Update June 2024 (Mother had stroke and MidJourney is really useful)

Hello! Just to give you a quick update on the state of things:

Two notable things have happened in my life during the past six months.

1. My mother had a stroke. I am 1000% a mama's boy and love my mom VERY much, so when this happened, I was an emotional wreck. Since I live in South America it took me about 36 hours to fly back to the United States after I got the phone call that she was in the process of having a stroke. Lucky for our family, her stroke was minor, she was in extremely good health (minus the stroke, of course) and was determined to recover the use of her right side (Which was the side that was affected). I dropped everything and helped her with walking, taking her to her various physical therapy appointments, doing speech and physical therapy with her at home, running to get prescriptions, all of that fun stuff. After about 6 weeks, she was essentially at the state that she was at prior to the stroke, minus a little bit of her ability to say certain syllables clearly. We do speech therapy over the phone. Fun fact: you can use ChatGPT to create tongue twisters and have those tongue twisters follow a particular story that you outline. My mom quickly got bored with the bland word exercises so I started using ChatGPT to make an ongoing story involving an exaggerated depiction of the lives of various family members filled with various inside jokes; this has been WAY more fun to read with her. She can now drive on her own as well as be home by herself, which is a HUGE relief.

2. MidJourney has changed mnemonics (and images in SuperMemo) forever, for me at least. To remember things that aren't very memorable, I would typically use story mnemonics, or create stories in my head to "encode" the useful information into a memorable mental image that I would recall easier than the information itself. If you can create a SYSTEM of mnemonics for different kinds of information, those systems can be quite powerful. For example, the "Remembering the Kanji" book outlines a mnemonic system that I used to memorize Japanese characters. With MidJourney, rather than relying on your brain to imagine the scenario, you give the ingredients to the program (a prompt), and it spits out a fully baked cake (image)! In past iterations of this technology, the images didn't look so good, but now they are WAY BEYOND "good enough" to serve the purpose of a mnemonic. Up until now, I had a number of extensive mnemonic systems to memorize different kinds of information (numeral and linguistic), but they all relied on story based mnemonics (Stuff I imagined in my head). With MidJourney, the possibilities DRASTICALLY increased: instead of relying on story "vibes" like I had previously, I could rely on VISUAL distinction to differentiate and anchor things. One of the early tests I did was with memorizing number-based information. In my new "number alphabet", 77 relates to the video game "Cyberpunk 2077." Still haven't played it, but I'm familiar enough with the long term hype. I looked up some random things that happened in 1977, and one interesting fact I found was that "Chuck E Cheese was founded in 1977." So I asked MidJourney to create the Chuck E Cheese mouse in the style of Cyberpunk 2077, and it spit out a bunch of totally awesome images you can see on the right!

With images like these, it's hard NOT to remember that Chuck E Cheese has something to do with the number 77!

This experience made me reimagine my "mnemonic alphabet" game, but required many many hours of (1) coming up with a totally new mnemonic alphabet and (2) actually using MidJourney to make the flashcards and (3) memorize the flashcards. This task was completed a few months ago.

The OTHER thing I used MidJourney for extensively was for "concept mascots", which was something I had started doing more than 10 years ago. Basically, I decided that I wanted to use various characters of fiction to represent concepts that could aid in the remembering of information associated with that particular concept. For example: Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2 could be used to represent the concept of “heavy”, or a character from the Soul Calibur fighting game could represent the concept of "weird" (Voldo). I did this for more than 1500 different words (and it took FOREVER!). Once I realized how powerful MidJourney was, I saw how much better my system could be improved if I used MidJourney to generate images representing various concepts (since the image could be EXACTLY what I wanted it to be).

Just yesterday evening I FINALLY finished my extensive rework of ALL of my "concept mascots" in SuperMemo. Also I used MidJourney to create images that correspond to all 2,000-ish kanji that I first learned when learning Japanese. Essentially I remade a system in a few months that took many many years prior to put together, and the results I've been seeing so far are VERY promising. Using images that EXTREMELY correspond to information you're trying to remember has made memorizing useful information WAY easier. And if I encounter an idea or concept that I have no image for, I simply ask MidJourney to create it and then add the image in SuperMemo.

So as of now I think that (1) mnemonic alphabet and (2) concept images have been explored to a satisfactory level that I can attest to their usefulness. The third major thing that I've started exploring (And final SUPER USEFUL application of AI image tools relative to spaced repetition that I can think of) has been using MidJourney to actually ENCODE information to memorize (boots on the ground-style). I've only been REALLY getting into this over the last few weeks, so I want to give it a little bit more time before I say definitively "this works" (Although I don't see why it won't, at this point). What I'm referring to is basically the Cyberpunk Chuck E Cheese 2077 example, but on a larger scale and for both numerical and linguistic information. Compared to coming up with mnemonics that you imagine in your head, this new method seems to be MUCH more effective and flexible at making durable memories. Certain "established principles" or habits that I got into when making story-based mnemonics seem to no longer apply, and I've started noticing ways that images can be "tweaked" to be optimized so multiple things can be memorized with just one image.

But this is stuff that ALWAYS happens when you REALLY start to get into a hobby, right? Assumptions are challenged, new connections are made, you learn nifty little tricks, etc. I’m currently at that level with “phase 3” of using AI image generators for remembering stuff.

But if it were not for AI image generators (Which MidJourney seems to be one of the best out there right now), the book that I was writing would probably be done and out. But learning about how powerful these tools can be, it has had a REALLY positive impact on my learning and retention of information, it would be a crime to NOT cover this in relation to Spaced Repetition. I also don’t want to say “this works” until I know for a certainty that it ACTUALLY does.

Feel free to ask any questions! (But this will be covered more extensively in the book, FYI)

2023 Updates

 Hello! Long time no see!

Here are the notable updates for 2023:

ChatGPT and Dall-E: ChatGPT (and other similar AI tools) have been extremely useful at summarizing information and topics that would usually require a great deal of Incremental Reading to arrive at. Asking ChatGPT to summarize a topic and give you single sentences that cover the basics of an idea is SO useful when learning about a new subject, as those sentences can easily be put into SuperMemo. Also, Dall-E has CHANGED THE GAME when it comes to creating mnemonics to remember things. Instead of coming up with elaborate stories, Dall-E can quickly create a visual that sticks SO EASILY in the mind. It has invalidated many many hours of work I have done in the past to come up with a "mnemonic alphabet" of ideas using existing fictitious characters; it works SO MUCH BETTER, so I'm very happy to discard my previous methods.

For the last couple of years I have been working on a book that covers my SuperMemo journey as well as almost every useful productivity "lifehack" that I have found useful for the last 10 years or so. It is mostly completed, but I'm not sure how to release it. Should I record myself reading it and release it as an audio book on YouTube? That is probably how I would like to consume it if I were on the receiving end of it. The only parts of the book that need to be firmed up are about AI (Want to make sure they work long term as well as they seem).

Other than those two things, my life has been pretty unchanged and my SuperMemo habits remain the same. I am on day 6,525 of doing my daily flashcards, and I still love it!

Unrelated note: a game called Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was released, and it's a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio! I was not a very good student and spent a lot of my time in middle school playing the Sega Dreamcast. Needless to say, this game is fantastic has hit the nostalgia bone HARD! They even use some of the same music samples for their soundtrack (Along with Hideki Naganuma contributing a couple of tracks)! Here is a sample:

Take care!

How to add Sounds to SuperMemo

 There are a number of ways to add sounds to SuperMemo. I found one video that outlines one way to do it: https://supermemopedia.com/wiki/Quickly_Adding_Sounds_to_SuperMemo

In the context of adding a sound for "pass" and "fail," here is how you can change that.

First you need to actually add the sound to SuperMemo by adding it to the Sound Registry. You can do that by clicking "search" on the toolbar on the top and then clicking "sounds." This will show you the list of sounds you have in your registry. Mine is filled with mostly songs.

Next click "add". Now, find the sound file you want to add, then click "OK." Note that after the song is added, you should probably rename it; it is easy for your sound registry to become disorganized. For sound effects, I name sound files "ZZ_xxxx" so I can find them by simply typing ZZ. Most of the sound files are "ring tones" of songs that I like; they are organized by artist and then song.

Now you want to use that sound for "pass" or "fail" in SuperMemo. To do this, click "Toolkit" and then "Options."

Now click the "SuperMemo" tab, and you should see a box that says "Custom Sounds." Now type in the name of the sound that you want to use for each, using THE NAME AS IT IS IN THE SOUND REGISTRY. Click the "play" button just to make sure that the correct sound comes out. If you are even one character off, it might choose the wrong sound file.

That should be it!

Making SuperMemo Addictive - Slot Machines As Inspiration (Pictures, sounds, music)

One subject of great interest to me is the slot machine. Personally I do not gamble, but the entire casino and specifically the slot machine industry is fascinating.

Generally speaking, using a slot machine will result in a net loss for the user. Statistically, the user WILL lose money, and aside from the immediate stimulation and comfort of the machine, they leave that experience with NOTHING to show for it. Despite this basic fact, many people continue to willfully use these slot machines.

Why does such a contradiction exist? It seems that in order to compensate for the one big negative aspect of the slot machine, the creators do their best to max out every other positive aspect of the machine:

Comfortable chairs, pleasant sounds, fragrant smells, periodic wins (but not too many), buttons that feel good to touch, addictive algorithms, and so on. Basically the creators of slot machines make every possible effort to maximize the comfort level of the user so that these positive aspects outweigh the big negative aspect of it being a money sink.

If you remove the questionable ethics of the gambling industry, the slot machine is a great example of how you can make a negative thing FEEL positive.

I look at slot machines as the “level 100 Pokemon” in terms of making a negative activity addictive. If you want to gain some insight into the world of slot machine psychology, I would highly recommend the book “Addiction By Design.” The book is dense with useful information, very little fluff. Watching any talk given by the author (Natasha Schull) is also worth an hour of your time. I linked one of her talks in the picture of the book.

Specifically in the context of SuperMemo, i like thinking about “what can I do to make SuperMemo less like study hall and more like a slot machine?” Over the years I have experimented with how I use SuperMemo, and it has resulted in a few permanent SuperMemo routines:

1. Pictures on every card - slot machines are extremely visual, they often have pictures themed around popular IPs. Lesson: my flashcards would benefit greatly if they feature a picture (As long as it doesn’t give away the answer. In this case, the picture should appear when the answer is shown). Of the 110,000 cards in my database, probably less than 3% of them do not have any kind of picture associated with them. Almost every flashcard I have has a “logo picture” that identifies the type of knowledge represented. I have “logo cards” for foreign languages, books, “idea genres”, and so on.
2. Positive sounds - Slot machines all feature brief but pleasant sound effects that you don’t get tired of hearing repeatedly. Lesson: if possible, associate positive sounds with reviewing flashcards. Even before I got really into slot machine psychology I decided “pass” and “fail” needed their own sounds. Over the years I have used a number of different sound effects for “pass” and “fail,” right now I think I’m using the “menu select” sound from the Persona games. In the past I used the “dialogue done” sound from Ocarina of Time and the “menu select” sound from Pokemon Red/Blue. Video games and specifically RPGs are a good source for sound effects you don’t mind hearing repeatedly over time.
3. Music - Slot machine creators LOVE it when the machine features music that is nostalgic to the player (One of the reasons that “The Price is Right” slots are so popular). Lesson: Incorporating music into my flashcards will make them more fun to review. This has been more of a mixed bag, so I’m not sure if I would recommend going down the weird rabbit hole I have, but here it goes. Over the last six or seven years, I would daily take 5 songs that I loved and isolate 30 second chunks of the song that give me the most joy (Sometimes the same track contains multiple chunks). Ideally they would be spots in the song that would give me goosebumps. Using audacity I would record those 30 second snippets and use the tools in Audacity to make each chunk fade in and out. By the time you’re done, you basically have a ringtone of your favorite part(s) of a song. Doing this has been a fun little hobby over the years, since it has forced me to decide WHY I like a particular song. Long story short, I have about 4500 of these tracks, and it still grows by 2 or 3 tracks per day. Many of them are in SuperMemo and are played when a flashcard answer is shown. Often times I listen to drone or ambient music lightly while reviewing flashcards so the SuperMemo answer song acts as the “sprinkles” on top of the ambient vanilla ice cream that I’m enjoying. I don't really use SuperMemo as a jukebox, but a side effect of SuperMemo has been that I've tried to become more objective about what stuff I like. I think my weird little ring tone library is a manifestation of that.
4. 
   Wii Remote - Slot machine creators do their very best to make sure every aspect of the slot machine is enjoyable to touch, ESPECIALLY the aspects of the machine that the player interacts with (Touch screen, handle, buttons, etc.). Lesson: The process of doing SuperMemo should be fun to touch. It’s possible to use a mouse and keyboard to review 400 flashcards, but it’s not extremely fun. Shortly after the Nintendo Wii came out, I remember thinking to myself “I would LOVE to use a Wii Remote to review flashcards”. It wasn’t possible because our family computer didn’t have bluetooth and the dongles that I bought online weren’t compatible with the Wii Remote 😢. Eventually I bought the proper bluetooth adapter and learned some rudimentary programming with GlovePie to get my Wii Remote to do SuperMemo things on the family computer (A button = 4, B button = Enter, + button = Tab, etc.). For more than 15 years I have used the SAME Wii Remote for SuperMemo, a testament to the durability of Nintendo’s hardware design (Switch problems notwithstanding).
   

I guess those are some of the biggest lessons that have positively impacted my SuperMemo use over the years. If I think of something else, I'll write another post.

Also, I'm reading all of your comments and mail, and I'm trying to respond to them in a post and not just give you a quick sentence or two response. Thanks for your understanding 😅 

Little SuperMemo Machines

Throughout the years I have always been the small audience that Netbooks are aimed at. SuperMemo is a program that runs only on Windows (I’ve never messed with Linux or Mac programs that let you run Windows) and SuperMemo itself is as lightweight as an internet browser or email client.

For as long as I can remember I have purchased a new Netbook or an underpowered, cheap laptop every four years or so, solely for the purpose of doing SuperMemo. My most recent purchase was a Surface Go 1 in 2018. Essentially it is a Surface Mini with not very impressive specs, but it's THE PERFECT little SuperMemo machine for me.

Being able to hold a Windows computer as if it were an iPad makes activities like daily reviews and incremental reading much more fun. When reviewing my daily items, I use a Wii Remote that has the various buttons bound for frequently used SuperMemo actions, so it seldom requires the use of a keyboard or mouse.

Recently I have taken to detaching the keyboard cover and walking around our apartment, a Wii Remote in one hand and the Surface Go in the other. I keep a bluetooth keyboard and mouse on the table in case I need to type anything. This morning I walked 1.5 miles while reviewing about 300 flashcards!

It seems unlikely that we will ever get a fully functional mobile SuperMemo for the iPad, so for now this is the next best thing.

Using SuperMemo for Music?

Someone sent an email asking if I have ever used SuperMemo for learning music.

As much as I enjoy listening to music, I have never really pursued learning a musical instrument of any sort.

The only possibly similar thing I do is practice writing Chinese characters as part of my flashcards. The flashcard will say “write the Chinese character for xyz” and I have to write that character on a piece of paper (Shoutout to the "hipster pdf"). If I write the character correctly, the card is marked “correct.”

I imagine you could do something similar for practicing music; have a flashcard that asks you to play a particular section of music and depending on how well you can perform the piece, you can mark the flashcard as “correct” or “incorrect.” My only doubt is that I’m not sure if the rate of forgetting a piece of knowledge is the same as losing the muscle memory of performing a piece of music.

How SuperMemo Helped Build Momentum in Other Areas of Life

Before I started using SuperMemo, I don’t think I was a very studious or motivated person. I didn’t excel very much in school and outside of a few interests, my “character stats” felt pretty average; similar to Doug, the Nickelodeon cartoon character (Who was described as “painfully average” by his creator).

I started using SuperMemo after I finished high school (If only I started while I was in school 🤷🏻‍♂️), and I’m pretty sure it marked a turning point in who I was as a person. I don’t think I owe EVERY positive aspect of my life to SuperMemo, but SuperMemo certainly helped me to cultivate a really productive attitude towards the value of effort.

One thing I love about RPGs is the concept of the experience point. The idea is so appealing; by putting in effort to fight the same monsters over and over, your effort eventually accumulates and makes you into a better person. Even if an action is small, it still is not a waste since you are always progressing forward, towards greater things.

This kind of simple progression system doesn’t exist in real life. Stuff that you learn you eventually forget. Muscles atrophy. Former glory doesn’t guarantee future success. Any excuse for laziness is still just an excuse, but the lack of a meaningful feedback system can easily make learning seem less fun than something like a video game, something that DOES feature a meaningful feedback system. I played Mario 64 for a half an hour and now I have three more stars ⭐️. Can reading a book for 30 minutes give me the same meaningful assessment of my progress?

Anyways, SuperMemo started as a mere tool to memorize foreign language words, but the more I understood how effective it was, I could see exciting implications. If this tool helps me to remember the Japanese word for “one way ticket,” could I also use it to remember other important things?

Long story short: yes. In time i started to notice the entire feedback loop:

“Put forth effort to learn something - make flashcards to remember the things I learned - do my flashcards every day - Success! (Perfect memory)”

This kind of feedback loop is likely present in many other positive habits: exercise, learning to program, playing chess, etc. For me, it was SuperMemo. Once I experienced the long term benefits of this one habit, it becomes more plausible that I could also achieve similarly positive long term benefits in OTHER areas of life.

Eating healthier and exercising, practicing mindfulness, being organized with how I handle household chores, bills or other boring but important things, these are all areas in life that don’t provide immediate positive feedback, but it feels REALLY rewarding when these kinds of things “fall into place.”

Over time SuperMemo became less of a tool for memory and more of a single aspect of a self disciplined lifestyle (Like owning an iPod was the first step into the Apple ecosystem, it becomes easier to buy a Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc.). Eventually I tried to treat other aspects of my life the same way I treated SuperMemo: a thing that is worth doing but doesn’t pay off right away.

I have good days and bad days like anyone else, but having this consistent habit that I always do, it makes it easier to motivate myself to do other stuff even when I’m having an off day.