Wednesday, October 2, 2013

In Search of Memory



I just started reading this book and find it great
I also am watching the video of the story and realize that the video very closely follows the book. great

this is a film that will both educate you and touch your heart
This film weaves two stories at the same time, both equally fascinating. It tells the work and life of Eric Kandel, who has done a life time of groundbreaking work in memory research. if you want to watch the film, merely to learn the scientific basis of how memory is made; or how long term memory differs from short term memory, then yes, you will learn that in this film. That is explained very clearly, and with easy to see visual proof from the lab. If you actually want to learn about the life of this man, and what happened to him in vienna as a young jewish boy escaping Nazi Germany, then that story is here also. The film is 95 min, so there is adequate time to show him as a researcher, and what he has discovered. And there is time to show him as a remarkable human being, with wit and optimism and sincerity. I was surprised that he was willing to be so honest, and candid while a camera is rolling as he walks around looking into his own memory of places he visited and...

Good Video, But The Book Is Better
i've been studying neurobiology both at school and in my work and bought the book last summer. first, let me say that i really loved the book but admittedly i skipped through some of the more personal autobiographical stuff that dealt with his early childhood and arguments with his wife about how he was spending too much time at the lab.

so when i saw that there was a dvd version of the book, i immediately got it. unfortunately, i was expecting more of a pbs/nova type of presentation focusing mostly on the great science that's found in the book. in short, the video does follow the book pretty well but many of the various experiments and other research related accounts of his work just aren't there in the video.

for the most part, i found the book a much more compelling, detailed, and informative read.

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