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> frictionless, non-heirarchical notes that you can just dump into the system and then retrieve based on a few relatively simple axes, date, keywords, a little
by Swizec 6y ago
> frictionless, non-heirarchical notes that you can just dump into the system and then retrieve based on a few relatively simple axes, date, keywords, a little semantic analysis, etc.
You mean a piece of paper with a filing cabinet? I’ve been trying note taking apps for 15 years and nothing beats a plain old notebook for ease of use, flexibility, and helping me think.
I don’t do filing cabinets so retrieval has suffered. And for me personally that hasn’t been a problem because most of my notes are ephemeral. When I’m ready to save something long term I write a blogpost and let Google take care of the rest.
PS: the main issue with most note taking apps is that there’s just something fundamentally different about thinking on the keyboard vs. thinking with a pen in hand. Digital pens have so far not been able to replicate the feeling for some reason.
- voidhorse 6y agoAgreed. A keyboard is fine for hammering out thought that's already relatively structured, rote notes on a subject, or for thoughts I've worked out to some extent already. For me, pen and paper are leagues superior for any kind of thinking that requires creativity or delving into the unknown.
- benrbray 6y agoIt's great that pen+paper works so well for you! I hope you can understand that other people have different workflows, and would prefer something like a personal wiki to organize their thoughts. The recent surge in note-taking apps is all centered around this idea. For me, I like to save URLs and write a short note about everything I read. Typing is much quicker than hand-writing, and I can easily embed images / math / etc..