I admit, with an unusual interest such as memory and math feats, it's not always easy for people to communicate how impressive these feats can be.

To help that situation, I've added a new feature to Grey Matters. If you look in the rightmost column, between “Downloads” and “External Links”, you'll find the new “Videos” menu! I've posted links to videos here and there, but this is the first time I've had a regular place to include them on the blog.

They're divided up alphabetically by video format, which currently includes Flash, Google Video, QuickTime, Windows Media and YouTube, and then alphabetically by the last name (or only name given). Each of the video format headers will take you to a corresponding page where you can learn more about that format, and download any files required to watch them, if needed. Please keep in mind that, while most videos will play in your browser, some will download and run in a player.

Currently, there are 40 different videos on the list, but I hope to expand the video list in the future. Some are people who've practiced their feats, while others are savants who perform their feats with little or no practice. Among the highlights are Scott Flansburg's appearance on Oprah (“Scott Flansburg 1”), the man who was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man (“Kim Peek”), and a man whose memory earned him over $110,000 on a game show (“Michael Larson”). There are more, but I won't rob you of the joy of discovery.

Also, if you have any video of amazing mental feats that are hosted elsewhere, please let me know (click the “Contact Me” link at the top of the blog), so that I may review them for possible addition to the list.

In the meantime, enjoy the videos!