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Man's rare ability may unlock secret of memory
http://www.cnn.com/ 2008/ HEALTH/ conditions/ 05/ 07/ miraculous.memory/ index.html?ere...
Brad Williams remembers the day this picture was taken: July 28, 1964. He recalls that his family was on vacation in the Badlands. It was Tuesday. The temperature hit 100. In fact, he remembers pretty much everything that has happened in his life each
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CNN Health:
http://dangerousmeta.com/site/cnn_health_memory/Give Brad Williams a date, and he can usually tell you not only what he was doing but what world events happened that day. He can do this for almost every day of his life. Perhaps unlocking the secrets of better memory for the rest of us.
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Science, research - Of Trashing Teens, The Impact of Generation Y, and Extraordinary Talents
http://cafeacademic.com/?p=27Of Trashing Teens, The Impact of Generation Y, and Extraordinary Talents For a very interesting take on the teenage years, head on over to PyschologyToday.com for a question and answer session with Psychologist Robert Epstein called Trashing Teens. Hara Estroff Marano sets down the questions for Epstein, the author of the book, “ For a very interesting take on the teenage years, head on over to PyschologyToday.com for a question and answer session with Psychologist Robert Epstein called Trashing Teens. Hara Estroff Marano sets down the questions for Epstein, the author of the book, “The Case Against Adolescence.” Epstein argues that “teens are far more competent than we assume” and that “most of their problems stem from restrictions placed on them.” Epstein insists that adolescence has become an artificial extension of childhood but he is not suggesting that teens should have more freedom. Instead, Epstein states: “They already have too much freedom—they are free to spend, to be disrespectful, to stay out all night, to have sex and take drugs. But they’re not free to join the adult world, and that’s what needs to change.” The Q & A also features a lengthy list of enacted laws that have impacted adolescence. Entitled “The Adolescent Squeeze,” the list focuses on the move towards compulsory education laws at the same time that legal restrictions regarding labor by young people came into effect. The list offers an especially tantalizing phrase regarding the process referring to these laws as “infantilizing adolescents.” College Is Not for Everyone A recent piece on TheAtlantic.Com offers the tale of a professor attempting to work with students who do not seem to have the capacity for the rigors of college. The provocative article, In the Basement of the Ivory Tower, has a sub-heading that matches our thoughts precisely. Notes sub-title, “The idea that a university education is for everyone is a destructive myth. An instructor at a ‘college of last resort’ explains why.” Written by Professor X, the article re-emphasizes a number of points we have made on this site, most recently in our series on the Netherlands and our view that America should take a thorough look at the Dutch who understand the importance of education yet recognize that other forms of education exist beyond the traditional college program. Generation Y Transforming the Web Another web article that will provoke the thought waves is at ReadWriteWeb.com. “Why Gen Y Is Going to Change the Web,” a piece written by Sarah Perez, takes a look at the most digitally active generation to date. The article spends no time trying to clean up the issue as to who technically constitutes Generation Y. Instead it goes on to review the values and mores of this age group. In explaining how this age group is different, the article stipulates that Generation Y is completely plugged in. They are a group of “web savvy multitaskers, able to watch TV, surf the web, listen to music, and talk or text on their phones, often performing several of these things at the same time.” For this generation the author notes that “TV isn’t king” and “They don’t care about your ad, they care what their friends think.” Adding to how this generation will change the world, Perez notes that “Work isn’t their whole world” but at the same time “They’re socially conscious.” Head on over to ReadWriteWeb.com to learn more about the plugged in generation that will transform the world wide web over the next few years. College Prodigy If you are looking to be inspired, head on over to MSNBC for an interesting story on ten year old Moshe Kai Cavalin. This story of a young boy, described as both precocious and shy, demonstrates why the American educational landscape must change and change dramatically. Cavalin is actually a college sophomore taking advanced mathematics, foreign languages and music. Demonstrating incredible humility as well as academic talents, the youngster states that he knows what his IQ is but “doesn’t like to discuss it.” He also insists that “other students can achieve his success if they study hard and stay focused on their work.” There has never been any traditional public school in Cavalin’s young life. Just home schooling until he turned eight and entered college. At ten he now indicates that one of his primary interests is “wormholes,” the hypothetical scientific phenomenon that is based on Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. It is truly an amazing story about an equally amazing youngster. An Extraordinary Memory In one of the more interesting studies underway, we turn to CNN and an article titled “Man’s rare ability may unlock secret of memory.” It tells, in tantalizing tid bits, the story of a 51-year-old who is as extraordinary as 10-year-old Cavalin. Brad Williams, has an exceptionally remarkable memory, give him a date, any date, and he can tell you what he was doing that day as well as what important world events occurred that day. Williams has what is called hyperthymestic syndrome, the terminology coming from the Greek words for excessive (hyper) and remembering (thymesis). Williams is reported one of only three people in the world identified with this level of autobiographical memory. In an effort to understand these individuals and why they are able to remember things so vividly, researchers at the University of California-Irvine have begun an extensive study into this rare syndrome. Part of the research involves the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to create three-dimensional pictures of the brain of each of these individuals. Williams did not appear to be a whole lot of help with his explanation of his amazing gift. When asked how he manages to recall such information so quickly Williams answered, “It’s just there.” Generation Y photo by DeBaird.
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Weekend Websites
http://theunbrokenwindow.com/2008/06/07/weekend-websites-5/Weekend Websites Jun 7th, 2008 by wintercow20 A syndrome I wouldn’t mind having … or would I? Newsmeat. Turtles all the way down. The globalization of job searching. Lies we tell our kids. Posted in Flotsam and Jetsam
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Medical Miracles
http://m1122.blogspot.com/2008/05/medical-miracles.htmlIn my very drunken stupor the other night I apparently entered into an intense (and likely one-sided) debate with JC over which graduate study was more difficult. As I took great effort to point out, medical school was far more difficult and important than law school. She, and other would-be doctors, train to win battles between life and death. I, and other would-be lawyers, train to win battles
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The stuff of legends...
http://inchofdifference.blogspot.com/2008/05/stuff-of-legend...or at least the future.... First up: Magic fucking pixie dust to grow back limbs. With war comes medicine, that is to say the more we destroy ourselves the more we find the ways to extend the destruction - gotta get the cannon fodder back in the field. Then there is this. Hyperthymestic is just a cool word. And my head is just banging back to Funes, el memorioso. I love Borges, so very much.
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Suffer from CRS Disease? This Guy Sure Doesn’t!
http://www.healthbolt.net/2008/05/26/suffer-from-crs-disease...Admit it. There are days when your CRS (Can’t Remember Shit) Disease rears its ugly head more so than others. But if you’re Brad Williams, those days are pretty much, well…never! See, Mr. Williams is one of only three people in the world with an extreme autobiographical memory called hyperthymestic syndrome. This condition - its name derived from the Greek words for excessive (hyper) and remembering (thymesis) - is characterized by lifetime memories forever being etched into one’s mind. Most folks, of course, have memories which fade over time. Mr. Williams, 51, lives in Wisconsin and joins a man in Ohio and a woman in California as the only documented hyperthymestic people in the world. Naturally, scientists are anxious to study this super-memory phenomenon, in hopes of helping those with failing memories. Researchers at the University of California-Irvine are heading up studies, quizzing Mr. Williams and the two other hyperthymestics about a series of dates and events. Said Larry Cahill, a fellow at the university’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory: “The speed with which they do this is part of why I find this so amazing because it seems to indicate there’s no — or not much — intentional calculation going on. It’s boom, boom, boom, there’s the answer. Remember, these are questions they had no idea what we’re going to ask them.” Fascinating, indeed! I have a hard enough time remembering last week with any clarity, you know? Furthermore, researchers are now using an MRI to create three-dimensional pictures of the hyperthymestic brain to see whether there are any differences in size or structure, compared with the average brain. Results are still being considered, but at this pint it seems as though some structures in the prefrontal cortex are significantly larger in hyperthymestics. This is the area of the brain that is associated with complex thinking, rather than learning or memory. Surprisingly, Mr. Williams and the other hyperthymestics didn’t do any better than average on standard memory tests, nor did they prove to be savants, a condition where one extraordinary mental ability is accompanied by deficits in other areas. Researchers hope others with extraordinary memories come forward so they can be learned from as well. I can tell you right now, that sure as heck isn’t going to be me. But maybe you? If you have a remarkable memory, let us know, even if you’re not quite up to hyperthymetic status. Source: CNN.com Tags: Brad Wiliams, Healthbolt, Hyperthemestic Syndrome, Remarkable Memories, Super Memories Share This
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Remembering every day of your life
http://www.aaronsdayoff.com/2008/05/remembering-every-day-of...Remembering every day of your life I'm kinda torn about whether or not this is a good thing - one the one hand, it would be pretty handy, but if I really thought hard I could probably remember some pretty shocking days in my life. Living in ignorant bliss definitely helps you move on and deal with the here and now/future stuff. Man's rare ability may unlock secret of memory - CNN.com
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LOTD for May 16
http://linkcollection.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/lotd-for-may-...LOTD for May 16 Filed under: Uncategorized — gokamoto @ 9:42 pm Tyco sold M/A-COM to Cobham for $425 mil. The sales price is less than 1 year’s revenue for M/A-COM: http://hsdailywire.com/single.php?id=6143 How bad are things at Boeing? They just lost the next-generation GPS satellite contract to Lockheed even though they are the current makers of GPS satellites. This is more than a $3.5 bil loss, on top of how Boeing lost the last 4 times it tried for a contract over $500 mil. Boeing had already started the hiring process for its satellite group in El Segundo, and it looks like the new hires and some of the people who have been there awhile will be “resized” and looking for their next jobs. I didn’t realize that Boeing is currently the largest private employer in Southern California…though that could change due to this contract loss: http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-satellites16-2008may16,0,7313698.story More about the Boeing contract loss includes the info about how Boeing is currently well behind on its current-generation GPS satellite contract, losing $21.4 mil due to delays and cost overruns. Even though they replaced their managers after that, their failure on their current GPS satellite contract probably was a huge factor in their losing the next-generation GPS satellite contract: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a.at6EZX8Ttw&refer=us DARPA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary: Article link This reporter put together a list of DARPA’s most prominent hits and misses over the years: Article link Looks like Syria’s secret nuclear reactor was disguised as a ruined Byzantine fortress. Pretty cool photos of it on this site and then images after Israel bombed it: http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/1885/more-boxology An extensive nuclear missile deployment area has been discovered in Central China. The photos are interesting and the article discusses that the photos show that China’s nuclear missile program there is much bigger than our analysts had previously thought: http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2008/05/extensive-nuclear-deployment-area-discovered-in-central-china.php It appears that the Air Force spread false information about this military-themed social networking site and took so long to correct their position that the social networking site might not be able to recover from the damage: http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/05/in-late-january.html This man’s autobiographical memory (and the other 2 people who have that type of amazing memory) is being studied to try to unlock the secrets of memory to help those with failing memories (thanks for the link Ben!): http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/07/miraculous.memory/index.html Insecticides in certain pet shampoos apparently trigger autism: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13905-insecticides-in-pet-shampoo-may-trigger-autism.html Intel strongly denied a report that Apple was going to use the Atom chip in a future version of the iPhone: http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9945092-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 Qualcomm won 40 MHz of spectrum (in the 1.4 GHz band) in an UK auction. It appears that Qualcomm will use the spectrum for mobile TV service via MediaFLO: Press release Sprint announced that it is ready to launch commerical WiMAX service in DC and Baltimore later this year: http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/05/12/daily48.html?ana=yfcpc The touch-screen enabled Blackberry Thunder is intended to directly challenge the iPhone and is exclusive to Verizon in the US (and Verizon partner Vodaphone elsewhere). It has only 4 keys and *no* slide-out keyboard, so this is a very different type of Blackberry: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121087480469495889.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news LTE was initially supposed to be the 4G upgrade for GSM providers, but Alltel is now the 2nd biggest CDMA provider to switch from UMB to LTE for 4G. Verizon (also CDMA-based) and AT&T have already announced they will be going with LTE: http://www.rcrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080515/FREE/237472331/1014/rss01 Nintendo launched Wiiware, which offers downloads of original games for the Wii: http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/gaming/e3i4c48acfb0da84a316deecf89192c3fbb
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road trip!
http://unforgettabledoc.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/road-trip/After the last five days, I have newfound respect for rock stars, major-league athletes, political candidates, traveling salesmen and anyone else whose career puts them in constant motion. I am wiped. Brad’s visit to Los Angeles to tape his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” unexpectedly expanded into a quickie weekend trip to New York City where Brad would tape an appearance on “Live With Regis and Kelly” which will air the week of June 2. Yes, that makes two “Live” shows in five days, neither of which actually aired live! We did walk by Rockefeller Center around 11:30pm Saturday, but sadly no one invited Brad inside to do a cameo on “Saturday Night Live” so he could have made it a “Live” trifecta. I must agree with the sentiment of a multitude of t-shirts, keychains and coffee mugs, in that I too (heart) NY. I dream of being talented and lucky enough someday to be offered a job which would allow me to live and work in Manhattan without going broke. Our time in the city was limited, but we did manage to squeeze in a bit of fun by attending a performance at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre. The amazingly sharp cast of improvisational actors included the ever-endearing and hilarious Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the page from “30 Rock”) and, as a special treat, the evening’s featured monologist was “Freaks and Geeks” star and Hollywood Superhunk™ Samm Levine. We also paid a visit to Phil Gries of Archival Television Audio, Inc., billed as “the largest vintage TV soundtrack archive in the world”, with audio tapes of television programs from 1946 to 1979. For two hours, Phil welcomed us into his basement lair and played selections from his massive collection which preserves on magnetic tape most of the programming which is also stored inside Brad’s head. Brad could probably have stayed there for days, listening to one long-forgotten program after another. (Well, long-forgotten except by Brad.) Phil did, however, prove definitively that Brad WAS wrong in identifying the guests on the March 28, 1969, episode of “This Is Tom Jones” in his recounting of the events of that day in our “Some Assembly Required” clip… but also proved that Brad’s memories were remarkably accurate of the following week’s episode, the one featuring Judy Carne and JoAnne Worley which he erroneously thought had aired on March 28. It remains a mystery why Brad mixed up the weeks. Just one more bit of evidence that, despite the oversimplification running through nearly all the coverage of hyperthymesia, Brad’s memory is not “perfect”, nor does he “remember everything”. He just remembers more than you or I ever will. Squeezed between Jimmy and Regis chronologically was another visit to Dr. McGaugh and Dr. Cahill at the University of California - Irvine, this time for the benefit of a crew from ABC’s “Medical Mysteries”. The UC-I staff are at the epicenter of hyperthymesia, and every news article or TV appearance triggers new aftershocks of media requests and another tsunami of inquiries from people who claim to have, or know someone who has, a similarly astonishing memory. You can imagine how swamped they are in the wake of the publication of Jill Price’s book, the emergence of Rick Baron as “hyperthymestic #3″, and Brad’s appearances on Kimmel and CNN. (We’re told that the CNN piece was the most viewed story of the day on cnn.com, registering over one million hits.) We should have a breather for the Memorial Day weekend, which will give me a little time to plow through all the new video I’ve accumulated. But there are rumblings of at least one more media event on the horizon. Brace yourselves, Irvine; this ain’t over yet.
