Mind Hacks
Tom Stafford & Matt Webb - Mind Hacks - Tips and Tools for Using your brain.
Despite of the (sub)title, this is not a user's manual for human brain. What the tricks - or hacks in this book - do is to make the reader more aware of how their brain operates.
Both O'Reilly, the original publisher in English, and readme.fi, the publisher of the Finnish edition, are better known for their how-to and computer books. Writers specifically state that human brain does not work like a computer (the fact that Wider Than the Sky also mentions), even if they make some comparisons to computers. Human brain can usually handle typoglycemia just fine even when Google spell-checking is stymied. Writers do mention couple of ways the information could be used to plan user interfaces.
(Not sure about the significance of the light bulb on the cover. Maybe that it takes only one brain to screw that in?)
The book has 100 short articles (the "hacks") about brain, perception and memory, cross-referenced to each other and including many references to other publications and demonstrations in various web pages. In effect, it is a compilation of information from various sources. The book could serve as a sort of a basic reading about the human brain and how it works.
Writers also mention the usual claim about how the people use only 10% of their brain. I used to say that that 90% of your brain is the operating system of your body and that you have no conscious access to it (even if the idea that the mind is analogous to Windows OS is rather horrible). Nowadays I have begun to think that maybe only 10% of the people use their brain…
Many of the "hacks" actually demonstrate how senses can be fooled. Eyes can see movement where there is only change of contrast. Ears can hear music in a white noise - especially when the listener is told what it is supposed to be. We hear better if we also see the speaker's lips - and false lip synch affects our hearing. People tend to follow each other's gaze automatically. And the brain cuts off your vision momentarily when you move your eyes.
Some of the visual illusions do not seem to work with me, possibly because of my strabismus.
I have seen some of the tricks before. In the 1970s my primary school teacher used the maluma/takete test in the drawing class. She told us to draw our impression of what "maluma" and "takete" look like. Writers also present some of the same examples and ideas as the Piattelli-Palmarini but without snobbery.
Latter part of the book handles more complex matters about memory. They include minor tricks of creating false memories and refer to the ancient Roman method of placing things you need to remember in a path you know well. Brain may try to create connections and reasons where there is none because it does not believe in coincidences. Emotional connection creates stronger memories - even nonexistent ones. One "hack" even refers to out-of-body experiences as altered third-person memories.
Book includes numerous links to pages and demonstrations in the web. I was surprised to find how big the blind spot of my (better) left eye is. Those links are also included in the book's web page. The LJ feed for the site's blog is mind_hacks.
(The Finnish translation has many Anglicisms and typos but not in disturbing extent.)
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Mind Hacks: Tips
Tom Stafford
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Despite of the (sub)title, this is not a user's manual for human brain. What the tricks - or hacks in this book - do is to make the reader more aware of how their brain operates.
Both O'Reilly, the original publisher in English, and readme.fi, the publisher of the Finnish edition, are better known for their how-to and computer books. Writers specifically state that human brain does not work like a computer (the fact that Wider Than the Sky also mentions), even if they make some comparisons to computers. Human brain can usually handle typoglycemia just fine even when Google spell-checking is stymied. Writers do mention couple of ways the information could be used to plan user interfaces.
(Not sure about the significance of the light bulb on the cover. Maybe that it takes only one brain to screw that in?)
The book has 100 short articles (the "hacks") about brain, perception and memory, cross-referenced to each other and including many references to other publications and demonstrations in various web pages. In effect, it is a compilation of information from various sources. The book could serve as a sort of a basic reading about the human brain and how it works.
Writers also mention the usual claim about how the people use only 10% of their brain. I used to say that that 90% of your brain is the operating system of your body and that you have no conscious access to it (even if the idea that the mind is analogous to Windows OS is rather horrible). Nowadays I have begun to think that maybe only 10% of the people use their brain…
Many of the "hacks" actually demonstrate how senses can be fooled. Eyes can see movement where there is only change of contrast. Ears can hear music in a white noise - especially when the listener is told what it is supposed to be. We hear better if we also see the speaker's lips - and false lip synch affects our hearing. People tend to follow each other's gaze automatically. And the brain cuts off your vision momentarily when you move your eyes.
Some of the visual illusions do not seem to work with me, possibly because of my strabismus.
I have seen some of the tricks before. In the 1970s my primary school teacher used the maluma/takete test in the drawing class. She told us to draw our impression of what "maluma" and "takete" look like. Writers also present some of the same examples and ideas as the Piattelli-Palmarini but without snobbery.
Latter part of the book handles more complex matters about memory. They include minor tricks of creating false memories and refer to the ancient Roman method of placing things you need to remember in a path you know well. Brain may try to create connections and reasons where there is none because it does not believe in coincidences. Emotional connection creates stronger memories - even nonexistent ones. One "hack" even refers to out-of-body experiences as altered third-person memories.
Book includes numerous links to pages and demonstrations in the web. I was surprised to find how big the blind spot of my (better) left eye is. Those links are also included in the book's web page. The LJ feed for the site's blog is mind_hacks.
(The Finnish translation has many Anglicisms and typos but not in disturbing extent.)
lj book reviews
Mind Hacks: Tips
Tom Stafford
make your own book badge | read lj reviews of this book