Re: Using unmaintained plugins

[Bithov Vinu <bithov.vinub@gmail.com>]

I will most certainly look into the book you referred - as soon as I
get through my current backlog :)

I'm not certain that you understand what the Supermemo method is. It
lies on the following principles:
1) memory decays at a predictable, rapid rate
2) review reduces the rate of forgetting
3) review at too early or late a time results in excess repetitions or
forgetting of knowledge respectively

(Those axioms aren't entirely true; when digging into the research you
find that frequent, early repetition negatively impacts the rate of
forgetting later on, but for the sake of argument, we'll ignore this)

The Supermemo algorithm is simply a mathematical method of attempting
to calculate the optimum interval for review, from the most crude and
simple SM-0 to SM-2 (used in Anki/Mnemosyne) to SM-5 (org-drill) to
SM-18, the latest iteration.
It isn't a mnemonic in any sense of the word - I hope that you can
explain how you understand the Supermemo method to be like a mnemonic.

You are most certainly right that the articles I linked may be biased
- of course, the latest iterations of Supermemo are pieces of
proprietary non-free software, and, ultimately, Piotr Wozniak's
motives will always be to sell you the software that he wrote and
invested his time into. There are definitely some snake-oil-like stuff
on supermemo.guru, but a lot of the claims Dr Wozniak makes in
reference to memory and forgetting are scientifically sound (for proof
of this, I'd advise you read the Gwern article I originally linked;
Gwern Branwen is an independent researcher and his article is richly
referenced and makes conclusions based plenty of peer reviewed
research).

I can't say I've done an extensive review of Harry Lorayne's work, but
from the bits that I've seen, I'm skeptical. I'm immediately
distrustful of someone for unbiased information if their occupation is
professional magician, even more so when he has written books with
titles as sensational and frankly nonsensical as "How to develop a
Super Power Memory", "Harry Lorayne's Secrets of Mind Power", "Memory
makes money" and, my personal favourite, "How to get rich using the
power of your mind". Now, I might be overly skeptical, but I generally
disregard sensationalised books written by someone with seemingly no
credentials whatsoever in favour of huge bodies of peer-reviewed
evidence.

You are most certainly right that associations underlie all memory -
the 20 rules of formulating knowledge relies on this fact. I think you
may have misunderstood the article; what Dr Wozniak means by "do not
memorise what you do not understand", he means, do not repeat using
the Supermemo method, what hasn't already been put into memory through
traditional means.

Mnemonics are definitely useful - I don't think I've ever argued that
they aren't, instead, what I'm arguing is that they aren't a panacea
to an indestructible memory.

I'd also like to dismiss this understanding of my points being
exclusive to me and supermemo.guru - they're not, these are well
documented theories and evidence-based conclusions.