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This sounds very similar to a paper version of what I do with LaTeX PDF books. I constantly am typing and pasting stuff into a notes .txt file–every idea I have
by yesenadam 5y ago
This sounds very similar to a paper version of what I do with LaTeX PDF books. I constantly am typing and pasting stuff into a notes .txt file–every idea I have, anything I don't want to forget, anything I learn, URLS, names of books/movies etc. Then every few weeks I move stuff from the notes file to a place in a LaTeX PDF book, mainly the current year's book, then others split off as they get big enough, e.g. programming languages, mathematics, my programs, my essays etc. I put lots of pictures, and the books look lovely. (I find links between stuff isn't often necessary, as the hierarchical structure is so clear, and so easy to change around. But hyperlinking any 2 things is easy.)
It did take me about 3 months to master LaTeX and the common packages enough that I don't have to give it a thought these days.
Before that, I spent 25 years filling notebooks with ideas, notes, diagrams, drawings, maths, etc and never looking in them again, because there was no way of organizing them. Everything was just lost and forgotten.
- aaldrick 5y agoThis sounds right up my alley - one question: do you use this books are reference in the future to help cement your learning? I feel like I would also end up never looking in them again just like you mentioned with the physical notebooks.
- yesenadam 5y agoHi. Well..for me, it's more like reminding/relearning than cementing! Like am currently into Forth for the third time within a few years. I forgot just about everything. Rereading that chapter was the best refresher course I could imagine. And I'll add the stuff I'm learning now to the chapter. But the answer is different for each book. I guess the ones I look in least are the past year books, as I'm still adding to the other specific topic books, but still I sometimes search in them for something. Anyway, they're like gold for me, like the diary I kept 1992-recently – without it I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing or thinking in a particular year. They only increase in value, the longer you don't look in them! I've been into so many different things, and am only capable of 1 or 2 at a time, so I cycle back to them (a)periodically. Before I had to rely on my memory. (I do have a filing cabinet full of photocopied books and academic papers that I very rarely look into) I did always keep a paper diary, but I didn't put the kind of stuff that would go in notebooks in there. In the front of each book is a short contents with just chapter names, then detailed contents (thanks to shorttoc package), everything clickable. Or sometimes scrolling through looking at the pictures is faster. So, I can find stuff very quickly.
- aaldrick 5y agoHi! Thanks for your response. I greatly appreciate the detail. I very much like this way of thinking - "they only increase in value, the longer you don't look into them". One final question, what is the difference between your 2020 book and the books which detail what you were into that year? Is a year book just a copy and paste of what you were into in a chronological order for that year? Thanks so much!
- yesenadam 5y agoHmm there's the general "this year" book, and books for particular topics, equally detailed, just some topics grow to a size where they demand their own book! Also they seem topics I keep returning to, not contained within any one year or month. Hmm looking in my 2020 book, the chapters are January, February etc, plus To do\Done, Books/papers read, talks watched, Subjects/Projects, Writing, Dreams, Quotes, Software.
- aaldrick 5y agoGot it, thanks very much! I think I will give this a serious shot with my own modifications of course.