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Biohazard : the Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World-Told from the Inside by the Man who Ran it Random House Publishing Group;Delta Alibek, Ken, Handelman, Stephen Year: 2000 Language: english File: EPUB, 4.97 MB Your tags: 0 / 0

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Best Governments: in 240 Graphs 2015 Sharjeel Ali;CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Ali, Sharjeel Year: 2015 Language: english File: EPUB, 7.51 MB Your tags: 0 / 0

CHAPTER 4

ADVANCED MEMORY TECHNIQUES

Remembering numbers can be really tricky unless you use a particular technique. Here
					are several that are incredibly useful.

The Major system

This encodes numbers into phonetic sounds based on the letters of the alphabet—but
					not vowels (including the letter y). The following numbers represent the letters
					next to it.

0 = s, z, c (ceiling)

1 = t or d

2 = n, gn

3 = m

4 = r

5 = l

6 = sh, j, dg (hedge), ch (chair), g (George)

7 = c, k, ck, ch (chord), g (goat)

8 = f, v, ph, gh

9 = p or b

How it works

Take a pair of digits and make a few small words using the above code. The number
					32 can be man, for example, 77 cake, 86 fish and 09 soap.

How to use

There are many uses for the Major system, but it’s mostly used for remembering a
					long series of numbers. (NB: You do not need to know the Major system codes off by
					heart. Just have them close by for reference.)

Memorising numbers

To remember this twenty-digit number we would pair up the numbers and then make a
					story using linking and association.

92573391144768217282

92 (pen) + 57 (leg) + 33 (mummy) + 91 (bat) + 14 (door) + 47 (rock) + 68 (chef) +
					21 (net) + 72 (gun) + 82 (fan)

				

The pen writes a large squiggle on my leg. When I stand up I see a mummy three metres
						tall holding a bat. I run as fast as I can, open a door and go inside. There he is
						– The Rock holding eggs, about to bake a fairy cake. He is dressed as a chef, wearing
						a net on his head. Then he swaps his net for a large machine gun, and his fans watching
						applaud the action hero.



How long? Around two minutes to remember all the digits after reading the above story.

Using Method of Loci

We can also use the Method of Loci to store numbers in pairs for each location.

[image: image]

All that is left to do is to recall the story from each location, which will in turn
					give you the word associated with the numbers above.



	1. front door
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .;  . . .



	2. bed
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	3. shower
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	4. sink
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	5. cupboard
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	6. television
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	7. couch
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	8. dishwasher
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	9. fridge
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



	10. table
	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .




How long? It will take between ten to twenty seconds to make the story (connection)
					with a location and item to be memorised. So for ten items it’s around three minutes.

Memorising playing cards

Create an image for each card using the Major system or use the references below.

[image: image]

Using Method of Loci

Using the Method of Loci here’s how to memorise ten random playing cards. Each card
					is connected to a location for an imaginative story to be made.

[image: image]

After you’ve memorised ten playing cards, try doubling that effort to twenty. Ultimately
					your goal is to memorise fifty-two playing cards in fifty-two locations.

How long? It should take around twenty seconds to create a story with the location
					and card, so for the ten items it’s around three minutes.

Dominic system

Created by Dominic O’Brien, World Memory Champion for a record eight times, this
					technique is similar to the Major system and encodes digits into people and actions.
					The numbers coded are:

0 = O

1 = A

2 = B

3 = C

4 = D

5 = E

6 = S

7 = G

8 = H

9 = N

How it works

Group the digits of numbers to be memorised into pairs. The letters of the first
					pair of digits creates a person using the initials of their first name and surname.
					The next pair relates to an action or activity of the person.

How to use

Let’s memorise this number using the Dominic system.

92593300154268217282

[image: image]

Using the above table, we see that number 92 makes NB with 9 = N and B = 2. From
					this we can use the initials to create a name. In this case, Napoleon Bonaparte.
					Since we have a person for the number 92, we can now attribute an action. In this
					case we have chosen Napoleon Bonaparte fighting in battle. The action element comes
					in when we are combining numbers together.

•  The first two digits are always a person.

•  The next two digits are always an action.

Using the Method of Loci to help, you can now use the person/action strategy of the
					Dominic system:

[image: image]


[image: image]

•  You do not need to know the Major system codes as you start memorising,
						just have them close by as a reference. Before long you’ll know them off by heart.

•  When linking numbers make sure you don’t mix up the order of the numbers you are
						trying to remember. If you make an incorrect story you will recall incorrect numbers.

•  When using the Method of Loci to remember numbers, always attach the story deeply
						into the location. Remember, physical connection makes for stronger memorisation.

•  The Method of Loci is the fastest way to memorise playing cards. create as many
						loci as you can so you don’t get your stories mixed up by repeatedly using the same
						location.

•  creating a spreadsheet listing people and their actions is super helpful
						when using the Dominic system.

•  Impress others with these new skills and spread
						the love.





ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I never thought I’d write a book, let alone two! My hope is that this one also helps
					people and makes their lives that bit easier. Thank you to my amazing parents and
					family who have supported me and given me strength ever since I was a child. They
					have been my greatest inspiration. I thank my dear friends and colleagues that have
					supported me along my journey. Thank you to Nolan Bushnell for helping me send my
					message of learning to thousands of people around the world. To my awesome contributors,
					you guys are amazing individuals doing extraordinary things. Keep at it! To my readers,
					I appreciate you taking your valuable time to acquire knowledge and better yourself.
					You’re also an inspiration for me to keep doing what I do. And finally thanks to
					my wife and our three beautiful kids. Love you all. Peace.



7-STEP GUIDE TO LEARNING ANYTHING IN 48 HOURS

Below is a 7-step guide to learning almost anything in 48 hours. Applied with the techniques and tips from this book, it will create a structured process for you to follow and make sure you’re on track to achieving learning success.

1.  Gather materials and resources to learn (Up to 3 hours)

You’ve made the choice to learn something. The first step then is to gather all the
						resources and materials you need to get started. If you were to learn a language,
						for example, the list of resources might include books, audio, websites and apps.
						It might also be helpful to find a native speaker with whom you can practise speaking
						the language.

2.  Develop memorisation strategy (Up to 2 hours)

Once you have gathered all you need, make a decision on the memory techniques you
						plan to use from this book. For example, if you’re wanting to memorise a lengthy
						list, such as past presidents of the Unites States of America, you would look at
						using the Method of Loci. If you’re wanting to acquire knowledge fast, you would
						look at developing a mind map of the content and using visualisation methods such
						as SMASHIN SCOPE to create engaging associations in your mind with the knowledge.
						Reading this book will help with identifying the most relevant strategy. The more
						practise you get at identifying which memory techniques to use, the better you become
						at developing a memorisation strategy.

3.  Organise/prioritise materials (Up to 1 hour)

With your strategy developed, the next step is to organise the materials and resources
						you have to fit inside your strategy. If your strategy was to memorise all 1500 French
						phrases, then you will need to make sure you have your 1500 French phrases set out
						in a way that will make it easy for you to go through them one by one. One method
						of doing that is to enter or copy and paste each phrase into a spreadsheet so that
						it becomes easy to access.

4.  Create accountability (Up to 1 hour)

It is important to share your learning task with a family member, friend, or anyone
						else that will hold you accountable. Accountability to others creates motivation
						to get you going so that you don’t let others down. We do tend to slack off if we
						are accountable to only ourselves.

5.  Memorise (Up to 30 hours)

Once you have all of your materials and have developed your process for learning,
						it is time for action. It is best to start with short periods of memorisation rather
						than long. The reason for this is that it is less strain on the brain, you will complete
						a set memorisation period quickly, and as you get better you will increase your time.
						If you start with longer memorisation periods then it will overwhelm you very quickly.
						Keep it short and simple.

6.  Review (spaced repetition) (Up to 1 hour)

Once you have memorised you will need to go back and review your work. This helps
						to store your memorisation in long-term memory. Depending on what you’re learning,
						of course, the rule for spaced repetition is to review an hour later, then a day
						later, then a week later, a month later, three months later, six months later and
						finally a year later.

7.  Practise and apply (Up to 10 hours)

Once you have memorised and used techniques to achieve what you want, you will need
						to practise to give yourself feedback on your memorisation. This is the test of
						how much you have learned. If you have indeed memorised 1500 French phrases, go into
						an environment where French is spoken and have conversations. Are you able to speak
						it? What works? What doesn’t? Note all these down and figure out why these were the
						case. Learn from them and then go back and re-memorise. Having the chance to practise
						what you have memorised is crucial to the learning process. Memorisation only helps
						you to store the information, whereas learning helps you understand. Practise is
						the intersection where these two meet. So try to practise as much as you can and,
						before you know, you will learn anything you want to learn in record time.



HOW IT WORKS

‘The secret of getting ahead is getting stated.’
—Mark Twain

DID YOU KNOW?

New brain connections are created every time you form a memory.


				
Now that you have learned the principles, the techniques and their many applications,
					it’s time to practise these new skills. This section will provide hours of fun and
					ensure that you make the most of your amazing mind. Just remember to build the memory
					foundation first by using SMASHIN SCOPE before applying memory techniques.

SMASHIN SCOPE

Create stories using the following:


pencil + door + lemons

………………………………………………………………………………….

excited + television + leaves

………………………………………………………………………………….

exasperated + conundrum + toys

………………………………………………………………………………….

fork + windows + shower + web

………………………………………………………………………………….

cabinet + excellent + noodles + deluxe

………………………………………………………………………………….

disturbance + sensitivity + immaculate + technique

………………………………………………………………………………….

forest + computer + brochure + painting + kite

………………………………………………………………………………….

diligence + football + absence + playground + cloth

………………………………………………………………………………….

fascination + golf + humorous + exhibition + freak

………………………………………………………………………………….

intelligence + strictness + beauty + adoration + idiosyncrasy

………………………………………………………………………………….



Speed reading test

Have a stopwatch ready and hit start when you begin reading the following article.
					When you come to the end hit stop and record your time. Follow the instructions to
					get your reading speed in words per minute (WPM).


The deepest dispute in education is based on a mistake

Daniel Kilov

In what must be now the most watched talk on the Internet (and likely all of human
						history: what other speech could have reached twenty-six million viewers?) Sir Ken
						Robinson calls for a revolution in the way we are educating children. He calls for
						a move away from fact-filled curricula and instead champions the teaching of creativity.
						He does not offer much in the way of a positive vision of what this revolutionary
						classroom would look like, but others using his talk as a rallying point often speak
						in terms of ‘twenty-first century learning skills’ which include information literacy,
						critical thinking, analysis and creative thinking.

The putative dispute between defenders of fact-based learning and advocates of twenty-first
						century thinking skills is, however, based on a false dichotomy, and this dissolves
						once we understand the relevant science of memory. A synthesis of these views, as
						we will see below, suggests that the best way to promote twenty-first century skills
						is to embrace Art of Memory techniques from 500 Bc.

Supporters of twenty-first century learning skills conceive of thinking skills as
						being, in some important way, beyond the mere accumulation of memorised facts. Scientific
						research, however, has determined that memory is central to complex cognitive processes
						such as thinking and problem solving.

The ability to sift through and critically appraise the value of information in any
						subject cannot be acquired without a significant body of knowledge in that area.
						The scientist George Miller demonstrated the importance of background knowledge to
						the use of reference materials, for instance, by asking a group of students to use
						a dictionary to learn new words. The results are humorous but clearly demonstrate
						the pitfalls of the anti-fact philosophy:

•  ‘Mrs Morrow stimulated the soup.’ (Meaning: she stirred it up.)

•  ‘Our family erodes a lot.’ (Meaning: they eat out.)

•  ‘Me and my parents correlate, because without them I wouldn’t be here.’

•  ‘I was meticulous about falling off the cliff.’

•  ‘I relegated my pen pal’s letter to her house.’

If we really want to be able to understand and appraise information that comes our
						way we cannot be content just to look it up on Google.

Even something like ability in chess, often considered a game of pure reasoning and
						abstract strategy, depends crucially on memory. Herbert Simon, whose research in
						this area won him a Nobel Prize, demonstrated in a series of experiments that chess
						ability relied not on Iq or raw mental processing power but on that player’s memory
						bank of typical chess positions and sequences.

In these experiments, players of various levels were shown different configurations
						of boards from high-level chess games. The participants were then asked to reconstruct
						the boards from memory. The results were astonishing. Chess experts were able to
						recall the configurations of the chess pieces almost perfectly. Novice players could
						only recall about a third of the pieces. The reason for this is that the expert chess
						players saw the board in a completely different way. Their vast memories of previous
						chess games meant that the configurations of all pieces had meaning. The superior
						memory ability of the chess experts was not just a by-product of expertise, it was
						the essence of their expertise.

For expert players, the source of their skill is what they can remember about a game
						and the way that those memories influence how they perceive the board in front of
						them. Similar results have been found across a range of different disciplines.

This should come as no surprise. No creative idea that has changed the way we view
						the world has been invented in a vacuum of knowledge: Nobel Prize winners developed
						their insights only after years spent accumulating knowledge. If their memories of
						their disciplines were lost to them, say through amnesia, so too would be their creative
						capacities and information literacy skills.

If expert skill, and the creativity it entails, lies in the accumulation of vast
						stores of knowledge then anything that is going to increase our capacity to form
						memories and the speed with which we do it should be treasured. This is true even
						for those of us without aspirations to become world-class experts. All of our mundane,
						everyday projects depend crucially on memory. Imagine, for instance, being able to
						absorb foreign language vocabulary like a sponge, internalising the words needed
						to speak a new language in weeks rather than years.

Real-life examples of high-speed learning exist. Every year, athletes gather from
						all over the world to compete in the World Memory championships and, every year,
						they demonstrate startling learning abilities. One competitor at the first World
						Memory championships, Bruce Balmer, taught himself 2000 foreign words in a single
						day. Another competitor from the 1999 World Memory championships famously taught
						himself Icelandic in only one week and then went on a talk show in that language.
						The most remarkable thing about these individuals, however, is that there is nothing
						special about them at all. Rather, they all employ a small set of simple techniques,
						known collectively as the Art of Memory.

The techniques of the Art of Memory originated in Ancient Greece. They were almost
						universally practised by the thinkers of the ancient world who believed that mnemonic
						training was essential to the cultivation of one’s memory, focus and creativity.
						creativity was an act of synthesis that could only occur within the mental playground
						of a trained mnemonist. Appropriately, in Greek mythology, Mnemosyne, the goddess
						of memory, was the mother of the muses, the goddesses of creativity.

These techniques formed the cornerstone of western education and were employed and
						advocated by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Petrarch, Giordano Bruno, Francis Bacon,
						Gottfried Leibniz and René Descartes. For most of the history of education, the view
						of memorisation was one entirely alien to those of us concerned with so-called twenty-first
						century learning skills. The deepest dispute in modern educational debate is based
						on a mistake: If we really want to promote the abilities of critical reasoning and
						creativity then we would do well to recognise that the right place for the art of
						memory is not in memory competitions or in history books but in our classrooms and
						workplaces.

Stop timer! 1038 words



Divide 1038 by the time it took you to read: e.g. 1038 ÷ 5 minutes = 207 WPM.

Languages

Memorise how to say ‘hello’ to others in other languages.







	Amharic (Ethiopia)
	tadiyass (informal) tena yste’lle’gn (formal).



	Arabic
	marhaban.



	Armenian
	barev (hello).



	Australian Aboriginal languages



	Adnyamathanha (South Australia)
	nhangka, nhangka warntu? (how are you?)



	Kalaw Lagaw Ya (Torres Strait)
	yawa, ngi midh? (how are you?)



	Pitjantjatjara (Central Australia)
	wai, wai palya? (how are you?)



	Wiradhuri (New South Wales)
	yiradhu marang, yamandhu marang? (how are you?)



	Bengali (India)
	namaskar (hello).



	Bulgarian
	zdra veite (pron. zdrah veytej)



	Chinese
	Cantonese: nei ho or lei ho (pron. ne ho or lay ho); Mandarin: nǐ hǎo (pron.
								nee how). Tone is very important.



	Croatian
	bok (informal), dobro jutro (morning), dobar dan (day), dobra večer (evening),
								laku noć (night).



	Czech
	dobrý den (formal), ahoj (informal; pron. ahoy).



	Danish
	hej (informal; pron. hi), goddag (formal).



	Dhivehi (Maldives)
	kihineth.



	Dutch
	hoi (very informal), goedendag (formal).



	Dzongkha (Bhutan)
	kuzu-zangpo.



	Estonian
	tere päevast (good day).



	Fijian
	bula uro (informal), bula vinaka (formal).



	Finnish
	moi, tervé or hei (informal); mitä kuuluu? (how are you?)



	French
	allo, bonjour (formal); bonsoir (good evening).



	Gaelic
	dia duit (informal, literally God be with you).



	Georgian
	gamardjoba (pron. gah-mahr-joh-bah).



	German: traditional
	hallo (informal), guten tag (formal, pron. gootan taag), tag (very informal).



	German: Austrian and Bavarian
	grüß Gott (pron. gruess got), servus (informal, pron. zair-voos).



	Greek
	yassou (informal, pron. yah-soo), yassas (plural, formal, yah-sas), kalimera (good
								morning), kalispera (good afternoon, pron. kalee-spe-rah).



	Gujarati (India)
	namaste, namaskar, kemcho.



	Hawaiian
	aloha.



	Hebrew
	shalom (hello, goodbye, peace), ma korae? (informal, what’s happening?)



	Hindi
	namaste.



	Indonesian
	halo (hello), selamat pagi (morning), selamat siang (afternoon), selamat malam (evening).
								



	Italian
	buon giorno (morning, pron. bwohn geeornoh), buon pomeriggio (afternoon, pron. bwohn
								poh-mehreejee-oh), buona sera (evening, pron. bwohna sehrah).



	Japanese
	ohio (informal), ohio gozaimasu (morning, pron. o-hi-yo go-zai-mass), konichi ha
								(afternoon, pron. kon-neechee-wa), konbanha (evening, pron. kon-ban-wa).



	Konkani (Goa, India)
	namaskar, namaskaru (formal); dev baro dis div (informal).



	Korean
	eotteoke jinaesimnikka? (How are you?)



	Latin
	salve (sing., pron. sal-way), salvete (pl., pron. sal-waytay), ave (sing., formal,
								pron. ar-way), avete (plural, formal, pron. ar-way-tay).



	Maltese
	merħba (welcome), bonġu (good morning), bonswa or il-lejl it-tajjeb (good evening).
								



	Maori
	kia ora (hi), tena koe, morena (good morning).



	Marwari (India)
	khammaghani, ram ram sa.



	Persian (Farsi)
	salaam, do-rood.



	Pig Latin
	eyhay (informal), ellohay (formal).



	Polish
	cześć (hi, pron. cheshch), dzień dobry (good morning, pron. jeyn dob-ry).



	Portugese
	oi, boas, olá, bom dia, bons dias (good morning, good day); boa noite, boas noites
								(good evening, good night).



	Punjabi (India, Pakistan)
	sat sri akal.



	Romanian
	salut, buna dimineata (formal, morning), buna ziua (formal, daytime), buna seara
								(formal, evening); buna (pron. boo-nah).



	Russian
	Privet! (informal, pron. pree-vyet), zdravstvuyte (formal, pron. zdra-stvooy-tyeh).
								



	Samoan
	malo (informal), talofa (formal).



	Spanish
	hola (pron. o-la), buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon), buenas
								noches (good night).



	Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya)
	habari.



	Urdu
	adaab, salam (informal), salam alei kum (formal).




Memorise more Chinese phrases.







	Pinyin
	English



	Bāng wǒ yíxià.
	Give me a hand.



	Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu.
	Go right ahead.



	Lǚtú yúkuài.
	Have a good trip.



	Zhù nǐ yì tiān guò de yúkuài.
	Have a nice day.



	Zài lái yígè.
	Have another one.



	Nǐ zuò wán le ma?
	Have you finished?



	Tā méi kòng.
	He doesn’t have time.



	Tā xiànzài yǐjīng zài lù shàng le.
	He is on his way.



	Nǐ hǎo ma?
	How are you doing?



	Nǐ yào dāi duōjiǔ?
	How long are you staying?



	Duōshǎo qián?
	How much?



	Wǒ duì tā zháomí le.
	I am crazy about her.



	Wǒ zài làngfèi shíjiān.
	I am wasting my time.



	Wǒ néng zuò.
	I can do it.



	Wǒ jiǎnzhí bùnéng xiāngxìn.
	I can’t believe it.



	Wǒ bù néng zài děng le.
	I can’t wait.



	Wǒ méi shíjiān le.
	I don’t have time.



	Wǒ yī gè rén dōu bú rènshi.
	I don’t know anybody.



	Wǒ bù xǐhuan.
	I don’t like it.



	Wǒ rènwéi búshì.
	I don’t think so.



	Wǒ gǎnjué hǎo duō le.
	I feel much better.



	Wǒ zhǎo dào le.
	I found it.



	Wǒ tǎoyàn nǐ!
	I hate you!



	Wǒ xīwàng rúcǐ.
	I hope so.



	Wǒ zǎo zhīdào le.
	I knew it.



	Wǒ ài nǐ.
	I love you.



	Wǒ zhùyì dào le.
	I noticed that.



	Wǒ míngbái le.
	I see.



	Wǒ rènwéi shì zhèyàng de.
	I think so.



	Wǒ xiǎng gēn tā shuō huà.
	I want to speak with him.



	Wǒ yíng le.
	I won.



	Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi kāfēi.
	I would like a cup of coffee, please.



	Wǒ è sǐ le.
	I’m hungry.



	Wǒ yào zǒu le.
	I’m leaving.



	Duì bu qǐ.
	I’m sorry.



	Wǒ xíguàn le.
	I’m used to it.



	Wǒ huì xiǎngniàn nǐ de.
	I’ll miss you.



	Wǒ shìshì kàn.
	I’ll try.



	Wǒ hěn wúliáo.
	I’m bored.



	Wǒ hěn máng.
	I’m busy.



	Wǒ wán de hěn kāixīn.
	I’m having fun.



	Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le.
	I’m ready.



	Wǒ míngbái le.
	I’ve got it.



	Zhēnshì nányǐ zhìxìn!
	It’s incredible!



	Hěn yuǎn ma?
	Is it far?



	Méiguānxi.
	It doesn’t matter.



	Wén qǐlái hěn xiāng.
	It smells good.



	Shì shíhou le.
	It’s about time.



	Méi shìr.
	It’s all right.



	Hěn jiǎndān.
	It’s easy.



	Hěn hǎo.
	It’s good.



	Lí zhè hěn jìn.
	It’s near here.



	Méi shénme.
	It’s nothing.



	Gāi zǒu le.
	It’s time to go.



	Nà shì bùtóng de.
	It’s different.



	Hěn yǒuqù. (very informal)
	It’s funny.



	Nà shì bù kěnéng de.
	It’s impossible.



	Hái xíng.
	It’s not bad.



	Bù nán.
	It’s not difficult.



	Bù zhí dé.
	It’s not worth it.



	Hěn míngxiǎn.
	It’s obvious.



	Háishì yíyàng de.
	It’s the same thing.



	Lún dào nǐ le.
	It’s your turn.



	Wǒ yě yíyàng.
	Me too.



	Hái méiyǒu.
	Not yet.



	Fàngsōng!
	Relax!



	Míngtiān jiàn.
	See you tomorrow.



	Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyǒu.
	She is my best friend.



	Tā zhēn cōngmíng.
	She is so smart.



	Màn diǎnr!
	Slow down!



	Gàosu wǒ.
	Tell me.



	Duō xiè.
	Thank you very much.



	Zhè yàng de shìqíng jīngcháng fāshēng.
	That happens.



	Gòu le.
	That’s enough.



	Hěn yǒuqù.
	That’s interesting.



	Duì le.
	That’s right.



	Zhè shì zhēn de.
	That’s true.



	Zhèlǐ rén hěnduō.
	There are too many people here.



	Tāmen hùxiāng qīngmù.
	They like each other.



	Kǎolǜ yí xià.
	Think about it.



	Tài zāogāo la!
	Too bad!



	Děng děng wǒ.
	Wait for me.



	Nǐ shuō shénme?
	What did you say?



	Nǐ rènwéi zěnyàng?
	What do you think?



	Tā zài shuō xiē shénme?
	What is he talking about?



	Duō huài de tiānqì!
	What terrible weather!



	Zěnme la?
	What’s going on/ happening / the problem?



	Jīntiān jǐ hào?
	What’s the date today?



	Nǐ qù nǎ lǐ?
	Where are you going?



	Tā zài nǎ lǐ?
	Where is he?



	Nǐ tài xìngjí le.
	You are impatient.



	Nǐ kàn shàngqù hěn lèi.
	You look tired.



	Nǐ ràng wǒ dà chī yì jīng.
	You surprise me.



	Nǐ fēngle.
	You’re crazy.



	Bié kèqi.
	You’re welcome.



	Nǐ zǒng shì duì de.
	You’re always right.



	Nǐ de xīnqíng bù hǎo.
	You’re in a bad mood.



	Nǐ zài sāhuǎng.
	You’re lying.



	Nǐ cuòle.
	You’re wrong.



	Wasài!
	Wow!




Memorise more French phrases.







	French
	English



	Comment allez-vous?
	How are you?



	Tout à coup.
	All of a sudden.



	Tu m’étonnes.
	Tell me something I don’t know.



	Quand on parle du loup.
	Speak of the devil.



	Je n’ai pas les moyens.
	I can’t afford it.



	Tu te rends compte?
	Can you imagine?



	Je n’en veux pas.
	I don’t want it.



	Vous essayez de m’avoir.
	You’re cheating me.



	Je ne suis pas intéressé.
	I’m not interested.



	D’accord, je la prends.
	OK, I’ll take it.



	Revenons à nos moutons
	Let’s get back to the subject at hand.



	Pourrais-je avoir un sac?
	Can I have a bag?



	Je n’ai fait rien de mal.
	I haven’t done anything wrong.



	C’est une erreur.
	It is a misunderstanding.



	Où m’emmenez-vous?
	Where are you taking me?



	Tu m’as tellement manqué!
	I missed you so much.



	À plus tard.
	See you later.



	Vous êtes très gentil.
	You’re very kind.



	Il faut que je parte.
	I have to go.



	Je reviens tout de suite.
	I will be right back.



	Je n’en sais rien.
	I have no idea.



	J’arrive!
	I’m on my way!



	Qu’est-ce que c’est?
	What is this?



	Que faites-vous dans la vie
	What do you do for a living?



	Allez!
	Oh, c’mon!



	J’ai faim.
	I’m hungry.



	J’ai le cafard.
	I’m feeling down.



	Tu t’en sors?
	You managing OK?



	Je n’en crois pas mes yeux.
	I can’t believe my eyes.



	J’en mettrais ma main au feu!
	I’d bet my life on it.



	Allez savoir pourquoi.
	Your guess is as good as mine.



	Ça vous dit?
	Are you up for it?



	Ça te changera les idées.
	It’ll take your mind off things.



	N’importe quoi!
	That’s nonsense!



	Ca vous plaît?
	Do you like it?



	J’espère que c’est vrai.
	I hope that is true.



	Quelle heure est-il?
	What time is it?



	Donne-moi ça.
	Give me this.



	Que’est ce qui ne va pas?
	What is wrong?



	Ce n’est pas ma faute.
	It’s not my fault.



	Ça ne fait rien.
	Never mind, it doesn’t matter.



	Ce n’est past terrible.
	It’s not that great.



	Je suis perdu.
	I’m lost.



	Sans blague.
	Seriously, all kidding aside.



	Aidez-moi, s’il vous plaît.
	Please help me.



	Tiens!
	Here you go! (when giving something)



	Vraiment!
	Really!



	Regarde!
	Look!



	Dépêche-toi!
	Hurry up!



	Je vais vous aider.
	I am going to help.



	Vous pouvez marcher?
	Can you walk?



	Vous pouvez manger tout seul?
	Can you feed yourself?



	J’ai mal!
	It hurts!



	C’est dangereux.
	It’s dangerous.



	Faites attention!
	Take care!



	C’est froid.
	It’s cold.



	C’est chaud.
	It’s hot.



	N’allez pas par là!
	Don’t go this way!



	Arrêtez!
	Stop that!



	Laissez-moi tranquille!
	Give me a break! / Leave me alone!



	Je ne l’ai pas fait intentionnellement.
	I didn’t do it on purpose.



	Ce n’est pas ma faute.
	This is not my fault.



	Faites-le vous-même.
	Do it yourself.



	Tu es completement débile.
	You’re a complete moron.



	Quelle nourriture aimes-tu?
	What food do you like?



	Où suis-je?
	Where am I?



	Avez-vous de la monnaie, s’il vous plaît?
	Do you have change, please?



	Quelle est la date aujourd’hui? / Quel jour c’est?
	What’s the date today?



	
	



	De quel pays tu viens?
	What country are you from?



	Nous ne parlons pas chinois.
	We can’t speak Chinese.



	Je suis étudiant.
	I am a student.



	C’est dans quelle rue?
	In which street is it?



	Je parle anglais.
	I speak English.



	C’est la vie!
	That’s life!



	Bon voyage!
	Have a good trip!



	Vous avez un plan?
	Do you have a map?



	Tu fais quoi?
	What are you doing?



	Tu pars quand?
	When are you leaving?



	Comment tu t’appelles?
	What is your name?



	Quel âge as-tu? (formal) Tu as quel âge? (informal)
	How old are you?



	Je voudrais l’addition, s’il vous plait.
	I would like the bill, please.



	Je préfère du fromage blanc.
	I prefer fresh cheese.



	Je suis perdu. Pouvez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît?
	I am lost. Can you help me, please?



	Où sont les taxis, s’il vous plaît?
	Where are the taxis, please?



	Combien je vous dois?
	How much do I owe you?



	Combien ça coûte?
	How much does that cost?



	Fais de beaux reves.
	Sweet dreams.



	Quoi de neuf?
	What’s new?



	Ça n’est pas grave!
	No problem!



	Pas grand chose.
	Nothing much.



	Un moment s’il vous plaît.
	One moment, please.



	Viens avec moi!/ Venez avec moi! (polite)
	Come with me!




Countries and their capital cities








	A



	Afghanistan: Kabul
	Albania: Tirana
	Algeria: Algiers



	Andorra: Andorra la Vella
	Angola: Luanda
	Antigua and Barbuda: Saint John’s



	Argentina: Buenos Aires
	Armenia: Yerevan
	Australia: Canberra



	Austria: Vienna
	Azerbaijan: Baku
	



	B



	Bahamas: Nassau
	Bahrain: Manama
	Bangladesh: Dhaka



	Barbados: Bridgetown
	Belarus: Minsk
	Belgium: Brussels



	Belize: Belmopan
	Benin: Porto-Novo
	Bhutan: Thimphu



	Bolivia: Sucre
	Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo
	Botswana: Gaborone



	Brazil: Brasilia
	Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan
	Bulgaria: Sofia



	Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou
	Burundi: Bujumbura
	



	C



	Cambodia: Phnom Penh
	Cameroon: Yaoundé
	Canada: Ottawa



	Cape Verde: Praia
	Central African Republic: Bangui
	Chad: N’Djamena



	Chile: Santiago
	China: Beijing
	Colombia: Bogotá



	Côsta Rica: San José
	Côte d’Ivoire: Yamoussoukro
	Croatia: Zagreb



	Cuba: Havana
	Cyprus: Nicosia
	Czech Republic: Prague



	D



	Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa
	Denmark: Copenhagen
	Djibouti: Djibouti



	Dominica: Roseau
	Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo
	



	E



	Ecuador: Quito
	Egypt: Cairo
	El Salvador: San Salvador



	Equatorial Guinea: Malabo
	Eritrea: Asmara
	Estonia: Tallinn



	Ethiopia: Addis Ababa
	
	



	F



	Federated States of Micronesia: Palikir
	Fiji: Suva
	Finland: Helsinki



	France: Paris
	
	



	G



	Gabon: Libreville
	Gambia: Banjul
	Georgia: Tbilisi



	Germany: Berlin
	Ghana: Accra
	Greece: Athens



	Grenada: Saint George’s
	Guatemala: Guatemala City
	Guinea: Conakry



	Guinea-Bissau: Bissau
	Guyana: Georgetown
	



	H



	Haiti: Port-au-Prince
	Honduras: Tegucigalpa
	Hungary: Budapest



	I



	Iceland: Reykjavik
	India: New Delhi
	Indonesia: Jakarta



	Iran: Tehran
	Iraq: Baghdad
	Ireland: Dublin



	Israel: Jerusalem
	Italy: Rome
	



	J



	Jamaica: Kingston
	Japan: Tokyo
	Jordan: Amman



	K



	Kazakhstan: Astana
	Kenya: Nairobi
	Kiribati: South Tarawa



	Kuwait: Kuwait City
	Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek
	



	L



	Laos: Vientiane
	Latvia: Riga
	Lebanon: Beirut



	Lesotho: Maseru
	Liberia: Monrovia
	Libya: Tripoli



	Liechtenstein: Vaduz
	Lithuania: Vilnius
	Luxembourg:



	
	
	Luxembourg City



	M



	Macedonia: Skopje
	Madagascar: Antananarivo
	Malawi: Lilongwe



	Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
	Maldives: Malé
	Mali: Bamako



	Malta: Valletta
	Marshall Islands: Majuro
	Mauritania: Nouakchott



	Mauritius: Port Louis
	Mexico: Mexico City
	Moldova: Chisinau



	Monaco: Monaco
	Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar
	Montenegro: Podgorica



	Morocco: Rabat
	Mozambique: Maputo
	Myanmar: Naypyidaw



	N



	Namibia: Windhoek
	Nauru: Yaren District
	Nepal: Kathmandu



	Netherlands: Amsterdam
	New Zealand: Wellington
	Nicaragua: Managua



	Niger: Niamey
	Nigeria: Abuja
	North Korea: Pyongyang



	Norway: Oslo
	
	



	O



	Oman: Muscat
	
	



	P



	Pakistan: Islamabad
	Palau: Ngerulmud
	Panama: Panama City



	Papua New Guinea: Port Moresby
	Paraguay: Asunción
	



	Peru: Lima
	Philippines: Manila
	Poland: Warsaw



	Portugal: Lisbon
	
	



	Q



	Qatar: Doha
	
	



	R



	Republic of the Congo: Brazzaville
	Romania: Bucharest
	Russia: Moscow



	Rwanda: Kigali
	
	



	S



	Saint Kitts and Nevis: Basseterre
	Saint Lucia: Castries
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Kingstown



	Samoa: Apia
	San Marino: San Marino
	São Tomé and Principe: São Tomé



	Saudi Arabia: Riyadh
	Senegal: Dakar
	Serbia: Belgrade



	Seychelles: Victoria
	Sierra Leone: Freetown
	Singapore: Singapore



	Slovakia: Bratislava
	Slovenia: Ljubljana
	Solomon Islands: Honiara



	Somalia: Mogadishu
	South Africa: Bloemfontain, Cape Town and Pretoria
	South Korea: Seoul



	Spain: Madrid
	Sri Lanka: Colombo and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
	Sudan: Khartoum



	Suriname: Paramaribo
	Swaziland: Mbabane
	Sweden: Stockholm



	Switzerland: Bern
	Syria: Damascus
	



	T



	Taiwan: Taipei
	Tajikistan: Dushanbe
	Tanzania: Dar es Salaam and Dodoma



	Thailand: Bangkok
	Timor-Leste: Dili
	Togo: Lomé



	Tonga: Nuku’alofa
	Trinidad and Tobago: Port-of-Spain
	Tunisia: Tunis



	Turkey: Ankara
	Turkmenistan: Ashgabat
	Tuvalu: Funafuti



	U



	Uganda: Kampala
	Ukraine: Kiev
	United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi



	United Kingdom: London
	United States of America: Washington DC
	Uruguay: Montevideo



	Uzbekistan: Tashkent
	
	



	V



	Vanuatu: Port Vila
	Vatican City: Vatican City
	Venezuela: Caracas



	Vietnam: Hanoi
	
	



	Y



	Yemen: Sana’a
	
	



	Z



	Zambia: Lusaka
	Zimbabwe: Harare
	




General knowledge questions (see answers)

  1. Who was the legendary Benedictine monk who invented champagne?

  2. Name the largest freshwater lake in the world?

  3. Where would you find the Sea of Tranquility?

  4. What is someone who shoes horses called?

  5. What item of outer clothing was named after its Scottish inventor?

  6. What type of weapon is a falchion?

  7. Which word goes before vest, beans and quartet?

  8. What is another word for lexicon?

  9. Name the seventh planet from the sun.

10. Who invented the rabies vaccination?

11. Ringo Starr narrates which children’s TV series?

12. The hardest substance on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness is diamond. What’s the softest?

13. What martial arts name means ‘gentle way’?

14. What digit does not exist in Roman numerals?

15. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub better known as what?

16. Where did George II die?

17. Humans are 10,000 times more sexually active than what other animal?

18. Which animal has the collective noun of smack?

19. Citius Altius Fortius is the motto for what?

20. What animal produces its own suntan lotion?

Questions about countries (see answers)

  1. Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘p’?

  2. Name the world’s biggest island that’s not Australia.

  3. What is the world’s longest river?

  4. Name the world’s largest ocean.

  5. What is the diameter of Earth?

  6. Where would you find the world’s most ancient remnant forest?

  7. Which four British cities have underground rail systems?

  8. Name the famous Spanish capital of Catalonia?

  9. Which city was once the imperial capital of Russia?

10. In which country is the port of Fray Bentos?

11. TAP is the national airline of which country?

12. In which country did the turnip originate?

13. Calico cloth was invented in which country?

14. Where was the first penal colony in Australia?

15. Speed skating started in which country?

Questions about films (see answers)

  1. Name the actor who starred in 142 films including The Quiet Man, The Searchers and Stage Coach.

  2. What is the oldest film in existence, and when was it made?

  3. Which actress has won the most Oscars?

  4. Which actress said, ‘Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night’ in All about Eve?

  5. Name the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

  6. Who played Neo in The Matrix?

  7. Name the actress whose career began at the age of three, and who went on to star in films such as Taxi Driver, Contact and The Silence of the Lambs?

  8. Bray Studios, near Windsor in Berkshire, was once a home to which famous brand of horror films?

  9. In which film did Humphrey Bogart say, ‘We’ll always have Paris?’

10. Who directed the film Picnic at Hanging Rock?

11. Which author wrote the screenplay to James Bond’s You Only Live Twice?

12. In which film adaptation of the novel does Jean Valjean appear?

13. James H. Pierce was the fourth and last silent film actor to play which famous character?

14. Which famous actor inspired the creation of Bugs Bunny?

15. What’s the name of the 2015 reboot of the Max Max films?

Questions about the garden (see answers)

  1. By what name is English landscape architect Lancelot Brown more usually known?

  2. Name the world-famous gardens sited sixteen kilometres outside of London, close to the River Thames.

  3. Which garden is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

  4. What colour is a Welsh poppy?

  5. What colour is a Himalayan poppy?

  6. What flower is the symbol of culture?

  7. What tree can be English, American or Eurasian?

  8. Which common flower’s buds could also be used as capers?

  9. Which kind of bulbs were once exchanged as a form of currency?

10. By which Latin name was Rosa gallica previously known?

11. ‘Moons of the faithful’ is the Chinese translation for which fruit?

12. What is the common name of Eucalyptus microtheca?

13. What plant has flowers but no leaves?

14. What vegetable gets its name from the word for milk?

15. Elizabeth I had anthophobia. What was she afraid of?

Questions about sport (see answers)

  1. What colour jersey is worn by the winners of each stage of the Tour de France?

  2. Name the only heavyweight boxing champion to finish his career of forty-nine fights without ever having been defeated?

  3. Which sport does Constantino Rocca play?

  4. Name the country where you would find the Cresta Run.

  5. How many times was the Men’s Tennis Singles at Wimbledon won by Bjorn Borg?

  6. In 2011, which country hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time?

  7. Name the game played on a lawn called a crown green.

  8. Which chess piece can only move diagonally?

  9. Name the only footballer to have played for Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City and Manchester United.

10. In soccer, whose nickname was ‘The Divine Ponytail’?

11. What tennis player’s name meant ‘tall trees by still water’?

12. What was Sir Don Bradman’s batting average?

13. Which golfer has the most PGA golf tour wins?

14. What is the record for the highest attendance at an AFL/ VFL match?

15. Which famous Hawaiian is commonly regarded as the father of modern surfing?

16. In which sport are left-handed people banned from playing?

17. What is Usain Bolt’s fastest time for the 100 metres?

18. Which team has the highest goal-scoring AFL/VFL game?

19. Who are Australia’s most successful female and male Olympic athletes?

20. How long is a marathon?

Questions about the arts (see answers)

  1. Name the three primary colours.

  2. In needlework, what does UFO refer to?

  3. Name the famous ballet Russian dancer who changed the face of modern ballet.

  4. What is the painting La Gioconda more commonly known as?

  5. What does the term ‘piano’ mean?

  6. Name the Spanish artist and sculptor famous for co-founding the Cubist movement.

  7. How many valves does a trumpet have?

  8. Who painted How Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival were fed with the Sang Grael; But Sir Percival’s Sister Died Along the Way?

  9. If you were painting with tempera, what would you be using to bind together colour pigments?

10. What is John Leach famous for making?

11. Who said, ‘I like Beethoven, especially the poems’?

12. What arts movement was founded by Tristan Tzara?

13. Who was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo?

14. John Cocteau was best known for writing which novel?

15. How big is Guernica?

Questions about history (see answers)

  1. When was William Shakespeare born?

  2. Who was Henry VIII’s first wife?

  3. On what date did Germany invade Poland?

  4. Which famous battle between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish took place on 21 October 1805?

  5. What year was the United Nations founded?

  6. What year did Margaret Thatcher become prime minister of the United Kingdom?

  7. When did the Berlin Wall come down?

  8. Who is regarded as the founder of Medicare and what year was it introduced?

  9. When did the Eurostar train service between Britain and France start running?

10. When was the euro introduced as legal currency on the world market?

11. How many prime ministers has Australia had?

12. In what year was the Magna Carta signed?

13. On what date did the Commonwealth of Australian become established?

14. What was the spacecraft’s name for the first manned Moon landing?

15. Australian bushranger Ned Kelly was of which national descent?

16. Who invented the first polio vaccine?

17. In which year was Nelson Mandela released from prison?

18. What date is France’s Bastille Day?

19. Which planet was discovered by William Herschel in 1781?

20. How many US presidents have been assassinated and when?

Questions about books (see answers)

  1. What is the oldest surviving printed book?

  2. In publishing, what does POD mean?

  3. Who were Agatha Christie’s two most famous sleuths?

  4. Which Shakespeare play features Shylock?

  5. Who wrote the novel Death in Venice?

  6. Who wrote Where the Wild Things Are?

  7. What is an e-book?

  8. How tall would a double elephant folio book be?

  9. Whose autobiography is My Place?

10. How old is the world’s oldest dictionary?

11. Who chronicled the adventures of a famous fivesome?

12. Which travel writer comes from Des Moines, Iowa?

13. Which author had the middle names Ronald Reuel?

14. Which famous writer said, ‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed’?

15. Who is the Head of Hogwarts?

16. Which Nobel Prize–winning author wrote the book Dr Zhivago?

17. What is the second book of the Old Testament?

18. What was Dick Francis’s profession before he took up writing?

19. Who created the Mary Poppins books?

20. What is the name of Charles Dickens’s last book, left unfinished?

Questions about TV (see answers)

  1. In Thunderbirds, what was Lady Penelope’s chauffeur called?

  2. What was Skippy?

  3. Name the BBC series about a shipping line set in Liverpool during the late 1800s.

  4. In the TV series Dad’s Army, what was Captain Mainwaring’s first name?

  5. Who was the original inventor of TV?

  6. Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey was as famous for her flamboyant character as for her cookery books and TV show from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s. By what name was she more usually known?

  7. Which popular BBC series about old collectibles began in 1977, presented by Bruce Parker and Arthur Negus, and is still running to this day?

  8. Which BBC music program was broadcast weekly between 1964 and 2006?

  9. What was Barney and Betty’s son’s name in The Flintstones?

10. Which Australian actor was memorably killed off in season 4 of Game of Thrones?

11. In what year were the first Logie Awards presented?

12. Which British actor was the star of the HBO series Deadwood?

13. The car in the Knight Rider series was called KITT. What does this acronym stand for?

14. In what year did Neighbours start screening in Australia?

15. What’s the name of the cult Australian TV series featuring a dog that went on to be remade in the US?

Questions about food and drink (see answers)

  1. If you had Lafite-Rothschild on your dinner table, what would it be?

  2. What is sushi traditionally wrapped in?

  3. May Queen, Wisley Crab, Foxwhelps and Lane’s Prince Albert are all species of what?

  4. What is another name for allspice?

  5. What colour is absinthe?

  6. What flavour is Cointreau?

  7. If you were to cut a hare into pieces, marinate it in wine and juniper berries then stew this slowly in a sealed dish, what would this recipe be called?

  8. True or false? Fried tarantulas, eggs boiled just before they’re due to hatch and puffin hearts eaten raw when still warm are all traditional foods.

  9. How many crocus flowers does it take to make 500 grams of saffron?

10. What food is found by sniffing pigs or dogs?

11. There are more than 1500 varieties of what food?

12. In ancient Egypt what food was reserved for the Pharaohs?

13. What type of fish is used in making Worcestershire sauce?

14. Which dessert is also known as ‘Tuscan trifle’?

15. Cavendish, orinoco and lady finger are all varieties of which fruit?

16. What is ceviche?

17. What is a coulis?

18. What is the national dish of Scotland?

19. In Bavaria what is defined as a staple food?

20. Lycopersicum esculentum is what common food?

General knowledge answers

1. Dom Perignon; 2. Lake Superior; 3. the Moon; 4. farrier, also blacksmith;
					5. mackintosh; 6. sword; 7. string; 8. dictionary; 9. Uranus; 10. Louis Pasteur;
					11. Thomas the Tank Engine; 12. talc; 13. judo; 14. zero; 15. tea; 16. on the toilet;
					17. rabbit; 18. jellyfish; 19. the Olympics; 20. hippopotamus.

Country answers

1. Pennsylvania; 2. Greenland; 3. the Amazon; 4. the Pacific; 5. 12,750
					kilometres (7922 miles); 6. the Daintree in Far North Queensland; 7. Liverpool, Glasgow,
					Newcastle and London; 8. Barcelona; 9. St Petersburg; 10. Uruguay; 11. Portugal;
					12. Greece; 13. India; 14. Sydney Cove; 15. Netherlands.

Film answers

1. John Wayne; 2. Roundhay Garden Scene, made in 1888; 3. Katharine Hepburn:
					four Oscars and twelve nominations; 4. Bette Davis (as Margo Channing); 5. Peter
					Jackson; 6. Keanu Reeves; 7. Jodie Foster; 8. Hammer Horror; 9. Casablanca; 10. Peter
					Weir; 11. Roald Dahl; 12. Les Misérables; 13. Tarzan; 14. Clark Gable; 15. Fury Road.

Garden answers

1. Capability Brown; 2. Kew Gardens; 3. the Hanging Gardens of Babylon;
					4. yellow; 5. blue; 6. lotus; 7. elm; 8. nasturtium; 9. tulips; 10. Rosa mundi; 11.
					apricot; 12. coolibah tree; 13. cactus; 14. lettuce, old French/Latin; 15. flowers,
					specifically roses.

Sport answers

1. yellow; 2. Rocky Marciano; 3. golf; 4. Switzerland; 5. five; 6. India;
					7. lawn bowls; 8. bishop; 9. Peter Beardsley; 10. Robert Baggio; 11. Evonne Goolagong;
					12. 99.94; 13. Sam Snead, eighty-two wins; 14. 121,696, Carlton v Collingwood VFL
					grand final 1970; 15. Duke Kahanamoku; 16. polo; 17. 9.58 seconds; 18. 37 goals,
					Geelong def. Melbourne, round 19,2011; 10. Dawn Fraser and Ian Thorpe; 20. 42.2 kilometres
					(26.2 miles).

Arts answers

1. red, yellow and blue; 2. an unfinished object; 3. Rudolf Nureyev; 4.
					Mona Lisa; 5. to be played softly; 6. Pablo Picasso; 7. three; 8. Dante Gabriel Rossetti;
					9. egg yolk; 10. pottery; 11. Ringo Starr; 12. Dadaism; 13. Dame Joan Sutherland
					in 1962; 14. Les Enfants Terribles; 15. 3.5 × 7.8 metres.

History answers

1. 23 April 1564; 2. Catherine of Aragon; 3.1 September 1939; 4. The Battle
					of Trafalgar; 5. 1945; 6. 1979; 7. 9 November 1989; 8. Gough Whitlam, 1984; 9. 14
					November 1994; 10. 1 January 1999; 11. Twenty-eight; 12. 1215; 13. 1 January 1901;
					14. Apollo 11; 15. Irish; 16. Jonas Salk, 1952; 17. 1990; 18. 14 July; 19. Uranus;
					20. Four: Abraham Lincoln, 1865; James A. Garfield, 1881; William McKinley, 1901;
					John F. Kennedy, 1963. 167

Book answers

1. Diamond Sutra, dated to AD 868; 2. print on demand; 3. Hercule Poirot
					and Miss Marple; 4. The Merchant of Venice; 5. Thomas Mann; 6. Maurice Sendak; 7.
					A book available in a digital (electronic) format; 8. 50 inches (127 centimetres);
					9. Sally Morgan; 10. cuneiform tablets dated to 2300 BC; 11. Enid Blyton; 12. Bill
					Bryson; 13. J. R. R. Tolkien; 14. Ernest Hemingway; 15. Dumbledore; 16. Boris Pasternak;
					17. Exodus; 18. jockey; 19. P. L. Travers; 20. The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

TV answers

1. Parker; 2. 1960s TV series starring Skippy the kangaroo; 3. The Onedin
					Line; 4. George; 5. Bostonian George Carey in 1876; Scotsman John Logie Baird is
					often cited but his ideas weren’t until the 1920s; 6. Fanny Cradock; 7. Antiques
					Roadshow; 8. Top of the Pops; 9. Bam Bam; 10. Noah Taylor; 11. 1959; 12. Ian McShane;
					13. Knight Industries Two Thousand; 14. 1985; 15. Wilfred.

Food and drink answers

1. wine; 2. nori—seaweed; 3. apple; 4. pimento; 5. green; 6. orange; 7.
					jugged hare; 8. true; 9. up to 75,000; 10. truffles; 11. rice; 12. mushrooms; 13.
					anchovies; 14. tiramisu; 15. banana; 16. South American dish of marinated raw fish
					or seafood; 17. fruit or vegetable purée, used as a sauce; 18. haggis; 19. beer;
					20. tomato.

Quotes

  1. ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’ Aristotle

  2. ‘Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’ Napoleon
					Hill

  3. ‘Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.’ Albert Einstein

  4. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less travelled by, And that
					has made all the difference.’ Robert Frost

  5. ‘I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.’ Florence Nightingale

  6. ‘What you seek is seeking you.’ Rumi

  7. ‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six
					times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over
					and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’ Michael Jordan

  8. ‘The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.’
					Amelia Earhart

  9. ‘Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.’ W. Clement
					Stone

10. ‘Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live’. Jim Rohn

11. ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.’ John Lennon

12. ‘The mind is everything. What you think you become.’ Buddha

13. ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t
					do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbour,
					catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.’ Mark Twain

14. ‘The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have
					any.’ Alice Walker

15. ‘The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is
					now.’ Chinese proverb

16. ‘An unexamined life is not worth living.’ Socrates

17. ‘Eighty per cent of success is showing up.’ Woody Allen

18. ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows
					up.’ Pablo Picasso

19. ‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ Steve Jobs

20. ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what
					you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Maya Angelou

21. ‘You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the
					shore.’ Christopher Columbus

22. ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.’ Henry Ford

23. ‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power
					and magic in it.’ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

24. ‘The best revenge is massive success.’ Frank Sinatra

25. ‘Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.’ Anaïs Nin

Sports statistics

The Ashes

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Source: http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/team/series_results.html?id=1;type=trophy.

AFL

Round 23, 2014

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Narrative illustration

Rather than always using mind maps, try and draw some pictures freehand to visually
					narrate the following article.


Skilled incompetence

Chris Argyris

‘Managers who are skilled communicators may also be good at covering up real problems.’

The ability to get along with others is always an asset, right? Wrong. By adeptly
						avoiding conflict with co-workers, some executives eventually wreak organisational
						havoc. And it’s their very adeptness that’s the problem. The explanation for this
						lies in what I call skilled incompetence, whereby managers use practised routine
						behaviour (skill) to produce what they do not intend (incompetence). We can see this
						happen when managers talk to each other in ways that are seemingly candid and straightforward.
						What we don’t see so clearly is how managers’ skills can become institutionalised
						and generate disastrous results for their organisations. Consider this familiar
						situation:

The entrepreneur-cEO of a fast-growing medium-sized company brought together his
						bright, dedicated, hardworking top managers to devise a new strategic plan. The company
						had grown at about 45 per cent per year, but fearing that it was heading into deep
						administrative trouble, the cEO had started to rethink his strategy. He wanted to
						restructure his organisation along more rational, less ad hoc, lines. As he saw it,
						the company was split between the sales-oriented people who sell off-the-shelf products
						and the people producing custom services, who are focused towards professionals.
						And each group was suspicious of the other. He wanted both groups to decide what
						kind of company it was going to run.

His immediate subordinates agreed that they must develop a vision and make some strategic
						decisions. They held several long meetings to do this. Although the meetings were
						pleasant enough and no one seemed to be making life difficult for anyone else, they
						concluded with no agreements or decisions. ‘We end up compiling lists of issues but
						not deciding,’ said one vice president. Another added, ‘And it gets pretty discouraging
						when this happens every time we meet.’

A third worried aloud, ‘If you think we are discouraged, how do you think the people
						below us feel who watch us repeatedly fail?’ This is a group of executives who are
						at the top, who respect each other, who are highly committed, and who agree that
						developing a vision and strategy is critical. Yet whenever they meet they fail to
						create the vision and the strategy they desire. What is going on here? Are the managers
						really so incompetent? If so, why?

392 words





Guitar scales tablature

Practise some scales on the guitar.

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Learn to play a song on guitar using tablature

This is the introduction to Metallica’s song ‘Nothing Else Matters’.

[image: image]

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Memorise guitar chords

Although we didn’t learn chords earlier, try and memorise the placement of fingers
					on the strings here to ramp things up a bit.

[image: image]



Passwords and numbers

Memorise these passwords:


9KSYz6sT

ZB9FJrec

HNNfRrx9

n8c4MSSP

agqDxace

dMLxyPvq

JtbKBjkY

WVGuU76A

cGVFfMru

eGWEGxDu

daLqTrvx

fHNpZqg8

uwjapjuK

WtKP8umq

vdXEsTNG

q9c5ygWm

cDqw84j8

TLeqUhcw

eKxpfWDS

fPp2dZVr

2PdTVMtB

ectRn8YY

DdLPeuh2

VHHqUWfz



Memorise these PINs


7 5 0 4

3 0 9 9

4 0 4 3

8 6 0 9

7 3 9 3

0 7 4 7

5 1 6 2

0 5 7 8

2 2 7 2

3 4 1 9

5 5 5 8

2 8 0 2



Memorise these credit card details:


06871698916988

Expiry date: 7/20

code: 117

PIN: 0442

4913732066730948

Expiry date: 12/19

code: 481

PIN: 9814

6319340759660136

Expiry date: 1/17

code: 973

PIN: 6412

6519494067666435

Expiry date: 4/16

code: 860

PIN: 8876

9916793426815443

Expiry date: 1/11

code: 211

PIN: 4287

1705946746384619

Expiry date: 9/16

code: 307

PIN: 5455

0988320270915367

Expiry date: 4/23

code: 105

PIN: 6297

4555885617170456

Expiry date: 11/14

code: 200

PIN: 3987



Memorise these telephone numbers:


Shane charles

Ph: 0421 766 760

Plumbing corporation

Ph: (02) 9878 1123

AcE Window cleaners

Ph: (03) 7781 1936

Vijay Varma

Ph: 0488 910 238

Sandy Beach

Ph: (07) 8662 5627

Bobby Becker

Ph: 0444 980 016

Hairdresser

Ph: (03) 9891 1652

Liu Xiu Lang

Ph: 0467 877 563



Challenges

Now that your memory toolbox of techniques is in good shape, here are a list of challenges
					for you to consider:

•  Mind map a recent issue of a magazine such as Australian Women’s Weekly, Zoo, Men’s
					Health or Frankie.

•  Memorise twenty decks of playing cards.

•  Meet twenty people and remember their names.

•  Read a 300-page book in three hours.

•  Memorise fifty telephone numbers from your contact list.

•  Memorise and present a twenty-minute speech without any notes.

•  Planning a trip? Learn 1500 phrases from a language of your choice.

•  Memorise the winners of the Melbourne Cup.

•  Teach yourself to learn another instrument—ukulele or a wind instrument?—in less
					than forty-eight hours using memory and learning principles from this book.

•  Join me as a mental athlete in the World Memory Championships.

				

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•  Make sure you understand the key memory concepts and techniques before
						attempting the exercises.

•  complete these exercises with a friend to make it more
						fun.

•  Try thinking of other applications for memory now that you’re familiar with
						the techniques.

•  Have a go and don’t give up too easily. What may seem difficult
						may in fact not be once you get started.




				
USING THESE TECHNIQUES

‘Time moves in one direction, memory in another.’—William Gibson

DID YOU KNOW

In 2015, the fourth most powerful supercomputer in the world took forty minutes to simulate just one second of human brain activity.



CHAPTER 8

SPEAKING TO AN AUDIENCE

‘Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally
					understood language.‘—Walt Disney

Making information memorable for others is what communication is all about, and it’s
					the fourth and final step of the Yellow Elephant Memory Model. What is memorable
					for ourselves, however, may not work for others. Everyone learns differently and
					information can be perceived in many ways so it’s important to think not only about
					the information you’re providing but also how you’ll communicate that to an audience.

Making speeches memorable

Many people in the world fear public speaking, and for many different reasons. Memory
					techniques allow you to be confident that your information is safely stored in your
					head and accessible, which helps you present with conviction and hopefully settles
					nerves. Here are some quick tips to help you present that material with confidence.
					

Know your audience

This allows you to really tailor your message. Always ask ahead for as many details
					as you can, such as the number of people expected, their age demographic, the types
					of jobs they have and, if possible, what they hope to get from the presentation.

Know your key message

In one sentence determine what it is that you’re trying to say to your audience.
					If you struggle to do this, then you need to simplify your message.

Plan

Write down all the things you will talk about and create a mind map to quickly identify
					the main subject areas so you can then develop your content.

Time

Once you have mapped out your talk, work out how long the sections will take. With
					practice these estimates become fairly accurate.

Prepare

If you have time, practise your presentation in front of a mirror, video recorder
					or family and friends. This will help you evaluate your vocal projection and diction,
					and show if your body language needs some work and if you’re rushing things or are
					too slow.

Deliver

If you’ve done all your preparation this should be easy. Of course nerves, technical
					problems, hecklers, roadworks outside and other disruptions could still occur so
					your best defence is to know your message really well. Memorise your key words, themes
					and approach. This is better than memorising your entire talk word for word because
					you can present it naturally in different ways. People don’t want to see a robot
					talking, they want to see a human speaking. It is far more engaging and builds trust.

Get feedback

Comments—whether they are great, constructive or negative—provide opportunities
					for you to improve in areas that you might not even have been aware of such as mumbling
					or needing to ask more questions from the audience. No feedback means you only take
					away what you have experienced.

Reflect and improve

Not many presenters reflect on their speech once it’s over. But taking the time to
					review your speech provides you with ways to improve it so next time it’s even better.

Death by PowerPoint

Think of presentations where the screen is filled with text and the presenter drones
					on, reading out every single word, neglecting to add any images to break up the words
					and create some variety. How dull! These types of talks are trapped in the first
					step of the Yellow Elephant Memory Model: without images the presentation cannot
					move to the second step.

The excerpt below is from The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.


IV. A FEW MATTERS OF FORM

Headings. Leave a blank line, or its equivalent in space, after the title or heading
						of a manuscript. On succeeding pages, if using ruled paper, begin on the first line.

Numerals. Do not spell out dates or other serial numbers. Write them in figures
						or in Roman notation, as may be appropriate.

August 9, 1918 (9 August 1918)

Rule 3

chapter XII

352nd Infantry

Parentheses. A sentence containing an expression in parenthesis is punctuated, outside
						of the marks of parenthesis, exactly as if the expression in parenthesis were absent.
						The expression within is punctuated as if it stood by itself, except that the final
						stop is omitted unless it is a question mark or an exclamation point.

I went to his house yesterday (my third attempt to see him), but he had left town.

He declares (and why should we doubt his good faith?) that he is now certain of success.

(When a wholly detached expression or sentence is parenthesized, the final stop comes
						before the last mark of parenthesis.)

Quotations. Formal quotations, cited as documentary evidence, are introduced by a
						colon and enclosed in quotation marks.

The provision of the constitution is: “No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported
						from any state.”

Quotations grammatically in apposition or the direct objects of verbs are preceded
						by a comma and enclosed in quotation marks.

I recall the maxim of La Rochefoucauld, “Gratitude is a lively sense of benefits
						to come.”

Aristotle says, “Art is an imitation of nature.”

Quotations of an entire line, or more, of verse, are begun on a fresh line and centered,
						but need not be enclosed in quotation marks.

Wordsworth’s enthusiasm for the Revolution was at first unbounded:

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,

But to be young was very heaven!

Quotations introduced by that are regarded as in indirect discourse and not enclosed
						in quotation marks.

Keats declares that beauty is truth, truth beauty.

Proverbial expressions and familiar phrases of literary origin require no quotation
						marks.

These are the times that try men’s souls.

He lives far from the madding crowd.

The same is true of colloquialisms and slang.

References. In scholarly work requiring exact references, abbreviate titles that
						occur frequently, giving the full forms in an alphabetical list at the end. As a
						general practice, give the references in parenthesis or in footnotes, not in the
						body of the sentence. Omit the words act, scene, line, book, volume, page, except
						when referring by only one of them. Punctuate as indicated below.



	In the second scene of the third act
	In III.ii (still better, simply insert III.ii in parenthesis at the proper place
								in the sentence)




After the killing of Polonius, Hamlet is placed under guard (IV.ii. 14).

2 Samuel i:17–27

Othello II.iii. 264–267, III.iii. 155–161.

Syllabication. If there is room at the end of a line for one or more syllables of
						a word, but not for the whole word, divide the word, unless this involves cutting
						off only a single letter, or cutting off only two letters of a long word. No hard
						and fast rule for all words can be laid down. The principles most frequently applicable
						are:

(a) Divide the word according to its formation:

know-ledge (not knowl-edge); Shake-speare (not Shakespeare); de-scribe (not des-cribe);
						atmo-sphere (not atmos-phere);

(b) Divide “on the vowel:”

edi-ble (not ed-ible); propo-sition; ordi-nary; espe-cial; religious; oppo-nents;
						regu-lar; classi-fi-ca-tion (three divisions allowable); deco-rative; presi-dent;

(c) Divide between double letters, unless they come at the end of the simple form
						of the word:

Apen-nines; cincin-nati; refer-ring; but tell-ing.

(d) Do not divide before final –ed if the e is silent:

treat-ed (but not roam-ed or nam-ed).

The treatment of consonants in combination is best shown from examples:

for-tune; pic-ture; sin-gle; presump-tuous; illus-tration; substan-tial (either
						division); indus-try; instruc-tion; sug-ges-tion; incen-diary.

The student will do well to examine the syllable-division in a number of pages of
						any carefully printed book.

Titles. For the titles of literary works, scholarly usage prefers italics with capitalised
						initials. The usage of editors and publishers varies, some using italics with capitalised
						initials, others using Roman with capitalised initials and with or without quotation
						marks. Use italics (indicated in manuscript by underscoring), except in writing for
						a periodical that follows a different practice. Omit initial A or The from titles
						when you place the possessive before them.

The Iliad; The Odyssey; As You Like It; To a Skylark; The Newcomes; ATale ofTwo Cities;
						Dickens’s Tale ofTwo Cities.



Now compare the text against a mind map version of the same content.

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The use of narrative illustration

Just as mind maps can be used to summarise large volumes of information in an organised
					way, so too can illustrations. These techniques mirror the Yellow Elephant Memory
					Model because the abstract spoken word is transformed into images, which then tell
					a story. This is what you often find in comics and graphic novels but they’re increasingly
					being used to help presentations. Check out a few of the sites listed in the Sources
					page (p. 184) at the back of this book.

				

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•  Know your key message when presenting.

•  Rehearse your presentation.

•  Use imagery, stories and key words as triggers for your talk.

•  Double-check content
						before you speak or press send. Will the audience or reader easily understand it?

•  Use mind maps or illustrations to help encode big blocks of data.




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CHAPTER 6

EVERYDAY MEMORY

‘You never realise what a good memory you have until you try to forget something.’—Franklin
					P. Jones

According to a March 2015 Australian Bureau of Statistics media release, dementia
					(including Alzheimer’s) is now the nation’s second-biggest cause of death after heart
					disease. It is predicted that by 2050 nearly one million Australians will suffer
					from some sort of dementia, an alarming statistic particularly as there is no known
					cure for the disease at this time. It’s little wonder then that people are becoming
					more and more conscious of brain health and are increasingly keen to exercise it
					every day.

We may not need to be memory champions, memorise books, learn languages in a month
					or perform amazing memory feats, yet there are so many everyday things we do that
					are made so much easier by having a better memory.

Where did I leave my keys?

A common problem around the world is remembering where we left our keys. It’s astonishing
					that this is such a common thing to forget and we’ve all done it at least once, but
					if you keep doing it maybe it’s time to fix the problem. Try the following steps
					to help you always remember where you put your keys.

1. Visualise

Create a vivid image of where you put the keys to help with recall. Since this happens
					in our heads, we can exaggerate to make that visualisation really stand out. As you
					put your keys on the table imagine that the keys grow in size and get bigger and
					bigger!

•  Picture your keys getting bigger and bigger.

•  Listen to the sound they make as they grow.

2. Associate

Linking our item to be remembered with another item allows us to recall better. Once
					again, since it is happening in our minds, we can be creative and make that association
					stand out. As the keys grow to an extraordinary size the table breaks in half, unable
					to carry the weight of the keys.

•  Picture the table breaking in half.

•  Imagine the keys becoming heavy enough to break the table.

•  Listen to the sound of the table breaking.

3. Recall

Recall can be either conscious or accidental.

Conscious: You remember the association with ‘keys breaking the table’. Ah, table!

Accidental: You walk around your house looking for the keys and pass the table. You
					stop and ask yourself, ‘Why did the table break? Oh, the keys broke it.’ Voila!—You
					find the keys.

How to remember you’ve got everything before leaving the house

As you’re about to head out the front door, visualise and associate all that you
					need to take with you. If you need to take your keys, phone, phone charger, bag and
					important contract documents for signing, individually link each item to the door.
					You need to visualise each story as you are about to head out the door.


1.  As you are about to exit the front door a huge metallic key whacks you in the face.

2.  Your phone is now the size of the door and as it rings it causes the front door to vibrate.

3.  The phone charger is blocking your exit as you try to leave.

4.  You trip backwards over your bag as you try and head out of the door.

5.  The front door is made of very thin paper and it needs to be signed, reminding you of the contract.



The front door is only a trigger point to help you remember before you leave the house. Other trigger points might include when you get into your car, or as you put on your shoes.

Remembering where you parked your car

We’ve all forgotten at least once where we’ve parked, but walking around and around
					busy multi-storey carparks can be frustrating and embarrassing. If you know how to
					memorise numbers you can memorise the level number if there is one. If there isn’t
					then find something in your surroundings as a visual connection. Perhaps you parked
					outside and there are trees about 100 metres away roughly at a one o’clock direction.
					You can make a story of how trees crashed onto your car at 1 pm. The trick is to
					find something unique and associate it with your car—but do not involve any other
					car as it may not be there when you get back!

Remembering shopping lists

The simplest way to remember shopping lists is to use the memory techniques of linking
					and association. To remember the list below we need to create an imaginative story
					connecting one item to the other.

1. soft drink

2. flour

3. beetroot

4. Vegemite

5. toilet paper

6. pineapple

7. cat food

8. dishwashing liquid

9. fly spray

10. chocolate


You walk into the supermarket and you are sprayed with soft drink by the staff. Just
						as you wipe yourself off, someone from the checkout accidently spills flour over
						you. Everyone is watching and you’re embarrassed and turn red like a beetroot. Of
						course you know the best cure for embarrassment—a spoonful of Vegemite right down
						the hatch. But the Vegemite must have been way out of date. Your tummy starts grumbling
						and you run as fast as you can and dive into boxes of toilet paper. As you come up
						for air you feel a large pineapple ring around your neck. You take a bite and realise
						it’s actually cat food you’re eating. Now you feel sick again and need to wash your
						mouth out. You grab the dishwashing liquid and give your mouth a good clean. Your
						mouth is frothing and bubbles are going everywhere so you grab fly spray off the
						shelf to spray the bubbles away. It works and you celebrate by treating yourself
						to your favourite chocolate.



If you need to memorise more than twenty items it’s best to use the Method of Loci
					as your story will get very long and one weak link in the story chain means you could
					forget everything after the last item you remembered. If, however, you memorise a
					lot of items and prefer to use linking and association methods, make sure your story
					is highly visual, imaginative and links physically to the next item.

Remembering names

A good way to remember names is to visualise the person first. What’s memorable about
					their appearance? Do they have a big nose? Long hair? Piercings? Exaggerate some
					feature even if they look remarkably normal otherwise. By doing this we create a
					strong holding spot for our information to be memorised—in this case the person’s
					name.

				
[image: image]

This is Bruce.

To make him memorable I picture him with a bald head, wearing colourful running shoes,
					pants and a footy t-shirt. Now that we have a memorable visual of the man, we need
					to create a separate visual for the name ‘Bruce’. The first thing that comes to my
					mind is Bruce Lee, the martial arts movie star. I could also use another Bruce, I
					know, but Bruce Lee makes a more interesting story involving punches, spinning roundhouse
					kicks and cries of ‘Hayaaaa!’

Now for the fun part—creating the story. Visualise the person with colourful running
					shoes, footy t-shirt and bald head being attacked by Bruce Lee himself yelling ‘Hayaaaa!’
					All that is left to do is to recall the name. Go back to the person you initially
					created an image for and think about what happened to them. In this example it was
					being attacked by Bruce Lee. As soon as you recall Bruce Lee it will trigger the
					name Bruce.

These techniques are also helpful in remembering appointments, your kids’ schedules
					and running errands such as picking up the dry cleaning or dropping off shoes to
					be repaired.

Everyday technology

Technology is great when it helps us live more productive, better lives, but it can
					also cause headaches. What we presume is making us more advanced could in fact be
					dragging us behind. Here are some ways to help deal with annoying everyday technology
					problems that help exercise our minds at the same time.

Passwords

We have so many logins these days it’s difficult to remember them all, but we do
					know that using the same password repeatedly is neither secure nor smart. Even so,
					many websites demand a minimum of eight alphanumeric characters, including capital
					letters, and some workplaces insist you change your login each month! Memory techniques
					take the guesswork out of remembering multiple passwords.

What needs to be memorised:

•  the password itself

•  username

•  the website or service you are logging into.

These three items need images that are interconnected. It’s no use trying just to
					remember a password because you may not remember what to use the password for.

Let’s say I want to remember an email account login and have these details:


Username: damocraig@yahoo.com

Password: sMfxFgjq

Website: Yahoo mail



Damo and Craig are my cats’ names so I visualise them and connect them both to Yahoo
					via association. I visualise my cats in the morning after they’ve been fed with their
					victory cry, ‘Yahooooo! We have eaten.’ (Believe me, if they could speak that’s exactly
					what they’d say.) Next is the password, a jumble of letters in upper and lower case,
					currently abstract with no meaning to anyone. Using the Yellow Elephant Memory Model
					we can turn the abstract into images through storytelling:


A small snail (s) goes up a large mountain (M) and as he goes up hears some very
						strange faint sound effects (fx) coming from a huge fireplace (F) where someone has
						thrown tiny goji (gj) berries. As soon as the snail picks up the berries the queen
						(q), who happens to be three metres tall, walks in.



Notice how I visualised small and faint images for lowercase letters and large,
					bold things for upper-case? Remember this trick. Also, be sure you use SMASHIN SCOPE
					to make your visualisation stand out. All that is left to do is to connect Damo and
					Craig with the snail story and we have memorised our Yahoo email password. When recalling
					this information, the first thing we see is the site or service to enter our details
					so we begin our story from that point:


Damo and craig cry ‘Yahoooo!’ after breakfast when suddenly they realise they have
						eaten snails. One of the smaller snails escapes the food bowl and climbs up a large
						mountain (M) and hears some very strange faint sound effects (fx) coming from a huge
						fireplace (F) where someone has thrown tiny goji (gj) berries. As soon as the snail
						picks up the berries the queen (q), who happens to be three metres tall, walks in.



It may seem like a lot of mental work just to remember one password. But you should
					only need to do it once. Once you’ve reviewed your story a few times you should be
					set and locked in the password.

Here are some passwords to memorise.


K4nmqq5q

wBsUtpsr

j242PEPX

qybZJTnB

UcbXvfqD



Once you’ve got the hang of making up stories, converting from abstract to image,
					see if you can use something similar for your own passwords. You can generate random
					passwords by visiting http://www.random.org/passwords. You can create passwords this
					way, or you could play with a mixture of letters, words and numbers that make sense
					to you. You can even join two different passwords together in upper and lower case.
					

Just make sure you don’t use any of these, which are the twenty-five worst passwords:
					123456; password; 12345; 12345678; qwerty; 1234567890; 1234; baseball; dragon; football;
					1234567; monkey; letmein; abc123; 111111; mustang; access; shadow; master; michael;
					superman; 696969; 123123; batman; trustno1.

PINs

Since 2014 Australian credit cards no longer accept signatures for purchases and
					now require a PIN, which can be four or six digits long. The key elements to memorise
					here are:

•  the service you are using for your PIN

•  the PIN itself.

Say, for example, I want to remember my PIN for general ATM use.


Bank card: ANZ Bank

PIN: 677501



Create a visual for the ANZ Bank and the number 677501 using the Major system or
					Dominic system to encode the numbers into images.


The Australian and New Zealand cricket teams both greet you as you walk towards the
						ANZ ATM. You’re about to put your card into the machine and the Australian team gives
						you a piece of chocolate (67) while the New Zealand team takes your chocolate and
						glues (75) it to the ATM. As soon as it’s glued, both the teams tell you to sit (01).
						



Credit card numbers

Credit cards require more than just memorising numbers and the key elements to memorise
					are:

•  the type of card

•  the card number

•  expiry date

•  security code

•  PIN


The type of card: VISA

The card number: 7833 2690 6563 1980 4323

Expiry date: 03/2019

Security code: 671

PIN: 1134



Create a visual for VISA, the card number, expiry date, security code and pin.


You arrive in a foreign country and unfortunately you do not have a VISA. You start
						coughing (78) to the mummy (33) next to you and receive a nudge (26) from the boss
						(90). You turn around to find that they have packed your luggage into a large shell
						(65) but they forgot the jam (63). You get annoyed so you gently tap (19) the face
						(80) of the ram (43) that was sitting quietly next to the garden gnome (23). The
						officer comes along and asks you when your card expires and you tell them your sumo
						(03) wrestler’s nose (20) is dripping like a tap (19). The officer gets confused then asks for your code. You tell him it’s in your jacket
						(671). He reaches into your jacket and finds a piece of paper with a PIN, and the
						following words written on it: ‘Teddy (11) is being held hostage by Mary (34)’.



Telephone numbers

Key elements to memorise:

•  the person/business/place to remember

•  the phone number

				
Let’s say you want to remember your friend Bob’s number.


Bob Norman

Ph: 0491779841



Create a visual for Bob Norman and the number 0491779841 using the Major system or
					Dominic system to encode the numbers into images.


A person is constantly bobbing up and down (Bob) in a Harvey Norman (Norman) shopping
						store among the electrical goods. Bob suddenly gets a baseball bat (91) and takes
						a swing at you, but he misses and whacks a cake (77) instead. You go to take a bite
						of it but it’s made of beef (98) and there are rats (41) running out of it.



You can, of course, use the Method of Loci for storing longer numbers if you like.
					It’s up to you how you memorise them, but as long as you create the story by encoding
					it will work.

Stress management

Stress can take away our ability to progress in life and keep us stuck in a hole
					that we feel we cannot escape from. Using visualisation, and especially through using
					SMASHIN SCOPE, we can create relaxing stories that make us breathe a whole lot better.


Imagine yourself on a beautiful island, the sun is up and the temperature is perfect.
						You get up from lying down on the soft sandy beach and make your way into the crystal
						clear water. You dip your right foot into the water and it gives you a tiny chill
						sensation, which rushes from your feet all the way to your brain. You slowly walk
						through the water, feeling how soft the sand is on the soles of your feet as the
						water moves between your toes.



You can either read the above paragraph, or feel it in your mind as an experience.
					Go back and reread it and this time visualise and feel what’s happening. Hear the
					sounds around you, feel the warmth and the chill, let your mind wander.

Was it different the second time? Did you feel you were there? Being in the moment
					is a powerful strategy when dealing with stress. Using visualisation techniques
					like this help you take a break from the real world and go to a place that soothes
					the mind.

Continue the story and make it longer, or think of another relaxing story. Will it
					involve nature, your family, success? Whatever it is use SMASHIN SCOPE to bring your
					story to life. Close your eyes for even greater effect.

				

[image: image]

•  The three-step process of remembering keys will also help you recall
						other daily things like taking the bins out, or whether you’ve fed the animals.

•  Use the number systems for all number-based items or dates including phone numbers,
						PINs, credit cards—wedding anniversaries work well here too!

•  Use your SMASHIN ScOPE
						skills to create amazing visual stories for stress relief.





CHAPTER 11

KNOWING MORE ABOUT…EVERYTHING

‘Without knowledge action is useless, and knowledge without action is futile.‘—Abu
					Bakr Siddiq (ra)

Today we are bombarded by information, meaning we have more to read, more to analyse,
					more to think about and more to discuss. To stop us feeling overwhelmed by this aspect
					of modern living we need to organise our information better so we can access it faster
					and more precisely. With traditional methods of rote learning, acquiring knowledge
					takes time. In using a systemised approach we can reduce that time and increase our
					retention of facts and data.

Questions to ask include:

•  What knowledge are we trying to acquire?

•  How many pieces of information are we trying to remember?

•  Which technique is the best for the job?

How to memorise countries and their capital cities

The quickest and most effective way to do this is to use a straight linking and association
					method.








	Country
	Capital
	Association



	Morocco
	Rabat
	You eat a lovely rabbit stew in Morocco.



	Gabon
	Libreville
	There is a city that’s a library where you are told to shut your gab and keep quiet.
								



	Comoros
	Moroni
	You comb a rose and it transforms into a maroon colour.



	Latvia
	Riga
	You work out your lat muscles rigorously in Latvia.



	Ecuador
	Quito
	You will never quit until you reach the equator.



	Dominica
	Roseau
	Dominic O’Brien smells a rose in Australia.



	Oman
	Muscat
	Kevin Muscat says ‘Oh man!’ after losing a game to Sydney.



	Switzerland
	Bern
	Roger Federer burns up the tennis court.



	Malaysia
	Kuala Lumpur
	Koalas come from Malaysia.



	Vietnam
	Hanoi
	You are annoyed when your bike gets stolen in Vietnam.




Some countries are easy to remember while others are more difficult because of the
					abstract wording of country or city. Use SMASHIN SCOPE to help make memorable stories.
					I may decide, for example, it’s stronger for recall if I memorise Libreville, Gabon,
					by imagining my friend Gabriel standing on a library shelf.

How to learn quiz questions and answers

To remember quiz questions and their answers:

•  break up key words into images

•  link each image

•  review the associative story

Example:


Q. What term describes an adult male swan?

A. Cob.



The words to associate and connect are: male swan and cob.


The male swan always eats corn on the cob.



Let’s try another.


Q. What is the largest bone in the human body?

A. Femur.



The words to associate and connect are: largest bone, human body, femur.


Picture holding a bone as large as a human. It’s so large and heavy that you lose
						control and drop it on a female.



Try memorising the following quiz questions and answers:

  1. In computing what is RAM short for?

  2. Which organ secretes insulin?

  3. Who was the first actor to refuse an Oscar?

  4. What is the famous business list that Fortune produces each year called?

  5. In which year did Adolf Hitler become chancellor of Germany?

  6. Who composed Peer Gynt?

  7. Who was the youngest ever American president?

  8. How many episodes of Fawlty Towers were made?

  9. What name is given to the hybrid fruit of tangerines and grapefruits?

10. What do the dots on a pair of dice total?

11. How high is a basketball hoop?

12. In photography what does SLR mean?

13. What is the motto of the SAS?

14. Which two countries signed up to the common market in 1973 alongside the UK?

15. How many years did Nelson Mandela spend in prison?

16. Which star is the nearest to Earth?

17. What is the nearest galaxy to the solar system?

18. Which nerve forms the link between the eye and the brain?

19. How many species of reptiles live in Antarctica?

20. In which year was the first FA Cup final held at Wembley?

21. What is agoraphobia the fear of?

22. How many kilograms make up a metric tonne?

23. On what date is American Independence day?

24. Who said, ‘I think, therefore I am’?

25. In which country was cricketer Ted Dexter born?

26. What was the name of the policeman in Enid Blyton’s Noddy books?

27. The clavicle is more commonly known as which bone?

28. What is the collective noun for a group of rhinoceroses?

29. Facing the bow of a boat, which side is port?

30. Who painted The Starry Night?



Answers: 1. Random Access Memory; 2. pancreas; 3. George C. Scott; 4. Fortune 500;
					5. 1933; 6. Edvard Grieg; 7. Theodore Roosevelt, aged forty-two; 8. twelve; 9. tangelo;
					10. forty-two; 11. ten feet (3.048 m); 12. Single Lens Reflex; 13. Who Dares Wins;
					14. Ireland and Denmark; 15. Twenty-seven; 16. the Sun; 17. Andromeda; 18. optic
					nerve; 19. none; 20. 1923; 21. open spaces; 22. one thousand; 23. 4 July; 24. René
					Descartes; 25. Italy; 26. P. C. Plod; 27. collarbone; 28. a crash; 29. left; 30.
					Vincent van Gogh.

How to memorise quotes

Good quotes help us reflect on things and can pack a great deal of wisdom into a
					phrase or brief sentence. They are also one of the most popular forms of shared content
					on the Internet. As with quiz questions, memorising quotes uses association, but
					with the added difficulty of creating images for the person’s name.

The approach is to:

•  break up key words into images

•  link each image

•  connect images to the person.

Example:

‘You have to dream before your dreams can come true.’ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam


Picture someone holding a gun next to your head telling you, ‘You have to dream’
						or else. So you do that but before your dream can come true, you wake up. A man is
						standing next to you in A. P. J. singing Paula Abdul. You say: ‘Kill me now.’



Try memorising these quotes:

  1. ‘Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are
					doing the impossible.’ Saint Francis of Assisi

  2. ‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched:
					they must be felt with the heart.’ Helen Keller

  3. ‘It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.’ Confucius

  4. ‘Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.’
					Vince Lombardi

  5. ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’ Mahatma Gandhi

  6. ‘I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always
					reach my destination.’ James Dean

  7. ‘Quality is not an act, it is a habit.’ Aristotle

  8. ‘To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.’ Lao Tzu

  9. ‘Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.’ Desiderius Erasmus

10. ‘If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.’ Milton Berle

Scores and statistics

Sports fans love a good stat. When considering statistics identify what you want
					to remember—there are many things and combinations of things such as score, goal
					scorers, teams, date, time and venue.

Soccer








	



	Sat 14.03.2015



	Crystal Palace
	3:1
	Queens Park Rangers



	Wilfried Zaha (CP)
	21’
	



	James McArthur (CP)
	40’
	



	Joel Ward (CP)
	42’
	



	Matt Phillips (QPR)
	83’
	



	




From the above scores there are eleven different types of information to remember:
					day, date, month, year, team 1, team 2, team 1 score, team 2 score, goal scorer(s),
					goal scorer team, and goal in minute of match.

Images will need to be created for each:


Saturday (saturn)

14 (door)

03 (sumo)

2015 (nose, doll)

Crystal Palace (a large palace made of crystal)

Queens Park Rangers (the queen deploying park rangers)

3:1 (mat)

Wilfried Zaha (Prince William freed a zebra)

21 (net)

James McArthur (captain James cook having McDonald’s with your friend Arthur)

40 (rose)

Joel Ward (hole in the wall)

42 (Arnie)

Matt Phillips (welcome mat with built-in Phillips head screwdriver)

83 (foam)



Now for the fun in connecting the associative story:


The planet Saturn crashes down at your door. It falls on top of a sumo wrestler who
						ends up breaking his nose. As he turns around he is greeted by a lovely doll inside
						a large palace made of crystal. The Queen comes out of the palace with her park rangers
						on a long red mat. Leading the group is Prince William proudly riding his freed zebra.
						From his pocket he casts a net at Captain James Cook, who is eating Macca’s with
						his mate Arthur. Both are trapped. A rose starts to appear from a hole in the wall—it’s
						Arnie. He busts through the wall, jumps on the welcome mat, snatching up the Phillips
						head screwdriver, and rescues the two, landing safely on foam.



It may seem like a lot of work, but it only takes one story to be developed and visualised
					for all the details to be remembered and stored in our long-term memory. To make
					it easier, perhaps focus on memorising the teams, score and scorers.

See how you go creating stories for these statistics:








	



	Sun 15.03.2015

	
	



	Everton
	3:0
	Newcastle United



	Manchester United
	3:0
	Tottenham



	Chelsea
	1:1
	Southampton



	



	Sat 14.03.2015

	
	



	Burnley
	1:0
	Manchester City



	Arsenal
	3:0
	West Ham



	Leicester
	0:0
	Hull City



	Sunderland
	0:4
	Aston Villa



	West Brom
	1:0
	Stoke City



	




Australian Rules football

To memorise AFL scores you can include: team 1, team 2, team 1 score, team 2 score,
					round, venue.

[image: image]

The associative story would go something like this:


The tigers (Richmond) were eating blue m&m’s (carlton) when they realised it
						was beef (98), so they spat it out and started eating fish (86) instead. They dropped
						the rest of the uneaten fish in a cup of tea (round 1), and paraded it all around
						the McG.



If you’re extra keen you can add further statistics such as attendance, date, goal
					scorers, best on ground and so on.

Individual player statistics

Memorise the player’s name. Kicks, handballs, marks and tackles can be linked together
					using any number technique such as the Dominic system or Major system.

Using the Major system our story is:


Reece conca (picture him conquering Greece). As he conquers Greece he kicks a donut
						(12), then handballs a hockey (7) puck, eventually marking a hair (4) that came off
						a carlton supporter who had one tooth (1).



Use your memory skills to create stories for the following individual player statistics.

[image: image]

[image: image]


[image: image]

•  Identify what information you want to remember.

•  Break down the information
						into bits to be memorised and create the images for them.

•  consider which technique
						works best for the task. Linking and association may work just as well as the Method
						of Loci.

•  practise with large sets of data so you create elaborate stories and connections,
						and remember more.

•  Show off your skills to friends. This is a good way of testing
						your competence.





CHAPTER 3

MEMORY TECHNIQUES

Many people believe having a great memory is a gift. When I was nineteen, I actually
					believed I had a ‘shocking’ memory. I would forget names, directions, what I had
					just read, and even what people had said to me a minute ago. It was embarrassing;
					however, I accepted that I had not been born with a great memory – that is, until
					I stumbled upon memory techniques.

These ‘mental activities’ made me use my imagination and little did I know how easy
					it was to improve my memory. Not only that, but I would go on to learn much faster,
					achieve more, and gain significant confidence in myself to do anything as I got older.
					Now it is your turn to experience the power of memory techniques.

Linking and association

Linking and association is a technique that helps us remember effectively by creating
					stories using the items we want to remember in a sequential order. It’s possible
					to link and associate any piece of information with another. Many people are unsuccessful
					in their early attempts to do this, though, because their links and connections are
					broken along the way to memorisation.

How it works

Let’s say we had five items to remember. The linking process would look like this:

[image: image]

The first item is connected to the initial subject, and to the second item. Each
					subsequent item is connected to the one following it in a sequence.

How to use

Remembering a list of words:

1.  shoes

2.  milk

3.  postman

4.  donkey

5.  blue


Imagine your shoes smelling profusely. You decide to take them off, and as you do
						milk starts to pour out! The milk splatters everywhere and somehow splashes into
						the eye of the postman. The postman is angry, jumps on his donkey and starts to chase
						you. You run for your life and feel yourself getting sick and suddenly you turn blue!
						



To-do list:

1.  Take the rubbish bin out.

2.  Buy the newspaper.

3.  Pick up dry cleaning.

4.  Work out at the gym.

5.  Water the plants.


You head out of the house and suddenly the rubbish bin flips over and tips itself
						on top of you. The rubbish is full of newspapers that stink like something has died
						in them. Before you retch you head over to the dry cleaners to change into clean
						clothes. You feel refreshed and pumped, so much so that you’re inspired to workout
						at the gym. You drink too much water during your workout and the toilets are out
						of order so you end up watering the plants.



With linking and association the word you are memorising does not have to be exactly
					the same as how you memorise it. So if I try to remember the word ‘kaleidoscope’,
					I might visualise and come up with something that sounds like the first part of the
					word, such as ‘calendar’, where ‘cal’ acts as a trigger to ‘kaleidoscope’. My associative
					story could then be that I looked at my calendar and it was spiralling visually like
					broken mirrors.

How long? As long as it takes to read the paragraph and connect with the listed words,
					around one minute.

This book uses many triggers to form associations with words. Since we are using
					our own imagination everyone’s stories and triggers will be different, so feel free
					to create your own triggers to the exercises in this book.

Number rhyme

This is where the numbers rhyme with the words.

How it works

one = gun

two = shoe

three = tree

four = door

five = hive

six = sticks

seven = heaven

eight = gate

nine = wine

ten = pen

How to use

Let’s say we want to remember the words on the right of the rhyming words. We link
					the rhyming list with the words to be remembered list.

  1. gun: elephant

  2. shoe: breakfast

  3. tree: CD

  4. door: computer

  5. hive: TV remote

  6. sticks: water

  7. heaven: towel

  8. gate: chocolate

  9. wine: tomato

10. pen: phone


The elephant is shot with a gun. (Luckily it does not die.)

You eat breakfast with your shoe as a spoon.

The tree outside is growing cDs.

The door opens onto a supercomputer.

There is a beehive inside the TV remote.

You throw sticks into the water because you are bored.

As soon as you enter heaven you are given a refresher towel.

The gate is made out of chocolate and you have to bite your way through to enter.

You shove a whole tomato inside a wine bottle.

You draw smiley faces with your coloured pen on a stranger’s mobile phone.



Recall

All that’s left now is to remember what happened with each of the rhyming numbers
					to give you the item you had memorised.







	  1. gun

	…………………….




	  2. shoe

	…………………….




	  3. tree

	…………………….




	  4. door

	…………………….




	  5. hive

	…………………….




	  6. sticks

	…………………….




	  7. heaven

	…………………….




	  8. gate

	…………………….




	  9. wine

	…………………….




	10. pen

	…………………….





How long? Around ten seconds for each story from the above examples, so a little
					under two minutes.

Number shape

This is just like the number rhyme system but it uses images that look like the number
					instead of rhyming with it.

How it works







	one =
	[image: image]



	two =
	[image: image]



	three =
	[image: image]



	four =
	[image: image]



	five =
	[image: image]



	six =
	[image: image]



	seven =
	[image: image]



	eight =
	[image: image]



	nine =
	[image: image]



	ten =
	[image: image]




How to use

Let’s say we want to remember the words on the right of the number shape words. We
					link both the shape list with the words to be remembered list.



	1. candlestick