5 ms·

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid I actually agree with your list; I think the inverted pyramid is

by peff 10y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid I actually agree with your list; I think the inverted pyramid is really about prose construction in an age where print space was at a premium. We can be a lot more free with formatting or redundant information (if it is clearly marked as such) on the web. I mostly wanted to point out that the concept is not new, but as far as I can tell, it has been pretty much forgotten in most modern web journalism.

50CNT 10y ago
I've been reading some academic papers recently and taking notes in org-mode. What I find is that a lot of information expressed in solid paragraphs becomes a lot easier to parse once you convert them into an appropriate list, tree or graph structure. A surprising amount of the text I've been reading is lists that have some relation ("x is used in x_1,...","x consists of x_1,..."). This ties in to authors deciding to shake things up by adding unnecessary complexity to these simple lists. This kills the reading comprehension. For example K. Merton developed in the 1940s his nor- mative framework for the conduct of sci- ence based on universalism, communalism, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism becomes K. Merton developed in 1940s a formative framework of scientific conduct based on: - universalism : <definition of universalism> - communalism - disinterest : <note on disinterest> - organized skepticism : <example of organized skepticism> A nice bonus is that that allows me to annotate specific items in these lists very easily, and visually match up items to notes quickly. (Note how that statement itself is a list due to being joined by an "and").
- mbrock 10y ago
  I've been thinking similar things. Also, diagrams are underrated. Maybe "reading" is a low tech invention that we just don't have the patience for anymore. Instead we want to "explore" a theory or network of statements or social graph. It's pleasant to click around in Wikipedia and get a sense for how different topics relate, but reading the (often turgid and boring) prose seems like work.
  - 50CNT 10y ago
    I have to admit, diagrams are a bit harder to do in text, especially interconnected graphs. That said, I could imagine something that uses triples to define a rendered graph, similar to how RDF for the semantic web works. Say #BEGIN_GRAPH 'Paul Graham' founded YC 'Sam Altman' leads YC YC funded AirBnB YC funded Reddit AirBnB <> Accommodation #END_GRAPH Leads to a graph like [Paul Graham]----founded----->[YC]------funded----->[AirBnB]<------>[Accommodation] [Sam Altman]-----leads------->[ ] `---->[Reddit] Now that could be prettier, but I am too lazy to copy and paste box drawing characters. With a simplified form like that, all the data is in the form of subject predicate object sentences, which makes for easy parsing. The data could also be fed into a diagram making application like yED for pretty graphical output.
- nextos 10y ago
  Great idea. With the flexibility of org-mode, you could even turn those notes in spaced repetition flashcards using org-drill.

by peff 10y ago

50CNT 10y ago

I've been reading some academic papers recently and taking notes in org-mode. What I find is that a lot of information expressed in solid paragraphs becomes a lot easier to parse once you convert them into an appropriate list, tree or graph structure. A surprising amount of the text I've been reading is lists that have some relation ("x is used in x_1,...","x consists of x_1,..."). This ties in to authors deciding to shake things up by adding unnecessary complexity to these simple lists. This kills the reading comprehension. For example K. Merton developed in the 1940s his nor- mative framework for the conduct of sci- ence based on universalism, communalism, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism becomes K. Merton developed in 1940s a formative framework of scientific conduct based on: - universalism : <definition of universalism> - communalism - disinterest : <note on disinterest> - organized skepticism : <example of organized skepticism> A nice bonus is that that allows me to annotate specific items in these lists very easily, and visually match up items to notes quickly. (Note how that statement itself is a list due to being joined by an "and").

mbrock 10y ago
I've been thinking similar things. Also, diagrams are underrated. Maybe "reading" is a low tech invention that we just don't have the patience for anymore. Instead we want to "explore" a theory or network of statements or social graph. It's pleasant to click around in Wikipedia and get a sense for how different topics relate, but reading the (often turgid and boring) prose seems like work.
- 50CNT 10y ago
  I have to admit, diagrams are a bit harder to do in text, especially interconnected graphs. That said, I could imagine something that uses triples to define a rendered graph, similar to how RDF for the semantic web works. Say #BEGIN_GRAPH 'Paul Graham' founded YC 'Sam Altman' leads YC YC funded AirBnB YC funded Reddit AirBnB <> Accommodation #END_GRAPH Leads to a graph like [Paul Graham]----founded----->[YC]------funded----->[AirBnB]<------>[Accommodation] [Sam Altman]-----leads------->[ ] `---->[Reddit] Now that could be prettier, but I am too lazy to copy and paste box drawing characters. With a simplified form like that, all the data is in the form of subject predicate object sentences, which makes for easy parsing. The data could also be fed into a diagram making application like yED for pretty graphical output.
nextos 10y ago
Great idea. With the flexibility of org-mode, you could even turn those notes in spaced repetition flashcards using org-drill.