ALLAN THE MAN

Rappler readers and Facebook users sent out warning of a hoax making the rounds on social media.

The hoax, which is based on the fear of having people you don't want seeing your posts and photos because of a "graphic app," is a fabrication. While the hoax has been worded a number of different ways, the intent is the same: to misinform and cause you to waste time disabling your ability to see others' posts.

Everyone today wants you to memorize something. Here's how.

In today's digital society, we're constantly being inundated with new numbers: telephone numbers, credit and debit card numbers, ZIP codes, PINs, passcodes and more. Even if you program everything into your iPhone or Blackberry, it's still going to be easier -- and more secure -- to keep some frequently used numbers in your head.

That's easier said than done. Unlike words, numbers can be particularly difficult to memorize because they're abstract. Case in point: Five years after my parents moved to their new home in Florida, I still can't remember their ZIP code. I have to look up the darn thing every time I send a card or package.

"Anything that has no meaning to you is tough to remember," says neurosurgeon Larry McCleary, author of "The Brain Trust Program." "If I say the word 'cat' and you've had a cat, or even if you've seen a cat, it will bring up all these memories of that cat and you'll remember the word, no problem. But most of us don't have any emotional attachment to particular numbers."

So if you want to remember numbers, you've got to find the meaning in them. We've talked to McCleary and other memory experts about how to memorize numbers, from four-digit PINs to your 16-digit credit card number. Here are their top tips: