I amazed myself when I read and followed an exercise in loci memory techniques found in a Derren Brown book. I can now recite long lists of up to 60 items, backwards, forwards, even random numbers from the list and would urge anyone with a sense of adventure, who likes to challenge themselves to find the same passage in “Tricks of the Mind” and read through the half dozen or so pages – follow the instructions to the letter and you will amaze yourself at what you are able to remember