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Cyborganize launched - the ultimate outliner productivity system
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Posted by JBfromBrainStormWFO
Jul 23, 2011 at 06:05 PM
Daly:
Anything that works on paper will work on a computer. But something designed for paper will inherently fail to take advantage of the full capabilities of the digital medium.
I’m not worried about my claims failing to pan out. To understand the right/left brain distinction, read “Refactor Your Wetware.”
You can use either BrainStormWFO or MaxThink for Cyborganize, and I’m sure other tools will be developed.
Noteliner is just a standard outliner, and MyInfo is a database outliner. Neither is suitable.
Thanks for following along,
~JB
Posted by tightbeam
Jul 23, 2011 at 08:59 PM
Despite being turned off by the claim that Cyborganize will be ‘bigger than Facebook’ (it won’t, and the claim undermines your efforts), I tried to comprehend its value by watching your video and reading the content on your site.
I still can’t decide whether Cyborganize is a wonderful innovation or a ‘standard outliner’ buried beneath grandiose claims. For example:
> It is lossless AND frictionless.
Those terms are meaningless. No one is going to say ‘ah, finally, a solution that is both lossless AND frictionless!’
Can’t you simply and succintly state the benefits of Cyborganize, preferably with annotated screenshots, and avoid such turn-off claims as:
> It?s the most advanced system in existence. There is no other like it in the world.
Let me make that determination. Unfortunately, given what I found on your site, I can’t. For me, the best solution is one that doesn’t involve a lot of thinking to master. It should be intuitive, it should require little more than a couple of bullet points and a couple of screenshots to make the ‘sale’.
Cyborganize seems like too much work to achieve nebulous benefits.
> Noteliner is just a standard outliner, and MyInfo is a database outliner. Neither is suitable.
Noteliner is a bit more than a standard outliner. Have you used it?
Good luck with your project.
JBfromBrainStormWFO wrote:
>Daly:
>
>Anything that works on paper will work on a computer. But something designed
>for paper will inherently fail to take advantage of the full capabilities of the
>digital medium.
>
>I’m not worried about my claims failing to pan out. To understand
>the right/left brain distinction, read “Refactor Your Wetware.”
>
>You can use
>either BrainStormWFO or MaxThink for Cyborganize, and I’m sure other tools will be
>developed.
>
>Noteliner is just a standard outliner, and MyInfo is a database
>outliner. Neither is suitable.
>
>Thanks for following along,
>~JB
Posted by Daly de Gagne
Jul 23, 2011 at 11:36 PM
JB, a couple of thoughts.
This notion of anything designed for paper will inherently fail to take advantage of the full capabilities of the digital medium: I think while on first blush that would seem to be common sense, it is not necessarily so. For example, it leaves out consideration of what exactly has been designed to work on paper, and how readily it might be made to work on computer. It also glosses over the potential of skilled and creative software programmers. Further, you have not specified what capabilities of the digital medium GTD is unable to take advantage of. In other words, I find it difficult to agree with your notion that failure is a given.
I will read Refactor Your Wetware. However, in terms of the whole left brain/right brain model I have concerns. Left brain/right brain has specific meanings for neuro-scientists, and this is clear from reading the professional literature. The popular or consumer literature on the other hand has run with the right brain/left brain notion far beyond what the reality actually is, ending up in places and with conclusions which don’t hold much water or, which to be accurately understood, need to be presented with a number of caveats, which usually they are not. Right brain/left brain has taken on life as an explanatory principle for self-help writers and others which is not justified by science. Admittedly, at times, right brain/left brain is a useful metaphor.
Please explain for me why MaxThink is seen as the only other software that can, at this time, be used for Cyborganize. You have me curious, so I will take another look at MaxThink. I will also look at the new material you’ve prepared.
As well, if you’re willing, I’d like to know why Noteliner and MyInfo are not suitable. In the process of explaining, you might also open another perspective which would enable some of us to better understand Cyborganize.
Daly
JBfromBrainStormWFO wrote:
>Daly:
>
>Anything that works on paper will work on a computer. But something designed
>for paper will inherently fail to take advantage of the full capabilities of the
>digital medium.
>
>I’m not worried about my claims failing to pan out. To understand
>the right/left brain distinction, read “Refactor Your Wetware.”
>
>You can use
>either BrainStormWFO or MaxThink for Cyborganize, and I’m sure other tools will be
>developed.
>
>Noteliner is just a standard outliner, and MyInfo is a database
>outliner. Neither is suitable.
>
>Thanks for following along,
>~JB
Posted by JBfromBrainStormWFO
Jul 24, 2011 at 01:50 AM
Bob:
Yes, the Facebook claim has been a marketing disaster so far. However, I’m still of the opinion that innovations along the critical path to intelligence augmentation are more valuable than social networking sites, no matter how high their stock market valuations.
A more relevant comparison would be Google, which also augments effective intelligence.
> It is lossless AND frictionless.
“Those terms are meaningless. “
They are not meaningless, I clearly define them. Lossless means no trash can. Frictionless means not liable to writer’s block or the equivalent in thinking and execution, in other words low anxiety and low stress. Friction here refers to mental resistance, which is a known phenomenon proceeding from known causes, and measurable in various ways.
“Can?t you simply and succintly state the benefits of Cyborganize, preferably with annotated screenshots,”
With screenshots, no. Neither can GTD, because both are workflows, not applications. I’ve stated my claims as simply and succinctly as GTD has.
“For me, the best solution is one that doesn?t involve a lot of thinking to master. It should be intuitive, it should require little more than a couple of bullet points and a couple of screenshots to make the ?sale?.”
Unfortunately Cyborganize’s presentation is still such that the cognitive investment required is higher than what you’re willing to provide. However GTD takes an entire book to explain, so I don’t feel this is an abject failure on my part, though I intend to continue to improve upon it.
“Cyborganize seems like too much work to achieve nebulous benefits.”
The benefits are specific, but the language and type may be unfamiliar to you.
“Noteliner is a bit more than a standard outliner. Have you used it?”
I have not and there is no need. I read the website. It is not capable of the volume processing required.
Daly:
“you have not specified what capabilities of the digital medium GTD is unable to take advantage of.”
I do so in my linked article. Specifically, it fails to take advantage of the potential for volume text processing, to increase the percentage of your info the system embraces. Secondly, it fails to take advantage of the cumulative effects of small and cognitively cheap sorting decisions in a dynamic outline to surface the big picture. Thirdly, it fails to provide a structure for refinement of longer thoughts. Fourthly, it fails to provide for focused temporary workspaces. These are just off the top of my head, and all are linked to the static, slow and expensive nature of paper, relative to digital.
“I find it difficult to agree with your notion that failure is a given.”
Of course it is not a 100% rule, but it is a good principle.
I understand your concerns but Refactor Your Wetware is quite good on those topics and I think you’ll be satisfied. It is my primary source on that issue.
MaxThink and BrainStormWFO both have high volume text processing capacity. Three design elements make this possible:
1. focus
2. rapid hotkey sorting with marks
3. no title/body distinction. i.e., all entries are potential titles.
Database outliners like MyInfo are too slow because they must save the database between edits, and they also violate #3. Noteliner is lacking in #1 and #2.
It takes a special design to manage volumes like 66,000 lines of notes, much less 181,000 lines of quotes, which are the volumes we’re talking about when managing all the text one’s life generates and consumes.
Posted by Graham Rhind
Jul 24, 2011 at 06:34 AM
JBfromBrainStormWFO wrote:
>However GTD takes an entire book to explain,
I know you don’t want my input, JB, but on this point: Allen took a whole book to explain but that’s not necessary to explain a system that can be summarised in three words: “make a list” and properly explained in a couple of pages. The book is repetitive and aims at the lowest common denominator. If you took your graphic as the basis, tweaked it and added some bullet points, you could probably summarise your system too in a way that was clear and without excess verbiage (which you need in the background if the reader needs any extra explanations at any point, but not to explain the basic system).
Graham