To remember everything you learn, surrender to this algorithm (2008) • Hacker News Board

Re: To remember everything you learn, surrender to this algorithm (2008)

#111

Post by cryptica » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 5:02 PM UTC

kbelder wrote: post #106

cryptica wrote: post #78

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 a…

My wife has tried to explain to me the difference between hand-towels, wash-clothes, dish-towels, face-cloths, and so on, and so on, and... It's not that I don't want to understand; I'd like to help her fold them, put them out, etc. It's just that I'm constitutionally unable to retain that information. I think I can't, at a profound level, generate any interest in learning this, no matter how firmly I have consciousl…

I have similar 'issues'. My wife tends to fuss over tiny details that seem completely irrelevant to me. It's not that I don't want to make an effort to comply with her more stringent expectations, it's that I don't even notice those details to begin with. It's distracting to think about them. My mind is always trying to minimize its mental load by focusing only on things that it deems necessary. I guess it's a more 'entrepreneurial' mindset?

Most mathematicians seem to be able to remember anything regardless of utility value. I guess that's why I chose a more engineering/business career.

Re: To remember everything you learn, surrender to this algorithm (2008)

#112

Post by dls2016 » Tue, Aug 24, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

BeetleB wrote: post #69

dls2016 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used Mnemosyne to memorize baby Rudin, Munkres’ Topology and large swaths of Dummit and Foote. Perfect scores on analysis and topology qualifying exams… good enough on algebra haha. I had always been reluctant to use memorization but I found it helped immensely. Especially as a returning graduate student.

I've often heard it's not very effective for topics like math. I would love to read a write-up on how you did this - perhaps your technique is better than most people's attempts? Also, do you continue to use it for math-like subjects?

I went a little crazy. I literally typed the whole book into cards, including ones like "prove a closed, bounded set of real numbers is compact." Then I would get a stack of scrap paper and spend maybe an hour a day writing down the answers.

Perhaps this was a reaction to my previous approach to learning, which completely shunned memorization.

Re: To remember everything you learn, surrender to this algorithm (2008)

#113

Post by vymague » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 6:20 AM UTC

dls2016 wrote: post #112

BeetleB wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've often heard it's not very effective for topics like math. I would love to read a write-up on how you did this - perhaps your technique is better than most people's attempts? Also, do you continue to use it for math-like subjects?

I went a little crazy. I literally typed the whole book into cards, including ones like "prove a closed, bounded set of real numbers is compact." Then I would get a stack of scrap paper and spend maybe an hour a day writing down the answers. Perhaps this was a reaction to my previous approach to learning, which completely shunned memorization.

Ok, so the mnemosyne doesn't contain the answers. But just a prompt/question. And then you write the solution/answers on paper every time mnemosyne shows a particular card.

From the way you described it, you change all statements/theorems/etc. in the book into questions? To put inside you mnemosyne deck. So your deck in the end has a lot of prove this statement/theorems/etc. and the problems that come with the book.

I was expecting some magical shortcut. But it's the usual tip of doing shitton of problems. Your way is especially comprehensive of course since you basically memorize/know/practice how to prove/solve everything in a book.

Impressive. This takes a lot of time and discipline.