Turning Owls Into Lemonade

It’s been a rough week with Smart.fm shutting down (that’s the main thing we used to use for flashcards and drilling), but it’s finally over. I’m so happy to say that all Smart.fm lists being used on TextFugu are now Anki lists.

I know some of you don’t like Anki as much (and then there are those who already liked Anki better, and have been emailing nonstop trying to get me to switch over since forever), but I hope you give it a fighting chance. First off, it’s a little different in how it tests you. Instead of choosing a correct answer, you have to come up with the right answer in your head, display the answer, and then tell it how well you actually knew it. If you’re honest with yourself, then this method is actually way better for long term retention. If you’re not honest, and you keep telling it you know things you don’t… well… I think you’ll know what will happen (so be honest!). Continue Reading →

Kanji “New” Is Starting To Roll Out

(Not sure what that picture on the right means, but felt it was appropriate… somehow).

I’ve always been a big believe of putting things out there as early as possible so that early feedback / fixes can happen. So, that’s pretty much what I’m doing here. I have the first 5-ish new kanji sections done and put up on TextFugu (it’s under “Kanji New” in the menu bar) and will be adding to it as the rest of the sections are complete (some of it only needs audio, some of it needs more). I just wanted for people to get an idea what the new Kanji Section will look like and how it will flow. I really hope you like it! I’m pretty nervous about it, it’s very different from before (and I know that people tend to be naturally resistant to change!).

Anyways, here’s what just went down with Kanji “New” and Kanji “Old.” Continue Reading →