Friend of mine is suffering some memory loss and behaving "illogically".
Person sent to test her called her behaviour illogical. I  disagreed, saying
that she behaved very logically with inadequate data. Yes, she said, and
that's illogical

Which brings me to my next point - Can you tell me, she asked, addressing
the patient, What _A stitch in nine saves time_ means?

My friend then spoke at length on what a stupid statement this is,
coherently and thoroughly demolishing it in my view, making a strong case
against by anyone's

Yes, said the qualified assessor, but you havent actually say what it means;
and I must hear you say that. (Which reminds me of a book serialised on the
radio recently, by a swedish journalist suddenly incapacitated by disease.
How long did it take her to get dressed unaided? Answer: I can't get dressed
unaided. Response: Yes, but how long would that be? I can't get dressed by
myself. OK, fair enough; but if you don't have help, how will you need? For
ever. I'm sorry, I need a time)

Which tells me we need to be very careful how we assess memory loss. In my
friend's case, she is so clever it is often hard to tell if she knows what's
going on. She told me recently about a wonderful place she went to, a
wonderful garden she wished she could go back to. It was only when she said
they did some gardening there that I realised it was the end of her own
garden. Because her friends were cutting down the overgrown garden, she
joined in.

What interests me particularly about this is that the experience had been
transformed by a very small memory loss - the bit about walking down her
path. It's not a big garden but there is a tarmac footpath crossing it so it
seems more complex and distant than it is. And from that, datum loss, the
whole context of what she was doing was lost because most of her connections
now seem to be down to single links. When I go to see her, I watch as she
reconstructs who I am. I  used to think she was displeased; but she was,
from this point of view, booting up

One could argue for or against tech in this context. I read yesterday about
a domestic robot which issues _alarms and warnings_ (rather spirit of the
age) - rings people when you fall over etc

Since I entrusted myself to a pda I have found I am *less able to remember
what i am doing without reference to my pda and have de-entrusted myself to
it

L










----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Pritchard" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: [WDL] How will digital life affect human memory


> Memory is a mental faculty like concentration or focus.
>
> They all improve with practice ( and deteriorate without exercise..just
like muscles) ..so actors tend to have excellent memories even deep into old
age. Those who memorise nothing, either through repitition or use of
memonics have weaker memory capacity..both long and short term.
>
> There is also some interesting evidence that looked at Alzenheimers in
Nuns, all of whom had  almost identical lifestyles; the Nuns who continued
to learn new things, ideas, skills, that is who exercised their minds had a
lower incidence of Alzs. than the Nuns who continued to do the same things
into old age..and of course, learning anything new, such as a language or
academic discipline..psychology, media whatever or skills, drawing,
gardening ..must continue to memorise information and data and to
incorporate them into their mindset and behaviour.
>
> And on the topic of cats..
>
> I used to have a dear little cat who would sit on my desk, watching me
write. I thought it was charming until the day she yawned and casually threw
up into my keyboard, shorting the computer, wiping data and wrecking the
keyboard at a time when I couldn't afford a new one.
>
> Worse, my Doctor told me she was the source of my increasingly bad asthma
an an itchy rash..so I found her a new home.
>
> But I can still enjoy cyber cats..like these..
>
>
> http://catsinsinks.com/
>
>
> Lawrence Upton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Memory is often reinforced and maintained by repetition. There are other
> factors, of course; but repetition is very important for things which do
not
> of themselves have much emotional force for us. Thus I still know without
> thinking that seven nines are sixty three because, I believe, I stood so
> many times in a school in inner south london, saying it - I even have a
> spatial awareness of that fact related to where it occurs in the table
>
> I HATED tables at the time. I am glad it was done to me.
>
> Yesterday, I bought 4 identical items, each 32p. Something went wrong with
> the till entry and, to avoid massive renentry - the design of entry
methods
> assumes correct entry - it became necessary to make ONE entry
>
> The till person and the manager stared at the machine, uttering this fact
as
> a prayer. One pound twenty eight, I said. They looked at me very
doubtfully.
>
> [Last time something like this happened - the till wasn't working so they
> said they couldnt trade because they wouldnt know if their arithmetic was
> right]
>
> This just went on.
>
> I tendered 1.98 - the 4 items plus another at 70 - saying I had to go and
> might I have my goods?
>
> A colleague, abandoning her till, brought up a calculator and did 4 x 32.
I
> was greatly admired
>
> The till asked for 1.98. They were in awe
>
> Chances are they would have learned to do what I did, but the process of
NOT
> using what they have learned has led to a kind of unlearning
>
>
> L
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Margaret Penfold"
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 1:17 AM
> Subject: [WDL] How will digital life affect human memory
>
> **********
>
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>
> http://www.dome2.com
> http://www.madelaine.dome2.com
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>
> **********
>
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