Imagine being able to remember a 57,000 word dictionary perfectly or recite 252 random numbers solely from memory. Feats such as these seem impossible or perhaps only reserved for highly intelligent people with extraordinary mental capacities. However, these achievements have been attained by ordinary people who have trained their minds using mnemonics. 
Mnemonics are learning strategies that help people recall their memories and some people have learned to train their memories to achieve incredible results. This article in the NY Times Magazine documents how one man of normal intelligence was able to become a national memory champion after training with mnemonics. Perhaps we could all benefit from developing our mnemonic skills.
Fine post Ilkka. Really good NY times article, I have Joshua Foer's book at home and look forward to reading all about these memory enhancements.