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thatoldfoolon Ask HN: What is your replacement for Google search

I also pay for Kagi and have never looked back--consistently good results. And I also pay for protonmail so as not to use Google.

thatoldfoolon The indie web is dead, long live the indie web (2019)

https://wiby.me/ returns hits that "feel" like the old web, mostly plain HTML.

thatoldfoolon Ask HN: What are your favorite newsgroups on Usenet?

I just bought usenapp (https://www.usenapp.com/) after using Unison for ages on mac. This is a useful backbone map of the usenet networks: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Usenet_P...

I have a hefty block account that's my primary server, and then a TB of block data from other backbones set to be only used when my primary server is missing data.

thatoldfoolon To Delay Death, Lift Weights

Kettlebells. Search youtube for "Enter the Kettlebell" with Pavel Tsatsouline; easiest, best way to start, is with the "Simple and Sinister" program, which is just kettlebell swings and Turkish getups.

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

Supermemo is the other one, and it uses a different algorithm. The flashcard world, I think, is pretty evenly split between the two.

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

It seems that Polar might be a natural complement to Zotero, or at least it would be cool if the two could talk to each other; right now, I use the Zotfile plugin to extra PDF annotations, but I would much prefer to use Polar to do my studying.

If I had imagine a way in which the two could work together, it would be for Polar to be able to read from the Zotero library.

Are you guys on speaking terms with the Zotero team?

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

This is by far the best and most accessible way to teach people about Spaced Repetition. Thank you! I'm going to show this to my principal on Monday, and try to have it sent out in the weekly letter to parents.

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

Hey man, I really appreciate it--it's so important to challenge loose claims, and I'm happy your training has made you leap on them when spotted! Don't stop! While it might bug some people, the fact of the matter is more important than my ego.

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

Howdy, I love to be wrong so that I can be right :)

The paper I linked is the shortest one on the topic, and you're right, it doesn't have all the info for those that want to go deeper.

Again, my claims are that: 1. Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve is real, although probably not as bad as he/we thought (two latest papers that I have on it: DOI: 10.1016/j.jmp.2010.08.009, DOI: 10/f7vfcn); 2. Spaced Repetition is the best way to beat Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve for most people (I read a bunch of articles--the DOI's I still have saved are the following, but I can't remember which papers were better than others - DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00012.x, DOI: 10.1177/1529100612453266 <-this one is the one on which the article I linked is based, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/stl0000036).

I could look for more, I haven't had to prove this for a long time, however, like I said, I love to be wrong (especially since I use this for my students, so if there's a better way, I'd like to know!). Do you have any links to studies that contradict 1. Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve and 2. Spaced Repetition as the best way to learn facts?

Cheers man, I'm happy you forced me to dig up these papers :)

-TOF

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

Well, the journal article itself is legit, and there is a plethora of other journal articles on the topic, I just picked BPS since they have the latest live links that aren't behind a journal paywall. But yes, BPS hosted stuff per-se, without digging, isn't always what it seems.

thatoldfoolon Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

This doesn't really say anything about effective learning, it kind of just talks around it.

As an elementary school teacher and a MSc Psych student, I can tell you that spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it:

"Practice tests, spaced practice, and successive relearning: Tips for classroom use and for guiding students’ learning." http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004

You can google the paper and get it free online.

While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-cof...

If you need more proof, just read the papers in the references.

If someone asked me what the two most important things for an average person to know about learning, it would be that 1. Ebbinghaus's "Forgetting Curve" is real, and you will forget most things that you learn within 30 days if you don't review them properly and 2. Spaced repetition, especially aided by software such as Anki, is the best way for the average person to learn and retain large amounts of information.

https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Now, if one is keen, you can upgrade you learning with the use of mnemonics, both mental and visual, and drawing things helps immensely: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/11/22/the-act-of-drawing-some...

But for the average person that won't put in the extra effort, 1. Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve and 2. Spaced Repetition are probably the most important things to know about.