This is def me. Interestingly, I have a terrible memory when it comes to facts and names and things I read in books and so on and so forth. But I have a way-above-average situational memory. Interactions with people (or code), conversations and reasons why decisions were made tend to stick forever. It's bizarre. Granted I'm not Paul McCartney interacting with innumerable people across time and space over a whole lifetime, but this story felt familiar because I can imagine something like this happening to me.
I'm the opposite. I can remember all sorts of weird facts and numbers. I can remember the IP address of the DNS servers of a job I worked 20 years ago. And lyrics to songs I learned as a child.
But I will forget someone's name minutes after meeting them even if I try all the tricks of repeating it 3 times or associating it with a particular action.
As a side note, after I got COVID, for a few weeks I couldn't retain anything. I'd read some documentation and afterwards couldn't remember a single thing. I remember discussing it with my sister and her response was "welcome to the world of ordinary people!" It has made me more patient with people not getting what I've explained on the first hearing, so at least I've learned from my experience.
How interesting -- and then after COVID resolved your memory gradually improved? I've heard anecdotal evidence about this. How frustrating! And sorry you had to experience it!
Thanks, yes it slowly recovered over a few weeks. Work was pretty understanding possibly because a work colleague and my manager both had the same reaction. Must be tough for the long covid folk where it goes on for months.
This is me as well. I can remember code snippets down to line numbers. I can remember what, who and why decisions where made (from jobs I last worked at 5+ years ago). I can remember, almost to the exact wording what people said when having discussion/arguments but I have trouble remembering the names of people I've met multiple times, I forget basic facts about my childhood or general knowledge and I forget to follow up with people after meetings etc.
I've always thought of it as having a good `situational memory`, it's interesting you say the same.
I'm lucky I'm a dev, I'd be useless at anything else!
