This article is written as if SuperMemo were the only software that uses spaced repetition (SRS) algorithms for learning. Actually there are quite a number of other programs out there including some that are free or open source. I've used SuperMemo for years on my Palm and found it very useful for learning French but the software (at least for the Palm) hasn't been updated for many years and doesn't give the user any control whatsoever over how the program is used. For learning Chinese I've moved to a commercial product called Pleco on the Palm which is basically a dictionary but also has elaborate SRS functionality, it's really light years ahead of SuperMemo. Other more generic SRS programs include Anki and Mnemosyne. Unlike SuperMemo, it's easy to migrate your flashcards among these other applications. One other point, SRS is a huge help to learning vocabulary but learning words is only one part of mastering a language.
This should really be made into a web service. Where all the new card decks are shared for free. I think it could become a very powerful collaborative environment.
FlashcardDB allows a choice between two spaced repetition algorithms: Supermemo's SM-2 (like Anki, Mnemosyne) or the Leitner System. New card decks are shared for free.
Thanks for the rec! The first thing I'm going to be using Mnemosyne for is scheduling guitar practice. I often forget the number of songs and scales that I actually know. Eventually, they get dusty enough that I won't remember them at all. I'm hoping this will help me to retain much better.
Anki is a great spaced repetition tool; despite only using it for 20 minutes each day to remember the Japanese Kanji, it has resulted in me remembering a lot of characters (but English -> Kanji and vice versa).
If you're looking to memorise a lot of data, it's definitely worth a look (runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux).
I'm curious why you want to be interrupted while coding to test be tested. That kind of task switching would be horrible for me and is the reason why I have email turned off during coding sessions.
It would not work for involved things. My hypothesis is that if it's really quick recall, I'll be fine:
I'm trying to reinforce the map from numbers to sounds (Harry Lorayne).
+1 for Anki. I loaded up a list of GRE vocabulary words in Anki, studied it for three months, and got a 1600. I probably spent two hours studying for other portions of the test. Takeaways: 1) SRS works; 2) the GRE is a joke :)
