Hi!
This post will be rather long, so I’ll start with a brief overview. I have a few questions (but mostly worries as a beginner) regarding:
- using a modified version of the Dominic system,
- creating a PAO list for the number 00-99 as a first project, and
- mapping a deck of cards to said list.
I’ll adress these topics separately in the following as well. I do believe that trial and error is beneficial, but I’ve noticed that the work of creating these systems is quite time-consuming. I’m looking for some guidance in order to avoid spending all my time on something that down the road will prove to be problematic.
A small disclaimer: I might use some of the terminology wrong below. Please feel free to correct me. This is all new to me so I expect there to be at least some gaps in the grasp I have on these concepts.
1. A modified Dominic system
The system I’m using now is a modified Dominic System. I read that, as a general rule, which system you use to convert numbers into letters or sounds is not really important, as long as you can employ it quickly and with minimal effort. I’ve taken this comment to heart – and thus created my own system (kind of).
I use it to generate letters from numbers, and these letters I use as initials for persons just as with the Dominic System. I then assign an action and an object to each person as well. So it’s all standard from what I understand, but instead of using Dominics conversions I use my own. These conversions overlap more so with the Major System than with the Dominic System, even though I do use them to generate initials – not consonant sounds.
I’ve assigned the numbers as follows:
1 – t
2 – n
3 – m
4 – k
5 – b
6 – s
7 – E
8 – H
9 – P
0 – O.
As you can tell, I end up with a different set of letters to work with – they do not correspond directly with either the Dominic System or the Major System. There is admittedly som degree of arbitrariness to this but I feel intuitively that these work better for me right now.
I’m sure that both Dominic and all the people behind the Major System are considerably more intelligent than me, and have good reasons for choosing the specific letters/consonant sounds (beyond them just being easy to remember). For example, the Major System I imagine would cover all the most frequently used consonant sounds . And likewise with the Dominic System, I’m sure he selected those letters with care.
Ultimately though, the Major System and the Dominic System works through different methods. From what I can figure out (and I’m likely missing something here) – if my system lacks a certain letter/sound that these two other have, the consequence would be limited to either me:
- A) having to work with more difficult letters for generating names, or,
- B) my system not being able to work as a pure consonant system where you add vowels to form words.
Since I’m not planning on using it as a consonant system (at least not from what I can imagine now?), the drawback would be mainly A) above. Is my thinking correct here? Put differently, if the Dominic System is used (with its focus on initials for names) but with a different set of letters (drawing on the Major System more so as I do), what are the (possible) consequences?
I’ve only memorized and used the conversions for a few days, and my PAO list is only about 30 digits deep thus far, so it wouldn’t be a catastrophe to switch things up completely. I’m not overly keen to do so though. If anyone has insight into what considerations are taken when selecting which 10 letters to use in a system I’d be very interested to know. Maybe specifically Dominics selection, or others as well.
2. Creating a PAO list
I imagine that it’s better to tackle projects of this magnitude a bit later on when you have a better understanding of things in general. Creating a PAO list for the numbers 00-99 requires some effort as well, and I am sure there are many possible mistakes to make.
I did start with the ambition to just memorize a deck of cards, but I came to the realization that I would need a list for numbers in general later on, and that this would mean keeping track of 2 separate lists. Therefore, I decided to directly map the deck of cards to a 00-99 PAO list instead, and thus only having one list (for the foreseeable future).
I have generated about 30 persons thus far as I wrote above, with corresponding actions and objects. I’m trying to take things slow and choose carefully. I’m in no rush other than one due to impatience after all.
My questions are:
-
In the action category, is it important to have the action stand alone, free from any object at all? I’ll give an example:
- Let’s say you have Martin Luther King as the person, and the action is making a speech, and the object being a dream (either remembered as certain words being uttered, or as a thought bubble, or something else). Could the action instead be making a speech about a dream? And the object then being a speakers podium (or something). The specific example here isn’t important, the same question could be illustrated with Karl Marx rationing out money.
- What I’m wondering about is the tradeoff between A) making the actions more memorable than naked verbs and B) keeping the object category distinguished from the action category. If that makes sense? Since I haven’t used my list for any remembering yet, or any other list for that matter, I don’t know what will be more confusing when actually employed. So, as a general rule, should the action be kept simple devoid of any objects?
-
Do you think that it would be problematic to use the initials in a PAO list and associate them to either the action or object directly? I don’t know if that is something many people do or not. Thus far my process have been that I think of the person firstly, and then the action and object.
- In other words, the initials correspond to the person, which I then associate to an action and object. And if I encounter an action or an object, I connect it to the person, and then convert it into numbers. I’ve read that many use somewhat indirect associations as long as they are memorable to them.
- What I’m not sure about is if it’s better to try keeping the initials strictly tied to the person category, or if it’s easier to open it up the associations to the action and object category as well (thus making the generating process a bit easier at the possible expense of clarity in later recall). If that was unclear, an illustration of this would be:
- Notre Dame de Paris as a first association to the letters, with the person following being Quasimodo, and the action following being ringing (a church bell).
2. Mapping a deck of cards to a 00-99 PAO list
Here I’m simply looking for comments on whether or not my approach is logical, and if you have any suggestion for improvement.
A deck of cards have 52 cards in four different suits, and I’ve chosen to split each suits into two parts. The first part being the cards 1-9 (with aces as 1), and the second part being 10, jack, queen, king. The suits in (my own) order are hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades.
I begin the mapping of the cards to my 00-99 list with:
- Ace of hearts on number 11
- I have 2 of hearts through 9 of hearts follow on numbers 12-19. So numbers 11-19 is mapped for the first part of hearts
- I do the same for the other suits, with diamonds on numbers 21-29, clubs on numbers 31-39 and spades on numbers 41-49
The second half of the suits I put on 60-63, 70-73, 80-83 and 90-93. What I end up with then is:
- Hearts on the tens and sixties, with the logic being that the tens begin with a 1 and hearts is first in my order of the suits, and the sixties is just the tens plus 50
- The twenties is for diamonds then, plus 50 which results in 20s/70s for diamonds, 30s/80s for clubs, 40s/90s for spades
So if I get a 3 of clubs, I know that the low clubs are in the thirties and a three is a three = 33. If I get the queen of clubs, I know that the high clubs are in the thirties plus 50, and queen comes after the ten and the jack = 82.
I think that’s all the questions I have for now. Sorry again for being long-winded!