Do PDA's Hurt Our Ability To Remember?

[Ed Hansberry]

Earlier this week I was talking to Jason about some stuff he wanted me to post during the week and I asked him a question about one of the items. He had no clue what I was talking about. :D The sad thing is, I am <i>exactly</i> the same way. I only need to remember some tidbit of info long enough to enter it into my Pocket PC and then I can free up some brain cells to do more important things, like planning a route to Home Depot that will somehow make it convenient for me to pop into a Starbucks, much to the consternation of other family members in the car.<br /><br />What about passwords, credit card numbers and other vital information? HA! That is what <a href="http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.htm">eWallet</a> is for. I used to have several of my credit card and calling card numbers memorized. I only have one of those memorized now because the number hasn't changed in five or six years. Everything else though, I don't even make the effort anymore. What about you?

[csterns]

With all that is being thrown at us these days I don't risk it anymore. As soon as I have a thought, idea, project or whatever, I quick draw my IPAQ and write it down. I have too many things going on at one time to trust I won't forget something. Besides, that's why I got the darn thing to begin with. One place for everything that's easy to find and react to. Then there's all those passwords and user names. No consistency whatsoever that really demands something like ewallet or such.

Bottom line is why would I want to try to clutter my mind up with a bunch of stuff that can all be retrieved from one place - my IPAQ :!:

[dean_shan]

I still remember a lot of things. I just use it to remember contacts, list of songs to download, and the back up for things incase I forget.

[Kati Compton]

Yes. Definitely. As soon as I unload it from my cache (brain) to main memory (PDA), it's gone. ;)

[dcharles18]

Supposedly Einstein did not remember his own telephone number, he said what was the point in wasting brain capacity when he could simply carry it around on a piece of paper in his pocket.

[rmasinag]

I'm one of those ppl bad with bdays..so a PIM is Godsend to me in that department. 8)

Plus...I think memory only comes with repetion. That's why ppl remeber commercials than say...their GF's favorite dog name.

I'm the type where I usually meet a person for the first time, talk to them for 2 hrs. and at the end forget their name because it's been only mentioned in the beginning. So I jot it down quickly in my soon-to-be-replaced H3135. :mrgreen:

[Jeff Rutledge]

I found myself forgetting a lot more once I had started using my iPAQ regularly. I was content with this at first, believing that I was "leaving room for more important things". But I found that I became too reliant on my task list. I think I had lost sight of the forest for the trees (or however that saying goes).

I've changed my strategy a little bit recently in that I am not using my task list primarily for high level tasks and projects that I am responsible for. If I do need to get the detailed tasks down, PI's hierarchal tasks is absolutely perfect (I just wish Outlook supported this). But for the most part I am just tracking the main issues. I can figure out for myself what the next steps are.

Oh yes, I do still enter a lot of specific tasks but mostly if they are further into the future.

So far this has been working a lot better for me. I'm able to spend less time planning my tasks and more time completing them.

[Duncan]

I have a condtion that 'cripples' my memory - particularly short to medium term (though it also affect the way my brain 'files' things into long term memory - so I'm not always very sure whether I'm remembering stuff from last week or five years ago). The invention of the PDA was, therefore a Godsend! Far from harming my ability to remember things my Pocket PCs enable me to keep memories, short term tasks, lists of information etc. in order and to hand - before, attempting to remember things would have been simply a source of frustration - now I have Pocket Informant to tell me what I'm supposed to be doing any time I feel uncertain, Word keeps shopping lists available (and yet flexible) and other software reminds me that the second boy on the right, with the constantly dripping nose, bizzare semi-mohican haircut, sarcastic attitude and a complete disregard for homework deadlines is actually called Jonathan (better than my old method of simply renaming all of my students - including the girls - Fred!).

So - interesting question Ed but the PPC can work the other way round too - as a strengthener of memory! :)

[quidproquo]

All the more reason to back up....back up...back up....

[crispeto]

I'm sorry, what was the question? :oops:

[Will T Smith]

I think that this crowd may be "biased" with respect to this issue. PDAs naturally appeal to people who chronically forget things and need to be reminded. Furthermore, the PDA naturally leads us to record things that we really never would before. In other words, we're trying to record many more things, thus our perspective on what we forget is somewhat more schewed.

In the past, I have found my PDA a lot more reliable than the memories of people around me. Myself, I have a really ****TY memory for numbers. I can often bring up numbers that they don't have a clue about or would resort to calling someone (with a planner over).

The best advice I have is to remember that "conditioning" will imprint even the most obscure facts. Avoid the lure to use speed dials, instead dial numbers manually (that you wish to remember).

[TawnerX]

For some reason, after all this new fangled thing called PDA. Movie plot like 'Memento' just isn't so intriguing anymore.

oh well,

[blusparkles]

I remember before I got my first mobile phone many years ago, I was an absolute whiz at remembering people's phone numbers. Now, thanks to built-in address books on all mobile phones, I don't remember anyone's phone number. Before I used to keep two lists - one on my phone and one on my iPAQ - now that I have an SPV Smartphone, I only have one contacts lists shared throughout all my devices ;)

Serial numbers (hardware and software), PINs, credit card numbers, insurance policies, usernames and passwords and website server details are all safely stowed away in eWallet (again, with a copy on my laptop, iPAQ, SPV and Palm). Reminders to pay bills, birthdays, events and appointments are all safely stowed on my iPAQ in the Outlook databases - there's no way I'd be able to remember all of that. Managing all of my contacts with Pocket Informant is also a godsend - I deal with a lot of PR reps but can never remember who represents what firm - so I just attach a note to each rep saying what firm they represent and then do a search (using PI's excellent search function) whenever I need to find them again. Same for other people also - if I think there's a chance that I'll forget who they are and why I added them to my Contacts in the first place, I'll attach a note as to why I need to remember their details.

Whenever I remember something that I need to do or have any sort of idea, I'll quickly scribble a note (usually using Pocket Informant) to that effect - having to remember a lot of things at once off the top of my head can be pretty stressful, so having my iPAQ close at hand to "back me up" lets me relax, knowing that I haven't forgotten to do something important or missed a deadline.

[yawanag]

Sort of. I realy depend on it for appointments. Beats writing it down on a piece of paper. As for phone numbers, I remember your phone number when I can't remember your name when I see you. Guess I've got a thing with numbers.

I don't rely on any thing as much as I thought I would when I first got my PC. I thought I'd be able to shread all the papers in my file cabinet but boy, was I wrong. After several crashes, I knew I'd better hang on to something.

[Pat Logsdon]

I forget everything, and my Axim doesn't really help with that. It would be nice to use the Task List to its full potential, but I need to remember to put tasks in there. Same for appointments. I'm a bit better about those, but not by much.

The place where my Axim has really helped me out has been with passwords. I must use 20 different passwords at work that change EVERY FREAKIN' MONTH, and I find that I absolutely HAVE to use eWallet to keep them straight. That's the only thing I'll use it consistently for. Otherwise, I'm reading books, watching movies, playing games, writing in TextMaker, etc.

[Orange]

I have a condtion that 'cripples' my memory - particularly short to medium term (though it also affect the way my brain 'files' things into long term memory - so I'm not always very sure whether I'm remembering stuff from last week or five years ago). The invention of the PDA was, therefore a Godsend! Far from harming my ability to remember things my Pocket PCs enable me to keep memories, short term tasks, lists of information etc. in order and to hand...

Quite amazing. Sounds like something straight out of the movie Memento! Now you just need a V36 and you won't even need to carry around a Polaroid camera...

Seriously, I am glad that your PDA has helped you with this condition.

[RHighley]

Aging and lots more info make a memory crutch like a Pocket PC a necessity. Friends of mine who have similarly complex lives but no electronic assistance live their lives as an ongoing train wreck.

[Kiyoshi]

I still have to memorize stuff due to my being a student...... :frusty:

Anyways I don't have too many phone numbers to remember, just a few friends, and they're all stored on my cell phone. There isn't much else I have to remember......ahh wouldn't you adults love to have as little responsibility as I do? :mrgreen:

[rmasinag]

Hey!
I'm a student taking 2 summer classes and working 2 jobs totalling 45 hrs/wk

I don't have a life as a student! :boohoo: Hows is that irresponsible

Anyways, I noticed I get more things done on time thanks to my crusty H3135, than ppl I know than only have a paper planner due to forgetting to look up what they have to do next.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Hey, I got into PDAs *precisely* because I could not remember stuff. On that basis my 'memory' has significantly improved. :idea: :wink:

[Anthony Caruana]

I am currently between PPCs and constantly miss meetings and forget stuff. Like Kati, my brain is just a cache, the "real" memory is my PDA.

[corphack]

Don't worry about the effects of PDAs on memory. The process of diminshing capacity, or reduced utilization, started long ago, way before PDAs. Long before the creation of written languages, most men (if they were to survive long enough to breed) were able to remember so many items, and with so much detail, that the little we manage to retain in long-term memory throughout our lives today, would be comparable to one days' worth back before we communicated and kept written records. eg. the earliest maps we currently know about (and which are not supposed fakes) shows coastline details that could only have been put down on paper in terms of "go this way for so long, then turn, then go that way for so long, etc." Directions, herbal medicines, animal migrations, etc. were all kept in memory and passed down orally. Once we started writing things down, and keeping records, the ability to memorize in great detail started to degrade within the species: it wasn't as necessary once we had a common data storage (paper, clay, rope with knots, etc.) and communications medium. PDAs didn't cause the change, they just enhance and accellerate the process, just as the typewritter increased the amount and frequency with which we stored information on paper and in books. PDAs are just the latest in a long line of inventions for recording and storing information; they're this generation's version of pressing cuniform symbols in clay tablets, although the clay probably didn't cost the Summarian equivalent of $700 USD. You can't really blame PDAs for failing memories; PDAs are a recent form of our minds' equivalent of SD & CF RAM cards: the facts, thoughts, and ideas we once stored in our heads are just stored on external media now. Your inability to retain memories is an indication of an evolved mind.

[Thinkingmandavid]

It was hard for me to remember everything, so I started using a day planner. Acually, I started using it to get control of my own life. It is the Franklin Covey system. After a few years, I went to an IBM 3c/C3, but it was hard to apply the same system on that. So it became good for contacts, lits, games, light:) I also bought a REvo pLus and that was much much better. In addition to above, i used it for word and excel files, and a little day planning, but it just wasnt the same as writing it down and seeing the entire month view on paper. So my day planning suffered. Now i am in the market for another pda, just waiting for something that is cost effective for me:) I have found it is better to not have to remember it if you put it in your pda, so you arent worrying, stressing, and not having to remind yourself on a regular daily basis. As was stated above, back up! back up! back up! This ensures I have it even if it is lost from my pda.

[ctmagnus]

iPaq 5550 (which isn't shipping til August 31! Argh!) will be called Brain or similar. :wink:

[149125198]

Ed your wonderful discussion topic finally made me register for PPC Thoughts and now I am proud member of this community (not completely yet...not yet paid subscriber)

Well talking on the subject, I have been contending this with my father on this subject since I was a kid. Back in my country digital diaries (like Casio, Sharp) were ammenity and using them for telephone numbers, passwords, bank account numbers, CC numbers was a matter of shame.

I myself had hundreds of family friend's phone numbers, and my sister and me were small phone book.

I still contend that PDAs should not be used for storing important information such as CC #, passwords etc, and by doing this we are being dependent on the machine 8)

PDAs should be back up and not the fallback machines

[Cypher]

Actually, my memory was rancid to begin with far before I had a Pocket PC as an alleged crutch. I think the reason people seek out day planners and PDAs is that they realize that their wetware isn't up to the task. I suppose you could make a case that PDAs allow you the luxury of not having to work at remembering bits of information but that's similar to the argument that glasses allow you the luxury of not straining your eyes.

I do, occasionally make the joke that, like a dinosaur, I need two brains to function. One just happens to reside in my pocket when I'm not using it.

[MoelBrain]

One of the biggest reasons for me getting a PDA is that I cannot remember things, at least not when I need to. I spent 50ish more dollars than I would on a watch only because I could store phone numbers on it.

[Brad Adrian]

I have a condtion that 'cripples' my memory - particularly short to medium term...
I've ALWAYS been bad with names, numbers, dates and so on and have struggled with it and been ridiculed for it all my life. However, I recently had some testing done and found out that I have a pretty advanced form of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). I've been able to figure out some simple ways to use my Pocket PC to help me with some of the challenges of ADD and am writing an article about it for this site. If you happen to personally use your Pocket PC to overcome the challenges of ADD and want to share your thoughts with me about it, just drop me an e-mail at "brad at pocketpcthoughts dot com."

[ctmagnus]

like a dinosaur, I need two brains to function.

Dinosaurs had two brains? :confused totally:

[Janak Parekh]

I've got to throw my vote in with "now I can remember more". I still remember the things I used to, although with age I can notice I'm not quite as sharp as I used to be. I use my PDA, however, for stuff I used to forget all the time -- especially to-dos. I can't count the number of times I used to completely forget things. That rarely happens nowadays. Of course, it means my task list has over 100 items... :cry:

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

Ed your wonderful discussion topic finally made me register for PPC Thoughts and now I am proud member of this community (not completely yet...not yet paid subscriber)
Welcome! :way to go:
I still contend that PDAs should not be used for storing important information such as CC #, passwords etc, and by doing this we are being dependent on the machine 8)

PDAs should be back up and not the fallback machines
Yeah, I tend to agree. However, I've already started down this path and giving up my PDA to reverse course is not an option. I use it for too many other things besides data storage. Maybe I'll memorize another credit card number. :D

[Brad Adrian]

Dinosaurs had two brains? :confused totally:
Some scientists contend that some dinosaurs had a brain in the cranial region and another bundle of nerve ganglia that served as a local "brain" in the tail region.

[Ed Hansberry]

like a dinosaur, I need two brains to function.

Dinosaurs had two brains? :confused totally:
It was once thought that a stegosaurus did, but not anymore. Scientists. Can't trust 'em. Can't shoot 'em. :wink:

[ctmagnus]

Some scientists contend that some dinosaurs had a brain in the cranial region and another bundle of nerve ganglia that served as a local "brain" in the tail region.

Interesting. However, if I had two brains I'd need four arms to manipulate two Pocket PCs. :wink:

[Howard2k]

I don't think it's had any effect on my memory at all. But it HAS had a noticeable effect on my work habits and personal organisation. Dramatic improvement. To the point where without my PDA I'd probably wander around work in a daze. ok, not that bad but a serious productivity booster. For fun once I actually amortized the cost of my old EM-500 over it's life and it was a real bargain.

Memory loss? No
Productivity boost? Yes

But - having said that I DO believe that computers have had a negative effect on my spelling.

[hiroProtagonist]

I remember appointments/tasks much better because of the constant reminder... As long as i remember to type 'em into the ppc ;-)

I just found out that if you keep all your software registration codes in FlexWallet. You should keep your FlexWallet reg. code elsewhere. (I rebuilt from a hard reset about a month ago, and neglected to re-enter the code...quite a quandry :oops: )

[Ed Hansberry]

I just found out that if you keep all your software registration codes in FlexWallet. You should keep your FlexWallet reg. code elsewhere. (I rebuilt from a hard reset about a month ago, and neglected to re-enter the code...quite a quandry :oops: )
Ouch! eWallet will let you in with no registration code, it just won't let you save with 128 bit encryption.

[Ichabod]

:twisted: If it wasn't for my pocketpc, I'd forget my anniversity! :twisted:

[NeverEnoughMan]

I am not making this up. The name for my PDA is "Brain".

When someone asks for information, I usually respond "let me pick my Brain". I could be the only one who thinks this is cool.

[Tierran]

Personally, I think Coca Cola is much better than Pepsi. How did this thread get so off topic?

[ctmagnus]

I just found out that if you keep all your software registration codes in FlexWallet. You should keep your FlexWallet reg. code elsewhere. (I rebuilt from a hard reset about a month ago, and neglected to re-enter the code...quite a quandry :oops: )

heh heh... I keep that one in a standard Outlook note. That way, when I resynch after a hard-reset, I can access the registration code that lets me access all my other registration codes. No remembrance necessary!

[Jonathon Watkins]

Personally, I think Coca Cola is much better than Pepsi.

:huh: Pardon? Which thread were you reading? Surely not this one? :confused totally:

How did this thread get so off topic?

Umm, you posted here? :lol:

[Tierran]

I've been told that my humor is above most people, so don't feel too bad :splat: ;)

What's this story about again? Then read my post again...its a joke :jester: :way to go: :rotfl:

[ctmagnus]

Scary thing is, I've seen plenty of posts like that one. Not just on these forums either. So it appears to be not specifically a PDA-related thing.

[Steven Cedrone]

Ummm, guys...

Can we get back on topic...

Thanks,

Steven Cedrone
Community Moderator

[ctmagnus]

What topic? We all use PDAs here so we can never remember what the topic is! :mrgreen:

[Duncan]

I've been told that my humor is above most people,

They were humouring you...

[hollis_f]

I am not making this up. The name for my PDA is "Brain".

When someone asks for information, I usually respond "let me pick my Brain". I could be the only one who thinks this is cool.
You're not the only one that does that. I call mine 'My Brain' as well. As I've progressed from one machine to another I've named them (for ActiveStink purposes) - Brain, NewBrain, MegaBrain, UltraBrain.

It's quite common for people to say to me in meetings - "Frank, you have that info in your Brain, don't you?" Which causes some strange looks from people that don't know me.

[hiroProtagonist]

I just found out that if you keep all your software registration codes in FlexWallet. You should keep your FlexWallet reg. code elsewhere. (I rebuilt from a hard reset about a month ago, and neglected to re-enter the code...quite a quandry :oops: )
Ouch! eWallet will let you in with no registration code, it just won't let you save with 128 bit encryption.

I'm not sure, but I think Flex Wallet allowed me to access my data for thirty days, during which I should have added "Enter reg. code into Flex Wallet" into my todo list. :wink:

Luckily, I still had the e-mail in which the code was sent to me.