To that I say - if you're so much smarter than an Octopus, then make yourself look exactly like a rock.
I would also venture that the apparent gulf between us and other animals is largely due to writing things down as you have inferred - but the ability to create an external persistent knowledge store is the cause more than the effect; the ability to store and share knowledge likely doesn't require a huge leap in brain power, but it does grant us a huge bonus, and builds on itself.
Meh, that's up there with the best we can do and an Octopus is still miles better without even trying - can you build and don such a suit tailored exactly to your current environment in a matter of seconds?
I would also venture that the apparent gulf between us and other animals is largely due to writing things down as you have inferred - but the ability to create an external persistent knowledge store is the cause more than the effect; the ability to store and share knowledge likely doesn't require a huge leap in brain power, but it does grant us a huge bonus, and builds on itself.