Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 82 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#31

Post by ilaksh »

I know this will sound negative but I think the appropriate answer is that you are very misguided.

One thing to realize is that rapid technology deployment and improvements mean we must adapt our approach to learning and problem solving if we want to be effective.

With the internet and exponential increase in software development tools, the amount of information is massive. And of course, we now have Google and Stackoverflow etc. which are extremely effective ways to solve problems or very quickly refresh your memory on the exact details that are relevant.

If you operate as if those things haven't changed, then you will not be effective.

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#32

Post by tedyoung »

I think your question "how do I remember stuff I don't use often" is not a useful question to answer. Why do you need to remember things you don't use often? You don't.

Memory is not binary: you will have easier or harder access to things in your long-term memory. Those that you access more often, get easier. Those that you build up more complex structures around (understanding concepts underlying those concepts) make it easier to retrieve.

The more you learn and connect information, and generate it (by writing summaries, applying that information, etc.), the stronger that network of information becomes, which means that when you "forget" it (find it hard to retrieve), a quick skim about that topic will bring the whole network of information back to your conscious awareness.

If you want to build better knowledge networks in your brain, you have to (re-)generate that knowledge in different forms. Pick a "node" of that knowledge that's a little fuzzy and learn more about it to clarify it. Draw diagrams of how that knowledge fits together.

Ultimately, constant retrieval of information, with restructuring and clarifying, will make it easier to get back when you need it.

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#33

Post by tedyoung »

shrimp_emoji wrote: post #21
drakonka wrote: post #7

Sorry for the non-answer answer I'm about to give, but I don't really think you should have to keep these things in memory. At some point it becomes a waste of memory space (at least that's how I experience it). There ARE some topics I want to remember, and those I try to put in writing. Both because it helps them stick in my mind for longer and because then I have a reference to go back to if I need a refresher. I u…

Outside of pathology, the mechanism of forgetting seems pretty important: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthymesia > Hyperthymesia, or highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM), is a condition that leads people to be able to remember an abnormally large number of their life experiences in vivid detail. > Hyperthymestic abilities can have a detrimental effect. The constant, irrepressible stream of memories has…

Bjork's research is all about forgetting under the Theory of Disuse (along with desirable difficulties, which is what helps us remember). See https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research/ for more.

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#38

Post by sotu »

I use flashcards with active recall style learning. There's actually a great app I use called "Active Recall" that sets you up with this - you have to work a bit to get the cards you want but after you can refer back to them easily and it helps with memorization

https://activerecall.com is their site

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#39

Post by charlie0 »

tedyoung wrote: post #32

I think your question "how do I remember stuff I don't use often" is not a useful question to answer. Why do you need to remember things you don't use often? You don't. Memory is not binary: you will have easier or harder access to things in your long-term memory. Those that you access more often, get easier. Those that you build up more complex structures around (understanding concepts underlying those concepts) mak…

One good thing I can think of is algorithms for interviews. Interviewing can be a grueling process and there's a lot of things to remember. In most jobs, algorithms are really only used during the interview process and not in the actual job. Most people switch jobs every 1-3 years. Speaking from experience, I tend to forget about most of the stuff I learned in about 6 months, so it's a real hassle to have to re-train on this stuff a 1+yr later for the next round of interviews. It would be nice to learn algos once and never have to re-learn them again.

Re: Ask HN: How to remember technical topics which you don’t use/refer everyday?

#40

Post by digitalsanctum »

Prefer "learning" rather than "remembering." I prefer learning by doing and teaching others which coincide with the best ways to learn something and be held accountable. I don't remember where I first learned about learning but this pyramid gives a quick breakdown of which methods work best for retention [1].

[1] The Learning Pyramid: https://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/02/26/the-learning-pyram...

Post reply on HN