Lingwo.flashcards

Over the past several months, I've been thinking about how to make a really strong RESTful API for Lingwo.flashcards.  At my straight job, there has also been lots of talk about building a RESTful API (although, unfortunately, no actual work!  I'm bursting at the seams to start it!).  This and the fact that all the other Lingwo Projects will need APIs, has compelled me to take the API design I've come up with and release it as an open specification.

So, to start over... Lingwo.ws is an open specification for a pattern by which one can design RESTful web-services.

But why do we need such a specification?

Well, being RESTful means that you adhere to some rather abstract concepts.  Two APIs can be designed in drastically different ways and still be perfectly RESTful.  We can gain alot by having a standard:

After reading this post on Confessions of a Language Addict, I've started thinking a bit more seriously about "the commitment problem" with spaced repetition which I recently wrote about. To summarize the problem: Spaced repetition works great if you are committed to quizzing your flashcards everyday. But inevitably, you will have to stop for some period time.  When you come back, the number of expired cards could overwhelm you.

I was using Memorati™ religiously while I was reading the first Harry Potter book. It was fantastic. After finishing the book, I stopped doing flash cards for about 1 week. I needed a break. I have over 2.500 cards and I was on a very strict regimen. Several weeks have gone by and I have still been unable to catch up.