You know. I've never been interested in these e-ink notebooks where you can write on a digital screen that acts like paper. I've always felt that actual pen and paper were superior.

However, if you add some good spaced repetition software to one of these e-notebooks then I think you will have finally surpassed pen and paper for note taking.

I'm thinking of something like, you take a note on a page and then save it. A week later the page of notes you wrote is presented to you again and you can draw boxes around parts of the page and blur / hide bits of text, etc; these then become your spaced repetition items. I've heard of studies showing that hand written notes are superior for memory, this is the best of both worlds, hand written and then automatic spaced repetition.

And how much easier is it to surrender your life to a spaced repetition algorithm when it is it's own dedicated device? The idea of being able to memorize math, and other visual information, in addition to the usual written content (which is, again, better remembered if hand written) is so promising I'd happily pay hundreds of dollars for such a device.

I know there are some fairly hackable e-ink tables out there, has anyone done this?

Free app based on the same idea:

https://apps.ankiweb.net/

https://github.com/ankitects/anki-manual/

Since the early 90s I've used a piano-practice scheme that provides spaced repetition. It greatly reduces the time needed to either (1) learn or (2) memorize pieces. I always feel compelled to cite this poem:

You can get a great deal from rehearsal

If it just has the proper dispersal

You would just be an ass

To do it en masse

Your remembering would turn out much worsal.

The SuperMemo scheduling algorithm is a lot easier for me to deal with than Anki: if I miss a couple days, it doesn't overwhelm me with a punishing review schedule. With that, I really wish Woz would open source the SM18 algorithm, dealing with the SM UI is really painful. I don't love the Anki UI either, but it's streets ahead of SM in that dimension.

Also, tangentially related: I really love Woz's wiki, which is filled with interesting insights on learning: https://supermemo.guru

Years ago, I used Anki to memorize 3000 difficult words and thus get a perfect verbal score on the GRE. Great stuff!

Spaced repetition actually took off in recent years. But there's another component of SuperMemo that didn't, incremental reading: https://supermemo.guru/wiki/Incremental_reading

It seems a lot more effective than spaced repetition, but also a much higher level of commitment and a higher learning curve. It's sort of like using a power tool. I haven't tried it, but this is a good reminder that I should.

Dropping related Michael Nielsen’s excellent piece about space repitition here:

Augmenting Long Term Memory http://augmentingcognition.com/ltm.html

One past thread:

To Remember Everything You Learn, Surrender to This Algorithm (2008) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17706776 - Aug 2018 (208 comments)

It is a great algorithm. It is, however, a boring method and really takes a lot of discipline to make it a habit. For me, the best way to learn anything is have it tied to a fun challenge or a personal project. I've never been successful in the type of just-in-case learning.

The most effective trick for me is simply knowing why I need to remember something.

If I don't know its utility value, I won't even be able to recall it an hour later. On the other hand, if I can see the utility, I might be able to remember it decades later after a single exposure.

If I'm using a map with GPS on my phone to find my way around a city, I won't be able to recall any of the buildings or landmarks later and I won't be able to find my way around even after many journeys. On the other hand, if I use street signs and ask around for directions, I will remember everything. In the former case, my brain knows that it can rely on the map and GPS so it doesn't waste resources trying to remember streets, buildings and landmarks.

Dropping related Nicky Case's’s excellent piece about space repetition here: How to Remember Anything Forever-ish https://ncase.me/remember/

Can spaced repetition be used effectively for things beyond languages?

This would have been a godsend had I known about it during college.

I have noticed another learning dynamic and am curious to read other thoughts and experiences.

Often, I will read about something. Say designing a PCB, or to play an instrument. I will then watch a video, read, and or attempt the task just to get the lay of the land.

At that moment, if I really power through and reach a goal, the learning is useful. I can retain and recall very reasonably.

However, say I attempt and do not reach a goal. Maybe just exploring, or for lack of time. If I remain interested, I will continue to read and or listen to audio, or video or talk to people about it.

On a future attempt not made too far in the future from last visit to the subject matter, many more things seem familiar! My ability to navigate new skills and or recall rules, details is better than I would expect. Sometimes I feel as if it is actually good to do that, let just a little time pass and then I will feel like I want to do it, and maybe that want is my mind having assembled new info seeks expression of it, a use.

Usually, I am overall more effective than I was on the initial attempt despite not being hands on.

I’ve been using SuperMemo for 15 years, in fact I just finished up my flashcards for today :) It definitely is useful but it isn’t the grand answer to all of life’s problems. It makes it very easy to remember stuff you want to remember but takes some training when it comes to how to structure desirable knowledge as a simple flashcard. Over the years I’ve rubber handed in how much I use SuperMemo, but the happy medium for me seems to be 1. I usually finish my flashcards first thing in the morning, 2. Get in the habit of “thinking with flashcards” by summarizing ideas into single sentences and 3. I keep an ongoing text document in my Notes app on my phone of information I find that is worth remembering. If SuperMemo had a robust mobile app that synced with the Windows program, it would be ideal. Using my Notes app seems to be the easiest alternative that I’ve found.

I am inclined to give his software a go. Very interesting ideas that resonate with my own learning experiences.

This sales model is also interesting and notable:[1]

Older versions of SuperMemo are successively released as freeware.

By purchasing any of these freeware items you get registered in this store and become eligible to instantly upgrade to SuperMemo 17 (see Freeware Upgrade). In the future, you will also be able to upgrade to any SuperMemo at a big discount.

Your cheapest pathway to new SuperMemos is: order SuperMemo 15 Freeware below (or any other collector item) if you like SuperMemo 15, use Freeware Upgrade to get SuperMemo 17 in the future, keep upgrading to new versions of your choice (once registered in this store, you are perpetually eligible)

Well done!

[1] https://super-memo.com/supermemo18.html

Is this the same technique used in Quantum Country?

Does there exist an app/website/program that implements this technique for learning languages, combined with actual lesson plans? I understand you can use the SuperMemo software or something like Anki to learn languages, but you need to decide what you want to learn and put it into the program. What I'd like is something like Duolingo with an existing set of lessons and a progression, but that makes use of this reminder timing. (Duolingo does do reminders to practice old material, but it's clearly not advanced. It regularly has me practicing stuff that is far below my level and is effectively known forever.)

Haven't finished the article, but the human-interest part so far:

Man refines memory techniques; dissapears beneath event-horizon of information density.

Does someone have a link to some example code that implements this idea? I am working on my own memory-assistance software, I would like to use the algorithm.

This should probably be marked 2008.