. Seemingly minor slights from decades ago are still vivid in her mind. Such memories haunt her daily and often cast a pall on her outlook. Reflecting on all this, I think of an old saying: "Happiness is good health, and a bad memory."
16
I've already forgotten what I lust read.
6
really annoyed by the throwaway references to Ritalin. The writer only exhibits ignorance about a medical condition which is frequently laughed at, but which is real, and impacts the lives of millions, both those with the condition and those around them.
4
No thanks, I'll pass. I saw that Black Mirror episode.
5
Yikes - I was thinking the same thing. The episode "The Entire History of You" scared me to death and is a convincing argument against wanting a perfect memory.
You beat me to it!
The reason that learning to memorize a series of words does not result in improvement of mental functioning for those whose functioning is in the normal range (not seriously compromised) is that it is a passive skill rather than an active one. Linguists similarly contrast 'competence' (being able to recognize a linguistic use, i.e. memory) and 'performance' (being able to use a linguistic structure autonomously).
8
Kind of ironic that technology is producing numerous, extremely expensive remedies at a time when technology is making many of us redundant, via robotics.
It's a wonderful time to be wealthy, especially in the US.
11
Does this scientific desire to mechanize the brain hearken back to experiments a couple hundred years ago and stimulate the fascinations of Frankenstein?
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Sometimes forgetting is just as important as remembering. Despite our natural instinct to "perfect" nature, it shouldn't be forgotten that nature is ultimately merciful, and forgetting is part of that mercy.
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Nature is ultimately merciful?
You must inhabit a different world than the rest of us. Nature is neither merciful nor cruel, as those are human judgements of events and actions. But nature certainly inflicts much pain and suffering on sentient creatures as a matter of course. All animals (and some plants) must kill something in order to eat and survive
3
Sometimes at night, in bed after lights off - typically when I find myself unable to sleep - I play a memory game that unlocks memories that have drifted out of the realm of automatic recall. I start with a readily accessible memory of a person, an event, a thing, or a place that holds some significance to me - a grandparent or a childhood friend, a family home long since gone, anything that I can easily remember well. Then I ask simple questions: where did Grandfather live? What did he like to do? Who were his friends? Where did my best friend in fifth grade live? What did his mother and father look like. What classes can I remember from high school, what teachers? And so on. It sounds banal, but what's surprising and pleasing is how this opens doors to recollections, and establishes links to others. Sometimes it works well, other times less so. But for me it's an effective way to gain a clearer sense of what I did, who I was then. Sometimes the clarity is unsettling; you realize you weren't quite the perfect person you conjured up in your "memories." Regardless, this exercise can unlock the past, whether recent or long ago, a form of personal time travel.
39
Good lord, what time do you get to sleep?
8
Can't remember, Ed.
6