Originally Posted by
zooterkin
I'd disagree with you, and agree with you. Memory is a skill that can be improved with practice. You say you're not exceptional; you probably aren't, but you have had a lot of practice, and your ability to remember things is probably better than most here (mentalists and actors excepted).
Yup - I think practice is the key. And, the 52 card sequence wouldn't be terribly difficult for someone who practices.
I had an accounting prof in college who, on the first day of class, would go around the class and have every one of the 30 or so students say their name and where they were from and he would engage them in brief small talk - for instance, the last time he visited that town, etc.. The whole process took nearly an hour, and he didn't rush, and didn't write anything down. Then, he want back through the class, one by one, but in a different order than before, and stated each students full name and hometown as well as other tid bits he'd heard during the period. It was interesting to watch.
He was no hukster and there were no cheats. He was just well practiced at memorizing.