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Comment by supertramp_ | Hacker News Reader

I truly believe the learning/memorizing process is different for each person. For example I've been driving my car for more than a year and I still can't remember right away in which side of the car the gas tank is located at. What I do remember is that in every car, there is an arrow on the side of the gauge which indicates where the gas tank is at.

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I think there are lots of factors that can make it easier to remember certain facts. Building associations with existing knowledge helps a lot especially when attaching it to something that triggers emotions. Tying spacial information also is very powerful at least when you can access the information via the spacial association. I recently learned a lot of Kanji vis SRS and tried different techniques to beat the memory curve. For example mind palaces worked incredibly well for remembering a ton of new Kanji in order. However, when they came up out of order I frequently couldn't remember them or only remember where in my mind palaces they belong, but not their meaning. A better structured mind palaces could have probably helped. I think you might be able to remember the arrow in the car because you spend so much more time behind the steering wheel than filling up the car and have a easier time putting the arrow in the context of the controls you look at frequently. It's much easier to connect to existing memory.

Oddly, you may have trouble remembering because you know where to find the answer. Simply put, you remember a more general answer to the same question. It is not that you don't remember at all.

That has scary implications now that Google exists.

Somewhat. And it isn't just Google. Now that you have a cell phone, you are probably not as good at remembering phone numbers as folks were 20 years ago. I know I used to remember some numbers. Now, I barely remember my own.

So, same goes for how can you tell if it will rain soon? Well, used to folks knew some tricks by looking at the sky. Some folks still know them. By and large, everyone else is more accurate by asking their devices.

Want to know how far away something is? There is an amazing trick you can do with your thumb and line of site. If you really want to know, though, get a range finder. :)

And it isn't just memory. Consider how much weaker most people's arms are today than they used to be.

You're ahead of most people then, because I would say the vast majority have no idea that arrow even exists(sometimes it doesn't).

My old 1978 Chrysler Cordoba has it behind the license plate in the back, so you can fill up from either side, and so it doesn't interfere with the lines of the car. I think they stopped doing it because rear-end collisions are so common though :(

I solved that problem by refusing to buy cars where the gas tank is on the other side of the car from me.

You have probably never noticed but most modern cars have a small arrow by the gas dial that points to the side of the car where you fill up.

The parent comment says just that

That is probably because you no longer have to remember that, so you don't.

Same thing when I am driving with someone giving out the directions versus trying to figure out the way myself. If I was given the directions, I'll probably need them again on the way back. If I figured out the path myself I'll be more likely to find my way back.

Yes the arrow is very useful when you are driving a rental.

Talking of rentals it always seems to take me ages how to figure out how to adjust the seat.

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