Back to intelligence vs. memory.
A PC with 3GHz processor and no RAM will not work. 2Gb RAM with no processor wont work either. A Porsche motor with 300 hp and no torque won`t make the car move. 200 lb/ft of torque and no power would be useless too. Same goes with memory and intelligence: one is nothing without the other. Now, various combinations of both are possible. But I think that in shool and business, memory is most usefull. A see sucessfull managers who achieve success simply by multitasking. It is the ability to keep track and remembering multiple projects that are going on. And that`ll get you a long way.

Aurel

No offense, but have you looked around lately? Its the a55holes who are running the world.

There definitely seems to be more of them. Rude behavior seems to be more socially acceptable. Consider the "Are you happy?" thread. People have more stuff, but are under more stress to acquire even more - and thus take on more debt and work harder to make more to pay for it all.

I think generosity and relationships are the most important things in life, which is all about "what can I do for the guy next to me." When you have those two down, you can do anything, and have a whole army of people willing to help you succeed.

If your memory sucks you can (or have to) make up for it by thinking more. I know I've "solved" the same mathematical/programming problems again and again because I can't remember how I did it before. I wind up deriving the solution from more basic principles because I can't remember the "answer" or I need to use spell check because I can't remember how to spell a common word.
Ignorance is bliss - I'm a very happy guy. :D
-Chris

Its funny, I am one of the few engineers I know with a horrible memory. It killed me in school when professors had closed book tests. Open book classes were cake. Now adays I just keep my code books within arms reach and try to keep my skills sharp.

What were we talking about?

I have very selective memory. I can't remember what my wife did that pissed me off a year ago, but I remember being pissed off. (My wife can remember all of the details when I piss her off...) I can remember what size wrench is used on a specific part of my car or how to dissassemble a complicated part.

I can't seem to remember $h!t at work.

My wife has a bumper sticker on her flight bag: If ignorance is bliss then why aren't more people happy?

Motivation.

You aren't going to have experiences worth remembering if you don't get off your a$$ and do something. And you aren't going to apply your intelligence without motivation. Trust me, I have to develop more of a work ethic and I think it's my weak point. This kind of discipline is invaluable.

The distincition between good memory and intelligence may be illustrated by looking at the California Bar Exam.

Each year in California, about 2000 law school students graduate from law school. These individuals consist of a group of 2000 students who have the book smarts. They have good memory and are able to regergitate the law to their professors.

Each year in Calfiornia about 2000 law school graduates take the California bar exam. This requires the application of what one learns in a book (memory) to the situation (intelligence). Less than one-half pass the bar exam.

I was ultra-disciplined in college.

I could recall the exact words of any lecture or visualize the page a piece of information was on. I did quite well on tests, often getting 100%.

Since getting into the workforce I have gotten lazy.

My father was very intelligent and had a great memory. He took his 7th grade education and worked his way to the top of a worldwide steel fabrication company, became a RE broker and owned several businesses, loads of real estate. He could remember and apply engineerering formulas like you wouldn't believe. He could remember measurements of braces on oil platforms, lengths of rafters he cut 20 years before on houses he built, anything and everything. nothing was forgotten, nothing he couldn't learn. Alzsheimers got him and destroyed his mind. He went very far with his basic education. I believe the thing that held him back though, was the fact he was a mean old bastard. He treated his family, friends and workers terribly. Intelligence and memory will get you ahead in life, but a bad personality can hold you back from achieving your full potential. He has been in a nursing home for 10+ years now. Just a lump of flesh they move from place to place. Everyone remembers him for his meaness and not for the things he accomplished in life. although he treated me worse than anyone else, I respect and remember him for all he was able to accomplish through intelligence, wonderful memory, hard work and ambition, with just a basic education. Just a little respect and kindness to others along with the memory and intelligence would have made the complete package.