Have you ever been driving down the highway and suddenly noticed you have no memory of the last few kilometers? This frequently happens to me when I’m driving, but I never thought if it can be explained. Theater of the Mind is a new book by Jay Ingram that tries to figure out why things like that happen.

What we’re really not remembering is the driving. Because driving for most of us after you’ve been doing it for a long time is automatic. You don’t need to be aware of it. (…) You had to be conscious to learn it but your mind goes on to other things. In that 10 km, you were listening to the radio or a CD or talking to a passenger or cell phone. So your consciousness always lights on things that you have to be aware of.