Poll of forgetfulness — items lost, dropped, or left behind

[Michael Nagl]

Only yesterday when I opened the trunk of my car I saw I had left the big Gitzo at home... and I mounted my 8 kilo 8x10 Linhof on a 1 kilo Feisol plastic travel-tripod you would consider too flimsy even for a DSLR... and I suffered... and it all went out well.

[rguinter]

Back in the 70's, my more active time, my two buddies and I packed the station wagon before dawn for a long weekend in the Cascade mountains with 4x5's. We drove for about two hours, over a mountain pass and into eastern Washington, before stopping for a quick breakfast at our usual restaurant. After getting out of the car, we were stunned to see one of our ice axes still lying unrestrained on the car top. Had it fallen off, it could have been very costly, if not fatal, for anyone behind us. Nothing needed to be said, except "GULP." Lesson learned: That has never been repeated.

I think we all have to learn that "not to put things on top of the car" lesson. I too have to learn (and re-learn) the lesson from time to time. Even though I know the bio-physical reason it happens well enough.

My recent re-learning was with an expensive medication from the pharmacy. Yes I did the unthinkable and put the bag on top of the car after leaving the pharmacy while I fumbled with keys and other items to open the door. After all, I wouldn't want to put it on the ground would I? Then of course, left it on top and drove off.

Remembered it a few minutes later but that was enough. Bag fell off and was flattened in the middle of the street when I came back around to retrieve it.

So a lesson re-learned yet again.

The problem here in physiological terms is in how our working memory functions. Working memory is what we use "second-to-second" in order to keep important pieces of information in consciousness for processing. But working memory is extremely volatile and things stored there are quickly erased to make room for other things... like starting the car, putting on seat-belts, chatting with passengers, etc. And once that item on top of the car is out of our vision, it falls out of working memory, and who knows when it will pop back in again. Usually much later when the error is finally recognized.

So blame it on evolution that produced such a volatile working memory. I find the brain architecture is a wondrous piece of circuitry. Wondrous in the sense that I often wonder how it is that the hodge-podge of conflicting circuits work very well at all (overall). Bob (who is a human factors engineer by training) G.

[tlitody]

I frequently leave my good eye behind when I go out to make images

[goamules]

Last weekend I loaded film holders, picked a protar and verito lens, loaded my 5x7 2D and all the items into it's case. I remembered all the usually forgotten items; the loupe, the darkcloth, the light meter. All went in the case. Then I moved to packing the car for our camping trip in the high country, thinking of the spruce and fir and relief from 110 degree tucson. Got the family and dogs in the truck, then about a half hour down the road it dawned on me what I forgot: the case with everything in it. By the front door so I wouldn't forget it.

[rguinter]

Last weekend I loaded film holders, picked a protar and verito lens, loaded my 5x7 2D and all the items into it's case. I remembered all the usually forgotten items; the loupe, the darkcloth, the light meter. All went in the case. Then I moved to packing the car for our camping trip in the high country, thinking of the spruce and fir and relief from 110 degree tucson. Got the family and dogs in the truck, then about a half hour down the road it dawned on me what I forgot: the case with everything in it. By the front door so I wouldn't forget it.

I can certainly relate.

Because my working memory is getting even shorter and more volatile with age, I often put things in strategic places (like next to the front door) so I won't forget them when I go out.

But I find my ingenious strategy is frequently compromised by others in the house who see these things as "out-of-place" and in need of being returned to their rightful locations in the house....... Bob (the aging human factors engineer) G.

[bbjorkum]

Forgot my Hasselblad with three lenses and lightmeter on the tube in Stockholm. Never seen it since ...

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

There is this story about an architectural photographer from New York that went on an assignment in Florida shooting 8x10". He asked his assistant which was not coming along on the trip to clean out the holders and load them before he went. So after shooting for three days he came back wanting to have the films processed he realized that the holders had been cleaned OK but never loaded. After having heard that story I took up the policy of always loading my own holders and if in doubt I take the holder back into the darkroom to double check and find out about if it is loaded with the film I want to use.

[Brian Ellis]

Forgot my Hasselblad with three lenses and lightmeter on the tube in Stockholm. Never seen it since ...

That hurts just reading about it.

[Brian Ellis]

There is this story about an architectural photographer from New York that went on an assignment in Florida shooting 8x10". He asked his assistant which was not coming along on the trip to clean out the holders and load them before he went. So after shooting for three days he came back wanting to have the films processed he realized that the holders had been cleaned OK but never loaded. After having heard that story I took up the policy of always loading my own holders and if in doubt I take the holder back into the darkroom to double check and find out about if it is loaded with the film I want to use.

Some years ago I was on a photography trip in Maine (lived in Florida at the time) using mostly Readyloads. When I returned home and started processing I discovered that I had some of the nicest totally clear sheets of film you've ever seen. The Readyload holder was malfunctioning and wasn't gripping the film. So the film was coming up with the interior envelope and was never exposed. Fortunately I made some photographs using holders so the trip wasn't a complete loss, just a 90% loss.

[bbjorkum]

That hurts just reading about it.

It still hurts ... Badly ....