291–300 of 538 posts
Are there any algorithms/plugins that are optimized for an on-/off-review style (ie, potentially months-long gaps between sessions)? I know that the ideal would be to do reviews every day, but I'm doing this for pleasure and I'd rather tweak the algorithm to what works for me than the other way round.
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When was the last time you tried? Anki used a static algorithm (SuperMemo 2) before the new FSRS - which is dramatically different. In the short term (first day), I think it's still better to set your own intervals (typicall 1 minute, then 5, then 10). But after that, the algorithm optimizes for reminding you just before forgetting. Highly recommend giving it a try.
I try Anki every couple of years because it has an app and can sync. I also tried fsrs and rage quitted after a few tests. These people can get high and mighty on their algos and research. If they'd just add a manual interval mode they'd contribute a lot more to humanity.
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> There's nothing really wrong with it And a gigantic amount right with it. This is a strange comment because it shrugs off something that has been transformative and hugely useful to a lot of people because it doesn’t fix all conceivable problems.
I don't think it's a strange comment. He's mostly right (and so are you, but I think you're talking past each other). There's nothing wrong with SRS, and I agree with you that it's basically like cheat codes for memorization, but there is a limit to what most people can do. i.e. most people do tend to drop off. I remember reading some stats from WaniKani (Japanese SRS app) a while back... WaniKani has 60 "levels" to…
I see a lot of discussion about SRS, and I think most can agree they have improved. What I would like to see covered is a more vague area, but almost more important: It’s the space in between reading/understanding something and the SRS. There are almost no standalone tools dedicated to creating flashcards easily from existing programs (web browser, PDF readers etc.) into popular SRS (Anki, Mochi etc.). They should wo…
I have a slightly different system I'm developing:
Rather than reviewing with flashcards, review with actual content:
1. Tag the content with the words and grammar concepts
2. Estimate the difficulty [1] for you of each word or grammar concept -- the difficulty being essentially the inverse of your familiarity graphs in this article.
3. Choose content to read which balances difficulty and the impact on learning.
Since reviewing something you're about to forget has more impact than learning something new, "spaced repetition" falls naturally.
And instead of spending your review time going through flash cards, you spend your review time reading content in the target language.
[1] If you know the details of the FSRS algorithm, I'm using "difficulty" here differently than they do in their algorithm.
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I‘m not super well versed in the literature but I know this has been researched, and—unless you are being hyperbolic—it completely fails the sniff test. As OP points out, SRS is optimized for memory retention. You will almost certainly encounter many more words watching a two hour long video, but you certainly won‘t retain nearly as many words as half an hour of SRS. Actually you can combine the two. Use the two hour…
Yeah, and flashcards generally work better when you're reinforcing existing learning. Learning by flashcards is hellish for me.
Wait, you're putting yourself in a situation where the first time you see a card, you have no idea what it is?
Pro Tip , if you're using LLMs to learn, create an MCP tool for them to insert Anki cards on topics you're discussing in a csv on google drive, then sync that with you anki decks on your phone. This was a game changer for me and working with LLMS, while I still think they make you dumb, and we essentially use them to offload critical thinking (almost only find myself using them when tired lazy, and just cant), if you…
I created a python script that checks my anki deck for the cards that I'm scheduled to review the next day and asks an LLM to generate new sentences for the cards, so that every time I see them, I see them in a new context. I did this because I realized I was hitting an issue where I theoretically "knew" a word (would get it always correct on the card), but wouldn't always recognize it in a novel context. I'm hoping…
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I try Anki every couple of years because it has an app and can sync. I also tried fsrs and rage quitted after a few tests. These people can get high and mighty on their algos and research. If they'd just add a manual interval mode they'd contribute a lot more to humanity.
I guess what you need is Set Due Date, which allows you manually schedule cards in Anki.
I wonder how it compares with the current SuperMemo. I experimented with SuperMemo around 18 months ago, and it made me fall in love with SRS again. The main reason being the algorithm is less punishing when I skip a day. Maybe it has better defaults? I once skipped a whole week and could get back on track in the next week, in Anki that feels unbearable. Another thing I really liked about it is that you can edit a ca…
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Sorry, but what's clunky about it? All buttons in reach of your thumb on the mobile app and usable keybindings on desktop? Is there not enough useless whitespace around every button?
I have been trying to use Anki for years. Every time it is the same story: I keep it up for a few months until I miss a couple days, then due cards accumulate far beyond what can be reasonably managed, and I end up spending more time trying to fix the app than actually learning anything.
The other reason I wrote my own system was to integrate SRS with extensive reading. Basically, my algorithm tracks the difficulty of all the words and grammar concepts, like FSRS; but then it gives you content at the right level for learning (either fewer than 5 new concepts, or an average of 95% known material).
And among the things that fits, it balances reviewing older material and learning newer material, based on what would have the largest impact. (Reviewing something you're about to forget has a bigger impact than learning something new, because the new thing you're going to forget much more quickly. So the balance of new / review and spaced repetition falls out naturally.)
I've built Komihåg [1] to try and combat this: Select any text on your iOS device and a flashcard is automatically created for you, and the app is then showing you the cards on the Home Screen / Lock Screen / Apple Watch Face.
I haven't gotten to implement any sophisticated scheduling algorithm yet but will definitely do that eventually.
[1] : https://komihag.com