Comments on: The Human Mind... boggles. http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/ the blog that is not dansdata.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:29:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: unfunk http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1366 Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:02:41 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1366 As a musician, I was deeply offended by tonight's instalment; any orchestra worth its salt can play perfectly well <i>without</i> a conductor, and having some random kid up front waving their arms about in a rhythmic fashion isn't going to change that - as evidenced by the good Baron demonstrating that he can conduct an orchestra by doing just the same thing as the little girl. As a musician, I was deeply offended by tonight's instalment; any orchestra worth its salt can play perfectly well without a conductor, and having some random kid up front waving their arms about in a rhythmic fashion isn't going to change that - as evidenced by the good Baron demonstrating that he can conduct an orchestra by doing just the same thing as the little girl.

]]> by: Chris L http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1356 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:49:07 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1356 Thank you for the fish oil link. I knew there was a good chance it was bunk when TV "health specialist" <a href="http://www.citytv.com/toronto/personalities_LauraDiBattista.aspx" rel="nofollow">Laura DiBattista</a> reported it. Every night she reports on the latest "study" without questioning anything. Thank you for the fish oil link. I knew there was a good chance it was bunk when TV "health specialist" Laura DiBattista reported it. Every night she reports on the latest "study" without questioning anything.

]]> by: Stark http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1352 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:58:42 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1352 I can easily explain the crummy state of most documentaries in the US. It stems from how these folks were taught to write... or rather not taught. If you watch one of these turds for documentarties you will see that they do the following: 1: Tell the audience what you are planning on telling them. 2: Tell it to them. 3: Tell them what you told told them. 4: Re-summarize what you told them again. I actually had teachers in grade school and high school who told me this is how you should write an essay, a report, and even short stories. I'm certain this is where the makers of the documentaries learned to do this. Sad, 'innit? I can easily explain the crummy state of most documentaries in the US. It stems from how these folks were taught to write... or rather not taught. If you watch one of these turds for documentarties you will see that they do the following:

1: Tell the audience what you are planning on telling them.
2: Tell it to them.
3: Tell them what you told told them.
4: Re-summarize what you told them again.

I actually had teachers in grade school and high school who told me this is how you should write an essay, a report, and even short stories. I'm certain this is where the makers of the documentaries learned to do this.

Sad, 'innit?

]]> by: MichaelWright http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1350 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:32:44 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1350 You have a mental image of fine granularity, too. I saw a shot of him by the Houses of P.: in a building like that, you'd use distinctive individual features, like statues on the roof, window niches that stand out, that kind of thing. One of the original frameworks was the interior of a classical theatre, with lots of handy memory hooks. Originally it was used for memorising speeches, to be delivered without notes. As for five hundred and twenty items -- well, I guess that's how you get to be a champ. Oh, and I don't think you could use bird turds, even of albatross size, because it has to be a permanent feature, so you can constantly refresh your memory framework. You have a mental image of fine granularity, too. I saw a shot of him by the Houses of P.: in a building like that, you'd use distinctive individual features, like statues on the roof, window niches that stand out, that kind of thing. One of the original frameworks was the interior of a classical theatre, with lots of handy memory hooks. Originally it was used for memorising speeches, to be delivered without notes. As for five hundred and twenty items -- well, I guess that's how you get to be a champ.

Oh, and I don't think you could use bird turds, even of albatross size, because it has to be a permanent feature, so you can constantly refresh your memory framework.

]]> by: Daniel Rutter http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1347 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 02:06:43 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1347 <i>the memory technique described is, literally, ancient</i> I've heard about it before - I didn't know it dated back that far. But <i>five hundred and twenty items?!</i> For it to work at that level of granularity, your walk around London would have to include something like "the London Eye, the hot-dog stand next to the London Eye, the spot where they put the camera during the 23rd second of the London Eye stunt in that crummy second Fantastic Four movie, the usual end of the queue for the hot-dog stand, an unusually large bird turd..." the memory technique described is, literally, ancient

I've heard about it before - I didn't know it dated back that far.

But five hundred and twenty items?! For it to work at that level of granularity, your walk around London would have to include something like "the London Eye, the hot-dog stand next to the London Eye, the spot where they put the camera during the 23rd second of the London Eye stunt in that crummy second Fantastic Four movie, the usual end of the queue for the hot-dog stand, an unusually large bird turd..."

]]> by: Daniel Rutter http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1346 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:59:01 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1346 <i>I think the producers of the American documentaries think that their audience has an IQ of around 40</i> I cannot <i>imagine</i> what features of American politics, religion or consumer preferences would give them that idea. Yes, this doco may have been made primarily for export. But it was all British people with Winston's English voice-over, and it's got a page on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/tv/humanmind/" rel="nofollow">the BBC site</a>, so I'm sure it's been broadcast in the UK and other bits of the Commonwealth, including here in Australia, as well. I think the producers of the American documentaries think that their audience has an IQ of around 40

I cannot imagine what features of American politics, religion or consumer preferences would give them that idea.

Yes, this doco may have been made primarily for export. But it was all British people with Winston's English voice-over, and it's got a page on the BBC site, so I'm sure it's been broadcast in the UK and other bits of the Commonwealth, including here in Australia, as well.

]]> by: MichaelWright http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1343 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:44:04 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1343 Didn't see the doco, and I'm sure it was crap, but the memory technique described is, literally, ancient. As described in rhetorical manuals in ancient Rome, used in the Middle Ages, and elaborated in the Renaissance, you develop your memory by first making up for yourself a mental image of something, preferably a building or set of buildings with lots of niches, and then mentally "placing" each memory item, in a habitual order, on one of these niches. You can associate items with something striking to help you remember it. I've never tried it myself, and it all sounded a bit, well, strange, so I was well stoked when I saw a snip on TV of someone who must have been this bloke, explaining the same system, whilst doing a walk along the Thames to refresh his memory of his own memory theatre, as it was called in the trade. Frances Yates, _The Art of Memory_, is the standard work. A very great pity the Beeb blew it, along with puffing the Moller flying car. Didn't see the doco, and I'm sure it was crap, but the memory technique described is, literally, ancient. As described in rhetorical manuals in ancient Rome, used in the Middle Ages, and elaborated in the Renaissance, you develop your memory by first making up for yourself a mental image of something, preferably a building or set of buildings with lots of niches, and then mentally "placing" each memory item, in a habitual order, on one of these niches. You can associate items with something striking to help you remember it. I've never tried it myself, and it all sounded a bit, well, strange, so I was well stoked when I saw a snip on TV of someone who must have been this bloke, explaining the same system, whilst doing a walk along the Thames to refresh his memory of his own memory theatre, as it was called in the trade. Frances Yates, _The Art of Memory_, is the standard work. A very great pity the Beeb blew it, along with puffing the Moller flying car.

]]> by: Glaurung_quena http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1342 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:11:58 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1342 Was this documentary by any chance made in the US, or for US TV? As a Canadian, I can see a huge difference between the utter crap that passes for documentaries on most of the US documentary-themed channels (the discovery channel, the war channel, the history channel, etc) and Canadian-made documentaries. I think the producers of the American documentaries think that their audience has an IQ of around 40, and an attention span of around 40 seconds. So they need to deliver facts in very, very, very tiny bites, each factlet having to be introduced, explained, explained again in slightly different wording, and then recapped after the advertising break before moving on to the next factlet. Result: a 40 minute documentary (with 20 minutes of commercials, naturally) feels like it actually contains maybe 5-10 minutes worth of information, and 30 minutes of filler giving that nasty information a hugely thick candy coating. Was this documentary by any chance made in the US, or for US TV? As a Canadian, I can see a huge difference between the utter crap that passes for documentaries on most of the US documentary-themed channels (the discovery channel, the war channel, the history channel, etc) and Canadian-made documentaries.

I think the producers of the American documentaries think that their audience has an IQ of around 40, and an attention span of around 40 seconds. So they need to deliver facts in very, very, very tiny bites, each factlet having to be introduced, explained, explained again in slightly different wording, and then recapped after the advertising break before moving on to the next factlet. Result: a 40 minute documentary (with 20 minutes of commercials, naturally) feels like it actually contains maybe 5-10 minutes worth of information, and 30 minutes of filler giving that nasty information a hugely thick candy coating.

]]> by: DBT http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1340 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:05:41 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/the-human-mind-boggles/#comment-1340 Thanks for hosing this one down. I was spewing that I missed this supposedly credible piece, as recommended by <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/about/">Robyn Williams</a>. Funny, he doesn't often fall for such shammery... Thanks for hosing this one down. I was spewing that I missed this supposedly credible piece, as recommended by Robyn Williams. Funny, he doesn't often fall for such shammery...

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