By WHAT do you (in parallels) structure? (woof-woof!)

Posted by MadaboutDana
Oct 24, 2022 at 01:01 PM

Ah, you’re making an interesting argument: by imposing a cognitive framework (in this case, outlining) on your ideation, you’re unconsciously but effectively constraining it to a specific model which may be (much) narrower than the plethora of other perspectives available to you, and will undoubtedly distort your perceptions, prioritisation, and ability to correlate.

I totally agree with this. It’s why CRIMPing is such an obsessive activity. We’re all basically dissatisfied with simple outlining as such. Which is why we all spend time fiddling about with ROAM Research, Obsidian, UpNote and many others, not to mention all the mind-mapping/idea-mapping software.

Finding tools that equate to mental models is extremely difficult, if not impossible. That’s why everyone is boggled (and respects) those amazing mathematicians and physicists who appear to hold entire multidimensional models in their heads. An experience I personally have only ever enjoyed when programming complex relational databases, but which serious programmers no doubt enjoy much more often – having a complete multi-relational model rotating in your brain is an extraordinary, almost transcendent experience that almost encourages one to believe in Pure Intellect.

That’s why I’m currently saving up for a reMarkable tablet, too, because scribbling stuff down is so useful – but I can’t cope with the pile of untidy notebooks I have littering various drawers/cupboards/shelves, in various states of disciplined/undisciplined vacuity. On my iPad, Notability is the app I tend to use most often. But the battery life is rubbish.

So make it handwritten but go digital, is my current mantra. Based on the encouraging noises made by reMarkable in their latest blog post (https://remarkable.com/blog/big-changes-are-coming-to-the-remarkable-ecosystem), that’s now (or will shortly be) feasible.

Don’t talk to me about Kobo or Amazon – both of their stylus-supporting tablets are markedly inferior (notably in terms of quality/lag).

Cheers!
Bill