Mind Performance Hacks

Acknowledgments

First, thanks to the authors of Mind Hacks, Tom Stafford and Matt Webb, for laying the road and showing the way, and to all of those mnemonists and mental mathematicians out there, ditto.

Next, a hearty thanks to all of the contributors to this book. Man, you guys work hard! Particular thanks to Richard Brzustowicz, lead technical reviewer, and the Marks—Mark Purtill and Mark Schnitzius—who contributed many of the math hacks and tech reviewed the others.

The Mentat Wiki contributors must be mentioned. Thanks, folks, for all of your hard work. You were an inspiration. I would especially like to thank the mysterious StylusEpix for his contribution of the basis for "Count to a Million on Your Fingers" [Hack #40]. He has no known email address and never answered the Wiki messages I left, but maybe he'll see this.

Thanks to Merlin Mann of 43 Folders and 5ives for reviewing the Mentat Wiki, pointing O'Reilly in my direction, and making me laugh so damn hard. Thanks also to Lion Kimbro for encouraging me to create the Mentat Wiki in the first place.

Thanks to my friends for putting up with my neglect while I was writing this book, and especially my board game group, Seattle Cosmic, for putting up with my many absences and foisting unfinished material on them at unforeseen moments. Thanks especially to John Braley for a chess example for the book, and for reminding me to keep my nose clean.

Of the O'Reilly team, thanks to Rael Dornfest and Lucas Carlson for the software I used to write this book, even though I grumbled about it. And a big thanks to my editor, Brian Sawyer. Brian, what can I say? Thank you for your editing, thank you for your gentle introduction to the O'Reilly way, thank you for sorting out rights issues early on, and thank you for your patience as I missed multiple deadlines. (Notice I didn't write anything about thinking fast.)

Thanks to my family for encouragement: Mom, Dad, Pam, Eric, Tia, Gwenyth, Mer, Kisa, Mel, and Keith, and especially Darlene for unending positive vibes.

Last but first, this book would still be half a page of scribbled lines without my adorable wife and editor, Marty Hale-Evans, Jeeves to my Wooster, Miss Plimsoll to my Matthew Griswald, fount of gumption, expunger of doofusosity, guardian of good sense, beloved companion, and best friend. I mean, you have no idea.