Sorry, but this area needs the Macromedia Flash Player - click here to download the latest version
Where Did I Put ... My Memory?
Saturday January 7 at 1 pm on CBC-TV
Related Video
It’s that moment we all dread: we meet someone we know, but suddenly can’t recall his name. Or we forget where we put our purse, our wallet, our keys. Sometimes we can’t remember the word for the uh … c’mon, you know, the uh, thing-a-ma-jig to wash the salad. And by the way, where exactly did we park the car?
Memory loss is the second greatest health fear for Canadians, after cancer. And memory loss is a growing epidemic, as we live longer, our brains age, and we have more and more information to forget. Throw in the information overload from new technologies. The result: T.M.I. – Too Much Information! No wonder we have “brain cramps” and forget things. Are we all doomed to lose our minds? Or are there ways to keep our memories - and even make them better? If you can lose your memory, can you find it?
To find answers to these big questions, Where Did I Put...My Memory? takes viewers on an unforgettable journey around the world, visiting:
- THE WORLD MEMORY CHAMPIONSHIPS: in London, England, this annual battle-of-the-brains celebrates people with the world’s best memories competing in a grueling mental Olympics. It features Memory Grandmasters like Ben Pridmore, an accountant who broke the “30- second barrier” when he memorized the exact order of 52 playing cards - in 26 seconds. We also meet eight-time World Memory Champion Dominic O’Brien, Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping, and people who can memorize PI to 50,000 decimal places. What can we learn from these memory masters?
- THE CANADIAN GUINNESS WORLD RECORD MEMORY CHAMP: Kitchener, Ontario’s Dave Farrow was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia as a child, but has gone on to become the Guinness World Record Holder for Greatest Memory, memorizing 3,068 playing cards after seeing them once. The inventor of The Farrow Study System shares the secrets of his remarkable success.
- THE RAPPIN’ MATHEMATICIAN: Alex Kajitani, California’s Teacher of the Year in 2009, transformed the grades of inner city kids by teaching them to do math in rhyming rap couplets that have now gone global on the Web. Can we all remember better by singing rhyming songs?
- THE WOMAN WHO CAN’T FORGET: American Jill Price recalls every day, hour and minute of her life since she was 14. Yet, ironically, this super-memory mainly brings her pain. Why? What would it be like if you could never forget anything?
- THE WOMAN WHO CAN’T REMEMBER: Claire X. from Britain has no “autobiographical memory.” She can’t remember anything for more than 24 hours – not even the names of her own husband and children. Yet this articulate, intelligent woman is working courageously with researchers and a new “memory camera” to find a way to preserve her fleeting memories. It may be able to help us all.
- THE BRAIN TRAINERS: Only 120 years ago, Thomas Edison thought our memories were caused by “hundreds of little men inside our brains who write down everything we say.” Today we can peer right inside the brain to understand our minds. The film looks at state-of-the-science memory techniques - from bilingualism to ballroom dancing, from brain research, brain gyms and brain drugs to questionable new techniques for modifying the memory.
Where Did I Put ... My Memory? also draws on the talents of Newfoundland singer, Pamela Morgan, and her “memory songs”. As well, academic memory specialists Dr. Daniel Levitin at McGill University, Dr. Tracy Taylor at Dalhousie University, Dr. Fergus Craik at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute, and Dr. Sheena Josselyn at Toronto SickKids help fill in some of the blanks when it comes to the subject of memory.
Where Did I Put ... My Memory? is a light-hearted and enlightening inquiry into memory – and how we can improve it. The film was produced by Barbara Doran MORAG LOVES COMPANY and written & directed by Josh Freed Josh Freed Inc., in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Doc Zone on facebook
