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I'm glad you responded to my post, sometimes it seems that most people like to write short 'testimonials' but aren't interested in really investigating how effective these techniques work.

People have asked me "What works?", I don't mind telling you that I think Mega-Memory, Imagestreaming and more Recently Super-Memo are the 'make your self smarter things' that have made a tangible difference to me.

I cannot say what will or will not work for any individual. It is especially difficult to say something "won't" work. But these are the things that have worked for me and I would say that they would likely 'work' for anyone.

I would also say that I think that this order is the best way to progress.

1. Mega-Memory
2. Imagestreaming
3. Super-Memo

A quick note about mind mapping. I learned mind mapping in two different places. One was from a book "Quantum Learning" and the other was at the Infantry Officer Basic course. I believe mind mapping is very good for 'brainstorming' and generating a good picture of what you are wanting to think about. However, because it represents in a 'non-linear' fashion, it can be difficult to 'sequentially memorize' the information using 'linking' memory techniques.

I am not taking anything away from Mr. Buzan or MindMapping, for it's purpose (generating ideas and developing 'thought systems') it is amazing. I'm especially impressed with many of the electronic version that allow linking of files, documents, websites, images, video and sound. I am still exploring the nearly unlimited potential of this technique. Well done Mr. Buzan.

When I say Mega-Memory, I'm not talking very generically about all the 'memory sites and books', if you get the mega memory system, sit down at the table and dedicate the 14 or so hours to listening and doing the exercises as the tapes guide you along, you will have it down.

I say the MM has priority for a very particular reason. MM is useful immediately after using the MM class you will have a 100% positive response. You will do better in school, work or in any memory intensive task. If you really apply yourself and use the techniques all the time you will get very fast and very fluid with them.

You will still forget stuff all the time (see supermemo archive on why forgetting is important), but if you really want to retain something you have to tools neccessary to keep the information. What you get into here is "What is really important to keep?". You can't keep everything so you just have to accept the fact that forgetting is a natural part of life and you need to structure what information you want to keep.

Here is my testimonial on MM, I got the MM program around 1992-93. I had some serious doubt about the effectivness of the program because it made some very outrageous claims. However, the majority of the claims made by the program are true. Kevin Trudea makes some statements about this being a program to develop 'photographic memory' that you can turn on and off, but this is a bit misleading. The program doesn't result in Eidict Memory, but it does result in a better memory using 'mental photographs'. So the statement is true to an extent.

MM works on you slowly over years. I've used the program so much that it is 'almost' an unconcious process for me now. I've had times that it was an unconcious process. Some one throws a number or some list of things to do at me when I'm not prepared and bam there I go making images and linking.

Here is a big catch, Mega Memory is the best training for Imagestreaming I can think of. At one point in the program you learn how to memorize cards. I cannot stress the importance of this exercise enough. In fact this is really the 'final exam' of the course. In fact I even made a magic trick around the process.

Each card number is represented by a unique image. By chaining the pictures of the cards together you can know which cards have been turned over and list which cards have not or a number of other interesting things.

However, there are many things about the cards you cannot say, at least not say quickly like "how many tens do they have left?". This would be very time consuming to figure out, you could but not enough to help you in a game of black jack. I think Black Jack systems work in a different way, perhaps using imaging but not the exact mega memory method.

As you memorize a deck of cards you keep flipping the cards attempting to predict the next card. Once you can flip all the cards and name each of them you have effectivly learned the order of the cards in the deck.

This DOES NOT happen effortlessly. You have to put a great deal of time, effort and mental energy into this exercise. I believe it is this 'mentally tortuous' task that cements the contents of the entire program and begins to develop the 'very strong' mental 'eye'.

I have been reading stuff about visualization since I was in junior high, you will never use this more or develop it stronger than right after you finish the MM course and you are memorizing the cards.

When I discovered ISing, I realized that the 'Mental Methods' involved in the process was very close, if not exactly the same, as Mega Memory.

You make a mental image, you focus on one area of the mental image in order for it to suggest something of the next image and move on to that image.

In MM you have to convert information into the symbolic visual form, link it to another piece of visual information. When you want to recall the information you need only remember on element in this chain to recall the facts. Then you reinterpret the symbols back to the information that you need.

In IS ing I think you exercise a similar mental process, at least in terms of the images themselves. ISing does exercise a slightly different (possibly profoundly different) angle of the mind. More of a 'drawing forth' from the subconsious meaning but using a similar 'conscious' process.

Rather than asking your mind to conjour up an image for some information that you are trying to commit to memory. You ask your mind to generate an image that will relate to some problem or question that you have formed. Once the image appears you really do two things, 1. You ask What about this image is relative to my problem. 2. You examine the image in your mind for some detail or 'hook' that will lead you to the next image.

At the end of the process you go back and re-examine the imagestream and try to make further interpretations.

So it's easy to see, in your minds eye more so, than in trying to describe this process to someone who is not familiar with either process.

The two techniques should be used together and are the two most important 'in mind' techniques that I have ever found.

Lastly, a more 'procedural' tool. Supermemo is a 'flash card' style software that is used to remember facts. I think this points to a common problem in 'get smart' programs and techniques. Many techniques are geared around problem solving rather than actually 'learning'.

The creator of Supermemo has some very good points on his website regarding why actually puting 'information' in our heads is important.

I have been using the system for two main purposes; to speed the learning of esperanto (particularly vocabulary) and learning of a massive GRE word list.

I have always wanted to learn a foreign language but haven't had the time or the resources to dedicate to it. I have been making very good progress on the esperanto. Especially, learning the vocabulary by using super-memo.

Why esperanto? It's easy and it makes sense. The internet could prove to be the medium that greatly expands the speaker base of esperanto.

So in summary,

1. Mega-Memory: Use both tape/cd sets listen and do the whole thing, practice with the cards ALOT!

2. Imagestreaming: Do the formal technique of streaming to a wife/husband or friend but also do it informally while showering, going to sleep or wherever it is safe to do it. Many of the techniques seem to be clever variations of the main technique (borrowed genius, over the wall etc) These other techniques, if nothing else, can provide you with variations of the exercise to prevent getting 'burnt out'.

3. Supermemo: They have freeware versions but you should just buy the top of the line one ($36) and download the 'knowlege bases' that you are interested in. I think the GRE word base makes the most sense as a first addition. There is sufficient evidence that language is one of the building blocks of thought and that expanding language i.e. expanding vocabulary is one of the most effective ways to do this. Many IQ test are very dependent of this 'learned' information. I believe it would be easily demonstatable that by memorizing the GRE word list your measured IQ would increase on most 'classical' test. Using other vocabulary techniques can be helpful, such as learning the latin roots. They have a latin word list available as well.

Lastly, their is a Supermemo knowledge pack available for the MegaMemory system! Image stream while you are using the Supermemo set of Mega Memory list and you will see for yourself how these systems have great synergy!

Rob Reynolds

Do not hesitate to contact me and share insight, opinion or just to converse.

drinkblot@yahoo.com