Woke up to a great paradoxical notion from : sometimes the main benefit of non-linear authoring (whiteboard, hypertext, Muse) is actually linear thought! These envs offer a “release valve” for tangential stuff so you can focus on your “main” idea.
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One thing I really like about this is that it subverts the usual narrative around e.g. densely-linked note systems: maybe the value of non-linear writing isn’t (just) in the future value of the embedded links to you/readers—but rather in helping you focus in the moment.
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In this framing, the tangential stuff and non-linear associations are ephemeral chaff, not durable future working material!
Too strong as stated, I think (see notes.andymatuschak.org/z2HUE4ABbQjUNj for args in favor of future value of links), but a useful angle, I think.
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This angle asks: what if the root cause is formality in UIs?csdl.tamu.edu/~shipman/forma
Paper notebooks and whiteboards provide this release valve; we lost it with digital word processors; we could solve with a new formal primitive (linking)—or maybe just by toning down formality?
I think it’s like:
Solutions are simple, but problem-solving is complex.
Once you have your answer, it’s relatively easy to explain.
Getting the answer could require thousands of interconnected, unpredictable steps.
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It seems easier to just not stop using whiteboards and notebooks. Any thoughts on why / if that’s actually happening?
This might be part of why works well for people with ADHD. You can write tangents that don't get in the way of the main narrative.
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This also articulates what I dislike about the current trend trying to replace spreadsheets with (user friendly) databases like airtable or coda.
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Spreadsheets may be messy, but they’re so much more flexible than databases — one may say that their messiness reflects that of the underlying reality they attempt to model
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This paper and its citations have led me down quite a rabbit hole. Thank you, Andy! Section 4.3 Gradual Formalization and Restructuring is exactly what I'm working on.
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