Nice one Huggy!
I took a break from memo in the weekend. Did 4 decks yesterday and managed to beat my record… 2.14! The other runs were around 2:30.
I have begun working out a 00-99 PAO but find it really hard to make up actions that I can clearly differentiate between. I find it easier to figure out persons and objects.
Thanks Vonde. Congratulations on beating your time too. What was it prior to 2:14?
I too usually leave the cards well alone over the weekend or at best maybe practice one or two decks! I find this helps clear my loci fresh for Monday morning! 
And like you, I have also began my 00-99, although I have to admit, I have been stuck on my final 5-10 initials which I cannot think of anyone for. I am using the Dominic system, so the initials have to link with the numbers. I incoporated my cards into the system, so technically I only had to find 47 PAO.
It was 2:21. Im not dropping down as fast anymore, but Im not complaining. Hopefully we ære breaking the 2 min barrier soon!
Im not using a system for my PAO but have just chosen the persons i can vizualize best! It takes time to learn the different numbers, but my idea is that it will be better in the end. I do group them in categories such as actions figures, movie stats and so on though
Any improvement is a good thing regardless of how much you beat your time by!
When I got my 2:28, I have to admit that the recall wasn’t fantastic, but then I remember having the same problem when I got to 3:19 a week or two ago, so I know that the recalling for the 2 minute mark will soon become easier.
A question for all using 00-99:-
What is the the quickest way to learn/revise your list?? As I use the Dominic system, I would like to think that the initials will be enough of a trigger to indicate the PAO, but I guess in a similar way to doing decks, the best way is application as opposed to revision, i.e. to apply it every day use like phone numbers, etc?
I also started off with a Dominic system, although it can hardly be called that way by now. I tried to treat the initial system very very very loosely and focused more on persons I could visualize easily in a vivid way. So if I had to choose between a P that fits the system but whom I hardly know and a P that doesn’t fit the system but whom I can visualize clearly, I’d go with the latter. Sometimes I just created an artificial association to fit in a P that didn’t fit the initial system.
It took me quite a while (nearly a month) to complete my list, and by the time I was done I had given each number so much thought that I already knew them all. Not perfectly of course, but I was able to connect all the numbers to their P’s. Then you just need to get really really fast. Ideally, you see the image in your head instantly when you hear or see a number. That needs practice and application, and I haven’t reached that point yet. I know my list quite well, but I know it’s possible to get even faster. If the initials are enough for you to trigger the image, you just need to practice a lot to get the images to form faster.
One of the first things I did was memorizing a list of phone numbers and that helped me a lot to get quicker in connecting numbers to images. It is also a lot of fun to do something practical with this weird hobby.
Broke my record (was 1.25) twice tonight: first 1.23 and then 1.16! Just 16 more seconds to go … highly addictive
Hi Rompie,
Thanks for your input.
I agree with the whole choosing someone that is vivid and who will stick. In fact, I am even thinking of changing two or three of my card characters for that reason, that they aren’t instant to my mind…
Well done on your time!!
Slight improvement - New time 2:21 (was 2:28), no errors and a lightning recall!!
Great times guys!
I did 2:08 yesterday with 2 errors. I’ve changed my way of recalling from reciting the cards, to using a second deck and putt them in the correct order. My recall time has doubled! I’m using a lot of time just finding the next card, and even if my recall is no problem, it takes my like 5 minutes! But I don’t make as many mistakes because I’m possible to see which cards I need to place at the blanks in the end…
I should get that app Huggy 
What are your recall times guys? I mean for a run where all scenarios comes to your mind pretty fast.
It’s much easier with two decks. It would be a good skill to be able to mentally cycle through characters quickly. Thought of making a 52 slot memory palace exclusively for this.
An update on my progress…I haven’t had a second deck, so only counting “perfect recall” I haven’t successfully memorized a deck in days. I can form the images in about 50 seconds now, way, way faster than I could before. there are about 10 cards that don’t come to mind straight away. My mind just feels foggy and the images aren’t sticking. Usually stop the clock around 1:15, sometimes faster or slower, but at this rate I have not yet had “perfect” recall straight after memorization, so I imagine I could have put a couple of those together with a second deck, but couldn’t say for sure.
Anyway, even though I’m a little frustrated, I’m honestly fortunate that I’ve been able to improve at all over these past few weeks. Didn’t really think I would. After things are back to normal, I’m hoping to start shaving time off again. But this 1 minute mark is a whole 'nother animal, I can tell that already.
Congratulations on your improvement guys. Huggy, huge burst forward - that’s awesome!
And the rest of you, awesome.
Hi DH,
Thank you.
I hope that things start getting back to normal for you soon!
Vonde - As you know, I use the app, so even if I had immediate recall without any problems, it would take 2-3 minutes to input them into my phone, but I always review in my mind before inserting the cards, which takes a further minute or two.
If I have blanks, I run through the cards in my head, suit by suit as DH suggests. This used to take me about 30-50 seconds per suit, but I can do each suit in about 5-10 seconds now, so you soon find those missing cards.
So, I guess:
A good recall using the App - 3-5 Mins
A bad recall using the App - 8+ Mins
You guys are doing great! Just keep at it and your time will drop in no time! That’s the best method of getting quick in memorizing cards, keep practicing. That’s what Ben would say to anyone who keeps asking how he became so fast at it.
Cheers!
I’m actually waiting for Ben to get back to me with a message I sent him last night. I have kind of a crazy idea but I think it’s a really good one, and I’m going to get to work on it once Ben makes a suggestion for how to practice seeing two cards as one, as in the Ben System. The Ben System seems like a whole lot of trouble when I look at the icue score boards and see Boris’ name all over it, 18.x seconds again and again (now, I’m not saying Boris is better, maybe he is or maybe he isn’t, I don’t know) but my point is that Boris has 52 unique images that be manages to slap into his loci at 3 loci per second. Ben may be seeing two cards as one image, but that doesn’t mean that if he and Boris are of equal skill that Ben could do it in 9 seconds instead, see what I mean? I think his system is regarded as the best, but obviously it depends on the user
Anyway, when I learn something new, I constantly examine: “if I could do X, I would be much better,” and then I practice X. An example for speed cards is one I have been working on a lot recently (and I actually am getting better at it, so try it yourself if you dare) - “if I could see the image AS I read the cards, rather than AFTER I read them, I wouldn’t have to stop momentarily after every third card.” As always, I digress.
Well, based on the fact that Ben and Boris are probably relatively close to equals in cards, and that Ben can’t double Boris’ speed, I am hesitant to accept that each set of two cards actually is being instantly visualized the way that we neophytes are beginning to see some of the cards. If Ben told me himself that I were incorrect about this of course I would take his word for it and expect some improvement from him in the future (it IS possible!)
The Ben System requires the memorization of 2652 unique images for each combination (52x51) of cards. The biggest bitch about that is probably not learning the images, which would be kind of fun since you can watch yourself improve, but making them up in the first place. If a person were to know their PERSON+ACTIONS so well that each spread of two cards immediAtely conjured an image of a mixed person/action, that would essentially be a PA Ben System. I would like 5304 unique and immediate images for my cards. 2652 PA images, and 2652 AO images. The AO images would be for example an axe being struck into a cake, without an associated person. I believe that if all 5304 images are known with great ease and familiarity, the skill of automatically synthesizing the two images, sharing the middle card, into one image is possible to learn. In this direction, PAO cannot be taken any further (except for memorizing all 132,600 possible combinations ;).
Since obtaining mastery over the ideal PAO is feasible, I think it is a goal worth working toward for anyone who wants to do this stuff for more than a couple of years. I expect that after learning the first 2000 or so PA images, the last 652 will be recognized almost as easily as those one has already learned, because the patterns will be so engrained.
I think the people who can do a deck in under 25 seconds already have a very similar handle on the cards to what I am talking about. However, I believe a systematic and concentrated effort to recognize each combination instantly is the fastest way to get there.
Edit: Huggy, that is really cool that you’ve already been working on cycling through the suits! In the US memory comp, a person has 15 seconds to recall each card that they are asked to recall before they are disqualified. I bet that some disqualifications could have been avoided if the MA’s took the time to really practice that skill and be able to reel through the deck in 15 seconds.
Edit: was able to get my prescription early- got it this morning. So I’m gonna go nuts on the cards again…maybe even beat Wes to 1:00! (but not really).
Does anyone else feel like the communication in this thread (not necessarily the info) is largely responsible for all of us moving forward so quickly?
Those of you who are pushing 2:00 should see how long it takes you to do two decks. I still haven’t tried it yet but Wes said he found it extremely difficult, or just not possible right now, moving at the same speed. I’ll give it 3 tries today and upload the times.
DH, Look forward to hearing how you get on.
I will attempt it when I get sub 2:00. Got 2:08 today, but with 3 errors!!..
EDIT - I wonder if it would be any easier to attempt two decks, by using 52 P, 52 Loci for the first deck then 52 O, 52 Loci for the second?? Might make life easier in the beginning and less likely to mix up images - Just a thought…
Had a minor plateau, but managed to beat my record today: 2:08! 
Recall time about 7 minute. Had a blank locus, but it came to my mind quickly when seeing the cards.
But I feel like I need to use more time practicing or think about how to tweak my system, if I want to get faster now.
Damn that’s fast Huggy! I mean your time going through the suits in your mind. I was definitely getting faster at this too, but not that fast. Maybe 20 sec. That was why I switched recall strategy to ordering a second deck.
Interesting thoughts there DH… I’m having trouble making up 100 actions for my 00-99, so imo, the Ben System is out of this world. But you must be right about getting faster as you progress… I guess it’s about having like 10 actions with people just jumping (for instance) on different things, eating different things, and so on? And then on top of this, add the object. So it’s kind of like P-AO-O?
I know that we are already doing this to some extent… For example, I have “swinging baseball bat” as an action.
DH,
I’m tempted to try out 2 decks! I think I can do it, but I’m surprised if I get under 7 minutes. How did it go for you?
Can’t seem to find any app named icue at all 
maybe it’s just not for Android then
Thanks Vonde, but I think that my speed in going through the cards is more a reflection on how bad my recall was in the beginning, rather than dedication to making it quick. It was taking me around 15 minutes to recall, so I had to keep flicking through them in my head! Eventually I got quicker and can now run through them at pace, although that still doesn’t prevent those darn blanks!!!.. 
That is a shame you cannot access the App! Is there no substitute ones you can use?
There is alot of memory card games but… But can’t seem to find what Im looking for.
Ugh, I didn’t practice for almost a week and now I’m afraid DH will beat me to the minute. It’s almost midnight so I’ll be practicing later this night and tomorrow because getting less then a minute would be nice.
I think it helps a great deal to be this competitive and help each other to move forward both as individuals and a collective.
DH, I think that those systems work in theory but that whatever system you use will because quicker and quicker over time. Using a 52 loci journey seems silly because it would take 3 times as much time because you had to visualize 3 times as much. On the other hand, you only have to memorize 1 of the 3 things you thought of.
But then again, wouldn’t there be a lot more ghost images? I don’t really want to throw things around because I think that what I’m doing is alright.
I’m also afraid that if I don’t make changes, I’ll get stuck on a certain time and there won’t be any improvement again.
I’m building an MMP and it’s progressing slowly but surely. It takes a lot of time to think of 1300 loci and be able to say what the 397th is.
I won’t try to get the worldrecord, just to become world top.
I’m impressed at you guys who are pushing / are at the 1 min mark… Creating the image is one thing, but linking it to the locus is the part that i feel I NEED to take some time doing. Else I simply don’t recall the image when I get to the locus afterwards.
Today I tried to memorize just 18 cards a good deal of times, with the purpose of pushing speed. Atm I can handle a speed at about 2 sec pr. card (deck time 1:44) with 18 cards. Are you guys using this method aswell?
Was up for serious challange this evening, so I tried to memorize 3 decks! Haven’t even had a go at 2 decks, so it was quite a handfull. I had 8 errors, and was embarrassingly slow. Took me 22 minutes, and a recall time of 17. I blame my strategy though - I know I can do it much faster. I spend alot of time linking images to loci and did a single review after the 2 sets. Instead I should go at a much faster speed, so that when I come to the recall, it’s not 22 minutes since I saw the first card.
It was quite fun to do something different though.
DH and Wessel,
Yea, as I wrote in my first post - it’s very motivating to follow other progress! I keep my father updated with my cards (he was the one recommending Foers book to me!), but except him, nobody seems really interested in my hobby. I wasn’t expecting differently though, because I do understand that it seems pretty geeky from the “outside”.
OK, that was enough rambling for today - goodnight folks