For the first time in years, I think I actually OD'ed on music/information last night. For days I've been working and studying almost non-stop. 

Alternating between the Apple/Logic certification manual and another Logic training book/DVD, watching a few chapters of a Groove Monkey Pro Tools tutorial in between - usually during lunch - still reading the Systematic Mixing guide, Slipperman's stuff, and just about every bit of info I can find. 

And then, putting all that stuff to practice.

But last night I finally got to a point where I couldn't possibly squeeze one more bit of info or music in or out of my brain. The weird thing is that you want to keep going, there's still music to do and things to learn, but everything just slips between your fingers.

I still managed to end up the night w/ a new song idea. I just couldn't bring myself to record it so instead I played guitar and jammed on those themes for half an hour... Done, committed to memory. Time to play with the cats and roll around on the floor.

Last time I felt similar was when I worked an office job and had to process an entire year's vacations request for all the employees of our two offices in a week. Totally brain-fried - almost like being drunk and you don't know whether you're going to burst into tears or laughter or collapse or what, feeling tipsy and all.

But unlike processing vacation requests and scheduling stuff, I actually dig working on music, and I'm absolutely glad that I could bring myself to that point for the first time in years.

See, that's me being in that grateful mood again. :)

Only a few more days before the vacations. Gotta keep at it... There's still so much to learn. 

Immediately trying out what you learn is very beneficial but, coming from someone with a certificate in accelerated learning (among other things), if you don't give yourself extra time during your learning, things don't get a chance to transition from short-term memory to long-term. 

Obviously, as your short-term memory fills up, everything new you stuff in there causes something else to get dumped.  Usually, this isn't a problem (like remembering a phone number just long enough to call it), but when you're learning you don't want to forget so you need to schedule some down-time after absorbing new material so that it can get moved to long-term memory.  What you do is up to you, but realize that a sensory deprivation tank is best so whatever you can do that approaches that - the better!  Relax and daydream, look out over the city (if you have a view), put on some headphones and listen to music (preferably with your eyes closed), etc. 

I'm sure you're 100% right on this. 

In fact, I think of it as learning in multiple passes. The Logic certification stuff for example - I've been working on that for over a year on and off, and I've become pretty fluent w/ Logic - in fact, it's definitely time for me to move to the next/advanced level - but I'm trying to see if I can grab a few additional tidbits. And I pretty much always do.
Same for the Pro Tools stuff - I'm getting to be pretty familiar w/ PT, so a lot of the info is redundant. But a few new bits stick every time. 

But last night, I guess it was too much saturation on all fronts.

A good way to assist your learning is to review what you've learned a few minutes after you learn it, then again an hour later, then again four hours later, etc.  This helps enhance new neural pathways in your brain that allow you to use your new knowledge.  The brain tends to build just the minimum needed at first and strengthens these bridges as you continue to use them.

Makes sense. :)

I used to have an incredible memory and I'll admit I'm a bit scared since I've started to see holes in it. 

For one part at least, I suspect that this has got to do w/ working w/ computers and a shorter attention span - the way we're submerged in disorganized information, multi-tasking and our attention is always called to something new every few seconds, used to and expecting to get a new thing to focus on temporarily at regular intervals.

I realized at some point that my brain had been twisted into that same pattern and did not commit information to memory but rather reference it for later as its first option in many cases. It is scary - my computer has effectively become not only a back up, but an extension of my own memory, as a reflex.

Which is why I guess I try to counter that by sticking to regularly reading good old fashioned books and carry at least a few books from my Nietzsche collection w/ me everywhere we go.

The other factor is that so much happens since I've been w/ my wife, we've been to so many different places, met so many people that my memory sort of gave up on remembering every detail. I don't have those down times where I'd just sit there and remember things, we're always on to the next thing.

It's a good thing then that the brain has this wonderful ability to restructure itself when things start to get too chaotic.  I have so-called "experimental devices" that attempt to create this condition when you know you're safe, but I'm sure you can recall times when things seem overwhelming and you're not sure what to do next then, seemingly overnight, you just wake up and wonder what the big deal was as you go about handling everything.  The brain is a very interesting device!

The brain is a very interesting device!

What is this "Brain" you speak of and where can I get one?


Interesting thread by the way. Somewhat disturbing in a way as well.
I've always been somewhat aware but didn't realize until Rain brought it up, how much I do tend to use one/all of my devices as a 'memory, storage and backup' device.
Hell, more often than not, it does my thinking for me too.  
I was always good with numbers and memory. For years before we had all these fancy gadgets I actually knew everyone's phone number by heart. Now I don't need to. My phone remembers them for me.
I imaging that PC's are pretty much doing the same with other parts of our memory.


Mike 

I remember a short story by Kurt Vonnegut where somewhere in the future there's this guy who can actually do math in his head without the aid of a calculator.  His abilities amazed the future scientists.  Heh...

 Someone up there typed something about short term memory but I forget what it was.

Starise


 Someone up there typed something about short term memory but I forget what it was.

You probably owe the Bouy money.  Apparently, everyone does...