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The Mind Map Book

I finally picked up The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan, after looking down on mind maps forever. Don't they seem information-sparse? Aren't they more cute than informative? Aren't concept maps much more refined, and on stronger scientific footing?

Finally I've relented. Let's look at what the inventor has to say. I'm still not quite there, but the original mind mapping system is a bit different from what everybody told me mind mapping is.

Apart from this introduction, just a few notes:

  • p. 29: memory traces lessen resistance (in a very tangible, electric-resistance way)
  • repetition in itself increases the probability of repetition
    • obvious application: habit-forming
  • p. 32: hemisphere theory of the brain is introduced
    • we know today that it just isn't so
  • p.33: Buzan knows that and prompty weakens the claim
  • p.34: it wasn't actually hemisphere theory that led to mind mapping, but this list about when we best learn things:
    • primacy effect
    • recency effect
    • associated with something learned
      • strong in mind mapping!
    • emphasized
      • strong in mind mapping
    • appeals to senses
    • special interest
  • p.37: it was a revolution in human consciousness when a human made the first line
    • drawn in the sand or whatever
    • brain communicating with itself effectively
    • paper “Line is manmade” by Lorraine Gill
      • haven't found that paper online, am interested
    • externalising traces of mental world
  • p.59: Definition of Mind Map:
    1. central image: subject of attention
    2. main themes radiate from central image
    3. hierarchical branches with key image or key word
    4. branches form connected nodal structure
  • p.72: study by Haber: recognition of pictures is virtually perfect
  • p.79: key words on lines which have the same length as the words
  • p.80: main branches and words are thicker and larger
  • p.85: Basic Ordering Ideas
    • correspond to top-level branches
    • what would be chapters in a book
  • p.85: central image:
    • needs dimension
    • needs at least 3 colors
  • p.96: key words on lines
  • p.96: overview over the Laws of Mind Mapping
    • not terribly interesting, in my opinion
  • p.102: lines as boundaries around Mind Map sections
  • p.103: paper landscape
    • keep printing upright
      • easier to read
        • I think this is where many “artsy” mind maps go wrong
    • keep lines close to horizontal
  • p.125: methodical branch-by-brach development of Mind Map is not desirable
    • limits thought
  • p. 191: idea: a Mind Map diary

The rest of the book are mostly examples, none of them terribly interesting, and some attempt at fitting mind maps into analytical thought, which didn't really convince me, either.

Not in the sense that I think it's wrong, but in the sense that I don't think it contributes much new to anything.