I recently read Joshua Foer’s excellent book, Moonwalking with Einstein. The book, very much in Gay Talese fashion, relates the story of a resporter who goes to investigate the goings on of an international fellowship of “mnemnostists;” that is, professional rememberers. I’ve long had an interest bordering on obsession as pertains to memory. I’ve always wanted to remember more, in more clarity and to assemble the world’s languages with Mentat-like skill. But alas, I appear to be wired with commodity hardware (like most of us).

Foer, very much a mortal, suggests that astounding levels of memory retention can be attained by embracing the wisdom of the ancients and using the memory technique known as a “mind palace” or, as it was known to the Romans, memoria loci (contra memoriam verborum, for verbatim text).