Q:
What is MemorizeNow for?
A:
It is designed to help memorize passages from the Bible, though it can be used to memorize other text-based material as well.Q:
How does it work?
A:
When the "enter text" button is selected, you can enter the name for an item you want to memorize in the "item name" field, then add the item itself. (You can add as many items as you please, and can even enter entire lists of items (click here for instructions). The item names will appear in the right-side column.
Then click on one of the item names that appears in the right column to memorize that item.
On the Memorize page, you can:
- Display the memory item in full.
- Show the first letter of each word. (See if you can recall the item just using those clues.)
- Add more and more blank spaces to the item and see if you can still recall it.
- Hide the entire item, try to recite it, then show it again to see how well you did.
- If you need a hint, roll the cursor over a blank space to show the first letter of the missing word. Click on the first letter to show the full word.
- In the Letters mode, click on any letter to see the full word.
- In the Type mode, type the first letter of each word.
Click the flash card button to go through all your items and see how well you recall them.Q:
I can't get it to work at all.
A:
The most likely cause is that you don't have JavaScript enabled on your browser. It won't work without JavaScript.Q:
Can I enter a lot of memory items at one time?
A:
Yes. After clicking the enter text button, click to select the bulk 1 or bulk 2 option.
For bulk 1, the information needs to be formatted like this (with the tab key represented here by "<tab>"):
Capital of California<tab>Sacramento
Capital of Nevada<tab>Carson City
Capital of North Dakota<tab>Bismark
The item name for the item is on the left, and the item you want to memorize is on the right.
bulk 1 is particularly handy for items in a spreadsheet. Just place two columns next to each other in a spreadsheet, the left column containing the item name and the right column containing the corresponding memory item. Then copy both columns from the spreadsheet and paste them into the field (the tab character is automatically inserted) and press the add button.
For bulk 2, the information needs to be formatted like this (notice the carriage returns breaking up the memory item):
#Patience
Therefore be
patient, brethren, until
the
coming of the Lord. Behold, the
farmer waits for the precious fruit of
the earth, and is patient for it, until
it receives the early and the late
rains. You also be patient; establish
your hearts: for the coming of the
Lord draws near. - James 5:7-8
or like this (with no carriage returns breaking up the memory item)...
#Rest
Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30
Notice that the item name line must start with a '#' symbol. The text of the item you want to memorize starts on the next line and may continue for as many lines as you like. Add as many items formatted in this manner as you like.Q:
I'm an actor. Can I use it to remember my lines?
A:
Yes. You can enter the lines of multiple actors and keep the lines of those you do NOT want to memorize intact as a reference. Simply begin each line you do NOT want to memorize with "]]", without the quote marks. Like this:
]]Juliet: Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Romeo: I art watching the game at my cousin Bubba's house. Canst I calleth thou back?
]]Juliet: That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Romeo: Uhhh, yeah, totally. Ahh! How canst he misseth a shot like that?
Q:
Is there a limit to how much I can enter?
A:
There is no MemorizeNow limit on how much you enter, but your browser may not be able to accomodate huge files, and the amount it can handle may vary depending on the browser. If you have a huge number of items to enter, you may want to enter and save smaller groups of items several times.Q:
Is my information secure?
A:
We don't intentionally save information you enter into the system, so basically, there is nothing to secure. We use some PHP, so there are instances where your information passes through our server, but we don't keep it. The only information we gather is the default information collected by a standard web server. Presumably you could force our system to record something by embedding information into a URL, but we aren't trying to gather it.Q:
How do I create an account and save my work?
A:
You can't create an account but you can save your work.
There are no accounts because accounts mean usernames and passwords and I don't really care for them. Accounts mean I need to save people's personal information and keep it secure.
But you can save your work. To save it, click the save button and simply save the html page to your own computer, just as you would save a word processor document or any other file you create. You can name it anything you want (GermanVerbs.html, BibleVerses.html, anatomy.html) but make sure it remains an "html" file.
By the way, the file you save is a working version of MemorizeNow that you can use on your own computer even if you are completely disconnected from the Internet.
Q:
The save page looks kinda weird. What's with that?
A:
The save page looks different because it is built entirely without images so that when you save it your browser won't create any messy subdirectories for the images. All you save is a single html file that runs on your computer without needing to connect with the Net. And when you are done with it, you can just delete that one file and be done with it.Q:
Characters mess up when I reconnect from a saved page using Safari browser.
A:
When you initially save the file on your Mac, in the Save dialog box, try saving it as "Page Source".Q:
Can I use pictures in Memorize Now?
A:
Sorry, not currently and probably not for some time, if at all.Q:
Why did you make Memorize Now?
A:
As a Christian, I have periodically memorized Bible verses, and the various memory tools out there seem to be designed mostly to help people get the material they memorize from their short-term memory into their long-term memory. That's very good, but I wanted a tool that would help get the information into my short-term memory, which is, after all, the first step, so I made this tool partly for that reason, partly to learn Javascript, and partly to help other people.Q:
Are there any other memory tools you like?
A:
There is one free tool I use called Mnemosyne, which I would describe as more of a memory-refresher tool. Once you have memorized something, it helps you keep it fresh in your memory. MemorizeNow is designed more for the initial step of getting it into your short-term memory in the first place.Q:
You doing anything else on the Web?
A:
A few things. Here is a tool to help small groups raise money for a cause without everybody knowing what everybody else gave, called SilentPledge. Also, I have a device that lets you open all your favorite websites with one click, called OpenUpper.com, and a collection of tools to fiddle with blocks of text called TextWidgets.Q:
How can I contact you?
A:
If you didn't find the answer to your question here or want to report a bug or suggest an enhancement, you can contact me at brad DOT haugaard AT gmail DOT com. I realize there may be bugs, but MemorizeNow is a very part-time task, so I'm not sure I'll be able to address bugs very quickly. Thanks for your patience.
