Head Rush Ajax

xxiii

“How can this be a serious programming book?”

“What’s with all the graphics?”

“Can I actually learn it this way?”

“Do I smell pizza?”

We know what you’re thinking.

Your brain craves novelty. It’s always searching, scanning, waiting for

something unusual. It was built that way, and it helps you stay alive.

So what does your brain do with all the routine, ordinary, normal things

you encounter? Everything it can to stop them from interfering with the

brain’s real job—recording things that matter. It doesn’t bother saving

the boring things; they never make it past the “this is obviously not

important” lter.

How does your brain know what’s important? Suppose you’re out for a

day hike and a tiger jumps in front of you; what happens inside your head

and body?

Neurons re. Emotions crank up. Chemicals surge.

And that’s how your brain knows...

This must be important! Don’t forget it!

But imagine you’re at home, or in a library. It’s a safe, warm, tiger-free zone.

You’re studying. Getting ready for an exam. Or trying to learn some

tough technical topic your boss thinks will take a week, ten days at

the most.

Just one problem. Your brain’s trying to do you a big favor. It’s

trying to make sure that this obviously non-important content doesn’t

clutter up scarce resources. Resources that are better spent storing

the really big things. Like tigers. Like the danger of re. Like how

you should nev ...