And a lot more than that! Mnemonics can go farther than remembering basic names, but actually concepts and stuff like that. I even heard of people using it for phone numbers. Also, the comment you are referring to did not say it was for just small bits of information, but taking bits and pieces of the material (essentially the first letter of the word) and formulating them into a new and potentially wacky word with hours of fun guaranteed or your money back... minus shipping and handling, restocking fees, transfer fees, transfer fees for the transfer fees and of course, a refund of the refunds refund.

Phone numbers are actually the easiest part. Mnemonics can help to organise a memory system. It's like wardrobe... you can either put everything there without any order, or separate things and put them in order. I use Master Memory Matrix (I'm not sure if it's correct English name for it).

Potentially one may learn anything. I prepare lists and learn them. People, places, events...doesn't matter. Without any real effort. It's good for imagination and memory as well

Grasshopper,

In my time (long past), I learned memory tricks to cram for tests -- different ones work better for different people.

The key concept is that the more nonsensical the memory trick, the easier it is to remember

Quick example, take the first 13 US colonies; connecticut, delaware, georgia, maryland,massachusetts, new hampshire, new jersey,new york, north caroline, south carolina, pennyslyvania,virginia, rhode island, and we'll make a short silly little story.

I dressed up my New Hampster, Marylynn, in a Jersey of Delicate Ware. We Rhode through the cold of Mass'chusetts, but soon in New York we were there. A sweet southern lady Viriginia, she asked me, do you have a Penn? for I must write dear Connie Cutter, who very soon will be my kin. She's engaged to my young brother Georgie -- he lives way over in Caroline, in th North or the South part, can't remember, so may things slip my mine.

I personally did best using silly pictures; I stacked and stacked silly images upon silly images, sometimes animated, knowing that every image had a meaning.

Other swear by the "walking through a dark house or cave" method, coming upon different surprises.

I'm sure there are books out about memory tricks. I definitely recomend them for cramming for exams.

rebecca

Here's what you've got to do:

1) Drink two quarts of buttermilk, then jump into a tub of ice-cold water.

If that doesn't work, proceed to #2:

2) Spin around and around until you get dizzy, fall down, and, possibly throw up on yourself.

Repeat as neccessary.

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