The H-LAM/T uses artifacts and methods developed by his culture to augment his memory.

“From these interviews, and from direct observation, we know how the bards learn: by listening for months and years to other bards who never sing a narrative the same way twice but who use over and over again the standard formulas in connection with the standard themes.” (Ong [*])

Memory in oral cultures relies on thought and speech being created in memorable form, using repetition and rhythm to aid the memory.  A living oral tradition is passed from person  to person, and is modified to fit the needs of each generation.  A recording can “preserve” the tradition, but can it keep it alive?

Early literate cultures, which still had a high residue of orality, placed a high value on human memory, and developed methods of training the memory.  These methods used a spatial model for memory, such as the method of loci described by Cicero.

“This is how Roman orators memorized their speeches; not word for word, which is just going to screw you up, but topic for topic . . . people used to think about oratory and rhetoric in these sorts of spatial terms.” (Foer, Feats of memory anyone can do)

Manuscripts themselves were regarded as memory aids; the true meaning of a book was not gained from simply reading it.  The book had to become a part of the reader; it had to be written in the reader’s mind.  In this view, memory is primary and writing is in the service of memory.  (Carruthers [*])

We can watch Engelbart use hypertext as a memory aid in his demonstration of NLS.  A few words in an outline serve to remind him of the order of his presentation, but his spoken words flow naturally as a result of his extensive experience and deep familiarity with the NLS system.