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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Photographic Memory
Photographic Memory
2006-10-15, 9:37 PM #1
Do you believe it is a gift, or something people can get.
Back again
2006-10-15, 9:39 PM #2
http://drawn.ca/2006/10/03/the-human-camera/
2006-10-15, 9:42 PM #3
Holy crap, that's amazing.
Stuff
2006-10-15, 9:46 PM #4
wtf hax
2006-10-15, 9:48 PM #5
[QUOTE=Vincent Valentine]http://drawn.ca/2006/10/03/the-human-camera/[/QUOTE]
damn, I voted no in the poll but I would change my vote if I could after seeing that. :eek:
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2006-10-15, 9:57 PM #6
They had this guy on some show on discovery that had such advanced memory he could memorize the order of cards like Rain Man and count cards.

They gave him a catscan while he was performing a memory excersize and it turned up some interesting things.
2006-10-15, 10:02 PM #7
Having a friend who has impeccible memory, I'd have to say yes. Then again, watchin that video pretty much removes any doubt anyway :p
2006-10-15, 10:05 PM #8
Sadly, I have no f'ing idea wtf people are talking about when they say photographic memory this and photographic memory that. I can't remember images worth crap... I mean, I can recognize something that I've seen before, but that's it. I can't "see" it in my head if I'm not looking at it.
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2006-10-15, 10:08 PM #9
If you practiced painting light patterns, you'd find that your ability to remember things would improve.

Infact, thats the best way to learn how to paint. Do small paintings off of pictures, and rapidly paint the color and light patterns. Thats also the best way to do a study of an object or a concept before you actually paint it. Then you can move on to live objects, and you'll be amazed at what you can do.


Really though, painting or drawing from memory or by whim is probably one of the HARDEST things to do.
2006-10-15, 10:33 PM #10
I have a semi photographic memory. I can still see pictures of work I did back in school (I can 'see' in my minds eye whole pages - these days the text is fading a bit though).

And I mean school, as in before university.
2006-10-15, 10:33 PM #11
Yeah. That's what makes a really good drawer. There aren't a lot of people who can do that.
Pissed Off?
2006-10-16, 4:39 AM #12
i have photographic memory when it comes to chords or scale patterns or even scales themselves. if i want to figure out a certain key's tonal chords i just see all the letters in my head and then go from there.

same thing with chords, i can picture the diagrams i learned from books on the fly. it's useful.
"NAILFACE" - spe
2006-10-16, 5:35 AM #13
I don't have a camera of my own because I don't need one (for the typical reasons, I could use a good digital). My first photo memories go back to when I was three. Made memorizing sheet music a lot easier, because I'd just memorize the page then play off of that :P
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Ye Olde Galactic Empire Mission Editor (X-wing, TIE, XvT/BoP, XWA)
2006-10-17, 3:41 PM #14
I had a friend who could stare at a dictionary page for about 20 or 30 seconds, then close his eyes, hand us the book, and recite what was written on teh page, verbatim. He did this with all sorts of things--magazine, pictures, books, anything.


He said he could "see" the pages as if he were still looking at them, and that he was just "reading" them like he does when his eyes are open.
2006-10-17, 11:38 PM #15
Originally posted by Steven:
I had a friend who could stare at a dictionary page for about 20 or 30 seconds, then close his eyes, hand us the book, and recite what was written on teh page, verbatim. He did this with all sorts of things--magazine, pictures, books, anything.


He said he could "see" the pages as if he were still looking at them, and that he was just "reading" them like he does when his eyes are open.


That is the most insane thing ever. How long could he recall something after he saw it?
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2006-10-18, 12:12 AM #16
Not "believing" in photographic memory is like not "believing" in gravity.

At the first RIT Players meeting each year, we go around and have each person state their name and "claim to fame." Our faculty adviser can then recite anything anyone said about themselves during that time. But he forgets it about 20 minutes later.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2006-10-18, 12:41 AM #17
Originally posted by Freelancer:
Sadly, I have no f'ing idea wtf people are talking about when they say photographic memory this and photographic memory that. I can't remember images worth crap... I mean, I can recognize something that I've seen before, but that's it. I can't "see" it in my head if I'm not looking at it.

Me too. I mean, I understand that other people can do it, but I just can't. I can't even picture my closest friends' faces, or a room in my house. All I get is a vague blurry idea
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2006-10-18, 12:59 AM #18
It would be nice to imagine things and see them like they were really there.

Now I just have 0.01 second flashes and an idea that I saw something. Hmm.
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2006-10-18, 4:18 AM #19
I dare saying I have photographic memory.

I still remember the color of the arches around the First Aid building, from when I was stung by a wasp at the zoo when I was five years old. However, the less useful thing about it is that sometimes, a person could say something, and a memory just pops up in my head that has nothing to do with the actual conversation. Which is why you shouldn't have conversations with me when I'm tired, they won't make sense. :v:
2006-10-18, 5:25 AM #20
Originally posted by Freelancer:
That is the most insane thing ever. How long could he recall something after he saw it?

Well when I memorized sheet music, the image stayed for a month or so before I actually memorized the song (and even then, details lingered).
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Ye Olde Galactic Empire Mission Editor (X-wing, TIE, XvT/BoP, XWA)
2006-10-18, 6:47 AM #21
Everybody has a photographic memory, some people just don't have any film.
2006-10-18, 6:59 AM #22
I photo remember that crap you put on your website of the scripture behind the burning twin towers.


Just a reminder to people who might applaud your attempt at being philosophical.
2006-10-18, 8:33 AM #23
Originally posted by Axis:
Everybody has a photographic memory, some people just don't have any film.

That's like saying everybody drives to work, but their cars don't have engines. Doesn't. Make. Sense.
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2006-10-18, 8:38 AM #24
ya srsly nbdy has film in ther brian lol wtf
Stuff
2006-10-18, 9:47 AM #25
more accurately, everyone has a photographic memory, but they dont know how to work the goddamned camera. everything is underexposed :P

i have an eidetic memory. i can't remember everything, all the time, but i remember a lot. i'm just absent minded, and sometimes brain farts happen.
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
2006-10-18, 2:14 PM #26
I wonder if your brain could ever get full? I've heard estimates that your working memory is roughly equal te 1.25 terabytes (lol my computer is bigger than ur brain), which means that you'd run out of room eventually (not likely though because assuming a picture size of 600 kilobytes [reasonably compressed 2.0 megapixel photo] then you'd have to store one picture every 10 minutes for like 50 years or something)

EDIT: unless "working memory" means RAM, in which case I've got some catching up to do.
Stuff
2006-10-18, 2:21 PM #27
Originally posted by Freelancer:
That is the most insane thing ever. How long could he recall something after he saw it?


Indefinately, as far as I know. He could recite things back to me that he had "recorded" weeks ago, although I wouldn't know if it was correct or not.

He didn't remember everything forever, though. He couldn't "play back" conversatios from earlier in the day. He could only recall things he concentrated on. If he wasn't trying, he was the same as anyone else.

Even so, I would like to have that ability.
2006-10-18, 2:25 PM #28
Originally posted by Ford:
i have an eidetic memory. i can't remember everything, all the time, but i remember a lot. i'm just absent minded, and sometimes brain farts happen.


That sounds like me lol.
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2006-10-18, 2:57 PM #29
Originally posted by gothicX:
I dare saying I have photographic memory.

I still remember the color of the arches around the First Aid building, from when I was stung by a wasp at the zoo when I was five years old.


But remembering some small detail like that isn't really "photographic memory". :confused:
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2006-10-18, 3:08 PM #30
I think that everyone probably has all that locked away in thier mind somewhere, but for sanity's sake, we don't remember hardly any of it.
2006-10-18, 3:20 PM #31
Aww, I looked at the question and thought it read "do you have photographic memory?" :(. So I voted no even though I believe in it.
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- Ruthven
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2006-10-18, 4:49 PM #32
I wouldn't really say that I have photographic memory, but I think I remember things much more visually than other people. Like in high school history, they'd always have the questions on the tests worded almost exactly the same as in the book. I'd be able to see a picture of the page in the book in my head, know exactly where the question is, and see the answer.

It kinda stopped happening after I started drinking. Whoops.
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- Pablo Picasso

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2006-10-18, 4:52 PM #33
I can remember some things really clearly, but then other things I can't remember at all. Such is life.
2006-10-18, 4:52 PM #34
I have managed to answer complex mathematical questions by remembering visually what the answer kind of looks like.

I also tend to have a perfect recall of events, i'm rubbish at remembering names and things like that though.
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2006-10-18, 5:14 PM #35
Originally posted by Detty:
I have managed to answer complex mathematical questions by remembering visually what the answer kind of looks like.

I also tend to have a perfect recall of events, i'm rubbish at remembering names and things like that though.

Yeah, I can visualize text and events, but I suck at names.
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Ye Olde Galactic Empire Mission Editor (X-wing, TIE, XvT/BoP, XWA)
2006-10-18, 5:29 PM #36
I'm much better at names if i've seen them written down.

Someone emailed my frisbee team's mailing list asking if they could turn up for a practice, I didn't pay much attention but when I did meet them I could remember their name much more easily because i'd seen it before.

Could be an awesome excuse to get people's phone numbers...
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2006-10-18, 6:04 PM #37
I have an amazing memory, but I wouldn't call it photographic. Granted, I can visualize my friends and my house and "see" images just fine, but not to a crazy or detailed extent.

However, I remember things aurally. If I've heard something, I can remember it. I can play back entire conversations word by word. It helps with memorizing music and figuring out songs, and helps even more with not taking notes in class. The few times when I do have to study something that was in my textbooks I make sure that I say it to myself, at least in my head.
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