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I've always partially wanted something like this, but can't get away from paper. I recently completed a PhD and tried an iPad and my computer, but ended up alwa

I've always partially wanted something like this, but can't get away from paper. I recently completed a PhD and tried an iPad and my computer, but ended up always printing off articles. It's annoying having a lot of physical paper around, but I'm constantly flipping back and forth in papers and it's so inconvenient to do that digitally. I also find it's so much easier for me to recall information based on where it was, and I completely lose that in a digital device. Curious if those have been issues for you or not. I wonder if it's just how my mind works, or if I'm not "doing it right"?

RobertoG 6y ago
I think it's not only you. I have the same problem with e-readers and books, I miss the ease of moving backward and forward in a paper book. Also, I have observed that I remember better what I read in physical books. Maybe it's because the content is associated to something real out there in the world with a cover, a weight, and a position of the content in the book and a position of the book in my bookshelves. It's kind of weird because the first intuition is that the support where you read something shouldn't matter.
- mitjak 6y ago
  i have the same experience. there is less retention when the object isn't permanent. that's another reason why i think it's important to keep notes as handwritten visually and not convert/OCR into typed text.
_jal 6y ago
Not just you. I tried hard to adapt to ebooks; spent the better part of a year trying to find an arrangement for reading on the train that worked as well as a paperback, and failed. If I'm reading more than maybe 10 pages, or if it is material that I'm flipping back and forth in a lot, I print.
tuvistavie 6y ago
I'm in the middle of my PhD and switched from printing papers to reading them on my iPad roughly two years ago. There are some things I miss from paper but overall I found the pros to overweight the cons. I haven't found that flipping back and forth on iPad is that horrible, to be honest. Not sure how helpful this will be but I'll share what I've been doing for now. I use the following apps: * Mendeley (to organize papers) * PDF Expert (to annotate PDFs) * GoodNotes (mostly when working out the maths) My usual workflow is: * Read through the paper * Annotate in the paper using Apple pencil as I read through * Figure out the maths on the iPad when needed * When I get back to a computer, upload the annotated file to Mendeley and type summary notes in Mendeley A few things that I like/dislike about iPad when compared to paper. + Search for information on the web while reading paper more easily + Check notes/annotations quickly from my computer + Share notes easily + Search notes easily + Clean desk =D - More context switching needed when I need to scramble something - Mendeley misses some basic features on iOS (e.g. attach PDF to existing paper) so need to context switch with computer at some point after reading the paper I would say that for 90% of the papers I go through, where I don't dive that deep in the paper, the experience is just as good on iPad. For the 10% of the papers I read where I go in-depth, redo proofs, etc, it's a little more tedious. While it's for sure not perfect, given the above pros, I can live with the cons.
- Gatsky 6y ago
  I would avoid Mendeley. Firstly, they are trying to create a researchgate-style social media spam network layer. Secondly they are owned by the maximally vile Elsevier. Thirdly, their software quality is poor eg. they couldn’t get sync working properly for maybe 5 years (until I gave up). On the other hand, I love https://paperpile.com/app https://paperpile.com/app
  - tuvistavie 6y ago
    As much as I agree with you on all the points, in my case I kind of have to stick with what my research group is using for now.
- getpolarized 6y ago
  Let me know what you think about Polar: https://getpolarized.io/ https://getpolarized.io/ We launched about a year ago and are REALLY close to a 2.0 release.
  - Canadauni 6y ago
    Oh this looks really cool and your free tier is awesome. I'm going back to school in the fall and will be giving this a shot.
  - maxioatic 6y ago
    I'm a huge Polar fan! I'm considering buying an iPad just for using Polar, but I was wondering about the ReMarkable as well, since I like e-ink better for reading. Do you have any recommendations for a tablet to use with Polar?
    - occamschainsaw 6y ago
      What app do you use for Polar? I used Polar for a bit on my Mac but gave up because I do most of my reading on an iPad. Would give it another shot if I could get Polar running on iPad.
Shorel 6y ago
Then check the Rocketbook: https://youtu.be/-h_rZHWmke8 https://youtu.be/-h_rZHWmke8 It feels like paper because you actually write over it with a real pen.

RobertoG 6y ago

I think it's not only you. I have the same problem with e-readers and books, I miss the ease of moving backward and forward in a paper book. Also, I have observed that I remember better what I read in physical books. Maybe it's because the content is associated to something real out there in the world with a cover, a weight, and a position of the content in the book and a position of the book in my bookshelves. It's kind of weird because the first intuition is that the support where you read something shouldn't matter.

mitjak 6y ago
i have the same experience. there is less retention when the object isn't permanent. that's another reason why i think it's important to keep notes as handwritten visually and not convert/OCR into typed text.

_jal 6y ago

Not just you. I tried hard to adapt to ebooks; spent the better part of a year trying to find an arrangement for reading on the train that worked as well as a paperback, and failed. If I'm reading more than maybe 10 pages, or if it is material that I'm flipping back and forth in a lot, I print.

tuvistavie 6y ago

I'm in the middle of my PhD and switched from printing papers to reading them on my iPad roughly two years ago. There are some things I miss from paper but overall I found the pros to overweight the cons. I haven't found that flipping back and forth on iPad is that horrible, to be honest. Not sure how helpful this will be but I'll share what I've been doing for now. I use the following apps: * Mendeley (to organize papers) * PDF Expert (to annotate PDFs) * GoodNotes (mostly when working out the maths) My usual workflow is: * Read through the paper * Annotate in the paper using Apple pencil as I read through * Figure out the maths on the iPad when needed * When I get back to a computer, upload the annotated file to Mendeley and type summary notes in Mendeley A few things that I like/dislike about iPad when compared to paper. + Search for information on the web while reading paper more easily + Check notes/annotations quickly from my computer + Share notes easily + Search notes easily + Clean desk =D - More context switching needed when I need to scramble something - Mendeley misses some basic features on iOS (e.g. attach PDF to existing paper) so need to context switch with computer at some point after reading the paper I would say that for 90% of the papers I go through, where I don't dive that deep in the paper, the experience is just as good on iPad. For the 10% of the papers I read where I go in-depth, redo proofs, etc, it's a little more tedious. While it's for sure not perfect, given the above pros, I can live with the cons.

Gatsky 6y ago
I would avoid Mendeley. Firstly, they are trying to create a researchgate-style social media spam network layer. Secondly they are owned by the maximally vile Elsevier. Thirdly, their software quality is poor eg. they couldn’t get sync working properly for maybe 5 years (until I gave up). On the other hand, I love https://paperpile.com/app https://paperpile.com/app
- tuvistavie 6y ago
  As much as I agree with you on all the points, in my case I kind of have to stick with what my research group is using for now.
getpolarized 6y ago
Let me know what you think about Polar: https://getpolarized.io/ https://getpolarized.io/ We launched about a year ago and are REALLY close to a 2.0 release.
- Canadauni 6y ago
  Oh this looks really cool and your free tier is awesome. I'm going back to school in the fall and will be giving this a shot.
- maxioatic 6y ago
  I'm a huge Polar fan! I'm considering buying an iPad just for using Polar, but I was wondering about the ReMarkable as well, since I like e-ink better for reading. Do you have any recommendations for a tablet to use with Polar?
  - occamschainsaw 6y ago
    What app do you use for Polar? I used Polar for a bit on my Mac but gave up because I do most of my reading on an iPad. Would give it another shot if I could get Polar running on iPad.

Shorel 6y ago

Then check the Rocketbook: https://youtu.be/-h_rZHWmke8 https://youtu.be/-h_rZHWmke8 It feels like paper because you actually write over it with a real pen.