[This thread was copied here from the old forum.]
JohnSmith 14 October, 2012 - 07:12
I am new here, so hello everybody. I have two questions. First of all is about remembering difficult passwords. To be secure you need a complex passwords, that contains non-alphanumerical symbols like !@#$%^&*()_+<>?:",./ and so on. How to remember those? The first idea, that comes to my head is to use major system to memorize not symbols itself, but rather codes of those symbols like for instance remember @ as 64 and this would be good in windows because you can actually enter codes of symbols instead of symbols, but not so good in other operating systems and there must be an easier way.
My second question is images. I know systems for remembering numbers, dates, lists and so on, but not visual information. I also know that genuine eidetic memory is very rare (if exists at all) and what people, who memorizes complex images with great detail do is they makes sense out of these details, creates associations, well usual mnemonics, however I haven came across any system that would be created for memorizing images. Is there such a system? If yes, where could I find it, if no, how would you try to develop on?
TeeCup 14 October, 2012 - 14:38
Hi John,
I’m a noob so can’t really help but I am also interested in image or visualisation memory techniques… I do hope there are some special techniques available… and not just a case of staring at an image all day long and memorising it that way!!!
BuddingProspects 14 October, 2012 - 16:28
The answer is quite simple (except to those who seem to require a complex, elaborate system).
The answer is not to think of a system, but rather to IMPOSE an image on the symbol.
For the # symbol (for ANY of the symbols you mention), use ANYTHING, or ANYBODY. Use Abraham Lincoln to represent that symbol and work him into the imagery of the password. Use the Hulk to represent it. Use Spider-Man to represent it. Use a scorpion to represent it. And thus for ANY symbol. Simply IMPOSE a stable, consistent image on each symbol, an image that you use for NOTHING ELSE EXCEPT that particular symbol.
It makes NO DIFFERENCE what the image is (person, animal, thing), so long as it’s used ONLY for that symbol.
Use a relative, a teacher you once had, a musical instrument, an actor, an animal, a comic-book person, Bugs Bunny, Beetlejuice, a soupspoon, an ashtray, Freddy Kruger, Lady Gaga, a pair of scissors, a diamond, a doughnut, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on…
Just assign someONE or someTHING to each symbol, something exclusive to that symbol, and it’s locked in forever.
JohnSmith 15 October, 2012 - 06:55
OK, passwords doesn’t look as much of the problem as it used to be. However, I still have very vague idea how to remember details of complex images.
BuddingProspects 15 October, 2012 - 08:19
You’re looking for a magic pill and it doesn’t exist. Work is involved. Self-discipline is involved. Repetition is involved.
After mastering the system, there’s NOTHING more important than reinforcing the images/images. You have to go over them again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again…
You have to SEE them, HEAR them, TOUCH them again and again and again and again and again and again…
After coming up with the images for the material, set aside 30-60 minutes each day for ONLY reinforcement. No phone. No texting. No music. No computer. Turn your cell phone OFF. Allow NOTHING to interfere. Sit, close your eyes, and just GO OVER the images for the material again and again and again and again and again… Set an alarm clock or kitchen timer for 30 or 60 minutes (so that you don’t have to think about the time, so that you don’t have to keep looking at your watch or clock) and concentrate on NOTHING ELSE except the images for whatever it is you’re trying to remember.
Even the great Dominic O’Brien stresses the importance of reinforcement until it’s set in stone. Everyone’s different. Someone will require X amount of time to remember something, and you’ll need Y amount of time to remember the same material. Nobody, not even the top competitors, can escape the NEED for reinforcement. And this doesn’t apply ONLY to competitors: it’s built into the system, nothing is set in stone AUTOMATICALLY.
I’m very good at memorizing what I choose to, and I might spend an ENTIRE week (or more, depending on the length) going over a poem again and again and again and again and again and again and again… each time SEEING the images, REINFORCING them.
You’ll be helped along the way by making the complex images absurd, stupid, obscene, outlandish, outrageous, slanderous, sexual…
When in doubt, use the MASS method:
M = many
A = action
S = size
S = substitute
When you’re trying to come up with an image, say to yourself over and over “many, action, size, substitute” AS YOU LOOK at the image/images. Allow the image/images to change from one to hundreds, thousands, millions (MANY). Make the image/images move around (ACTION). Change the dimensions of the image/images and make it/them huge (SIZE). Use something else to stand in for the image/images (SUBSTITUTE).
One of these will strike you as perfect for that particular image. Do this often enough and it becomes easier each time.
If you discipline yourself over time, success is inevitable. How long is “over time”? Everyone’s different. Work at it. Cultivate patience. Have faith in the system. Got to go through it to get to it.
Josh Cohen 15 October, 2012 - 19:04
Here are some related posts that might help:
- How to memorize a wireless network passcode
- Hookup System
- Mnemonic Images for Punctuation Marks
- Creating Passwords
- What technique for remembering a mix of letters and numbers
JohnSmith 16 October, 2012 - 03:19
I believe, I haven’t explained myself clearly. That’s probably because I’ve started two unrelated topics here. My bat. I’ll never do this again. Promise. So, I’ll try to explain it properly. By writing “remember images” I don’t mean remember images, that is used to link symbols in a password with image associated with it. I’ve done with passwords, well at least here. I’m going to use Dominic system to remember codes, link those with symbol related images and finally use journey method, that is put images, things I want to memorize in places where ammo packs spans in west London map in game “Killing floor”. And yes, I know, that it involves work to make the system work. However my second question (about images that is) isn’t about using images to memorize something, but it is about memorizing images itself, the details of images you see a house for instance where it stand, what is the color of it walls is there any broken tiles on the roof, where is it. Where is the shadow dropped at he time you are looking. That sort of stuff. And the challenge here is that most of the system I know of is created to memorize some sort of linear information a number, a list, a deck of cards whatever it is You know what is the first element and in majority of those system, I’ll claim that the point is to know what the first element is. Now in images, that isn’t clear and. Another problem is that in other system exactly what you are about to remember, what is relevant. In memorizing images you neither know what is the first element nor what is relevant and, that makes the task more challenging if possible. So is there any ideas if remembering complex images with high accuracy is possible and where to start?
Dai Griffiths 16 October, 2012 - 10:43
If you were to write a journey of ten locations you could memorize a single digit system. Instead of using the numbers you would press the shift on your keyboard and find that you already have a system for those using the Dominic System. It seems pointless to make work if you do not need to. If you do need to then, here are some suggestions:
!- Looks like a truncheon. T J Hooker could have a truncheon. It is shaped like number 1 as well.£- Could be Richard Branson bursting balloons because he is British.$- Could be Warren Buffet eating a corn on the cob because he is American.%- Starts with the same letters as Percy. He could pick up a penguin.&- sounds like hand. Imagine your mother clapping hands.*- Looks like a snowflake and happens to be on the number 8. A snowman is common but, it doesn’t move so, it isn’t very memorable. Try Dr. Octopus throwing snowballs at a snowman.#- Sounds the same as Hash so, Imagine someone making a joint of hashish.x- or times could be Rupert Murdoch swatting flies with a rolled up paper..- Is a dot so Dot Cotton with a cigarette.,- Comma sounds like communist that could have a hammer or sickle.:- Colon sounds like Colin or colony. It also looks like two eyes. A colonel perhaps. Any action will do.
I would suggest you avoid things like brackets because there are two. They aren’t hard to memorize but, since you are inexperienced it would be easier to avoid anything with duplicates.
In a room it doesn’t really matter about the shadows. It is important that it is light and that there is enough room in that location to allow you to create an image which may fill a room. You could create a person and action list or use the major system for these or use them on their own.
If you aren’t in the same kind of against the clock rush as a memory competitor then, it’s worth taking the time to connect the image to the location.
Lets say location number 1 was !
If T J Hooker was stood there holding a truncheon won’t be very memorable since it doesn’t move to grab your attention.
If he is just waving the truncheon about it would be slightly more memorable.
If however, you imagine him smashing something up in the location then, it will have an effect on your emotions. Especially if he smashes up something that belongs to you.
Before you do this it is important that you have locations that are known to you in order. With a password you can’t allow for the possibility of errors. If you aren’t certain, write a journey of say ten locations, and number it. This way it won’t matter if the number 8 is * because the location number will tell you for certain.
If you make clear images that have a person, action and location and you physically connect your images to the locations then, you shouldn’t have to memorize the list ever again and you won’t need to practice.
Ten locations around the house are a doddle to create and, you already know number systems so you should be okay as long as you are familiar with them. If not, write a quick list of new images for numbers 1-9 and 0 which would make ten.
People don’t generally use the single digit system at competition level but, it is just as efficient as the systems used by those people. The only reason they don’t use it is because they want to memorize more information in each location and need to make the most of the space.
You can still do the same things with a single digit system as you can with the Dominic System or Major System. A person can still carry out the action of another person so, TJ Hooker would be able to throw snowballs and that would give you the symbols !*
You could add an object to that. Making a total of 3 images per location.
Also, I would suggest that if you are a beginner, that you use just on room per location. This is because of your lack of practice and experience. If you imagined TJ Hooker throwing snowballs in a small room such as a toilet then, it may be difficult to see what is going on or even fit the image in the location. Give yourself plenty of room as, until after you have memorized an image you will not know how much space it is likely to take. After a while you will get used to the size of the location so, you can make the most of it. Unless you do it regularly or memorize vast amounts of information on a regular basis then it doesn’t matter.
If you get stuck trying to think of a person and action there is always a way around it. Say the number 6 reminds you of nothing. You can imagine someone Vomiting into a cardboard box. Vomit is Sick. Sick sounds like 6 and a box has six sides. It could sound like the number, have the same shape as the number or be the number of a friends house. It doesn’t matter how you get the number just as long as you can imagine it.
Also, if a room is light but, lets say you had a snowman, it may be that the room is also white so, the snowman doesn’t stand out. Add something else to it. A bright green octopus wriggling on top of the snowman. It also happens to have 8 legs. 7 is shaped like an Axe. I use that a lot. It’s good for smashing up locations and doing things to people that ends up with their blood going up the wall. Blood is great for memory.
Lets assume you have ten locations already. When you write the numbers then, connect it all together. Earlier I said !* could be TJ Hooker throwing snowballs. He could be doing that on a unicycle. A unicycle has one wheel so, it will tell you the location number and your code at the same time. The added bonus with numbering your locations is that it is impossible to take the wrong turn on your journey because you can navigate by the numbers. They will just be an added back-up for you should you come across a fork in the road on one of your journeys.
Ten could be wheelchair. David Cameron could have a wheelchair. If you look at a wheelchair from the side you will notice that the handle and bar going down is shaped like the number 1 and the wheel is shaped like zero. 10. Easy peasy when you’re used to it. If you get used to making images with a single digit system you will soon want to make more use bigger systems but, in the meantime you would be gaining useful experience at making your brain creative. The single digit system can be used to number the locations up to 99 in this case. Person one doing the action of person three perhaps, would give you 13.
This is plenty for most things that people come across day to day. In fact, it’s better. If you used a big system to memorize a 2 digit number, it’s harder to locate the image in your head since you would use only one location. In this case you could use 2. Any list less than ten locations doesn’t have a nice string of information that is easy to find so, I would intentionally extend it rather than memorize ten digits in one location. You will see what I mean after a little practice. It’s l;ike looking at a piece of paper from the side. It’s so thin you may not see it but, a front view would make it obvious what you are looking at.
If you have to re-memorize your images then, you haven’t memorized the images properly in the first place. The while point of memory competitions is to show that repetition is a waste of time. It’s all about showing mental efficiency. If a memory competitor can remember thousands of things at a competition, it shows that a student can remember the information for an exam by only being a fraction as good as the memory competitor. To get there doesn’t take much practice either.
Hope this helps. If anything isn’t clear just say and i’ll think of something better for you. Good luck with your memorizing. 