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Prism

Interesting concept : this is basically Firefox without all the browser "navigation" features, which you can use as a kind of terminal to run web applications. Loads faster than the full blown browser and uses less screen space since all browsing features are removed.

Great for running...

MindMeister

A mind mapping software for organizing your notes and ideas, very user friendly. You can do quite a lot on the free account.

If you'd like to work locally then I've used Freemind with some success.

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Interesting free alternative.

But just you wait, more and more sites are now offering offline support thanks to API's like Google Gears, and MindMeister is no exception, though their offline mode requires the basic 4$/month subscription.

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I love the web. It's getting silly when it's faster to load Google Spreadsheet in your browser than loading OpenOffice on your desktop on a fairly up-to-date dual processor PC (?_?)

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Awesome!!

Prism now works as an extension in Firefox 3 beta, you can drop a shortcut on your desktop with the icon from the site's link :

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2...exten.html

Fabrice, do you use mindmeister for your kanji chaining/memory palaces?

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No, not at all

I could easily go off track here... but basically it's my impression that "mind maps" as they are implemented in most software are not a help to memorize but rather to organize information, and get a better bird's eye view, or instead, zoom in onto one "node" and all it's children issues. I say that because of the most popular mind mapping programs I was pointed to, I don't remember the documentation or homepage focusing on the memory aspects.

I've searched for something like a "memory palace" building program and found nearly nothing. You get tons of results for anything but memory palaces : museums, exhibitions, and a lot of links on display of information which are interesting but don't really address memorizing in itself.

If you find some good links for such programs, let me know!

PS: As for mindmeister, I just love the UI and its simplicity. And the Javascript is quite responsive. Impressive Web 2.0 app imho. The mini "demo" on thier homepage is really smart.

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PPS: MindMeister like most "mind mapping" programs, lets you "map" whatever's on your mind or plans or projects, starting from a center node. Whereas in a memory palace it's my experience that you don;'t have to start with a center. In fact the most known technique is the "journey" which is more like a chain with only backward and forward. I believe multi connected rooms work too, a memory palace doesn't need a center. It's less effective I think.. center is great for organizing information I guess (and also that's the typical mind map you see in Tony Buzan's books).

You reminded me of one of my favorite mind mapping toys-- PersonalBrain. Too bad it's not as polished as it should be. It's a nice toy, but overpriced and you don't get enough for your money's worth. You could theoretically create a "brain" of vocab, though, with each kanji as a "center," surrounded by compounds it uses, connected to other kanji "centers," and so on... it would become insane quickly, but it might be fun to see. (I just don't know of a display big enough to show all of the relationships.)

Cayra is also fun for dynamic relationships, but it bogs down really fast.

To resurrect an old thread...

I've just downloaded the latest Prism and indeed I'm loving the idea. In fact, I'm writing this in Prism. The one downside I see right now is no extensions. Specifically I need RikaiChan and NoSquint. Anyone know any hacks for getting these working on Prism?

I found a site here: http://www.luckydisasters.com/2007/10/29...least-one/
detailing how to get some extensions working, but my skills are not good enough to make this hack work.

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A new version of Prism is out !

http://prism.mozilla.com/