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The nonlinear associative nature of our brains makes it impossible for us to consciously search our memories in an orderly way. A memory only pops directly into consciousness if it is cued by some other thought or perception--some other node in the nearly limitless interconnected web. So when a memory goes missing or a name gets caught on the tip of the tongue, hunting it down can be frustrating and often futile. We have to stumble in the dark with a flashlight for cues that might lead us back to the piece of information we're looking for--Her name begins with an L ... She's a painter ... I met her at that party a couple years ago--until one of those other memories calls to mind the one we're looking for. Ah yes, her name was Lisa! Because our memories don't follow any kind of linear logic, we can neither sequentially search them nor browse them.