Retaining and recalling critical information is part of everyday life. After all, we all need to remember masses of information such as dates, passwords, directions and phone numbers.
However, we perhaps take it for granted that our brains will fire into gear as soon as we get up in the morning, working hard to retrieve and file away experiences and information.
You've probably met someone who seems naturally gifted at remembering things. It might seem like magic as they easily recall reams of information after only glancing at it briefly, while others will have to make a considerable effort memorising and learning facts in order to remember them when required.
But it's not necessarily a superhuman ability. As explained by Dominic O'Brien, eight times World Memory Champion and an expert in training people to improve memory recall, you can become better at memorising and remembering information by applying a few straightforward techniques.
Becoming a World Memory Champion means Dominic is able to remember enormous amounts of information. In 2002, he earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records by recalling the order of a random sequence of more than 2,800 playing cards after only seeing it once.
Dominic has shared some of his secrets and offered up simple tips to help you improve your memory, retain more information and remember it when it's most needed. This advice could help you pass your next exam, improve performance at work, or simply make it easier to find your way around a new city.
1. Number shapes
Remembering sequences of numbers can be made easier by associating the shape of each digit with characters; the number eight could become a snowman, for example, or the number two a swan.
Inventing a story involving each character is easier for most people to remember, which could make it possible to remember longer sequences.
2. Character counting
Another way to remember pin codes is with number acronyms, a simple phrase where the length of each word corresponds to digits in the pin. So for example the code 3924 is easy to remember with the phrase "I've forgotten my code".
3. The journey method
The easiest way to remember orders of unconnected facts, digits or words is by associating each with a character, then imagining a route or journey where each character is met in sequence.
Preserve your digital data
For other kinds of memories that we choose to remember fondly - those of precious time spent with family and friends, special places, holidays or major life events - technology is there to give our natural memory a helping hand.
Images, audio and video captured on smartphones and other digital devices are a way to keep a record of special memories and recall them when we want to remember them.
Just like with the memories in our minds, it's important to file away, preserve and retrieve digital assets and keep them safe.
As with mental recall, you can improve your digital data storage techniques by applying a few simple principles.
As a global leader in digital storage, Kingston Technology understands data. Kingston's range of SSDs and flash memory storage products can make a difference to digital photography and video editing workflows, as well as secure data backup, business storage and data centre technology.
1. Performance
If your computer loads from a traditional hard disk, upgrading to an SSD will give it a big performance boost.
Kingston's flagship KC2500 SSD uses NVMe and PCI Express technology to accelerate application and file transfers, and makes it possible to edit, manipulate and back up high-resolution images and video much faster.
2. Security
Devices are commonly lost, and in some cases even stolen. Strong hardware-based encryption comes as standard on select Kingston SSDs and ensures that while would-be thieves may have access to your device, they won't be able to read the files on it, ensuring your private information does not fall into the wrong hands.
3. Capacity
4K videos, high-resolution images and data backups can take up a lot of storage space. Kingston's Client SSDs are available at capacities up to 2TB, while its Enterprise SSDs reach capacities of up to 8TB, which is enough space to hold the equivalent of 664 HD movies or 384 PC games.
If we take Dominic O'Brien's example and we consider a playing card is an 8MP image, we could fit 768,000 cards on a 2TB SSD, and over three million images of playing cards on a 8TB SSD.
4. Support
Understanding computer storage technology often means wrestling with technical jargon, different standards and specifications. If you need help choosing the best option for your environment, Kingston is with you to offer advice, help and support both before and after you purchase a new storage product.
If you’d like to learn more about Kingston’s range of storage products, including flash memory, USB, SATA and NVMe SSDs, visit www.kingston.com.
