Of course, it has been thought of before... though I haven't seen it in this context. What I've described is first of all a "lexical browser" (such a thing already exists). The text is recursively parsed down to its minimal tokens, with all intermediate results stored in a tree-shaped database. The database could be browsed with something like a filesystem browser. Clicking on any node lists its dependencies; For example clicking on a sentence-node would list its words. This far, it is probably standard stuff. But here is its application to flashcard programs: These lists of dependencies would be *flashcards*, and let's say color coding could indicate their satisfaction of some criteria. For example, once you know (according to the criteria you set, like interval achieved) all of the characters in a word. That word's node would change color, and optionally, you could have it automatically add this word-card to your schedule. ...and furthermore, could have it automatically suspend the cards for its dependencies that you've already learned. (I repeat: it could be like a filesystem browser but instead of writing filenames into a list, it writes flashcards into and out of your collection according to criteria you've set.) *That* would automate the "continually fold(ing) downward into fewer more complex cards" of which I spoke above.
What I'm describing is a hierarchical recordkeeping system whose skeleton probably already exists somewhere. But if its contents are a lexical parsing, then making its records be *flashcards* suggests itself. On Jul 26, 10:32 pm, querido <[email protected]> wrote: > I admit that most of the above is an overreaction to a problem I've > given myself: I've been fanatically absorbed in Chinese study for the > last seven months, and while I've made great progress, the rate can't > be sustained. I might consolidate for a while. > > I have a big idea for you. I suggest you could skip to the last > paragraph first if you'd rather avoid my unpolished verbosity below. > > About #1, above (This is about language, and especially relevant to my > scenario of language learned from a graduated series of textbooks in > which later lessons subsume earlier ones. I know your program is much > more general than this, and other people use it all sorts of ways.): > > If I can show that all of the information on some subset of my cards, > all of which are at intervals above some minimum, is present in > composite form in some lesson or text I've studied, and if I can prove > that I possess it now as language (by passing a "review scheduling" > card that tests this whole chunk), then "graduating" from those cards > looks reasonable, to be replaced by this scheduled reading/listening > of the whole. > We know the principle of atomic-data flashcards. But what I'm saying > suggests a new theory of how information should be managed over > time... leading toward the big, hard to flashcardize qualities of real > language. Let's see: A subset of less-composite-data flashcards > *should* be condensed into a more-composite-data flashcard as soon as > come criteria are met. This would build toward "review assignment" > cards (in a separate category to avoid interfering with your schedule > of learning *new* things), like this: front "This month, read War and > Peace (in Russian of course)" back "Did you understand everything to > the standard that you demand of yourself?" At that point, you don't > need the 50,000(?) atomic cards that it would break down into. You > could declare yourself done, with a yearly reading. Corollary: the > more composite, the less the interval should be stretched, leading > asymptotically toward no-stretching, pure maintenance. Corollary: the > more composite, the more time should be allowed for the card to avoid > interfering with the normal reps of new cards. That means fewer of > these cards per unit time, ultimately requiring let's say a button to > indicate that you've started on the assignment, giving you the > permitted day, week etc. to complete it. These cards would be "in > progress", awaiting their grade. > > From: *learning* atoms, To: *maintaining* chunks of real language. > > Just as a software tool could chop up a book into atomic cards, a > software tool could monitor the learning process and re-condense, > letters into words, words into sentences, etc., as justified. (Chop up > the book recursively down to letters or characters, storing the > intermediate results in a database. Do the audio too!) Integrated into > the flashcard program and automated, total card number would > continually fold downward into fewer more complex cards with lower ef, > until your flashcard displays a link to your favorite bookstore to > fetch this month's assignment! > > A practical, partial alternative that acknowledges these principles > and could be implemented now is this: Every time I correctly answer a > composite card, every atom present on that card would have *its own* > card's interval reset, from today, probably even incremented, because > I just saw it, and knew it. The presence of these cards would be > irrelevant then since their intervals should become astronomical! The > list of its atoms, compiled when the composite card is made, could be > stored like tags with the card. This would be huge, and is why > increasing card-complexity should be sought. There you go. > > On Jul 25, 2:22 am, Peter Bienstman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > On Saturday 25 July 2009 01:40:07 am querido wrote: > > > > I contributed a tiny bit of code a couple of years ago. Now I have > > > 1.99 running with virtualenv, etc., and hope to produce algorithm > > > plugins. > > > Be my guest! > > > BTW, by using grade 5 more often, and holding off from adding new cards for > > a > > while, my rep count is down from 175 to 130 a day :-) > > > Peter --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mnemosyne-proj-users" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mnemosyne-proj-users?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
