Mind Palace

So, on this blog, I'm going to put some random psychological stuff, as that is always good for deductionists to know about.  One of these is the concept of the mind palace.

Some of you may be very familiar with the term "mind palace."  (You know who you are.)  The same concept is also referred to as, "mind attic," "memory palace," "memory dungeon," "mental organization system," or something like that.  I'll be calling it mind palace because it is the most common term used by people I know and I'm used to it.

Whatever you call it, it's a way to visualize information.  Say you want to remember how to conjugate the verb, "I am" in Croatian.  You'll go into a "room" in your "mind palace," pick a "book" up off the "shelf," and see the words, "jesam, jesi, jest, jesmo, jeste, jesu" (the conjugations of the verb).

You can do this with any information, not just verbs in Slavic languages.  Names, dates, etc. can be stored away.  You should also use images.  Need to remember to buy milk at the grocery store?  You can put the word, "milk," across the wall of a room, have a large bottle of milk in the middle, write it on a list, and visualize yourself looking at any of these.

More info on this mental mapping technique is to come; I'm just starting myself.  Good luck!

Signing off,
SM

List #10--5 Useful Topics for Deductionists to Know About

In order to be any good at deduction, you have to know about more than just deduction.  You need some greater-than-usual knowledge on certain topics.  Here's where to start.

1. What's in fashion, and clothing in general.  You can approximate how old certain articles of clothing are if they look like something everybody was wearing three years ago.  This also may tell you a bit about what a person likes to wear, reasons behind it, etc.
2. Current technology trends.  You can also get a sense of what people's devices are and what they can do.  This could be quite useful in certain situations.
3. Different plants and animals in your area.  You should know a little bit about the flora and fauna of where you live, so you can identify anything that doesn't belong.  Not that you should, upon seeing a rodent you don't recognize, yell, "Suspicious chipmunk!  Obviously a genetically engineered robot smuggled in to sneak into the computer lab to chew up the wires that connect to the computer that an employee will secretly log onto at 3:00 this afternoon to protect the classified government documents!"  But it could be useful.
4. What different teas and spices smell/taste like.  This is mostly so you can walk up to your friend who needs tea to start their day, smell their tea, and ask, "So how is that herbal oolong with a touch of blueberry and a Vitamin C supplement this morning?" and have them look at you incredulously.  Or so, when you're eating out with friends and one of them is trying to put a finger on what's in that pasta sauce, you can explain that it's fresh rosemary, with a bit of dried parsley and ground tarragon mixed in there too.
5. Art history.  Whenever you see a famous painting, you'll know what it is and impress everybody, or at least know the name of the artist due to the style.  Also good when you see copies of famous paintings in places such as, say, your mathematics classroom.

I hope this ends up being useful to all of you.  Happy learning!

Signing off,
SM