Last year (I'm in 10th grade), during most unit/chapter tests, we were allowed to bring notes. We could prepare a 3 x 5 in. (7.62 x 12.7 cm) index card at home, and cram it with as many notes as possible; this index card could then be used on the test.
One of my classmates had the idea of writing in red, then over that in blue, and using anaglyph red-cyan 3D glasses (she distributed one to everyone), so we could fit twice as much information on one index card.
Since then, I've been wondering about taking that to the next level: (de)compressing text manually.
What I am looking for is an efficient text compression algorithm where at least the decompression process can be done by hand (the compression process can be done electronically).
The desirable process is this:
- Compress notes with a computer at home the day before the test
- Write compressed text on an index card
- Take the index card to the test
- Use the first 2-5 (maximum 10) minutes of the test to use the back page (which is usually at least half blank) to manually decompress the data
- The decompressed, readable notes are on the back page of the test, ready to be used during the test whenever necessary.
As suggested by Achille Hui:
Speedwriting