I read an article somewhere about the memeory arts and the tricks peopel use to memorize lists of things. One was to imagine a familiar street and to put visual clues along to street to remind you of each item. To try it out, I did it for a timeline of library history in my Information in Society Class, it worked really well until the 19th century where there were just too many dates and events. I did scary well on the exam for that class.

Hey, how many people grew up with five-eight-eight two-three-hundred... empiiire?

It's on the Boston channels.

One was to imagine a familiar street and to put visual clues along to street to remind you of each item.

Exactly-- first you have the animals but then you have a familiar street or house to put them in sequence. There's a bear in the Starbucks, a rhino in the furniture store, etc.

There's a bootleg of Spamalot up on YouTube.

In college I had a psych class where the prof told us a memory trick. She said if you remember what she (the prof) was wearing when she talked on certain subjects it'd make it easier to remember them during exams. She even told us she'd never duplicate an outfit during the semester to make this easier for us.

Psych is one of those subjects I find so fascinating that I remember everything in the book and lectures. At the beginning of the semester she told us it was impossible to get an A in the class without studying - I proved her wrong. So anyway, I didn't have to use her outfit trick.

Before the notes were lost, I could recall really obscure tidbits of US history based on simply seeing the doodles I'd done around the edges as I took notes. Hell, I still remember some of the doodles (and attendent facts) without seeing the actual pages!

Only really worked for that class (junior year of high school.)

I have to add in something to a sequence. It takes my system 25 seconds to process each request. ANd I can only request one addition at a time. I need to request 44 additions. ARRRRGGGHHH.

She even told us she'd never duplicate an outfit during the semester to make this easier for us.

First thought in my mind was, she must have had a very, very large wardrobe.

First thought in my mind was, she must have had a very, very large wardrobe.

I think she counted different ensembles as different outfits. But yeah, she had a big variety of clothes.

I kinda' had a crush on her.

That wardrobe thing is awesome. I always did better at events in remembering people if I took note of their outfits. And I can only remember dates of past events if I remember what I was wearing.

I can only remember dates of past events if I remember what I was wearing.

Interesting. What I or other people wore comes in useful for details at the event itself, but unless the date was displayed there, it wouldn't really be helped much.