The couple sat down with me and we proceeded to look at the Internet a little farther. Google had given us a link to the IMDb website which is touted as the Earth’s Biggest Movie Database. As we looked through the Ben-Hur information, we found that in one of the chariot scenes in that movie someone was wearing a wristwatch. Of course, the watch wasn’t invented until well after Roman times, so we all vowed to watch the movie again looking for this blooper. The couple became like new-found friends as we excitedly discussed other movie information and other movie bloopers that we found on the Web. 

The “senior moment” problem was quickly solved with Google. In today’s world it is not unusual to turn to the Internet to aid your memory. Can’t remember who sang Little Deuce Coupe? Can’t think of the capital of Arizona? Did you forget who starred in I Dream of Jeanie? Can’t remember the name of the toothpaste that Bucky Beaver sang about on his commercials? Surf over to Google and with a few clicks you will have the answers. 

When someone can’t remember something they often say “it’s on the tip of my tongue”. Now the Internet puts it at the tip of your fingers. Recently one of my colleagues, Leo Laporte, called using Google to remember things “Google-assisted memory”. What great terminology! 

You might think that googling for information instead of trying to remember things would stagnate your brain. In fact, the opposite is true. As you can see from my experience at Panera’s, using Google to look things up often leads to finding more valuable and interesting information. This leads to more thinking and using more brain power. In fact, using the Internet to look for answers might actually help keep your brain active. It could be that this type of Internet use might stimulate your brain and help you remember more in the future. 

So if you are having a “senior moment”, just turn to your “Google-assisted memory” and be grateful for the Internet and all it has to offer.