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Comment by timonoko | Hacker News Reader

Yes I had this list already in 1960's. Because of it I could still remember every year in 1976 when I had a computer in personal use. The list was still around on the first MSDOS-machine 1983, but I cant figure out where it might be hidden in various zipped DOS-directories. It might be even in some handy database format, but unreadable now.

A video camera 1984 solved the remembering problem totally. I know exactly what happened thereafter.

Anyways various archives seem to be more and more important with age, as human physical memory is only 7 years long. Thereafter there are only memories of memories, which often get twisted in the weirdest of ways.

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Now I realized where the list is. It in HP100LX calendar/diary-format somewhere. Most of the wacky diaries of 1990 where written as notes in the calendar, but I printed them out in txt-files and dumped them into Internets. This is the prime example of this format: http://timonoko.github.io/bellabel.html which is almost readable after Google translate.

"Dream of an apartment separated from opera restaurant by a glass wall only" is the first good one..

"...human physical memory is only 7 years long. Thereafter there are only memories of memories, which often get twisted in the weirdest of ways."

I hate to be that guy, but... you have no idea what you're talking about.

All human cells are replaced every 7 years. Known fact. Or was.

OK? Is it my turn to say something irrelevant? Here goes: Elon Musk is worth $200 billion. Known fact. Or was.

That's the average. Some brain cells don't churn as fast (or maybe at all?). The memory-of-a-memory thing isn't on a 7 year scale either, but does happen. I don't remember the exact science, but I do remember the metaphor I came up with (evidence in my favor!).

Remembering something is like pulling a note out of a cabinet. It gets saved from the back, where the papers tend do degrade. Then, it gets put at the front. The trick is, the original note isn't put at the front. A copy is made. So remembering tends to reinforce, but also can change during this lossy copying process.

"Some brain cells don't churn as fast"

None of them "churn".

"The memory-of-a-memory thing"

That "isn't a thing".

"I don't remember the exact science"

You also have no idea what you're talking about.

"I do remember the metaphor I came up with (evidence in my favor!)"

I have no words.

"Remembering something is like pulling a note out of a cabinet."

Not really, no.

"lossy"

Please just stop.

"copying"

Memory is a "copying process"?

Please guys... please just stop.

Jeez it was just a light-hearted comment. I think you can address your doubts about what I wrote with more kindness and less snark.

> None of them "churn".

By churn I mean "lose and hopefully be replaced". That definitely happens. Some brain cells die and are replaced, some live your whole life (or die first)[0].

The cabinet is just a simile for cued recall[1]. More recently learned/recalled items are remembered better (front of the cabinet)[2]. Recalling memories in a different context can change them[3], suggesting recall isn't a "read only" operation.

[0] https://www.livescience.com/33179-does-human-body-replace-ce... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recall_(memory)#Cued_recall [2] https://memory.psych.upenn.edu/files/pubs/KahaMill10.pdf [3] https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is...

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