What Mnemonic and Creative Thinking Techniques Are Effective?

[Jexocuha]

What Mnemonic and Creative Thinking Techniques Are Effective?

• What are some exercises that can be used to improve one's memory?
• What are the best reasons for someone to use mnemonic techniques to aid their studies/research goals? What are some of the worst reasons to take up mnemonics practices?
• Do you think mnemonic exercises can be effective in enhancing one's creative thinking skills, as well? How so, or how not?

Related Links:
"Samples of Memory Aids"[pdf]
"36 Best Memory Techniques for Studying"

 

[Jexocuha]

One particular set of mnemonic techniques that caught my attention was those used for remembering sets of binary numbers. This comes increasingly handy when dealing with data encoding, network subnetting, or counting ranges of masked binary sextet and octet sets.
https://artofmemory.com/wiki/Binary_Number_Memorization_Systems/.

One of the techniques I found interesting was the suggestion of using a decimal mnemonic system and combining it with 3-digit binary counting sets. For example, using the "number shape system" to associate a numeral for a picturable thing, you can further associate the picturable thing with the binary trio set. E.g. the number two is a "swan", and the number two in binary is "010". You associate the numbers 010 as the "swan pattern"(something like that). 010010 thus could be pictured as two swans together, and would be the binary sextet "010010" = 18.

How to Use the Number Shape System

The number shape system is a memory technique that can be used to memorize short numbers or as a peg list. It works by associating the shapes of numbers to pictures.

For example, if you want to remember the number 2, you could picture a swan, because 2 looks like a swan.

The digit 2 is displayed next to a swan to show their similarities in shape

To build a number shape system, you create one mnemonic images for each digit from 0 to 9.

Here are some examples of number shape images that you could use:

0 = ball, egg, doughnut, or ring
1 = candle, stick, spear, pole, pillar, or wire
2 = swan, cobra, clothes hangar, or whale
3 = butterfly, handcuffs, heart, trident, fish tail, bag, or rabbit
4 = flag, sailboat, chair, or satellite dish
5 = hook, snake, Superman, seahorse, a wave, or water
6 = elephant’s trunk, golf club, cherry, combination lock, curled snake, or spoon
7 = boomerang, axe, scythe, diving board, or ship’s prow
8 = snowman, hourglass, or figure 8
9 = balloon on a string, or net

 

[Wyote]

The more emotional attachment you can associate with objects, the more effective it'll be for remembering them long term.

You can create a whole room or home or multiple homes full of stuff if you practice enough.

It's kinda crazy, but I've only done it in limited spurts, memorizing decks of cards or biology, geography etc.

 

[aeon]

There is a six-digit number that I remember as the combination of the LAPD code for murder of a police officer combined with a certain power of two.

Cheers,
Ian