memorize the highest points in the united states

Colorado Highest Point – Mt. Elbert – 14,433

Virginia Highest Point – Mt. Rogers – 5,729

Florida Highest Point - Britton Hill - 345

This whole thing started because of IRC #jeopardy and mount mckinley, so I already know that one.

Alaska Highest Point - Mt. McKinley (Denali) - 20,320

So, let’s do:

Arizona Highest Point - Humphreys Peak - 12,633

Today’s:

Alabama, Cheaha Mt., 2,405

I downloaded a cool memorization program for OS X called Genius (http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Educational/Genius.shtml) and entered the 50 high points, the state they’re in, the height in feet, the mountain range, and some random calculations, like “number of high points higher than 10,000 ft.”

I’ve only studied once, though. But it’s a start. I seem to be overwhelmed lately by actual non-trivial information that I have to remember. Go figure, just when I try to embrace my inner party bore, along comes real work.

Though while in Hawaii, I did get to use the fact that Mt. Everest is 29,035 (yes, not in the US, but it came up) and that Mauna Kea is 13,796 (apparently there’s some skiing in Hawaii).

I’ll confess that this whole thing started because I used to play IRC #jeopardy, and one of the categories was Alaska, in which category one question was how tall is Mount McKinley in feet. Anyway, it has stuck now for 11 years that it’s 20,320 feet. So long that I decided I should just memorize the other 49 so the fact wouldn’t be so lonely in the “elevations” department of my brain.

Maybe to practice doing things without the expectation of an outcome. Maybe to work my brain by memorizing strings of numbers and associated names. Maybe so I can be a total bore at parties. Maybe as a tribute to my friend Kim who could always very, very quickly rattle off all the names of the united states in alphabetical order. Maybe for no reason at all.