Part Five – Drills and Subliminal Learning

If this seems a little long and drawn out, I said that we were going to eat this big fat elephant one bite at a time. I also promised a rapid-fire subliminal learning system. Here they come…

Open StackView

Click on the Tools Menu at the top of the screen. Select StackView Test.

This window has several sections:

Deck Range
Stack Sequence
Test Value
Test Card
Test Times
Enable Timers
Enable Mnemonics

In the beginning, you may wish to study/drill on just a few cards at a time. If you want to drill on all 52 cards, leave Full Deck checked in the Deck Range box. I started out trying to learn just 5 cards at a time. If you would like to try this option, enter your desired range in the Start and Finish boxes. You can type in any range of stack values you like. If you are a little fuzzy in the thirties numbers, simply enter 30-39.

The stack sequence has several interesting options. You can have it step through a sequence in forward order (1-52), reverse order (52-1), or random order. Random is fun once you think you have a certain group down.

Test Value give you the option of guessing the card with the number shown, or guessing the number with the value shown. Or, you can select random for some surprises.

You can play around with the Test Card box on your own.

Test Times is used in conjunction with Enable Timers. If Enable Timers is off, you will need to single-step through each flashcard. This is useful in the beginning. As you get more proficient, you can reduce the Test Times. I usually set the Test Duration to about twice as long as the Show Duration. Test Duration is the question and Show Duration is the answer.

Enable Mnemonics is a great feature. It shows a number with the mnemonic, then it shows the answer (card) with its mnemonic. For learning, it helps to just ignore the numbers and cards and look at just the mnemonics for the numbers and cards. This will be a boon later on when performing and your mind goes blank. One of the major benefits of this mnemonic system is that you have a backup system when your mind melts while you are under fire. Eventually, all of these mnemonics keys and triggers will fade into the mist. Eventually, you will know all of the numbers and values COLD. That is the goal.

Finally, for the Rote Memory Lightning System, turn off the Enable Mnemonics checkbox and let it roll. You can drill forward, backward, and in random order as fast or as slow as you like. Once you have the boxes all checked to your satisfaction, you can just sit there like a Zombie and subliminally feed the data into your brain. This is also a proven method for learning.

If you have questions or comments, please post them here. I am no expert. I have been learning to memorize the Aronson Stack for 16 days. It was going pretty slow for me until I discovered the StackView program just a few days ago. I plan to perform on Thanksgiving Day, which is nine days from now. Once you learn how to do this thing, you will have magnificent tool for the rest of your life. You can do it. Go for it!

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Nice series--just remember, though, performing under fire with a memdeck is significantly different from sitting in front of your computer. First time I performed with a memdeck, I thought I knew my stack cold, but I dried up and missed it. So, it might be a good idea to practice with people first before an actual performance.

Thanks landmark! Your comments are right on the money.... One major advantage to the peg system is that you do have a "backup" in case your mind goes blank. With rote memory learning, that's all you have. If it doesn't pop in your mind, you are screwed.

I do carry a deck with me to the bathroom and I have a deck for practicing during TV commercials. I also keep a real deck at the computer. I love the idea of computer-assisted learning. When I decided to memorize a stack, I downloaded and discarded several Flash Card programs. I was truly thrilled to find StackView. In my opinion, it could be further improved with two additions. I am somewhat vision impaired so I would like to see a full screen version of the StackView Test window. I would also like to be able to put the Test Mode in a continous loop, playing the test questions and answers over and over until I decide to stop. Until that time comes, it is dang near perfect for my purposes. I do like the idea that I can single-step through my chosen sequences, or I can choose to vary the speed. It allows the beginner to grow by being able to switch the mnemonics on or off.

One good bit of advice, once you have the basics down, is to practice with distractions. Turn on the TV or radio (something you can't determine the order of), and maybe have an understanding roommate or significant other come in at random times and ask you about a card or position.

Right on, Scott. That reminds me of the Jackie Chan movies where the Master keeps whacking him with a stick/cane. Eventually, he is able to block the attacks.

Simon Aronson's book "Try the Impossible" comes with a Joker that has the stack numbers and values on the back. I guess you could always resort to consulting the "Magic Joker"....

Is Stackview 5.0.2 still working (with Windows 11)? I have it installed but have two problems. Firstly, when I take a test I cannot enter my answers with the keyboard. I see no window in which to type my guess. Nothing happens if I type on my keyboard. Secondly, cards are supposed to turn yellow when selected, but I cannot see how to select a card. Clicking on card with my mouse has no effect.

I don't know, but if you have not already done so, you could try to set up the compatibility of the app to a previous version of Windows to see whether it fixes the problem. (Right Click, Properties, Compatibility; quite a few settings to try out)

I have not been able to get Stackview to work for any compatibility settings.

I consulted the help pdf that I still have on my laptop:

The StackView Test approach does not require you to enter your answers to the
questions. It is an honor based approach. As fast as you can think of the
correct answer, you can move on to the next test item. You will be your own
judge as to your true knowledge of the stack. This testing module is designed to
help you with your speed and accuracy so that you can learn your stack “cold.”

Thank you Claudio. Lying in bed last night it suddenly struck me that this might be the case - that the test does not expect answers from the keyboard.The manual is so long that I did not see that.

The program is certainly powerful. It does faros and all manner of cuts, runs and reverses. I actually managed to use it to go from NDO to mnemonica just by shuffling within the program. It is rather fun to watch how the deck order changes as the requisite steps are applied. The program faros more reliably than me!

I have learned from his son that the author of Stackview, Nick Padar, passed away two years ago. The software still works and remains his fine gift to the community. It is clear that Nick put a huge amount of work into this project and that many have benefitted from it.

Very sad news. Thank you for letting us know. I exchanged PMs with Nick Pudar six or seven years ago about his app. I told him that it would be nice to revamp it (old windows look) and run it on multiple platforms. I was happy to provide the coding expertise. He said that he had been thinking about it and wanted to rewrite it himself using some dialect of Python that would allows him to reach the coder's Grail: "Write once, run everywhere." I'm not a Python expert so I had no input in this project. I wondered if he ever started it at all.