What is the memory jogger?

The Memory Jogger (MJ) Game helps "jog" memory by asking a question that stimulates the xyz part of the brain. By reaching back into your memory bank, you can access the answers, and as you do, you experience the joy of a "eureka moment, because the brain produces endorphins which is very enjoyable.
Memory Jogger asks questions that people can answer, although it may take time to access the answers which are stored in their long term memory. MJ is not a memory test: it is a memory jog, which gives you as much time as you need to pull up the answer from your own memory: not from friend or the internet.

Example:

You say, "Betty is a woman's first name. Can you name three famous women named BETTY?” Some people will quickly answer one or two famous Betty names; but for the third they will have to " jog" their memory a little until they uncover a third.
Then we ask for 3 more.
There are smiles, ahas, and laughter as each new Betty name is found.

Multi-Platform and Multi-Media

The Memory Jogger Game is a networked game that can be played face to face and on many electronic platforms:

• Web site
  
• Hand held and mobile devices (e.g. iPhone)
  
• Email
  
• Internet social networks
  
• Twitter
  
• Facebook
  
• My Space
  

The First Name game is just one of many Memory Jogger games. Future games will have pictures, songs, music, voices, commercials, movie and TV snapshots.

User Generated Content

There are no right or wrong answers in Memory Jogger. Players can submit any name they want as an answer. The system is seeded with a small list of answers, and if a player submits one of them it is automagically linked to a web page with more details. For answers not recognized by the system, the player is invited to supply more information about the person in their answer. Example: Betty Rubble - Flintstones cartoon character
The players themselves will submit new ideas for the Memory Jogger Game.

Science

The scientists will lay out a study of the Memory Jogger Game to determine:

• If it helps with memory retention
  
• If it slows disease
  
• Why it works
  
• Why it causes such delight
  

To help the research effort, players can volunteer some demographic information so the euroscience team can create data sets.