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+--- Thread: recommendations on what tools to use (/thread-502.html)
recommendations on what tools to use - thegeezer3 - 2007-05-03
Ok I love this website, I really do but Im limited to using it when im on a pc. It gets even worst when your in the uk as not many pcs in public places have kanji/kana language installed. My work pc is a prime example. There goes my lunch breaks for learning.
Ive tried using my ppc but thats a real pain. Software is generally poo, the battery constantly runs outs after only one bloody day and resets the memory (i havnt found a software that can be installed on my flashcard - that would stop me from having to constantly install the software!) and writing on it isnt as great as ppc/palm fans say. Its awqward. Finanlly active sync drives me up the bloody wall. But it redeems itself a little (and i mean a little) because i can use it anywhere - when the batterys on.
What i want is a way to learn japanese on the go and on my pc without the crap in the middle and i thought why not just use my mobile and mobile internet. That way i can update easily whenever im at home and review on the go with no syncing and reinstalling.
Does this site have a mobile version? Are there any heisig mobile sites out there with a good pc site like this one? Does anyone use their mobiles for htis stuff? Does kanji show up on non japanese phones? Is it expensive in the UK to do this stuff.
Are there any other alternatives??? Ive got a psp if that could be used someway (but only if it doesnt have the PPC hassles)
ideas?
recommendations on what tools to use - chamcham - 2007-05-03
you can use flashcards and the RTK book. There are Heisig flashcards available.
Before I used this website, I wrote all my stories in the book.
To be honest, I don't think anything compares in terms of the usefulness and convenience of this website. So you should count on coming back here periodically for quizzes and reviewing failed kanji.
Btw, you can always use one of those mobile or pocket PCs. The only
caveat is to test out the web browser to see if works with this site. Typing
stories in would be a pain. But maybe you can use your PC to input stories
and then use a pocket or mobile PC to review while you're on the road.
recommendations on what tools to use - Ramchip - 2007-05-03
Ricardo set up a proxy for mobile users. If you want to try it out the URL is:
http://sites.mpc.com.br/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi
It can also convert the kanji into images, so you might want to try it on your work PC.
recommendations on what tools to use - jreaves - 2007-05-03
I use a Palm Pilot with Twinkle. I downloaded a text file with the Heisig keywords and kanji (thanks ziggr!) which I saved in Excel. I typed brief versions of Heisig's stories for the first 2 parts of the book, and for the rest of the book I copy/paste my favorite stories from this site into the spreadsheet, which can be easily imported into Twinkle. Sometimes I make up my own stories, but usually there's one from this site that's better than anything I would have come up with (thanks to smithsonian, synewave, dingomick, fuaburisu, and many others!).
This solution doesn't require an internet connection for reviewing and minimizes typing. Battery life has never been a problem. With WiFi and Bluetooth disabled, I get 5 or more hours of battery life out of my Palm Tungsten TX.
recommendations on what tools to use - wrightak - 2007-05-03
I also work in the UK and had the problem of not being able to view Japanese characters. It was easily solved though - just go to control panel, then regional settings and take it from there. I didn't have rights but I just asked for it to be installed and no one seemed to mind.
There are lots of programs which can be installed on your SD card instead of main memory. In fact, I can't think of any that cant. What ppc are you using? I've never had any of the problems you describe.
Programs that can be installed on pocket pc include JFC which is free, King Kanji which is not (but assesses your writing of the characters), and the program I use on my pc - supermemo - also has a pocket pc version. I've never tried it but I'd really appreciate someone else giving it a go and telling me what it's like.
I haven't used my iPAQ in a while though and there are probably some better programs coming out.
recommendations on what tools to use - thegeezer3 - 2007-05-04
Thanks for the ideas. Ive been thinking about asking my companys IT dept to allow me to set regional settings (its restricted access) but theyve recently been hit by some virus and are asking everyone not to use the web or so my boss has told me so im not sure theyd like me asking for japapnese to view japanese websites. But i may just ask anyway.
The idea of using that proxy site sounds good. May not need to ask IT at all. Plus it keeps everything centralised on this site and if i do start using my phone i can use the site (can i??? will it view on a phones tiny screen? or is there some version for phones being developed?)
The ppc i guess is not 100% fit. I did sit on it and had to do a self repair screen job and ever since its not been so hot . But even when i request to install programs on the flashcard they dissapear from site when the battery runs out and system restores (self erases). Maybe its because there are system files that get installed on the ppc itself and not on the flash i dont know... maybe im wrong please tell me if so. As for JFC i did use that initially but i became frustrated of knowing what to revise when and then spaced repetition software came along and made that all easy like this site. There are some space repetition software otu there for ppc but they are usually pretty poo and awqward to use. Ive bought Pocket Stackz and was disapointed with it and supermemo on the pc was so complicated and the User interface was urgh! Also my battery lasts one and a half days so if i forget to recharge it resets and i have to reinstall. Thats just crap. Maybe i should buy a new battery but its more money!
recommendations on what tools to use - Ricardo - 2007-05-04
thegeezer3 Wrote:if i do start using my phone i can use the site (can i??? will it view on a phones tiny screen? or is there some version for phones being developed?)When I asked Fabrice for even a rough support on mobile devices, his answer was no. That's why I wrote the proxy, to use it with my Palm T|X. The proxy could be improved to support even smaller devices like cell phones, but I don't have the time to do it, and I think it's better for everyone to bug Fabrice for this feature. :-) Anyway, if you cell phone can run the Opera Mini Browser, AFAIK you can use the proxy with it.
Actually, since I started using Twinkle (a flashcard program) on the Palm, I've changed the way I interact with the site:
- I do all my reviews on Twinkle (it's at least 4 times faster than using the site);
- I carry all the stories (mine and from other users) for all kanjis in the Palm, so I can also study them off-line;
- I use PADict as Japanese/kanji dictionary;
- When using the proxy, I don't need to type or copy-and-paste to copy stories from other users: there's an option to do it with a single "click";
- I only use the PC to enter my own stories and mirror all pages from the "study" section to view them off-line on the Palm.
BTW, if anyone is interested, my Twinkle database contains the RTK I & III kanjis, including the number of strokes.
recommendations on what tools to use - Herbo - 2007-05-07
I spent ages trying out PPC programs and the one I chose and still use every day is stackz.
It uses leitner (unlike kingkanji or JFC) and it splits the cards up into lessons so that you dont have to keep repeating the lessons you dont need to (like the first 10 or so) when you get really far into the book. It already has multiple versions of flash cards for heisig on their site and has many other text books and topics already made for you.
You can have up to 4 sides on any flash card and of course you can work in any direction with them. Also it has a panel that you can write the kanji on to test yourself even further.
Those are the pros. The cons are: Its not free. When you download their premade flashcards lists they are locked so that you cant copy and paste the flashcards around (you get around this by buying a copy of the program but for some reason when you buy a copy of the PPC program the list editor is still crippled).
The program is available for PPC, Palm and Windows. I have only used the PPC version.
Please freel free to ask any questions.
http://www.stackz.com/Stackz/stz.htm