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Comment by jcims | Hacker News Reader

My memory is generally terrible. One discovery that was alarming, encouraging and disturbing at the same time is that I do appear to have some form of nearly total recall buried in there somewhere.

Unfortunately it only surfaces in one way. If I listen to a podcast while I’m doing something, then listen to that same podcast again within a week or so, I will have regular, intrusive visual recall of exactly what I was doing the last time I heard whatever passage the podcast I was listening to. The recall is synchronized down to the word with the podcast, and is vividly detailed and colorful and includes some sensation of feeling as well.

It’s weird and cool at the same time. One of these days I’d like to do an experiment where I videotape myself listening to the podcast, wait a week, then listen to it again and record myself describing what I see in my mind to test how accurate it is.

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Oh definitely, making one part of the brain work together with the other part will help me remember either of those when I do one ore the other at later time.

For example, I occasionally play Pubg Mobile and while I do it I ikte listening to some podcasts on a topic I do work. When it comes to apply something that I learned from the podcast I will can have a recall on where exactly I was in the game when this particular topic was discussed.

I've noticed a sort of similar thing, though not nearly as vivid as what you describe. What I find is that listening to a song will trigger very specific memories of the place, time and feelings that I was experiencing when I first listened to that song. Or if not the first time I heard a song it will be from when I was listening to it regularly because it was new to me at that time. When this happens it's always especially vivid and compelling memory recall that is unlike any other I've experienced.

That's sort of fascinating- it reminds me of how the ancient romans used to memorize long epic poems etc (walking around and making visual/spatial associations, then recalling their travel to recite it later. I might be butchering that a bit but that's how I understood the method)

I think you might be referring to the Method of loci [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci

I have the same, but notice it more with audiobooks. An entire year can go by and I will get a flash of where I was at a precise moment in the book exactly as you describe.

Something similar was as a teenager: I could remember when/where I learned or first heard a new word. Sadly that ability has been waning.

Reverse it? Watch video and check if you can remember the podcast?

This is cool. Will try it.

I never noticed or attempted to prime it. Just go listen to some episodes that you’ve listened to recently and see what happens. It’s not like rolling a projector when you hit play, it’ll fade in and out most likely.

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