The Song Your Phone Can't Find

Music recognition apps are incredible. Hold your phone up for a few seconds, and it can identify almost any song playing anywhere in the world. Unless, of course, the only version of the song exists inside your own head.

Technology has become remarkably good at recognizing patterns, matching audio, and searching enormous music databases in seconds. Yet there's still one playlist it can't access: the random tune that's been looping in your brain since Tuesday morning. If you've ever laughed at the limits of smart technology, you'll enjoy Junk Mail: Letters of Recommendation .

The funny part is that we remember just enough of a melody to know it's familiar, but never enough to figure out what it is. We hum it, whistle it, replay it in our heads, and somehow make it less recognizable every time. For another Chad Geepeety™ look at technology falling just short of solving everyday problems, see Memory Full Happens to Everyone .

Now if you'll excuse me...

That chorus is starting over again.