About Capiu

Hi, I'm Pascal.

I built Capiu to share with you my knowledge and passion for learning and memory training.

20 years ago I found a book buried under a pile of others, marked down to 5 Euros: a guide to mnemonic techniques by Gunther Karsten, a former World Memory Champion. I was flabbergasted to find out that everyone, including me, could use them to achieve astounding memory feats — the kind usually reserved for geniuses.

I've used them in all sorts of ways since. Some are pure fun — memorizing the first 1000 digits of pi, or every country and capital in the world. Others have quietly changed my everyday life: birthdays and phone numbers now stick without any conscious effort, and I've even swapped my to-do lists and calendar for a set of memory palaces. And the same techniques behind those party tricks don't just make day-to-day life easier — they genuinely help at work, too.

Fascinated by these mental superpowers that lie dormant in all of us, I also wanted to understand why these techniques work. So I went on to study Cognitive Science — and I want to use this blog to share what I learned along the way. I later added a Computer Science degree and now work as a Machine Learning Engineer, which also gives me the skills to build the right tools and apps myself, and share them with you.

Why is this free?

I think everyone should be able to learn these techniques, regardless of income or background. Sadly, they're still rarely taught in school — and many apps are of questionable quality, barely grounded in science, and hide the methods behind a paywall on top of that. So with this blog, the tools, and the app, I'm trying to close that gap and deliver evidence-based, high-quality content.

Honestly, building it is just fun — and I use Capiu every day myself. So I'm glad to share not just my fascination, but also what I've learned and the tools I've built, with you.

"Capiu?" is Brazilian Portuguese slang for "Got it?".

Questions or feedback? Reach me at [email protected].