Re: Using unmaintained plugins

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Bithov Vinu <bithov.vinub@gmail.com> [2021-04-20 23:20]:
> This argument seems reductive at best - we are yet to know where
> in the brain conciousness derives, or even if it is in the brain
> at all rather than in a "soul" of some sort - yet the majority of
> people agree that conciousness, as it is commonly understood,
> exists.

Including scientists from Max Planck Institute, those researching
quantum physics, they found there is no matter, and matter must come
from something which is nothing, in other words something
spiritual. Recommended is to listen to Hans-Peter Dürr.

> We (and by we I mean humanity as a collective) know the precise probabilities
> that a subatomic particle (or wave??) is in a certain state.
> We have no idea why it is that way, but we most certainly now it is.

That is quantym physics, in the end, scientists in quantum physics can
prove that matter is not there. Sounds contradictive to everything we
know. 

> > Especially me, who is one of them:
> > https://html.duckduckgo.com/html/?q=children+who+remember+past+lives
> >
> > cannot easily just say that "memory decays".
> 
> I'm immediately skeptical of this claim - I have trouble believing that
> you are able to remember your past lives - not just because there
> is no research whatsoever that shows any evidence that the concept of past
> lives exists.

There is a lot of research and a lot of evidences. To say there is no
research one would need to know ALL of the human knowledge. And
research on the subject is older than you think.

Would you have trouble believing that I remember I was on swimming
pool last Sunday? That is the same, I know I was, and somebody comes
and tells me, no you did not. What a uncomfortable situation. It is
also not important. And it is not about believing. Somebody simply
tells experience. When I started talking with 3 years, I had no reason
whatsoever to lie around.

References:
https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/our-research/children-who-report-memories-of-previous-lives/
https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/publications/academic-publications/children-who-remember-previous-lives-academic-publications/

I have few friends, they could recall the names, profession and
whatever other identifications so that information could be used to
find files, documentary traces, of those people in past.

Research old books, this has been talked of since the mankind on this
planet. Now is 21st century and we still deny it.

If you have your own personal memory that you were on swimming pool
last Sunday, nobody can take you that.

> Regardless, this delves into the ideas of the supernatural, which by
> its very nature cannot be explained through empirical research, and
> more importantly, isn't the topic of interest on this mailing list

You never know when it will result with Emacs Lisp package for example
for the recall. I have some clues how to do it. We came to it from Org
Drill.

Things you do not know are not necessarily supernatural. Things are
not supernatural just because they cannot be explained through
empirical research, though it is questionable if they cannot, as I
said, one can prove it in many cases by finding previous graves,
locations, files, documents. There are reasons for amnesia, people
don't identify any more with past experiences.

That you were on swimming pool last Sunday, cannot also be explained
through empirical research. Is it supernatural?

That you love somebody and who do you love, cannot also be explained
through empirical research, is it supernatural?

> > Repetitions methods I have been using as a child as I was in the
> > environment where nobody knew better, neither my parents or
> > grandparents neither teachers.
> 
> I think this might be me being overly cynical, but I'd generally
> lean to being distrustworthy of someone who claims to have unearthed
> (ancient?) knowledge and wisdom in relation to memory, that even the
> most advanced and experimental of neuroscience hasn't hypothesised.

Seem like you know all of the advanced and experimental of
neuroscience, though empirically it may be easily proven that you do
lack a lot of references otherwise easy findable on Internet. ;-)

> > Then I got the a sexy coach to teach me polynomials. Boy, I was getting it right!
> > She explained me so that I understand it in all details.
> 
> I really, really don't like how you phrased this. I can't find
> any official GNU mailing list etiquette rules that aren't
> in relation to formatting emails, but I feel like describing
> your coach as first and foremost "sexy" is gross
> and undignified. Again, this is personal preference, there
> is seemingly nothing in the GNU etiquette to prevent this
> (though I may certainly be wrong, I haven't done more than
> quickly skim the rules).

That she was sexy was motivational event for learning. It is normal
human experience so far I know. Some people may be asexual, majority
of people do find sexy things on the sexes they like. My coach would
be so pleased to hear me say that today, just I cannot find her. By
the way I know so many friends as females like more than 250+ and not
even one that would ever complain that I know on being called
sexy. 

> I'm glad it has worked for you. This doesn't mean, however, that the
> knowledge you reaped is valuable for everyone, as you seem to be
> pushing it. The body of evidence surrounding spaced repetition,
> however, is, and can, generally, be applicable for everyone. Of
> course, mnemonics may have worked exceptionally well for you, but
> you may be the exception rather than the rule - for the vast
> majority of people, using spaced repetition will yield success (in
> terms of retention).

For polynomials it was rather learning with understanding and
practice, not really mnemonics as techniques. Those I have been using
as demonstration of memorization as feats for entertainment. Of course
it was not really and solely memorization but that is what people
think as they cannot look in my mind. Mnemonics is something people
with imagination can learn, anybody with imagination. I think those
who lack imagination would have a hard time with it.

When a number is told like number eight, pure memorization would need
just repetition or thinking of number 8, while by using some popular
associative mnemotechniques would require imagination and thus
creation of associations that could involve a whole story within less
than a second.

It is interesting that imagination can also be improved by practice,
but I would not wonder much if there are people who would have again
problems practicing.

In mass communications and analysis of people I do currently, I can
see that all people I have contacted claimed to have some previous
education and thus imply to know how to read, but in the end one
significant number of them know more how to talk then how to read. As
they have serious problems understanding a rather simple letter. A
surprise that good number of people can technically read but not
practically understand tells me somehow indicates that if I would ask
them about imagination, I could as well find those who have serious
troubles with imaginations.

Number of people asked about dreams told me they never dream, which
comes surprisingly to me, who dreams as soon as my eyes are closed,
and often after I open my eyes...

> > To say how your system, which improves your memory is not mnemonics
> > only to "debunk" other systems comes from a conflict of interest, but
> > any system helping the memory is mnemonics nevertheless.
> 
> Here's something that debunks this better than I ever could
> (rationalwiki.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_dictionarium). There isn't
> really much otherwise to be said. While technically the SuperMemo
> method may fall under the "mnemonics" category, it isn't
> semantically similar to what most people think of when thinking
> about mnemonics.

Dictionaries show us those definitions of words that people currently
agree upon while some words are so new that they are not necessarily
in a dictionary or they may be harder to find. That is where Internet
and various contexts may help to understand it.

I don't use definitions of words for manipulations. When I see that
you understand the word in some quite different context, I may
indicate it as it may not be that what is commonly understood with
it. Spaced repetition is by the definition mnemonics, yet you consider
it not, but then we have other people who do consider repetition to be
mnemonics. It is up to you to decide. You are also free to use any
word anyhow, then problems of understanding and misunderstanding may
arise.

References:
https://poets.org/glossary/repetition
Quote: "Repetition, as in rhyme, is a strong mnemonic device"

http://www.syncrat.com/posts/5258/mnemonic-devices
where repetition is mentioned as mnemonic device.

> And to that point, I'd argue that SuperMemo is not a technique to
> aid the memory, rather, a method of analysis and observation of
> memory.  Using Supermemo does not in and of itself improve one's
> memory, instead, it exploits the very biological nature of
> memory. The science surrounding the biological mechanisms underlying
> the spacing effect is explored in Piotr Wozniak's PhD thesis, linked
> here (https://www.supermemo.com/en/archives1990-2015/english/ol).

That is too hard for me. When I read "Supermemo" it is like to aid
memory to become super, but you say it is not, kind of contradictory,
I was thinking it aids the memory but you say it does not aid the
memory., it is just for analysis.

Larger issue at hand is that in GNU we shall not recommend proprietary
software and rather create free software that does the same purpose,
so it is good you found Org Drill, and it would be possible to get
formula for those intervals and integrate them into various learning
techniques.

While I don't find it as best general method for learning, I remember
some sets of historical and numerical fact questions with A, B, C
answers could by repetition easier be remembered. This method may be
said to be "pull"-type of spaced repetition as person oneself decides
on when to excercise the practice.

On my side, I also use repetition to get a message across and make
sales by using spaced intervals, and this method may be said to be
"push"-type of spaced repetition, as person is informed by SMS, email,
letter, fax or call about the opportunities that one can
buy. Thus repetition intervals could maybe be of use in sales, as it
brings people to remember the service or product easier.

That is a program to send emails, it will not send email that has been
already sent, and it takes care of specific time interval between
sending. Time intervals are recorded in the database table.

Thus for Emacs I would say that set of data on the disk or in the
database has to record times when specific questions or memory
practices have been exercised.

Additionally, if computer is running, and user does not remember to
practice, those intervals would pass, that requires also reminders to
run the program again. I have tried clicking on references but links
don't work.

It could be possible to make generic table that keeps intervals in the
database and then generic events to be done by using those intervals.

The principle could be used either for personal learning or teaching
other people like in mass communication, courses, and propagation of
marketing for sales purposes.

Then database and program could be:

0. Table of people;

1. Table for types of events, like question to be repeated, or email
   to be sent; 
   
2. Events referencing the types; those could get some data to present
   to user; it could be like questions and answers or emails, SMS to
   be sent; intervals that has to pass before the event is asked has
   to be recorded somewhere;

3. Table of executed events with times; this one would keep time
   intervals when events have been executed last time. For example the
   event or excercise A1 would be noted with the time when it was
   answered and if it was answered correctly or not; if email was
   pushed and interacted with, or not; interaction to sent
   communication indicates understanding; in my database I call this
   table "mailings" as it records when specific email has been sent to
   a person.

4. Algorithm decides if specific event from table (2) above would need
   to be invoked. There can be hundreds or thousands of events. That
   is where SQL queries comes very handy as for example in PostgreSQL
   one can easily find data by using time intervals;

5. Emacs Lisp and Emacs as interface can process and display events.

Does the technique involves questions with answers like A, B, C,
always? That would be pretty limiting. But I did that once as a quiz
questions, as that can be used to send a lesson, have user answer it
and automatically evaluate the results. In this case quiz like
questions could be used for teaching.

Then administrator could enter all the data first, for example by
adding questions and incorrect and correct answers. Once all
information has been added program can run, verify intervals, and
people may excercise.

You could maybe send here the intervals for repetition for SM-5?

What format need to be questions/answers? Is it like quiz or it can be
anything, like facts?


-- 
Jean

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