

Show HN: Memory Chimp – How good is your working memory? - awendt
http://awendt.github.io/memory-chimp

======
deathanatos

      Uncaught SecurityError: Failed to read the 'localStorage' property from 'Window': Access is denied for this document.
    

I feel like this happens on the majority of the demos on the HN frontpage too.
I just tried searching for what percentage of users disable cookies, and it
seems like ~10% is a common figure. (Though I got numbers as low a ~1%, and a
lot of confusion about third-party cookies.) I know this isn't technically a
cookie, but I think most of the major browser vendors lump it under the same
preference.

Anyways, hackers and demo writers: degrade gracefully. On first brush with
your random website, I might not want to let you track me. (I don't know what
you're using this for.) Show me value. Or at least tell me why you need this.

~~~
awendt
Thank you for reporting this, I've create an issue:
[https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp/issues/1](https://github.com/awendt/memory-chimp/issues/1). To explain
why I do this: There's one write to localStorage, to persist your personal
best across sessions.

In my defense, I did read the guidelines before posting this and it explicitly
said:

> HN users are comfortable with work that's at an early stage.

This is my first "Show HN." I'll put "graceful degradation" on my list for
next time :)

~~~
awendt
This is now fixed.

------
spindritf
Remembering a pattern seems easier than remembering the actual order. Maybe
it's because of years of using pattern unlock on my phone.

Very cool. Is there any theoretical basis to it? Some research? Does the
ability to solve this test correlate with other qualities?

~~~
awendt
See
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsXP8qeFF6A](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsXP8qeFF6A)
for a video that made me build this.

Google for "ayumu chimp" for a number of articles on the subject.

~~~
shpx
"it's really very very difficult"

Um... no. Cool concept, but I find it hard to see how someone could find this
hard though. I also don't see how this is a sign of "intelligence"

Just imagine the line the points draw, and when you have to split it into one
directional patterns you can easily remember..

Ps. Can we get a version where it's just 9 circles?

~~~
arnorhs
I can't see any mention of this in the post or on the page where it claims
this is an indicator for intelligence.

now, since we're on the topic, we probably need to discuss whether or not this
could be an indicator for intelligence.

I don't know how much research has gone into seeing whether or not there's a
link between intelligence and working memory, but according to wikipedia [1],
memory is one of the things that encompasses intelligence, so there might be a
link.

1
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence)

~~~
awendt
The very first lines in the video refers to intelligence:

> The scientists […] have devised intelligence tests for chimps. One test is
> for what's called working memory.

------
awendt
I could use some help over at [https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp](https://github.com/awendt/memory-chimp)

I'd like to use a fixed-width layout like 2048 has but cannot get it to work.
The code is in a feature branch, [https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp/tree/fixed-width](https://github.com/awendt/memory-chimp/tree/fixed-
width). I'm having trouble that the viewport is scrolling horizontally and I
don't know why.

I was hoping to get rid of the zooming bug using a fixed-width layout together
with the meta tag "viewport". That new layout could also be a chance to
suggest users to try it on touch devices.

~~~
grimmfang
Just forked, I have some other ideas also.

------
TomAnthony
Are there any proven methods for improving working memory?

I forget so much of what I hear day to day, and think I could be far more
effective in most regards if I could remember (something from the news, what a
certain client said about X, or name of the cool company I read about etc.).

I've read several books about memory techniques, and can use the techniques
actively to remember a number or a list. That is cool, however I really want
to improve my working memory without needing to actively try to remember
everything.

~~~
threatofrain
From what I've roughly read, all behavioral interventions (such as n-back
training) on working memory and its correlates or antecedents are basically
disappointments, whether the effect size is too boring or the effects are not
generalizable.

------
bthornbury
I did this the first time no problem. I didn't memorize the order itself, but
instead memorized sequential pairs (1-2, 3-4, etc...). I think memorizing each
one individually would have been more difficult.

Working memory is a fascinating concept. I've played with techniques like the
Memory palace and found them to be wildly effective. Attaching a meaning to
any piece of information seems to make it much easier to remember.

~~~
awendt
Y'all need to help me with the next levels I have planned: The numbers will
only appear for a limited time...

From [http://www.livescience.com/7444-chimps-numbers-
humans.html](http://www.livescience.com/7444-chimps-numbers-humans.html):

> However, they discovered the three young chimps could remember many numerals
> with a glance, with virtually no change in performance even when the numbers
> were flashed for just 210 milliseconds

~~~
bthornbury
I think it would be a lot more difficult if the numbers actually moved. Our
brains are very spatially oriented, making remembering positions or lines (as
sillysaurus3 pointed out) much easier.

Would help out myself, but I'm on vacation and it's late here.

------
readerrrr
1910 on the first try. 2614 on the second. Can't get past 2741.

Here is a trick. It is very easy to rememeber up to 6 spots, but over that
becomes hard. Split the numbers into groups and remember the patterns for each
one and where the transition to the next group happens.

~~~
awendt
OP and author here. Over time, you'll get better. A lot.

8 spots is okay for me now, used to be next to impossible at first.

~~~
kranner
Have you found this to increase your working memory in other contexts as well?

~~~
awendt
Unfortunately, no :-/

~~~
qnaal
dammit human brain too flexible

------
BorisMelnik
Got some high scores initially from drawing the pattern with my mouse and
letting the pattern "burn in" to my brain.

~~~
awendt
BTW, points are awarded for the time you take from the first to the last spot.

Thus, using a mouse costs you points. Better play it on a touch device.

~~~
spb
So memorization time isn't taken into account?

~~~
awendt
No, it's not. Should I start the clock right when the new level is displayed
instead?

------
chdir
Hangs on iPad+Chrome after a few levels (the background/banana shows up but no
numbers), but otherwise a fun game.

~~~
awendt
Yes, I've seen this sporadically. Problem is: The algorithm keeps a list of
empty rectangles to draw the next circle in and sometimes the list is empty
before all circles are drawn.

I'll try to catch that and probably just attempt a redraw...

Issue: [https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp/issues/3](https://github.com/awendt/memory-chimp/issues/3)

------
motyar
[http://cl.ly/Xa4f/Image%202014-09-17%20at%203.39.34%20pm.png](http://cl.ly/Xa4f/Image%202014-09-17%20at%203.39.34%20pm.png)

I used my phone camera to help on last step. :)

------
aeno
Very cool. But one thing: please prevent zooming. Sometimes after tapping a
circle I accidently tap it twice, the site zooms in and I instantly miss the
next one :)

~~~
awendt
Darn, I've heard that before. But it never happened to me so I forgot all
about it.

Can you send a pull request or give me any pointers how to prevent it?

~~~
proexploit
Just add <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no"
/> to the <head>. Cool game!

~~~
awendt
Thanks. However, I'm having layout troubles with that. See
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8329031](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8329031)
for details.

------
bambax
It just says "Congratulations, you won!" after 9 numbers; why not more levels?

Also, is the time needed to remember the numbers measured or not?

~~~
awendt
I saw this game in an exhibition about monkeys, and it stopped at 9 numbers.
The limit is arbitrary and could be increased. But at some point, the
algorithm drawing the numbers may run out of screen estate.

You can take any time you need to remember the numbers, it does not matter.
However, I'm planning to add more levels that only show the numbers briefly.

~~~
bambax
> _I 'm planning to add more levels that only show the numbers briefly_

I think it would be better (and simpler) to just decrease the potential score
according to the time the player takes to look at the numbers (time of first
click minus time the level was first displayed).

Also, I played several games and ended with a different score each time; if
time doesn't matter, what does the score come from?

~~~
awendt
The score depends on how fast you can get from 1 to x. A stopwatch is started
when you tap 1 and stopped when you tap the last number.

If you improve in each level and remain a constant rate, you get more points
in higher levels. Suppose you take 1 second to finish each level, your points
in all levels will be: 320, 500, 720, 980, 1280, 1620.

See [https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp/blob/master/game.js#L...](https://github.com/awendt/memory-
chimp/blob/master/game.js#L27)

~~~
bambax
Ok; I wanted to try again and click super-fast, but the game stopped between
levels 8 and 9 with the error "Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property
'width' of undefined" in board.js, line 48

I'm on Chrome 39.0.2150.5 dev-m on Windows Vista on a 1280x800 laptop.

------
arc_of_descent
Nice game. I finished the game. Had some trouble with the last level. What I
memorized was what my hand movements (mouse) needed to do.

~~~
noir_lord
Thats exactly how I did it except I visualised a line joining them together in
order and then "ran" the line.

------
mamoriamohit
I memorised by memorising the movement my hands need to do. Nice game!

------
krat0sprakhar
Nice game, André! Would you mind if I to port this to Android?

~~~
leonardinius
I would also like that. I would pay.

------
exit
i'd like to regularly & longitudinally evaluate my own cognitive performance.

can anyone recommend an app which does this?

~~~
Multics
[http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/](http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/)

------
heroh
seems like a clone of the lumosity game, which features a chip in space
playing for poker chips using memory recall

------
kp25
Good Game.!

Waiting for more levels..

