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Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

borretti.me

111–120 of 198 posts

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#111
> The thing that makes hashcards unique: it doesn’t use a database. […] Your performance and review history is stored in an SQLite database in the same directory as the cards.

Man I was really looking forward to seeing how they stored review history in plain text.

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#112
post #40

I think that the real power of spaced repetition is not in flashcard applications like this. It is in behavior modification. Let's take a real example to show how this works. August 19, 2025. My wife called me in to help her decide what to do about a dentist that she thought was ripping her off. A couple of quick suggestions later, and she went to being mad at me about not having heard the problem through before tryi…

I wanted to chime in to say: this is me, I do/have done this, and am also seeking to change this behaviour. It has never once occurred to me to try using spaced repetition for something like this, so thank you to putting the suggestion into my brain! I intend to put this into action as soon as I'm able to.

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#114

This was a super interesting article for me as I'm working on a prototype software aiming to promote spaced repetition and some newer wave learning science as a common approach to "leveling up" in an age where AI is pushing the competitiveness of human labor. I've thought about posting to HN but I'm a little apprehensive of when and how to post. Anyone interested in this and/or have some advice for posting my prototy…

Very interested, I’ve been working on SRS software and care about this problem too. My email is in my profile.

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#117
post #85

> Cards are content-addressed, that is, identified by the hash of their text. Wouldn't this invalidate card's review history if I am to fix a typo in the card's text?

I think that's a good thing. If you learned a false fact based on a typo, you may want to treat the true fact like a brand new fact to be learned.

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#118
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This attitude reminds me of another phrase that I've internalized. Choosing to be right, is choosing to be alone. Whatever you choose to put above trying to get along with others, limits who can be part of your group. In the extreme, you will feel absolutely justified. And yet be absolutely alone. As an example, language communities that focus on being able to find the ideal way to program (eg Lisp) tend to splinter.…

I understand the need to engage people at the emotional level and meeting them where they're at. I just refuse to label this behavior as being constructive, desirable, something to cultivate and protect. I see this "complainy" way of engaging as unproductive and i treat it the same way I would treat my kid when having a tantrum, I accept it, I listen to him, I am understanding of his state and his emotions, but I als…

> I just refuse to label this behavior as being constructive, desirable, something to cultivate and protect.

> I see this "complainy" way of engaging as unproductive

You are merely defining "constructive" and "productive" to whatever suits you.

> I get wanting to vent and wanting to be heard but solutions should come first.

One thing I learned after learning all these skills (later in life), is to openly tell others "The word 'should' is not in my vocabulary."

should is usually a means to be lazy in explaining your thought process. Why should solutions come first? What problem are you trying to solve, and why that problem? Understand that addressing emotions is solving a problem - it's just a different one from what you're trying to address. Solving that problem (well) often results in fewer problems down the road. The one you're trying to solve likely won't.

To directly address the topic - solving the emotional problem first makes them more open to listening to your (other) solution.[1]

> but I also nudge, coach and hope they develop healthier and more constructive ways of dealing with their problems.

Tip for the future: Being judgmental is going to negate most of your efforts. There's nothing wrong with nudging people down a path you feel is right. There is a problem in labeling the behavior as "unconstructive".

And, as I said in another comment, I'd wager good money that your behavior is not particularly different. You may not do it as often as the people you speak of, but you do do it - and you won't recognize it until you dig deeper into understanding the bigger picture. Once you do (as I did), you'll find plenty of examples in your life - past and present - where you behaved in the same "unconstructive" way, and didn't realize it.

(And in the off chance you have realized it, and criticize yourself for those past trespasses, you are putting a barrier to improvement).

[1] And yes, that's true even for you! You merely have to go back to your life where someone told you something (that you later found to be correct) and you didn't follow it, and ask why. There are multiple reasons people don't, but this is one of them. Distrust, dislike, disdain, etc lead to devaluing things others say.

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#119
post #9

For the bar exam, I used a combination of an outliner and flashcards. Back then, I was usimg a PalmPilot. The idea was: 1. Turn the subject matter into a knowledge tree. 2. If a branch has more than 5 leaves, you split it up. 3. Flashcards are generated by traversing the tree. The parent node is the question, the child nodes are the answer. The benefit of the tree is that it forces you to think about where in your st…

How did it work out? Was it helpful?

Re: Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love this example because the correct, wise approach is so alien to my mind that I do not know how to respond to such situations. I am a professional problem solver, you described a problem, yet you do not want it solved? Just talk about it being annoying, like an immutable facet of the universe? Should I retort about my grievances with gravity making roof repairs a bear?

I feel you, I totally do. I get wanting to vent and wanting to be heard but solutions should come first. Honestly, when I hear people annoyed about offering solutions I get their need to engage with them differently but I also kind of believe they have a dysfunction about how they relate to the world.

If solutions always come first then you might never get a chance to vent. Maybe venting clears the annoyance from the brain enough to make it easier to understand any solutions that might be offered. Also sometimes I have been offered solutions that seem obvious to me, like did you really think I hadn’t thought of that? Which is especially piquing haha
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