First off - Yesterday's winner of a copy of Diane Kelly's FOUR ALARM HOMICIDE is Julie Bush! Congratulations, Julie! Contact Diane via her website contact link: https://www.dianekelly.com/contact/
HALLIE EPHRON: Dual factor identification is a scourge. You type in your user name and password and instead of opening sesame, back comes a message that you’re about to receive a text with a security code.
Now this security code is often 6 characters long, sometimes more, and it appears on your screen (heaven help you if it’s a cell phone screen because you have to know how to switch around among your apps) for about 4 seconds. Barely long enough to scratch an itch. Definitely not long enough for me to memorize a 6-8 digit code.
But, I’ve discovered that if I say the number (out loud) when it flashes, it seeds itself in my brain long enough that I can type it into the waiting prompt.
I was pleased to see similar advice in a New York Times review (“A Neurologist’s Tips to Protect Your Memory” ) of a book (“The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind,”) by neurologist Dr. Richard Restak.
Memory decline, according to Dr. Restake, is not inevitable.
The review praises the book’s abundance of tips to protect your memory. These include VISUALIZE. For instance, when you meet someone new and want to remember their name, visualize it.
I once met a doctor named Gabriel something. I can’t remember his last name but his first name pops right into my head because when I was introduced to him, I visualized him as an angel wearing a doctor’s head mirror.
I've used a similar strategy to remember a shopping list. Suppose I need to buy hamburger, toilet paper, milk, a cucumber, and raspberry soda. I imagine them in band of colors: two reds, two whites, and a green. Easier to hold that picture in my brain rather than the list itself.
Another piece of advice: Turn off your GPS. I can testify to the way relying on it to get me everywhere has clouded the maps in brain.
My favorite of his advice (I'm not making this up): read novels!
Dr. Restak claims that when people begin to have memory difficulties, they switch to reading nonfiction. Reading a novel keeps your brain agile -- you have to keep track of the characters, plot lines, and most especially with MYSTERY novels, there are the clues red herrings that often start dropping in Chapter 1 and don’t get resolved until the end.
So I hope I've given you more incentive to buy more mystery novels. What are your strategies for keeping your memory sharp and remembering those 8-digit codes?
I agree, Hallie, those codes are a pain, but I keep telling myself it's supposed to make me safer online [I certainly hope that it does] . . . .
ReplyDeleteKeeping my memory sharp? I keep active and do things like reading and crossword puzzles that are supposed to be good for memory [and no GPS!] . . . .
Count me in for crossword puzzles, too. And playing bridge. Particularly good for concentrating.
DeleteSince we are with two of our children on a family vacation we have had lots of conversations about old times (they are now 36 and 39). And I am realizing I have one of the best memories of the group, at least for events, family connections, word meanings, and weird factoids like Latin names of plants.
ReplyDeleteWhat to attribute this to ... Reading thousands of books? Staying on top of world events? Genetics? My mom also has a phenomenal memory, even at 94. Or is it the constant mental challenging via daily word/logic puzzles, or being curious about learning new things? Or maybe because I eat dark chocolate every day, yeah, that's probably it!
Just don't ask me the names of the presidents, in order or not, or the capital cities of the world, or any other dry fact that is easier to just look up.
By the way, we are in Warsaw now, which is a beautiful city. Meeting Steve's distant Polish relatives for the first time later today! I have to keep all the antecedents in mind for him, because he simply cannot picture the family tree. He can remember every bird in North America, though, and their calls and songs, plus arcane facts about rocks, the universe, clouds, the habits of any number of animals, and a lot of other oddball data. Memory is fascinating.
DeleteIt is fascinating and scary! What a wonderful adventure to meeting Steve's relatives! You can write a blog about it for us:)
DeleteSo encouraging to hear that your 94 year old mother is doing so well, Karen - Warsaw!!! Sigh... (YES on the dark chocolate.)
DeleteCool, enjoy your time in Warsaw. The last time I was there was in the mid1980s. There was still an Iron Curtain for the Eastern European countries. Visiting East Germany, Poland & Hungary back then was an eye-opener for this naive 22-year old Canadian solo traveler.
DeleteHallie, I love the two reds, two whites, and a green for your shopping list! Alas, I don't think I've ever only needed five items at the store. Names? Sometimes, I'm really good at connecting a name with a face, but most of the time, I recognize the face but can't pull up the name to save my life. This is particularly embarrassing at book signings.
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to admit, I rely too much on my Google Maps app.
I used to be so good at names, but not now. Especially since we spend half year in Key West and half in CT. That means we are constantly scrambling for names we haven't used in a while.
DeleteAnnette, I confess the color coding only works when you're on the way home and realize OOPS you need to go to the market for "a few things" and haven't got the wherewithal to write a list. But it also helps you still remember what you thought to get when you're home and making your shopping list.
DeleteMy father was a mayor of a small town, and also the main grocer. He knew many, many people and was very good at remembering each and everyone of them. In later life when I was travelling with him (usually to funerals), he would often ask "who is this?" Since more often than not I had no idea we would just nod and make small talk. Fooled us every time! However one time, he met a man in the airport in Toronto, who he could not put a name on. He went up to him, shock his hand, mumbled a bit and we moved on. As usual he asked me afterwards who he was. It took a while before we realized he was a tv reporter with CBC television - Oops!
DeleteInteresting post, Hallie! As I age I think about this more and more. My mind has always been highly selective about what it stores. It has become a family joke. At her first dentist appointment, the doctor asked my three-year-old, "Does your mother floss your teeth every day?" Lucy answered solemnly, "My mommy has a bad remembory." I have two sisters who remember everything about our childhood. My younger sister will tell me who was in my class at school, etc. When I was much younger a therapist suggested that throughout my childhood I had been too happily reading to pay attention to real life. This made sense to me. I recall being comforted by a line in a piece on this subject by Anna Quindlen. She said she depended on her sister to recall everything about their shared childhood, whereas "I remember she is my sister."
ReplyDeleteI learned in college, when I realized I could hear songs 50 times without learning them but if I read the lyrics once they were organized in my brain, that I don't have a good auditory memory.
Then having a child with a learning disability prompted me to learn more about the brain and how it stores information. Though I would never qualify as having a disability, I have problems with RETRIEVAL. I have the information but it's often "on the tip of my tongue." I have had this issue since I was young. I have always written with a thesaurus. I KNOW the word I want, I just can't RETRIEVE it. A bit like the arcade game, trying to pick up the stuffed animal with the claw. However, using a thesaurus to look up a related word, I easily find the word I am seeking. Thus unlike my sisters I'm not much good at games like Trivial Pursuit where you need to pull up answers under pressure. I KNOW the names of the Bronte sisters, but don't ask me to tell you with a clock ticking!
Understanding some of the different ways that memory works made me a better teacher. (Selden)
that is fascinating Selden! I love the Anna Quindlen quote.
DeleteAgreed - absolutely fascinating! Your ability to remember lyrics you've read but not only heard - makes complete sense to me. My husband was an entirely visual learner -- he could NOT remember directions if I told him where to go... I had to draw a map.
DeleteMe, too, Hallie! Draw me a map! Do not ask GPS to tell me where to turn, etc., when I'm the driver. All it creates is distraction--trying to listen, trying to watch the road, trying to read signs.
DeleteI say the number out loud too, Hallie. When I'm on my laptop, it won't let me copy and paste it in, but saying it out loud works. Repeating a person's name several times when I meet them can help me remember it later.
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting about nonfiction vs novels. I only read nonfiction for book research and in the New Yorker. Otherwise it's novels all the way. We always have several NYT crossword puzzles going at home, with Hugh and I swapping them back and forth when we get stumped.
I have a good memory for places, but the GPS is invaluable for getting somewhere I've never been, especially when I'm driving alone when it's hard to check the paper map.
Plus maps give you the big picture, not only the little screen...
DeleteYes, going to a library In a town I've never been to (and getting home) requires GPS. And I'm so grateful to have it. I just have to remember to have it set for driving ( as opposed to walking or bicycling...)
DeleteI don't know how I ever managed before GPS - well actually I got lost A LOT!
DeleteI love GPS and use it all the time - not just for directions but for how long it will take time wise to get where I'm going, what is the best route to take, what the traffic is like, and if I am out of town and need to know where gas stations, etc are it helps.
I like GPS for the reasons mentioned, but I do prefer a paper map because I like to see the full picture. GPS tells me where to turn and how many miles, but it doesn't tell me where I actually am.
DeleteI say the number out loud too, Hallie and Edith.
ReplyDeleteLast year, as I was worried about this subject, I passed a cognitive test that reassured me on my cognitive wealth. It seems that my little missed memories are normal.
I’m glad to learn that all the novels I read can help me in the long term. Idem with playing Scrabble.
And I don’t have a GPS and I take different roads on occasion because it is supposed to be a good exercice for the brain.
Danielle
Your cognitive wealth--love that!
DeleteMy friend who's a neuropsychologist calls it "benign senescent forgetfulness" - In other words, aging.
DeleteGreat topic! I was wondering recently if it was hurting my memory my relying on my phone to remember everyone’s phone numbers. I used to know so many! Now I know only a handful.
ReplyDeleteIt's a losing battle... compounded by the fact that so many of us have ditched our landlines.
DeleteI'm a visual learner, too. If I forget my grocery or errand list, I visualize the written list--sometimes works, sometimes doesn't--depending on how long the list was. Plus counting how many items on the list--works for a short list. What was that 5th item I needed? And I'm so with you on two-factor identifications--please don't try to make me do it on my phone! I don't do it often enough to remember how to get from A to B and back to A without losing A in the process. I'm terrible with names if I'm really stressed at the time. But on the upside, I do read lots of fiction and do daily mental challenges.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! You remember the ORDER of the items. Wow.
DeleteVisual learner here. I don't have a GPS and am happy with my dumb phone so I have to be aware of my surroundings. When going to a new location I have to see the map as well as read the directions. As long as I know the basic street orientation I can usually get there safely. I'm awful with names and have resorted to muttering a person's name over and over in hopes I will carve it into my brain. I'm decent with numbers and have no trouble remembering my 14-digit library card number. I wonder if that comes from pre-cell phone days when we had to memorize a friend's number or look it up in our address books? I read several books a week, fiction and non-fiction, heavily weighted towards mystery, thrillers and adventure with doses of fantasy to expand my imagination. I hate two-factor recognition. Could be my age factoring in on some of this. I bet if I was a sweet young thing this would be a piece of cake. Victoria
ReplyDeleteRemember when we could call directory assistance and get an actual person and ask for a person's phone number.
DeleteYes! Sometimes even an address was provided...free of charge. Of course, I also remember party lines, rotary phones with long phone cords so you could get away from noisy ears.
DeleteI've read that regular exercise is important for keeping the brain sharp, so that's my number one strategy. The double verification codes aren't too hard for me (I think they are mostly 6 digits) partly because I had to retain so many numbers in my brain for short periods of time in my work at 9-1-1. Saying the numbers out loud helps. At the grocery store I remember how many ingredients I need for what I'm going to make, and I can usually come up with all of them. I like the idea of using colors! It's nice to know that reading fiction helps. Sometimes I read too quickly and then I have trouble remembering who all the characters are and the plot points. I gave up with George R.R, Martin's books (the remembering, not the reading) and just enjoyed the current characters and plot lines because I couldn't keep it all in my head over the course of 5 big books.
ReplyDeleteMy two factor authentication comes through as a text message which stays on my phone. It doesn't disappear. I have basic recipes memorized so I can recall the list of ingredients at the store. I only use GPS in unfamiliar surroundings, backed up by a road map. On a trip to Nashville, traffic on the southbound interstate was at a standstill. It was daylight, we had almost a full tank, so we turned off at the next exit, turned on the GPS, and had a delightful drive through farmland for an hour, emerging two exits south of where we had pulled off. An adventure into the unknown.
ReplyDeleteMargret, my two factor also comes through as a message that stays on my device. So I was puzzled by the “nanosecond” from Hallie. Of course, being a bit of a Luddite and very suspicious character, I only access two factor sites from home wifi. So much of a Luddite I turn the sound of phone, message received off when I’m out and about. It may also be my feeling “if it is that important, you’ll call back.” Older and crotcheter” by the minute. But still smiling. Elisabeth
DeleteYES, gps is a godsend when you find yourself in an unexpected situation... like the traffic gets routed off the highway because of an accident. I confess I do keep my gps running but most of the time I ignore it... until I need it.
DeleteI too, hate those confirmation things that they send you. My bank is good and sends it quickly – to my email address. It is only time dependent on the speed of the internet connection, and whether I get side tracked! Many have expired because I was doing too many things in my brain before I plugged in the number.
ReplyDeleteThen there is Apple… I had to get a new (used) ipod to listen to my books. They insisted on texting me because in someone’s wisdom they did not recognize my email address. They tried texting the land line – well that doesn’t work of course. So, they texted the cell phone, and like you, I could not remember the 6 numbers on the phone, and then revisualize the screen on the ipod to plug it in. Where is a kid when you need them?
As for the shopping list (or a conversation that has important items in it that I need to discuss), I number them I n my head. Three is the memory capacity and over that you need a pen and paper, but it helps if you just need 3 items at the store – 1 - milk, 2 – apples, 3 - toothpaste. When you get to the cash, there should be 3 items (and only 3 items – talk about easy way to over spending!). The same with a conversation – three topics that need to be brought up.
Now back to reading – it is Wednesday, and the new books come out on Tuesday. They show up in the library on Wednesday, so I am off (virtually) to make some holds.
Numbering your shopping list - brilliant. Like leaving breadcrumbs.
DeleteWonderful topic Hallie. I knew that a fading memory was part of the aging process; not sure about the medical lingo using the word "benign" ~~nothing gentle or kind about not knowing what I 'should' know. I am writing things down, relying on my daughter who was with me to remember. As far as this years beefed security I cut and paste the 6 numbers or break them into sections of 3. I still use numerical patterns to help too. The code 1432 = one and then 4 -2 in descending order. On the other hand 3521 are multiples of 7. ps now you know how to get into the Ed building and into the library on my meditation center. ~~unless I have forgotten ....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/well/mind/super-agers-study.html serendipity !?!
DeleteSometimes I visualize the old phone push buttons - 3 rows of 3 plus 0... and remember the pattern it I were to punch in a specific number.
DeleteWhen my son was young (maybe 6 or 7?) he mixed up the words serene and senile. Heaven knows what we might have been talking about! Now that we're both considerably older, it's become a bit of a joke, with him asking me if I'm having a serene moment!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! That's so sweet! And apt, as well.
DeleteHALLIE: Great topic today! I never trust myself to remember the shopping list! I always bring a handwritten shopping list or a photo of the shopping list on my smartphone.
ReplyDeleteWhat are my strategies for remembering things? No idea. I do read many mystery novels.
Diana
I'm big on lists too... problem is I can't always remember where I put them.
DeleteNot sure if this will help. This system works for me. I write the list and. always put it in my shirt pocket right before I go out to shop for groceries. I look through the pantry and inside the refrigerator to see what are needed while writing the list.
DeleteDiana
I'm here on the Outer Banks of N.C. making memories to hold on to. The ocean is so cold my feet hurt when I waded in. Hurt! I found years ago I need to write things down. Having a bit of ADD I may remember the first items on a list but then my attention wanders. If reading novels is a way to combat memory loss, I should be ahead of the curve!
ReplyDeleteIf reading novels helps, we're ALL way ahead!
DeleteOne strategy I use that helps me remember names is to go through the alphabet in order saying the letters by name A-Z.
ReplyDeleteOften just hearing the letter will spark the name of the person I'm trying to remember.
I love the strategy Hallie mentioned of grouping things by color. That is such a great idea and I wish I had known about it when I was teaching middle school.
I try using the alphabet also, but usually come up with a letter that I’m sure is the right one and find out I’m not even close. I find that if I just go on to something else, what I am trying to remember will suddenly pop up in my brain.
DeleteI run through the alphabet, too. And then, usually I can remember the first letter and I add letters on until I find the one that sounds right.
DeleteIf you can get the codes texted to you, at least they don't disappear - you just have to have your phone nearby. But at least if you are an Apple aficionado (and using the Safari browser), it will auto-populate the code into the field. Apple even introduced a setting on the iPhone to automatically delete texts with codes after use (which I love because I'm forever cleaning up my text history and deleting them).
ReplyDeleteTricks to remember? Sometimes I can make a connection that helps, but often I just give up. Shopping lists are a must!
AUTOPOPULATE! Going to look it up right now.
DeleteI have always had an excellent memory and people I know, both friends and colleagues always come to me when they are trying to remember someone from the past who we both knew.
ReplyDeleteMy mother who also had a good memory would get frustrated when, in her nineties, did not remember some arcane bit of knowledge such as a name and felt it to be a sign that her memory was slipping. I would tell her that if she forgot my name then I would be concerned.
I am now at an age when my dr feels obligated to do a memory test when I have my annual check up.
He has given me three words to remember and he then says he will ask me for them when we are back in his office.
We go back to his office and discuss the exam. Invariably, I have to remind him that he has forgotten to ask me for the three words. This has happened every year since he has been doing the test. Last time, I told him not to bother with the test since he never remembers to ask me to recall the words. He is more than twenty years younger than I am.
Ha ha ha: "Invariably, I have to remind him that he has forgotten to ask me for the three words."
DeleteI had to laugh at Selden's statement that her sister does all the family remembering; it's the same with me and my sister, who is two years younger than I am. If I can't remember some event she and I experienced---or even something taking place during our childhood that happened only to me!---I ask my sister for the details, and she always knows! As for my husband, we have different memory skills. He is a numbers person and easily remembers addresses, birthdays, and phone numbers. He's also good at picturing and remembering places we've been during our 36 years of marriage. I remember the names of most of the kids in the neighborhood (and there are a lot of them; we live across the street from a playground) and the plots of books and movies we've both read or seen. Clearly, we each remember what's most important to us!
ReplyDeleteSo true! After my husband and I would go to a party, he'd remember the food and I'd remember what was on the walls. Neither of us could remember what anyone said.
DeleteCodes, numeric or letters, I remember by saying them out loud. And visualizing them. Works for me.
ReplyDeleteIf reading is the answer to remaining mentally alert, I’ve got no worries! I chew threw 3-4 books a week, fast reader skills on high alert. The absolute number one advance in technology for me in the past 20 years is the e reader. I’m completely devoted to my Kindle Oasis, yes, the pricey one. I’ve owned almost every iteration since the very first one on the market. Which was also pricey. The only thing that keeps me out of the poorhouse is the ability to check out a sample before buying. And a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
I’ve tried using the public library but find it inconvenient. I require instant gratification and do poorly when I have to get in line!
I have thousands of books in my cloud, and I frequently reread favorites. After a few years I can’t remember whodunnit anyway.
So if reading novels helps, I’m overdosing!
I am in awe, Ann.
DeleteI had dual factor ID. I have it for four different place for work, including my daily log in. Usually, I'm on my laptop and get the code on my phone, so I don't have to try to remember it. As an accountant, I'm horrible at remembering numbers.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are - otherwise your brain would seize up.
DeleteI think that Google and other technology has made us lazy in trying to retain certain information such as geographical locations or numbers. We know we can just look something up or program into some sort of device. We don’t need to remember phone numbers any longer because we can just press a button and the number is dialed. I still remember phone numbers of relatives who are no longer around. Even though I have never liked working with numbers, I have an affinity for remembering bank account numbers, library card number and others without doing it deliberately.
ReplyDeleteHow many of you know your social security number without looking it up?
I DO I DO! And I still remember our phone number from when I was in elementary school: Crestview 57146 - but I have no idea how you dialed it. Were there area codes??
DeleteMaybe you didn’t dial it at all. Just asked “Central” when the operator answered for the number. Yes, I remember using the phone before dialing was universal. Elisabeth
DeleteUPtown 3-2768. And no, area codes came later.
DeleteAnon, count me as one who can recite my SSN on command, as well as my spouse’s and, sometimes, my kid’s. No, I won’t demonstrate that “prowess” online! Way back when I was in college, my school used our SSN as our school ID so it was drummed into my thick skull. Now ask me to remember a name or a word while trying to have an intelligent conversation and I fall flat. My husband is always trying to guess what word I’m stuck on which only serves to further distract me from the elusive word. My mother was like that and later was diagnosed with Parkinson’s (which, at the time her neurologist said was not genetic; I hope it still isn’t) so I do worry.
ReplyDeleteI believe that, aside from people’s names, we remember the things that interest us. I can recall whole cast albums of Broadway shows, but can’t keep straight the names of two different streets near my house. (I do read almost exclusively fiction and do crossword puzzles daily. So who knows?) — Pat S
I do remember the plays I've seen, too... and the music from the musicals. The lyrics? 50-50.
DeleteInteresting, Hallie! I usually get the codes by text, so they stay on my phone, but I realize that I don't usually have to look at them more than once. So I guess that's good visual memory? As for shopping lists, I'm the only person in the world I think who still makes one on paper, but if I forget it, I can see the list. And it's organized according to where things are in the store, so that's backup.
ReplyDeleteBut past memory is a different thing entirely. My long term recall has never been great. My oldest friend (as in we've been friends longest, since third grade) remembers so much more detail from our childhoods than I do. It's very weird. I wonder if some of that is genetic.
I organize my shopping list by where things are in the store, too... Veggies to ice cream.
DeleteThis is wonderful! Two factor verification - no problem - and no, I don't remember the numbers, don't even try. If the second factor is on my laptop - I simply check texts on my phone and copy it off. If my second factor is on my phone, I press and hold the numbers until it tells me that it's copied to the clipboard. Then reverse the process on the verification form. In the spirit of full disclosure - I stink at cell phone competency. By the time I've opened my messages and copied the code, I've usually cancelled out of the app with the verification form in switching to messages. Oh well......
ReplyDeleteI do the same...
DeleteOh I so agree! I say them out loud, too. And I always think about how someone must have calculated how many numbers would be easy enough to remember---six is certainly doable, and we can all remember 7, like a phone number.
ReplyDeleteAs for lists, I remember them by the first letter: Milk, eggs, bread, cereal, that's MEBC, four things. And if it can be a word, that's even easier.
I remember hotel room numbers by making them mean something. "342," I'll say, "there are three of us here 4 two nights." Even if it's not true, making a story works. It just has to mean something.
Remembering correct hotel room numbers must have been a challenge during your OWW book tour, Hank!
DeleteOh, but careful--iI memorized our neighbor's alarm code by the letters of the numbers on the phone pad. For example, (not the real code), 2583 would be BLUE. Easy!
ReplyDeleteBut one day, when they weren't home and their alarm went off, I ran over, ready to type in BLUE--and the alarm pad did NOT have letters!
Luckily I had my phone, and had to figure it out while the alarm blared and the police arrived.
THANK YOU, M!
ReplyDeleteUgh, I am finding using 2FA (2 factor authentication) is a PITA while traveling in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteI am using a generous 14-day tourist esim on my Samsung Galaxy 23FE phone. I get 100 GB of 4G data on Singapore's and unlimited use of FB and WhatsApp. The latter is a critical app to communicate with friends or businesses in Asia.
The catch to this access is Singtel gives me a temporary local number.
So my Toronto cell number is disabled. That's a problem when you need the 6 digit code to verify login to your accounts or use your credit card for online transactions.
Canada's VIA train system was offering an extended seat sale until May 2. I am in Singapore until May 5.
So I tried to buy a train ticket from Ottawa to Montreal. Regular price is $64, sale price is $39. But when I put in my payment info and clicked to send, VIA sent a 2FA code to confirm my VISA credit card transaction. So annoying since I can't get the number.
I cancelled the transaction & tried to book again my with AMEX.
But I had to remember my AMEX account number, expiry date & CVC.
Well, I actually did remember & typed in the 15 digit account number & other numbers.
Success! But I tell younI had my doubts that I could bring up those numbers from my memory.
There are days I can barely remember my own name never mind that of a newly introduced person. Dogs, I can remember, tho. So, I may not know your name, but I'll always know your dog's name. LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh Hallie my brain must work in very different ways. I immediately started wondering if I could get mystery novels as a drs prescription for brain health. Can you imagine counting books as a medical expense deduction on taxes? The joy.
ReplyDeleteOh! I struggle with remembering book titles! I can recall characters and plots and even dog's names (especially dog's names!), but titles escape me. So I spend a lot of time wondering "which book was it when Gemma and Duncan did this or that? Did I read that one?" I wish I had started logging read books a long time ago. It would be a monumental exercise to start logging previously-read titles now!
ReplyDelete