Memory Research Group

Exploring analogies and metaphors for understanding memory and its relationship to protocols, at the intersection of cognitive science, infrastructure, and institutional design.

Led by Kei Kreutler — Biweekly Thursdays, 7:30am Pacific

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Meeting Archive — 19 sessions

  • July 2, 2026
    Memory Research Group - Exhalation Session

    Participants: keikreutler, markelder_97123

    This meeting transcript between keikreutler and markelder_97123 is extremely brief, containing only initial greetings. No substantive discussion, topics, or conclusions are documented in the provided transcript.

    View discussion in Discord →
  • June 18, 2026
    Memory Research Group: Writing on Hands - Early Modern Memory and Knowledge Practices
    Writing on hands as a memory technique in early modern EuropeMaterial practices of memory and knowledge inscriptionHistorical exhibition on early modern mnemonic strategiesBook catalog analysis: Writing on Hands - Memory and knowledge in early modern Europe

    Participants: keikreutler

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss a reading focused on the practice of writing on hands as a memory technique in early modern Europe. Participant keikreutler introduced a primary text consisting of an 8-page article alongside exhibition materials and scans from works included in a catalog titled 'Writing on Hands: Memory and knowledge in early modern Europe.' The session appears designed to examine how early modern individuals used their bodies, specifically hands, as surfaces for recording and retaining knowledge and memory.

    • The group examined historical practices of writing on hands as a deliberate memory and knowledge retention strategy in early modern Europe, suggesting embodied inscription was a significant cognitive practice.
    • The session focused on a scholarly exhibition and its accompanying catalog, indicating the group's interest in how memory practices are documented and curated as historical evidence.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • June 4, 2026
    Memory Research Group - Confessions Book X Discussion
    Confessions Book X document reviewMemory research methodologyProtocol Institute MRG group activities

    Participants: keikreutler

    The Memory Research Group held a session focused on reviewing Confessions Book X. Participant keikreutler initiated discussion and shared a Google Drive document for group review. The meeting appears to be part of a structured series of MRG sessions, though the specific content and conclusions from the document review are not detailed in the transcript provided. The brief nature of the transcript suggests this may have been the opening of a longer discussion or document-sharing activity.

    • The group is engaged in reviewing substantive research materials related to memory studies, as evidenced by the shared document.
    • The MRG (Memory Research Group) maintains organized sessions with specific focus areas, indicated by the numbered session format.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • April 16, 2026
    Memory Research Group: The Craft of Thought, Part 2 - Literature, Mapping, and Mental Models
    W.G. Sebald's 'The Rings of Saturn' and literary cartographyMapping literature and spatial representation of textMental pre-visualization and construction processesLanguage models and information perceptionMonastic memory techniques and architectural visualization

    Participants: keikreutler, sachbenny

    The Memory Research Group continued their exploration of thought processes and memory through examination of W.G. Sebald's 'The Rings of Saturn,' a work that weaves history, geography, and narrative together. Participants shared both a Guardian article analysis of the text and a community-created map attempting to visualize Sebald's literary journey. The discussion drew an intriguing parallel between medieval monastic practices and contemporary language model behavior: both involve encountering or visualizing information in a particular form before it becomes operationally useful. This observation bridges historical memory techniques, literary structure, and modern computational processes, suggesting a common cognitive pattern across different domains where visualization precedes practical application.

    • Literary works can be mapped and visualized spatially, creating alternative representations of narrative and historical movement through geography.
    • There is a parallel between medieval monks visualizing monastery architecture before construction and LLMs encountering information before it becomes functionally useful.
    • Pre-visualization of form—whether architectural, literary, or computational—serves as a cognitive prerequisite for subsequent construction or application.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • March 19, 2026
    The Craft of Thought, Part I - Memory Research Group Session
    Classical memory techniques (Method of Loci) and terminologyEmotional and active imagery in memory constructionTrauma sites and museums as memory pedagogyNeural annealing and technological comparisons to memory systemsVisual versus spatial memory and erasure difficulty

    Participants: keikreutler, sachbenny, drwip, suspencer_nit, thewanderingeditor, di.nostra.vita

    The Memory Research Group's first session on 'The Craft of Thought' focused on classical memory techniques and their modern implications. Keikreutler introduced key Latin terminology from classical rhetoric—including crowding, res (objects), scaena (scenes), imagines agentes (striking emotional images), and intentio (memory's direction). The group explored how memory systems work by embedding objects within scenes and activating memory through emotionally charged imagery. Sachbenny connected these concepts to trauma site museums as spaces that function like the classical pedagogus (teacher), embedding historical memory in spatial and emotional contexts. References to neural annealing and pharmacological research suggested the group is exploring how classical mnemonic principles might align with contemporary neuroscience. Thewanderingeditor noted practical observations about visual memory being more persistent and harder to erase than spatial memory alone, suggesting different encoding mechanisms deserve further investigation in the next session.

    • Classical memory concepts like scaena (scene/pattern), imagines agentes (emotionally charged images), and intentio (direction vs. accuracy) provide frameworks for understanding how memory is structured and encoded.
    • Trauma site museums function similarly to the classical pedagogus concept—as active teaching spaces that embed memory within spatial and emotional contexts.
    • Visual memories appear to be more persistent and difficult to erase than purely spatial ones, suggesting a distinction in how different modalities of memory encoding affect recall and forgetting.
    • Contemporary neuroscience concepts like neural annealing may offer modern parallels to classical memory techniques, bridging ancient mnemonic practice with computational understanding.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • February 19, 2026
    Memory Research Group Session - Phaedrus Discussion
    Platonic theory of anamnesis and learning as soul's recollectionPharmakon concept: writing as remedy and poison for memoryDistinction between memoria (genuine internal memory) and reminiscentia (externally-prompted recollection)Thamus's critique of writing as false cure for memoryAnalysis of Phaedrus dialogue and classical memory philosophy

    Participants: keikreutler, sachbenny, suspencer_nit, modefier

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss Plato's Phaedrus dialogue, establishing foundational concepts for their analysis. The group created a shared glossary defining key terms including anamnesis (Plato's theory of learning as recollection of pre-birth knowledge of divine forms), pharmakon (the dual nature of writing as both remedy and poison), and the crucial distinction between memoria and reminiscentia (internal memory versus externally-prompted recollection).

    The central theme examined was Thamus's philosophical critique of writing: while Theuth presents writing as a pharmakon that could remedy memory problems, Thamus argues it is actually a poison disguised as a cure. According to this critique, writing creates the false appearance of memory retention while actually supporting only reminiscentia—the weaker act of being reminded through external reference—rather than developing genuine internal memoria. This distinction forms the core of the group's investigation into how external tools and technologies affect authentic memory and learning.

    • Anamnesis represents Plato's theory that learning is not acquisition of new knowledge but the soul's recovery of pre-existing knowledge from its vision of divine forms before birth.
    • Writing functions as a pharmakon—simultaneously a remedy and poison—with Thamus arguing that what appears to be a cure for memory actually weakens genuine internal memory retention.
    • The group distinguished between memoria (true, internally-stored knowledge) and reminiscentia (recollection dependent on external aids), with Thamus contending that writing only supports the latter, inferior form of memory.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • December 11, 2025
    Cities, Memory, and Personal Metaphors: Year-End Reflection
    Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' and literary representations of memoryMemory reconsolidation and how present frames reshape rememberingSpatial memory and embodied knowledge beyond visual recallMetaphors for memory: filing cabinets, clouds, and physical sequencesCollective vs. personal memory narratives and their evolution

    Participants: keikreutler, thewanderingeditor, ruthvik8193

    The Memory Research Group concluded their year by examining Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities,' focusing on how cities function as vessels for memory and meaning. The group engaged with excerpts that explore the relationship between spatial imagination and personal remembering. One participant noted they hadn't previously engaged with Calvino but were encouraged to explore the full text for its rich urban descriptions.

    The discussion moved beyond literary analysis to explore the mechanics of memory itself. Participants shared that remembering is not a retrieval of fixed information but a continuous reconsolidation shaped by present concerns—evident in how collective narratives shift with contemporary contexts and how personal life stories are perpetually reshaped. The group examined embodied memory particularly, discussing how knowledge can be accessed through physical engagement and spatial placement rather than visual recall, using examples like learning music through inevitable sequences and yoga as physical knowledge transfer.

    Several evocative metaphors emerged to describe memory's nature: a filing cabinet where knowledge is withdrawn from organized space without consciously seeing its contents, clouds that momentarily take solid forms revealing what currently occupies one's mind, and physical sequences that flow inevitably. These metaphors suggest memory operates across multiple modes—visual, spatial, embodied, and intuitive—with the caveat that explicit investigation of these mechanisms can paradoxically disrupt their function.

    • Every act of remembering reconsolidates memory through present-day frames, operating at both personal scales (reshaping life stories) and collective scales (shifting nation-state narratives with contemporary concerns).
    • Memory can function through embodied practice and spatial placement rather than visual imagery, as demonstrated by learning music through physical sequences despite aphantasia, though explicit investigation risks disrupting the mechanism.
    • Memory operates through multiple metaphorical systems—filing cabinets for organized retrieval without conscious seeing, clouds for momentary solidification revealing present concerns, and physical spaces for inevitable sequences.
    • Knowledge can be made available through embodied practice and physical engagement rather than mental retrieval, exemplified by yoga teaching and musical learning.
    • Investigating memory mechanisms too closely can potentially disrupt their function, suggesting the importance of tacit and intuitive knowledge.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • December 3, 2025
    Virtual Memory and the Grammatology of Storage
    Virtual memory metaphors and computational storageMatthew Kirschenbaum's 'Extreme Inscription' frameworkPreposition choice in describing memory operations (e.g., 'writing to')Memory differences between traditional databases and LLMsLLM memory as transformative versus retrievable storageNarrativization of memory in language models

    Participants: keikreutler, thewanderingeditor, ruthvik8193

    The Memory Research Group examined virtual memory through the lens of Matthew Kirschenbaum's "Extreme Inscription," investigating how metaphorical language—particularly the preposition "to" in "writing to" storage devices—shapes our understanding of computational memory. The group explored how this metaphor implies permanence and retrievability while masking the actual physical and logical processes of data storage.

    A central distinction emerged between traditional database memory and Large Language Model memory. Whereas databases store and retrieve information discretely, LLMs appear to assimilate information into larger structures that transform what is stored in unpredictable and fundamentally different ways. The group concluded that LLMs perform a significant translation from database operations into narrativized memory—a form humans recognize and find meaningful—yet this narrativization occurs through computational processes that remain alien and mysterious to human understanding.

    • The metaphor of 'writing to' hard drives connects computational processes to traditional writing, suggesting permanence and retrievability that may not accurately describe how systems actually store information.
    • LLM memory operates fundamentally differently from database storage—information appears to be assimilated into an organic structure that transforms stored data in unpredictable ways rather than simply retrieving it.
    • LLMs perform a meaningful transformation from raw database operations into narrativized memory that humans recognize and find meaningful, despite operating through alien computational processes.
    • Language choice in describing storage systems carries significant implications for how we conceptualize memory and computational processes.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • November 13, 2025
    Memory Research Group: Magnetic Core Memory and Digital Memory Architectures
    Magnetic core memory technology and materialityEarly computer memory architectures (delay lines, drum memory, Williams tubes)Gender and labor in computing: the 'little old ladies method' of hand-weaving memory coresHidden scales and imperceptibility in technological systemsPolitical dimensions of invisible technological interventions

    Participants: keikreutler, thewanderingeditor, azlewis

    The Memory Research Group session explored magnetic core memory as a case study in digital memory architectures, examining the technology's material properties and social history. The discussion centered on how magnetic core memory functioned as a transitional technology—tangible enough for engineers and users to grasp conceptually, yet already moving toward abstractions in random-access systems that would eventually remove visible differences in retrieval time. A significant focus emerged on the gendered labor practices underlying core memory production, specifically the 'little old ladies method' where women with textile backgrounds were recruited to hand-weave memory cores due to their fine manual dexterity skills. This historical practice prompted deeper theoretical engagement with questions of gender, labor, and skill in computing.

    Participants also drew broader connections between the hidden scales of technology and invisible political dimensions across multiple fields. The conversation paralleled magnetic core memory to other domains where interventions operate imperceptibly—neurotransmitter activity in psychiatry and microbial life in soil science—highlighting how modern diagnostics and solutions often function at scales beyond human perception, yet carry significant political stakes. The session referenced Paul Ceruzzi's A History of Modern Computing and Sadie Plant's theoretical work to contextualize these insights within broader histories of computing and feminist technology studies.

    • Magnetic core memory represented a transitional technological moment—mechanical enough to be graspable by users, yet already abstracting toward random access that would eventually eliminate perceptible retrieval time differences.
    • Women with textile experience were specifically hired to hand-weave memory cores because the work required fine manual dexterity at tiny scales, raising questions about gender, skill, and the gendered history of computing labor.
    • Technologies often 'shrink out of sight' while remaining fundamentally political, as demonstrated across domains from computing to psychiatry to soil science where interventions operate at invisible scales with significant real-world consequences.
    • The session engaged with Sadie Plant's theoretical framework in 'Zeros and Ones' to examine the connections between weaving, textiles, and computing memory production.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • October 30, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session: Cache Memories Discussion
    Metaphors of attention, locality, and hierarchy in memory systemsHuman decision-making in machine designTrade-offs between speed, size, and coherenceComparative analysis across biological, social, and ecological systems

    Participants: keikreutler, azlewis, chenoe_hart, waveywaves.

    The Memory Research Group convened on October 30, 2025, to discuss cache memories with approximately 6 participants. The session was structured around collaborative note-taking in a shared Google Doc. The facilitator, keikreutler, posed three guiding questions designed to orient the group's analysis: examining metaphors of attention, locality, and hierarchy; identifying human decision-making embedded in machine design; and exploring how computational trade-offs (speed, size, coherence) mirror constraints in other complex systems. The meeting was in early stages when the transcript ends, with participants beginning to engage with the core discussion topics.

    • The group established three guiding questions to frame analysis of a paper on cache memories, focusing on metaphorical language and design philosophy.
    • There is interest in identifying where human choices manifest in technical design decisions, particularly in memory architecture.
    • Trade-offs between performance metrics (speed, size, coherence) in computing systems may parallel similar constraints in biological, social, and ecological systems.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • October 16, 2025
    Memory Research Group: KV Cache in LLMs Discussion
    KV (Key-Value) cache mechanisms in large language modelsData movement and bottlenecks in inference clustersInformation routing as a computational constraintCognitive caching strategies and memory optimization analogiesComparative analysis: human memory systems vs. LLM architectures

    Participants: keikreutler, nam5364, _vgr, kronosapiens, thewanderingeditor

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss KV caching in large language models, beginning with a shared reading on the topic. The session explored how KV caches function as a critical component in LLM inference, with particular attention to the practical engineering challenges they present. A key discussion point emerged around the 'data movement problem'—the challenge of efficiently routing cached data through large inference clusters, which participants noted is considered a Mt. Everest-level problem in industry.

    The group drew insightful analogies between human cognitive memory systems and LLM architectures. One participant reflected on how competitive chess players develop hierarchical caching strategies during long time-control matches, where immediate tactical calculations are cached, those caches are meta-cached into strategic patterns, and ultimately the caching technique itself becomes abstractable knowledge. This contrasted sharply with LLM behavior, characterized as repeatedly teaching concepts to a system lacking persistent integrated memory.

    The discussion highlighted a fundamental shift in computational bottlenecks: when compute and storage are no longer limiting factors, the constraint becomes information logistics—ensuring data reaches where it's needed when it's needed. Participants acknowledged the complexity of this domain, with one noting that even those who can discuss technical topics confidently found KV caching genuinely challenging to fully grasp when conversing with domain experts.

    • The data movement problem—efficiently moving KV cache contents through large inference clusters—represents a critical bottleneck that engineers across the industry consider their major technical challenge.
    • When compute and storage resources are abundant, the real constraint becomes logistics: getting the right information to the right place at the right time.
    • Human caching strategies from domains like competitive chess demonstrate recursive memory optimization, where cached knowledge can be meta-cached and abstracted into transferable concepts across different contexts.
    • Current LLM interactions reveal a fundamental architectural difference: they function like teaching a hyperactive child prodigy with amnesia, lacking the persistent, integrated memory structures humans develop through experience.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • October 2, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session - Memory Tools and Spaced Repetition
    Memory software tools and applicationsMnemosyne spaced repetition platformMemory Pouch web toolSpaced repetition learning modelsMemory research tools evaluation

    Participants: keikreutler, thewanderingeditor, ruthvik8193

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss contemporary memory software tools and their underlying mechanisms. Keikreutler shared the Memory Pouch web application as a relevant resource. Thewanderingeditor contributed by referencing Mnemosyne, a spaced repetition-based memory tool they had recently used, noting that similar memory-related tools often share comparable naming conventions. The group briefly examined how Mnemosyne implements spaced repetition models as a foundational approach to memory research. Ruthvik8193 expressed enthusiasm about the tools being discussed. Keikreutler concluded the session by documenting a summary of the discussion in an Arena block for future reference.

    • Mnemosyne is a notable memory software tool based on spaced repetition principles that has been actively used in recent years.
    • The Memory Pouch web application represents a current project relevant to the group's memory research focus.
    • Spaced repetition remains a foundational model for modern memory software tools.
    • The group is actively reviewing and documenting available memory-related tools and methodologies for future reference.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • September 18, 2025
    Memory Research Group: Classical and Contemporary Approaches to Memory
    A priori vs posteriori knowledge and their relevance to memory studiesComparison between classical (Augustine) and contemporary neuroscientific views of memoryEmbodied and distributed cognition: memory as task-specific and spatially situatedProtocolization of thought through externalized memory technologies (writing, printing)Neuroscientific perspectives on memory, affect, and the hippocampusEdge cases in memory: aphantasia and trauma responses

    Participants: keikreutler, heterotic, sachbenny, ruthvik8193, maparent, _vgr, .unipuff, mtraven, thewanderingeditor

    The Memory Research Group explored connections between classical philosophical approaches to memory and contemporary neuroscientific understanding. Participants examined how thinkers like Augustine approached a priori knowledge and memory, finding surprising continuities with modern cognitive science—both view memory as internalized representations of the world. The discussion highlighted that memory is not monolithic but task-specific and embodied, occurring across different body locations and even into designed external environments, reflecting distributed cognition theory.

    A major theme involved how externalized memory technologies—writing, printing, and other protocols—fundamentally changed the nature of thought by fixing and standardizing information that was previously fluid. Drawing on examples like the collaborative development of printed atlases, participants noted how printing created version control, authorship standards, and indexing protocols that hardened thought into stable forms. The group also touched on neuroscientific mechanisms (hippocampus, affect-form linking) and edge cases like aphantasia that complicate simple models of memory's role in emotional life.

    • Classical and contemporary notions of memory share a fundamental similarity: both conceive of memory as images of the world stored in the mind, suggesting science developed organically from classical philosophy rather than representing a radical departure.
    • Memory is deeply embodied and task-specific—occurring in different bodily locations depending on activity (guitar playing, reading, tai chi) and even distributed into designed proximal spaces, reflecting distributed cognition principles.
    • Technologies like writing and printing function as protocolization mechanisms that harden and fix thought, creating standards (indexes, authorship, version control) that previously existed only in fluid, changeable form.
    • Classical thinkers understood memory as linking form and affect, a insight validated by modern hippocampal research, suggesting ancient and modern neuroscience converge on similar structural principles.
    • Extreme cases like aphantasia reveal the complex relationship between visual memory, emotional memory, and mourning, challenging assumptions about memory's necessity for emotional experience.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • September 4, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session - Event Sequences and Memory Organization
    Event sequence preservation in memory systemsReplay and chronological recall as memory use modesTime as a constraint on memory organizationAlternative memory clustering and organization methodsRelationship between sensory cues (faces/places) and memory retrieval patterns

    Participants: keikreutler, jgcfyi, _vgr, kronosapiens

    The Memory Research Group met to discuss memory organization systems, with particular focus on how event sequences are preserved and replayed in memory. A key observation emerged regarding the prevalence of chronological recall as a memory use mode: the group questioned why time should be treated as such a hard constraint on memory organization when other organizational schemes might be equally or more functional. For instance, when encountering a face, one could potentially retrieve all locations where that face was seen, rather than retrieving the full chronological narrative containing that face. This prompted deeper questions about whether time is an inherent property of memory systems or a specific design choice that warrants examination.

    • Event sequences are preserved for replay/simulated chronological recall, suggesting time functions as a primary organizational constraint in memory systems.
    • The privileging of chronological narrative structure over alternative organizational schemes (like clustering by location or associated faces) reveals something non-obvious about how memory systems are designed or constrained.
    • There's a tension between stimulus-driven retrieval (seeing a face triggering face-specific memories) and narrative-driven retrieval (accessing memories in their original temporal sequence).
    • The hardness of time as a memory constraint suggests it may be a fundamental property worth examining rather than an inevitable design choice.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • August 21, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session - August 21, 2025
    Patterned movement and procession as memory foundationsPlace and memory in community contextsFamily memory and genealogical retrievalMemorial design for unrecorded family historiesReading discussion of Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 sections

    Participants: azlewis, timber1997, neilsonnn, norakhan8342, keikreutler

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss sections from Chapter 1 (§10-11, 15) and Chapter 5 (§10) of an unspecified text. The session centered on how patterned movement and procession function as foundational memory mechanisms that place individuals within community structures. A significant personal contribution emerged regarding family memory: one participant reflected on discovering that neither they nor their mother knew their own family members' names beyond grandparents, prompting a discussion about the gaps in recorded genealogy. This led to a conceptual exploration of memorial design—specifically, how to honor family histories that exist materially through descendants' lives but remain unrecorded and unretrieval. The group affirmed the value of recognizing these invisible yet consequential family narratives as real historical forces.

    • Patterned movement such as procession serves as a basic memory foundation, positioning individuals within their community as agents within memory locations.
    • Family memory extends beyond recorded genealogy; unrecorded family histories remain real through the material and physical outcomes of past decisions and lives.
    • The group identified a need for memorials that honor what has not yet been retrieved or formally recorded, acknowledging gaps in family historical knowledge.
    • Personal genealogical discovery—such as learning grandparents' names through family conversation—reveals how memory transmission breaks down across generations.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • August 7, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session - Navigation and Memory Systems
    Parallels between human memory navigation and SLAM robotics algorithmsCue-based navigation and externalized memory systemsPebble automaton concept and breadcrumb-trail memory strategiesUrban vs. rural navigation differences and implicationsImplicit enforcement of property norms through navigation technology

    Participants: keikreutler, _vgr, j0lian, d.m.r.

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss a reading on navigation and memory systems. The discussion drew connections between human navigation approaches and established computer science concepts. One participant noted striking similarities between the described navigation methods and SLAM algorithms used in robotics. Another introduced the pebble automaton concept from robotics literature, where externalized memory markers (like breadcrumbs) allow memoryless agents to navigate without getting stuck in loops—a useful metaphor for understanding cue-based human navigation.

    The group then explored implications of different navigation contexts. A discussion arose about how navigation technology encodes and enforces social structures, particularly around property boundaries and 'correct' routes. The observation was made that tools like Google Maps and Waze subtly communicate notions of private property and approved navigation paths in urban contexts, whereas rural navigation presents more ambiguous relationships between public and private land. This led to questioning how navigation systems might implicitly shape user behavior and assumptions about space in fundamentally different ways depending on geography.

    • Human navigation descriptions share fundamental similarities with robotic SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms used in autonomous systems.
    • Pure cue-based navigation can be understood through the pebble automaton model, where external markers serve as externalized memory to prevent behavioral loops in otherwise memoryless systems.
    • Navigation technology like Google Maps and Waze encode implicit social norms about property ownership and 'correct' routes that vary significantly between urban and rural contexts.
    • Urban navigation systems enforce strict adherence to defined road networks and private property boundaries, while rural navigation involves greater ambiguity between public and private land.
    Links discussed
    View discussion in Discord →
  • July 24, 2025
    Memory Research Group Session - Michael Levin's Bioelectric Memory
    Bioelectric networks and non-genetic patterning informationThe space of possible mindsRegeneration and development mechanismsMemory storage in biological systemsMichael Levin's research on morphogenesis

    Participants: keikreutler

    The Memory Research Group held its third meeting on July 24, 2025, focusing on Michael Levin's research on bioelectric memory in biological systems. The session involved co-reading two key materials: Levin's Noema article "The Space Of Possible Minds" and a summary of his 2021 paper on endogenous bioelectric networks. These readings form the foundation for exploring how biological systems store and utilize non-genetic patterning information during regeneration and development.

    The session examined Levin's groundbreaking work demonstrating that bioelectric networks function as information storage systems beyond traditional genetic mechanisms. This research challenges conventional views of memory as exclusively neurological or genetic, suggesting that cellular-level bioelectric patterns encode and preserve developmental information. The group's focus on this third session indicates ongoing investigation into the intersection of memory, biological organization, and the potential diversity of cognitive and information-processing systems in nature.

    • Bioelectric networks store patterning information during regeneration and development independent of genetic sequences, suggesting alternative mechanisms for biological memory.
    • Michael Levin's work explores the conceptual space of possible minds, challenging conventional understanding of where and how memory emerges in living systems.
    • Non-genetic information storage through bioelectric signaling represents a fundamental mechanism for maintaining and transmitting biological patterns across cellular and organismal scales.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • July 10, 2025
    Memory Research Group: Cognition in the Wild Discussion
    Edwin Hutchins' theory of distributed cognition and permeable boundaries between individual and systemOverlapping memories across individual and system levelsFormal modeling limitations in capturing system operationsDon Norman's distinction between knowledge in the mind versus knowledge in the worldMental models and cognitive artifacts

    Participants: keikreutler, timber1997, kakooza_vian, yatu2168, thewanderingeditor, bhaumik, guymyguy

    The Memory Research Group convened to discuss excerpts from Edwin Hutchins' 'Cognition in the Wild' (1995), focusing on pages 175-180, 195-196, and 359-364. The session explored Hutchins' theory of distributed cognition, particularly his conception of the permeable boundary between individual cognition and larger systems. Participants noted that Hutchins highlights how memories and cognitive processes overlap and are shared between individuals and systems, challenging traditional boundaries of what constitutes individual versus collective knowledge. The discussion touched on limitations in Hutchins' formal model, specifically its potential inability to distinguish between different operational types occurring within systems themselves. One participant drew connections to Don Norman's complementary framework distinguishing between knowledge stored in the mind versus knowledge accessible in the world, suggesting these theoretical perspectives address similar questions about how cognition extends beyond individual minds into artifacts and systems.

    • Hutchins emphasizes a permeable boundary between individual cognition and larger systems, with memories distributed across both levels rather than cleanly separated.
    • Hutchins' formal model may not adequately distinguish between different types of operations occurring within the system itself, leaving a gap in the theoretical framework.
    • Don Norman's concept of knowledge in the world as external cognitive support parallels Hutchins' ideas about how cognition extends beyond individual minds into environmental and systemic structures.
    View discussion in Discord →
  • June 26, 2025
    Memory Research Group Soft Launch: The Art of Memory Discussion
    Frances A. Yates' historical analysis of memory techniques and their role in scientific developmentVisual and spatial memory systems: the method of loci and physical proprioceptionLanguage, ideography, and character-based systems as memory aids (Chinese examples)Memory as substrate for cognition, identity, and systems-level phenomenaCollective memory, cultural associations, and translation as memory links

    Participants: timber1997, keikreutler, lukas_likavcan, j0lian, jgcfyi, nataliemarie, thewanderingeditor, nam5364, ntnsndr, ceciliyazi, rahshank, _calbean

    The Memory Research Group held its soft launch session focused on Frances A. Yates' "The Art of Memory" (1966), specifically examining Chapter 1 and Chapter 17 on memory's relationship to scientific method development. Participants discussed how visual and spatial memory systems work, with particular emphasis on how ideographic writing systems like Chinese characters embed narrative structure that aids memorization. The discussion connected memory techniques to embodied cognition, with participants sharing observations about proprioceptive feedback during memory-intensive activities (chess, blindfolded games) and how translation practices can preserve visual and cultural associations that strengthen memory links.

    The conversation evolved toward broader theoretical questions about memory's role in cognition and identity formation. Participants raised interest in understanding memory as a substrate for consciousness and identity, how memory operates as a complex, emergent system (rather than fixed storage), and the relationship between individual and collective memory structures. The group also noted the importance of documenting the session itself, raising questions about record-keeping and memory extensions for those joining late, ultimately highlighting the meta-concern of how groups preserve their own intellectual work.

    • Visual ideographs in languages like Mandarin Chinese provide narrative structure and association layers that enhance memorization beyond phonetic systems.
    • Physical movement through memory spaces creates proprioceptive feedback that aids recall, even when visual imagination capacity is low.
    • Translation and cultural context preservation in language can strengthen memory encoding by maintaining visual and cultural associations across languages.
    • Memory functions as an emergent systemic phenomenon (similar to consciousness) that is constantly bootstrapped and re-negotiated rather than static.
    • Yates distinguished between 'mnemotechnics' (practical techniques) and 'art of memory' (philosophical/historical framework), choosing to emphasize the latter's role in scientific methodology development.
    Links discussed
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