Memory tricks.

[fjrider]

Just thought it might be interesting to see how people handle it.

I count 4 numbers, first two are always positive so I use the alphabet for the second to keep confusion to a minimum.
The third can be positive or negative and I just put N in front of it if it is negative, positive is just the number, no sign needed.
example: 3CN5 or 3C5.
Fourth can also be positive or negative and uses halves as well. I found that 4th number right next to the 3rd easy to lose track of so I started using a mental, visual count of fingers.
I worked as a woodworker for a good number of years and it gave me a weird way to remember negatives and halves.
Negatives are red fingers, bloody from injury, and halves are finger stubs. I knew a bunch of guys with those half fingers. And had to give first aid to a couple at the time of their accident.

I've gotten really good at doing that 4th number purely as finger images, I don't think the number and then translate, I just add and subtract fingers from a splayed hand, or two, and occasionally I'm thinking in toes. Since that number doesn't necessarily change every hand it simplifies my memorizing, it's easy for me to pull up the last fingers image, even if I haven't had to pay attention to it for a few hands.
So I'm counting 4 but it seems like only 3.

[Romes]

And if the yellow hippo coughs up 3 bananas then I know the first 2 digits are lower than 10 but definitely greater then pie...

There are tons of memory tools out there. Most anything that has to do with association help a lot. Anything with rhythm or music also helps the human brain. Put something you need to remember in to song and it'll stick a world easier.

There were some documentaries on the national memory championships on Discovery I think... Could probably find them on youtube. It was disappointing to realize no one has an "amazing" memory, so to say; they just have really good systems to help their brains out.

One of the systems was memory mapping... Say you want to remember 10 objects. Well, create your own dream house in your head, and put the 10 objects throughout the house. This makes a memory quite like your normal memory of "Oh I left my phone on my pillow upstairs!" Then when you want to remember said objects, close your eyes and walk through your house. You'll be surprised to find the objects right where you left them =).

[Frank Galvin]

Or at least at the last place you looked.

[21frogman]

One of the systems was memory mapping... Say you want to remember 10 objects. Well, create your own dream house in your head, and put the 10 objects throughout the house. This makes a memory quite like your normal memory of "Oh I left my phone on my pillow upstairs!" Then when you want to remember said objects, close your eyes and walk through your house. You'll be surprised to find the objects right where you left them =).

"Moonwalking with Einstein" by Joshua Foer presents an interesting history of memory aids, including memory mapping, and modern day memory contests.

[Jabberwocky]

My invention for side counting is to use the alphabet for aces and numbers for the count. If I have E/13, I know that 5 sces are gone and -13 r.c. 13/E indicates 5 missing aces and +13 running count.

[GooseLucky]

Not a bad tip. One of the more creative tricks I've heard mentioned recently involved pointing your feet at different angles (i.e. think hands on a clock) to sidecount aces.

[Adrianno]

Redacted on 10/27/2015. Opps... I just realize that you guys are here for fun and games. So you guy are NOT really serious about leaning MEMORY TRICKS.

Imagine that your looking at these 9 dots and you have a pencil or a pen in hand. Your object is to connect all of the dots by drawing a line thru each dot and you cannot lift the pen/pencil off of the paper. You can only draw 4 lines on the paper and ONLY 4.

Dots.jpg

Use 4 pens to draw the 4 lines.

Fold the paper in quarters and draw 4 equal lines. If that's wrong then I'm a moron.

That would be incorrect. Only 1 pen. The lines may be different lengths but once the pen/pencil hits the paper you cannot lift it off the paper to draw another line.

I got it but I won't ruin it for others. Sometimes an AP has to think outside the box.

[Blitzkrieg]

Imagine that your looking at these 9 dots and you have a pencil or a pen in hand. Your object is to connect all of the dots by drawing a line thru each dot and you cannot lift the pen/pencil off of the paper. You can only draw 4 lines on the paper and ONLY 4.

Dots.jpg

[ZenMaster_Flash]

Read: "Moonwalking with Einstein"

[Jabberwocky]

Use 4 pens to draw the 4 lines.

[Blitzkrieg]

Use 4 pens to draw the 4 lines.

That would be incorrect. Only 1 pen. The lines may be different lengths but once the pen/pencil hits the paper you cannot lift it off the paper to draw another line.

[Three]

That would be incorrect. Only 1 pen. The lines may be different lengths but once the pen/pencil hits the paper you cannot lift it off the paper to draw another line.

I got it but I won't ruin it for others. Sometimes an AP has to think outside the box.

[Blitzkrieg]

The first one. Thinking outside of the box helps sometimes.