Comments on: Photographic Memory http://www.supertightstuff.com/03/27/featured/photographic-memory/ The Tightest Stuff on the Internet Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:57:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Richard http://www.supertightstuff.com/03/27/featured/photographic-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-10516 Richard Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:43:26 +0000 http://www.supertightstuff.com/?p=3659#comment-10516 I have a niece who can memorize in detail anything that she chooses to. She explained her ability to me one time by saying that its like "taking a photograph" and storing it on a page in her head. When she needs to retrieve information about something that she has seen, she simply searches for the "page" in her head and can then see in detail everything that is on the "page". To go one step further, she also has the ability to recall digital information, and says that she can search for a numerical string in her head until she finds it (quite rapidly from what I've seen), and then view in detail information related to that numerical string. For example, she is able to memorize 7-digit bar code numbers corresponding to items of clothing in a store that she works at. Every day at the store she reviews the store's inventory by taking a mental photograph of an inventory spreadsheet on the store's computer, and then can retrieve information regarding any item of clothing by simply searching for the bar code number in her head. Employees at the store have tested her on this ability and are amazed when she retrieves the info in her mind and is never inaccurate. I've never heard of anyone else having both a photographic memory and this ability to store and retrieve digital information so am wondering if anyone out there has ever heard of this before and, if so, how rare is it? I have a niece who can memorize in detail anything that she chooses to. She explained her ability to me one time by saying that its like “taking a photograph” and storing it on a page in her head. When she needs to retrieve information about something that she has seen, she simply searches for the “page” in her head and can then see in detail everything that is on the “page”. To go one step further, she also has the ability to recall digital information, and says that she can search for a numerical string in her head until she finds it (quite rapidly from what I’ve seen), and then view in detail information related to that numerical string. For example, she is able to memorize 7-digit bar code numbers corresponding to items of clothing in a store that she works at. Every day at the store she reviews the store’s inventory by taking a mental photograph of an inventory spreadsheet on the store’s computer, and then can retrieve information regarding any item of clothing by simply searching for the bar code number in her head. Employees at the store have tested her on this ability and are amazed when she retrieves the info in her mind and is never inaccurate. I’ve never heard of anyone else having both a photographic memory and this ability to store and retrieve digital information so am wondering if anyone out there has ever heard of this before and, if so, how rare is it?

]]> By: hatoyama http://www.supertightstuff.com/03/27/featured/photographic-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-166 hatoyama Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:29:28 +0000 http://www.supertightstuff.com/?p=3659#comment-166 This is why it's so ironic (and slightly unbelievable) that Ask Marilyn's last name is vos Savant. That aside... I took an intelligence test in the second grade and I remember a section in which they gave me a set of symbols, each that corresponded to a number from 1 to 9 (or maybe 1 to 5, I'm not sure). Then for the next two pages it was just a long, random string of these symbols and under each symbol I was supposed to write the number each one corresponded to. I scored around 147 on this section — I sort of remember taking this test, and how the numbers just sort of lined themselves up with their symbols in my head. Then there was another section where the proctor read out loud a random string of numbers and I was supposed to repeat it back after. Eventually the strings got longer and I was asked to repeat them backwards and forwards, tell her what the middle number was, etc. I failed this section miserably and couldn't repeat a string of more than about five numbers. This is why it’s so ironic (and slightly unbelievable) that Ask Marilyn’s last name is vos Savant. That aside…

I took an intelligence test in the second grade and I remember a section in which they gave me a set of symbols, each that corresponded to a number from 1 to 9 (or maybe 1 to 5, I’m not sure). Then for the next two pages it was just a long, random string of these symbols and under each symbol I was supposed to write the number each one corresponded to. I scored around 147 on this section — I sort of remember taking this test, and how the numbers just sort of lined themselves up with their symbols in my head.

Then there was another section where the proctor read out loud a random string of numbers and I was supposed to repeat it back after. Eventually the strings got longer and I was asked to repeat them backwards and forwards, tell her what the middle number was, etc. I failed this section miserably and couldn’t repeat a string of more than about five numbers.

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