How to remember where you parked
Dude, Where’s my Car? This happens to me a lot. I park somewhere and then totally forget where. One time, many years ago, my car was stolen and I didn’t realise for several days because I just assumed I’d parked it somewhere really out of the way.
Anyhow, I have found a great solution: my cell phone camera. I always have my phone (an Orange C600) with me and I just take a quick snap of where my car is - something that will remind me, like a streetname or a familiar landmark. Next time I’m looking for the car, all I have to do is look in the gallery and the most recent picture will show me where it is. I can also email the picture to my PC for extra reminderage.
Technorati Tags: car, parking, memory, absent-minded professor
Robert wrote:
Reminderage????! Where’s Mr Bush? Is he a ghost writer here now! Haahaa.
Good idea. Why didn’t you post this on Friday night? I lost my car at the Newbury Show car park. I walked around for ages convinced that I’d parked near the large tree. Then I recalled it was last year’s parking spot.
I eventually found it parked where I intentionaly parked it next to a multi-coloured Toyota LDV. How could I forget those horrendous colours in Row 12?
I did. But your idea could have saved me a lot of time in parking spot searching!
Great idea
PS: what if I arrive at night. My phones’ flash is as powerful as an Electric Neon fish’s glow! Hopeless.
PPS: Reminderage?! Where did this word spring from? Where’s President Bush? Is he a ghost writer here now! Haahaa.
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 12:32 pm | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
Night time is a slight draw back but you can photograph a familiar street lamp or sign. I live in London so most everything is neon-lit anyway.
I made the word Reminderage up. It would be fun being someone’s speechwriter but I wouldn’t pick George Bush.
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 12:38 pm | Permalink
Jude wrote:
I can always remember where I park because I park farther away than I have to. By parking a little out of the way–say a block farther away than I need to, or on the edge of a parking lot–I get more exercise and I can always remember where my car is. I’m not sure why, but it works.
For some reason, I don’t mind “reminderage.” That’s probably because I’m always sticking “age” on the end of words where it doesn’t belong.
You’re such a technophile, though. I’m with it when it comes to computers, but I’ve only used a cell phone once, and then I couldn’t figure out what to do when the call was over, so I walked it back to the person who lent it to me. Cell phones are my only Ludditism (did I just make up *that* word?)
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 1:23 pm | Permalink
Robert wrote:
Ludditage?
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 2:09 pm | Permalink
Graham Chastney wrote:
Sounds like a great idea - but it makes me worry about your memory.
I’m interested to know though, how often you actually need to look at the picture after you have taken it. Or is taking the time to take the picture enough to make it memorable.
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
I’m increasingly in the absent-minded professor category. I have a good memory for things to do with aviation and food but a bad memory for the day to day trivialities of life. Indeed, why should I bother to remember where my car is parked 365 days a year when my phone can do it for me.
When I go flying, I get lots of instructions from air traffic control: heights, headings, clearances etc. I try to dial them straight into the autopilot or write them down immediately so that I don’t rely on my memory for ANYTHING. This seems easier and safer.
In answer to your other question. Taking the picture makes it memorable BUT this may stop working after I’ve done it a thousand times.
Posted on 18-Sep-06 at 3:11 pm | Permalink
Finally, a reason to get a camera phone « Suz at Large wrote:
[...] Over at bad language, Matthew tells us that he uses his picture-taking cell phone to help him remember where he’s parked his car. [...]
Posted on 19-Sep-06 at 12:15 pm | Permalink