What do you think?
Rate this book
Head First Java Code Magnets
There's the slow, tedious way, or the faster, more effective way. The
slow way is about sheer repetition. You obviously know that you are
able to learn and remember even the dullest of topics, if you keep pounding
on the same thing. With enough repetition, your brain says, "This doesn'tfeel
important to him, but he keeps looking at the same thing overand over and over, so
I suppose it must be."
The faster way is to do anything that increases brain activity, especially different types
of brain activity. The things on the previous page are a big part of the solution,
and they're all things that have been proven to help your brain work in your favor.
For example, studies show that putting words within the pictures they describe (as
opposed to somewhere else in the page, like a caption or in the body text) causes
your brain to try to makes sense of how the words and picture relate, and this
causes more neurons to fire. More neurons firing = more chances for your brain
to get that this is something worth paying attention to, and possibly recording.
A conversational style helps because people tend to pay more attention when they
perceive that they're in a conversation, since they're expected to follow along and
hold up their end. The amazing thing is, your brain doesn't necessarily care that
the "conversation" is between you and a book! On the other hand, if the writing
style is formal and dry, your brain perceives it the same way you experience being
lectured to while sitting in a roomful of passive attendees. No need to stay awake.
But pictures and conversational style are just the beginning
slow way is about sheer repetition. You obviously know that you are
able to learn and remember even the dullest of topics, if you keep pounding
on the same thing. With enough repetition, your brain says, "This doesn'tfeel
important to him, but he keeps looking at the same thing overand over and over, so
I suppose it must be."
The faster way is to do anything that increases brain activity, especially different types
of brain activity. The things on the previous page are a big part of the solution,
and they're all things that have been proven to help your brain work in your favor.
For example, studies show that putting words within the pictures they describe (as
opposed to somewhere else in the page, like a caption or in the body text) causes
your brain to try to makes sense of how the words and picture relate, and this
causes more neurons to fire. More neurons firing = more chances for your brain
to get that this is something worth paying attention to, and possibly recording.
A conversational style helps because people tend to pay more attention when they
perceive that they're in a conversation, since they're expected to follow along and
hold up their end. The amazing thing is, your brain doesn't necessarily care that
the "conversation" is between you and a book! On the other hand, if the writing
style is formal and dry, your brain perceives it the same way you experience being
lectured to while sitting in a roomful of passive attendees. No need to stay awake.
But pictures and conversational style are just the beginning
Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2008
10 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 3, 2020
This book thought me so much. I am happy I had it recommended to me. It feels like a solid foundational stone in my journey. The examples are understandable and easy to follow. Same type of approach is felt throughout the book, so it doesn't feel super complicated in the more complex topics. Naturally some stuff is about features that are deprecated, but foundations are still very much there!
August 9, 2018
The best book for beginners in Java
October 19, 2019
Best book for learning Java basics, full stop.
October 23, 2010
A great method to learn a programming language. It shows the same information in several different forms and has plenty of examples.
Read
August 16, 2011nice book
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews