With how often I've seen spaced repetition mentioned online recently, I'm starting to assume there's a grand conspiracy that's trying to use spaced repetition to trick me into remembering about spaced repetition.
Surely if this were so, it would mean you'd see fewer mentions of spaced repetition over time, rather than more? (assuming your comment implies having seen more than usual recently)
As an aside, I love doing this sort of thing. In conversation, someone makes a joke about X doing something impossible, and then all of us who analyze everything to death start playing the scenario in our head to understand ramifications or limitations in the fictional and often impossible scenario. Drives my wife nuts, but I enjoy it so much :)
Tell your wife you're using a proven comedic technique.
"You see, I'm actually being funny right now. It's comedy, trust me."
I should note that I actually don't find what I do comedic, nor am I doing it for comedic effect - I'm analyzing the scenario in a similar way that I find myself programming. It seems to feel.. similar to me. Eg, if we're discussing superman I might start thinking about all the normal scenarios Superman must find himself in. How he deals with those normal scenarios with abnormal abilities, and such.
Regardless, she still hates obsessing about that in the way I love haha. Similar to your statement, Seinfeld seems to take the same approach to analyzing things but for the target of comedy.
Interesting all around. Well, except to my wife. :)
My version of your Superman example is thinking about mutants from the X-Men universe with trivial mutations: there must be countless useless X-gene mutations, right? What might those be? Invisible skin, but not organs?
But just seeing the answer repeatedly isn't sufficient, you also need the effort to recall the answer. That's why so many headlines take the form of a question.
Only if they start learning the meaning behind it by using it ;) As long as they ignore it, it will just reappear in a fixed interval.
[0]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader%E2%80%93Meinhof_effect
The fact that spaced repetition is proving valuable now is because people in general are confused about their motives for learning stuff.
Anyhow, when it comes to learning, motivation is primary, not method.