Someday In The Distant Cyborg Future, When

'moonwalking With Einstein' Refers To A Memory Device I Used When I Memorized A Deck Of Playing Cards At The U.s. Memory Championship. When I Competed In 2006, I Set A New U.s. Record By Memorizing A Deck Of Cards In One Minute And 40 Seconds. That Record Has Since Fallen.

Our Culture Is An Edifice Built Of Externalized Memories.

What Distinguishes A Great Mnemonist, I Learned, Is The Ability To Create Lavish Images On The Fly, To Paint In The Mind A Scene So Unlike Any Other It Cannot Be Forgotten. And To Do It Quickly. Many Competitive Mnemonists Argue That Their Skills Are Less A Feat Of Memory Than Of Creativity.

Jonah Lehrer Is One Of The Most Talented Explainers Of Science That We’ve Got. What A Pleasure It Is To Follow His Investigation Of Creativity And Its Sources. Imagine Is His Best Book Yet.

Invented Languages Have Often Been Created In Tandem With Entire Invented Universes, And Most Conlangers Come To Their Craft By Way Of Fantasy And Science Fiction.