That is a good reference for learning long things verbatim, which is certainly needed on occasion. However, most of the time I end up using, consciously or unconsciously, other systems. When I was a teenager I had the fortune of inheriting my Aunt's book collection. Some of the books were rather odd, but one stuck out and has served me immensely ever since. I spent my time in school studying 1/4th or less of what others did.
Buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Book-Classi...emory+book
It's the updated version of what I had, so I can't vouch for this specific e-book update, but as long as they didn't destroy the text of what I had (from the 80's?) it is a pretty incredible find.
The book is presented in a discussion style between the two authors who both independently had developed their own memory systems before researching the systems of the past. Jerry Lucas (yes, the Basketball Great, Jerry Lucas) had a practice of spelling words alphabetically and in doing so he could spell them correctly. I wonder if he ever used that system while playing "HORSE," oops, I mean playing "EHORS."
There are a few different systems presented from simplest to most complex. Each one is used for a different purpose, but they generally build on each other. I'll give you a basic rundown of what I remember, but honestly the first one is the biggest and most useful. I never had the need to use all of the systems, really the first is enough to change your life.
Jerry Lucas and Harry Lorayne both came to the same conclusion as OP's link does. Most people have trouble remembering things because they never actually memorized them in the first place. The authors start out with the most basic type of thing that people need to memorize: a grocery list. How can you remember a list of 10, 15 or even 74 things? The Link. It's a simple strategy. Link your first item to the next and so on. As long as you can remember the first, you can keep going. But how can you possibly link things together so simply and expect them to stick? Make the connections ridiculous. Harry and Lucas point out that there are a few basic ways to make any link that is worth remembering:
1. Physical Transformation
2. Change in size
3. Action
4. Change in number
This is my recollection, though it has been a number of years since I first read the book, so I may have one of the above off by a little. It often helps to combine more than one of the above to form a link or association and make sure it is a ridiculous connection.
For example, this list of things can easily be memorized:
1. Butter
2. Milk
3. Batteries
4. Lettuce
5. Apple Cider Vinegar
First, imagine a stick of butter. Now we need to link this to milk. I imagine a farmer MILKing a cow by first buttering his hands. This works because it is ridiculous. I can visualize the milk squirting from the udder with the help of the farmer's buttered hands. Quite funny, and unforgettable. Now I need to connect milk to batteries. I picture that bucked of fresh milk spilt by the cow and magically, the bucket is filled with batteries instead! A physical transformation!
Now you try one. How can you connect the batteries to lettuce? Perhaps a giant head of lettuce is powered by D-Cell batteries and it is attacking a city like Godzilla. Maybe that same farmer fertilizes his fields with batteries and up pop heads of lettuce. Literally anything can work, just make it crazy. Last, but not least, is ACV. I imagine that the lettuce is being pressed, and ACV is squeezed out into a bottle of Bragg's. I'm sure you can come up with something much more insane if you want.
The point is, now when you think of butter, you won't be able to do anything except think of that pervy farmer lubing his hands up for a go at Ole Bessie and then on to the next item etc...
That's the basic link. Of course, once you go over the information enough times, you won't actually need the links, your brain will just naturally know that after lettuce comes ACV.
You can use this link for speeches, in fact ancient orators are said to have used such a system. They would link each part of their speech to a part of their house. The doormat is the introduction, the foyer is the first main point, etc... This can be useful if you are flying solo with little prep time for a speech. It makes the speech look more natural and you don't have to keep rechecking cue cards.
From there, it gets better. They (Jerry and Harry) discuss memorizing foreign vocabulary by creating word associations in English. The example they use is "pamplemousse," which is French for "grapefruit." The association they use is "pimpled moose," as it sounds sufficiently similar to create a ridiculous image. They just connect that image to a grapefruit and viola! You're in business! Obviously this can become strained and won't work very well if the language sounds sufficiently different or with every word/phrase, but it is a timesaver when it can be used.
From there the systems become a bit more obscure and rely on memorization of lengthy lists to try and create instant associations. If I recall there is a few page list of a number of common first names which will (potentially) make it easier to remember new people without much trouble, but I never had the patience or use for such a system.
The last system that I remember reading, though only had a passing interest in trying, is the phonetic system for remembering numbers. Each number from 0-9 was assigned a consonant. Vowels had no sounds, but were used to fill in between the numbers. I can't remember how the numbers were assigned, but let's say that the number 5 was assigned to the "b" sound. If you wanted to remember the number "55" you would think of the word "baby." It's two b's in a row. Get it? You can create long sentences which are humorous in this manner. A phone number could be a sentence. Heck, if you wanted to remember that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President, you could remember a two-syllable word to do so. It is useful in that context, but of course, as before, after you remember that Lincoln is #16 a few times, you'll have no need to remember whatever word association was used. It eventually becomes cemented into your brain.
In all seriousness, get the book. Also, Tim Ferris has a recent podcast up regarding memory. I haven't had the chance to listen to it, but if you get a chance please let me know if it is good or not.
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/12/30/ed-cooke/
