5 ms·

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I would feel uncomfortable mailing my most personal thoughts to a server I don't control, or even using clear text email at all for that

by cubix 16y ago

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I would feel uncomfortable mailing my most personal thoughts to a server I don't control, or even using clear text email at all for that purpose.

Setsuna 16y ago
What is the alternative apart from paper journals? /curious
- stoney 16y ago
  Store it locally on your computer? (being careful to back it up of course)
  - jackowayed 16y ago
    Yeah, when reading this, between the fact that I love emacs and the fact that I'm not too comfortable giving Ohlife (and Google, since I use Gmail) my journal, my immediate thought was text/markdown files backed up to a private Github repo. But the email would remind me to do it every day, and it'll be easier to look through old entries on Oh Life since it shows all entires on one page (though I guess there's nothing stopping me from just having one super-long text file, if that's what I want). At least they have an export that looks solid.
    - cubix 16y ago
      Yes, I use Aquamacs to edit a super long text file that I keep on an encrypted volume. I don't worry about reminding myself. I do it when I feel like it, which turns out to be 2-3 times per week.
- corin_ 16y ago
  Perhaps an open-source version?
- azsromej 16y ago
  I know quite a few people use their iPhones/iPads for such writing.
- kes 16y ago
  I really like http://750words.com http://750words.com
statictype 16y ago
Yeah, if my day consisted mostly of addressing personal 'issues' (for lack of better word) that I don't want posted to a remote server then I simply don't write about that day. And I wouldn't write about it even if it was being saved only on my own disk.
- cubix 16y ago
  I find journaling about 'personal issues' is where it's most useful. It helps bring clarity to a subject inherently clouded by emotion.
m_eiman 16y ago
I'm going to use it for a little while, and if it seems like something I'm going to continue doing I'll set up a similar script to email me reminders every day and have the reply I send to myself auto-sorted into some mailbox where it can gather dust until I decide to read it again.
10ren 16y ago
Assuming you've gmailed personal messages (and therefore trust google enough), you could set up google calendar to email you daily. Of course without the random previous entry. Maybe with google documents there's a way to do that too. EDIT google word doesn't have scripting, but their spreadsheet does. Their automated forms is a tiny bit like what's needed [you can enter info & it's stored], but it's not emailed, and can't be configured with a random entry. Now that I think about it, MS Word disabled automated emails (due to spammers using it), so maybe google has too. But there seems no harm in allowing it to only the one verified & linked gmail address for the account. (Otherwise there may be a niche here). Checking google spreadsheets, and you can email from it. Just tested, it works. There's a time-based "trigger". You should be able to email a form, in a htmlBody, and store the results so you can include a previous entry. The scripting tool and documentation are excellent.
- 10ren 16y ago
  Got the basics working. Made a spreadsheet. Made a google form ("how has your day been?" + a text area) - they automatically add their fields to the spreadsheet. Wrote a short script that selects a random row at random, and emails it to me + a link to the form. Added a trigger that runs that script at 8pm-9pm daily. [if anyone wants the script, I'll post it - please improve it!] Some flaws: 1. I couldn't work out how to automatically embed a form in the email directly, neither using their embed code (an <iframe>) - it works if they email it to you (which you need to trigger manually), but also gives a warning "you are leaving this page"; 2. also couldn't work out how to initialize the form with the random previous entry (a blog post said you could, but that was in 2008) nor 2. writing my own form (need an URL for the action: seems you need a form key, which you can't get, for security reasons(?)) Boy browser programming sure is frustrating: browser locked up twice had to set it all up again; 7 sec load time for pages; weird cursor movement for editing (and also not vim); along with the above limitation. Though it probably doesn't help that I don't know what I'm doing :-)
  - gwern 16y ago
    I'd like to see the script; I take it that it's some sort of Perl thingy which goes through the Google spreadsheet API? Or does the spreadsheet have builtin scripting?
jacoblyles 16y ago
If someone set up a similar service using a Tahoe LAFS storage server or some similar technology so that the service provider could not read your entries, would you use it?

by cubix 16y ago

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I would feel uncomfortable mailing my most personal thoughts to a server I don't control, or even using clear text email at all for that purpose.

Setsuna 16y ago

What is the alternative apart from paper journals? /curious

stoney 16y ago
Store it locally on your computer? (being careful to back it up of course)
- jackowayed 16y ago
  Yeah, when reading this, between the fact that I love emacs and the fact that I'm not too comfortable giving Ohlife (and Google, since I use Gmail) my journal, my immediate thought was text/markdown files backed up to a private Github repo. But the email would remind me to do it every day, and it'll be easier to look through old entries on Oh Life since it shows all entires on one page (though I guess there's nothing stopping me from just having one super-long text file, if that's what I want). At least they have an export that looks solid.
  - cubix 16y ago
    Yes, I use Aquamacs to edit a super long text file that I keep on an encrypted volume. I don't worry about reminding myself. I do it when I feel like it, which turns out to be 2-3 times per week.
corin_ 16y ago
Perhaps an open-source version?
azsromej 16y ago
I know quite a few people use their iPhones/iPads for such writing.
kes 16y ago
I really like http://750words.com http://750words.com

statictype 16y ago

Yeah, if my day consisted mostly of addressing personal 'issues' (for lack of better word) that I don't want posted to a remote server then I simply don't write about that day. And I wouldn't write about it even if it was being saved only on my own disk.

cubix 16y ago
I find journaling about 'personal issues' is where it's most useful. It helps bring clarity to a subject inherently clouded by emotion.

m_eiman 16y ago

I'm going to use it for a little while, and if it seems like something I'm going to continue doing I'll set up a similar script to email me reminders every day and have the reply I send to myself auto-sorted into some mailbox where it can gather dust until I decide to read it again.

10ren 16y ago

Assuming you've gmailed personal messages (and therefore trust google enough), you could set up google calendar to email you daily. Of course without the random previous entry. Maybe with google documents there's a way to do that too. EDIT google word doesn't have scripting, but their spreadsheet does. Their automated forms is a tiny bit like what's needed [you can enter info & it's stored], but it's not emailed, and can't be configured with a random entry. Now that I think about it, MS Word disabled automated emails (due to spammers using it), so maybe google has too. But there seems no harm in allowing it to only the one verified & linked gmail address for the account. (Otherwise there may be a niche here). Checking google spreadsheets, and you can email from it. Just tested, it works. There's a time-based "trigger". You should be able to email a form, in a htmlBody, and store the results so you can include a previous entry. The scripting tool and documentation are excellent.

10ren 16y ago
Got the basics working. Made a spreadsheet. Made a google form ("how has your day been?" + a text area) - they automatically add their fields to the spreadsheet. Wrote a short script that selects a random row at random, and emails it to me + a link to the form. Added a trigger that runs that script at 8pm-9pm daily. [if anyone wants the script, I'll post it - please improve it!] Some flaws: 1. I couldn't work out how to automatically embed a form in the email directly, neither using their embed code (an <iframe>) - it works if they email it to you (which you need to trigger manually), but also gives a warning "you are leaving this page"; 2. also couldn't work out how to initialize the form with the random previous entry (a blog post said you could, but that was in 2008) nor 2. writing my own form (need an URL for the action: seems you need a form key, which you can't get, for security reasons(?)) Boy browser programming sure is frustrating: browser locked up twice had to set it all up again; 7 sec load time for pages; weird cursor movement for editing (and also not vim); along with the above limitation. Though it probably doesn't help that I don't know what I'm doing :-)
- gwern 16y ago
  I'd like to see the script; I take it that it's some sort of Perl thingy which goes through the Google spreadsheet API? Or does the spreadsheet have builtin scripting?

jacoblyles 16y ago

If someone set up a similar service using a Tahoe LAFS storage server or some similar technology so that the service provider could not read your entries, would you use it?