Gordon Pedersen
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---
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title: B3.11 An outlet for my writing
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date: 2020-01-06
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summary: It's the first issue. Do you really expect a witty subtitle?
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image: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa133251-895f-4bb5-bdcc-7fcf412bcd52_1600x1200.png
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location: /B3.11
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tags: Newsletter, self-reflection, Ted Nelson, Thad Starner, wearables, Zettelkasten, Niklas Luhmann, Roam, PKM
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---
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# An outlet for my writing
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*It's the first issue. Do you really expect a witty subtitle?*
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# What is this?
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I've been thinking for a long time how I want to write more. I've made many attempts to start journals and blogs, and have just never quite stuck to any of them. There are probably many reasons behind this, but a major one is that I'm a procrastinator. I just sit on things and never finish them.
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A little while ago, I read an article by Khe Hy of RadReads ([go subscribe to his newsletter](https://radreads.co/))) about [how starting an email newsletter will change your life](https://radreads.co/start-email-newsletter/) and it started my gears turning. I came to the conclusion that if I do start an email newsletter, that gives me a regular interval to stick to, instead of trying to write stuff every day or sporadically when I remember an old blog exists.
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This comes at the same time I have discovered [Roam Research](https://roamresearch.com/) which is a great note-taking tool which excels at linking ideas (something I've really struggled with in other platforms). So this year, I've resolved to take more notes on the things I read, and having an outlet for those ideas in the form of a recurring newsletter seems like great motivation to stick to that.
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The best way I've found in my own experience to reinforce my knowledge on any topic is to share it with others. Writing it down is all well and good, but I rarely go back and look at old notes (I'm hoping Roam will help with that). Sharing the knowledge with someone else and then having them provide feedback or ask questions makes me think about the topic in a new way and helps embed the knowledge permanently into my brain.
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I haven't yet fully committed to a schedule or format for this newsletter yet (I've already procrastinated past the initial deadline I set for myself), but hopefully you can still learn something. Go read some RadReads articles, play around with Roam, or have a look at some of this other stuff I'm linking off to:
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# Stuff I've found interesting recently:
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## [Ted Nelson - Xanadu Basics](https://youtu.be/hMKy52Intac)
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I recently discovered a [video series](https://youtu.be/hMKy52Intac) by Ted Nelson explaining the concepts behind his Xanadu system, which seems to be a kind of alternative to HTML and the Internet before it became a big thing. Kinda like a VHS vs Betamax thing, except I'd never heard of Xanadu before.
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Its big differentiator with HTML is the way things are linked. Where HTML uses one-way "jump links", Xanadu links are two-way and sources for the links are loaded in advance and visible in the periphery.
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This means quotes are always linked to their original, in-context source, marginalia and footnotes hover around their original context, and it's simple to branch off topics and tangents without breaking the flow of the text.
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I sort of wish I lived in the alternate universe where Xanadu beat out HTML and became the way the Internet works. It works a lot more like my brain works. It's just unfortunate that there's no widespread software utilising its principals fully.
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Go watch the [video series](https://youtu.be/hMKy52Intac). Ted has a bit of a "grumpy old man" vibe about him, but he has good reason - his ideas are solid and worth pursuing.
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## [Huffington Post - Meet Thad Starner](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-art-of-finding_b_3982289)
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[This is an old article](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-art-of-finding_b_3982289) (from 2013) about a man named Thad Starner who ended up as one of the main designers behind Google Glass because of his experience in living with a computer strapped to his face since 1993.
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I first head of him in an episode of the [Wireframe podcast](https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/perspectives/wireframe-podcast/good-design-is-why-not-wearing-ar-glasses-episode-5/) by Adobe and I remember thinking at the time that his setup sounded awesome, but there was no way I'd be able to concentrate on having a conversation as well as taking notes and retrieving notes from previous conversations. It sounded like a lot of work.
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But now that I've started using Roam and discovered the power of bi-directional linking, I've realised how possible a system like this really is. It's just a pity Google Glass never went mainstream...
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## [Phil Houtz - Zettelkasten](https://writingcooperative.com/zettelkasten-its-like-gtd-for-writing-and-here-s-why-you-should-consider-it-7dddf02be394)
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In looking into Roam, I've head about this thing called Zettelkasten, which is supposed to be a framework for taking and linking notes.
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I found [this article](https://writingcooperative.com/zettelkasten-its-like-gtd-for-writing-and-here-s-why-you-should-consider-it-7dddf02be394) by Phil Houtz explaining the concept. Each note consists of a single thought consisting of a single paragraph or a couple of sentences. Each note has its own home in a filing system so it can be found again, along with a unique identifier for linking related thoughts and ideas.
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It seems like a lot of work to manage a system like this using physical cards as Zettelkasten's inventor, Niklas Luhmann, did but in this age of digital tools, variations on this practice make perfect sense.
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The aim is to build a system of knowledge that can be queried and communicated with. Like having your own personal external intelligence. The idea is intriguing, and I really hope I can build something like that for myself with Roam
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# DevReady writing
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I work for a software development company called [Aerion Technologies](https://aerion.com.au/), and we've built ourselves a process for designing and managing software development we call [DevReady](https://devready.design/). We're now aiming to educate people on not just this process, but how to actually go about turning an idea into software.
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There's a lot that goes into the process of building software. A lot of people start off by documenting their idea, handing it over to developers and expecting their dreams to come true in 6-12 months. In reality, there's a lot of work that goes into the idea before it's dev ready (get it?) and that's what we aim to educate people about. Everything from refining the idea, to defining an MVP, to finding a team and the nitty-gritty of managing that team to deliver on your outcomes.
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Over the coming months we plan to write a lot more, and I want to use this newsletter as an opportunity to share some of the writing I am doing on these topics. I haven't written a lot myself yet, but I plan to change that soon and hopefully this newsletter can help motivate me to continue writing more articles
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## [Just Give Us the Throttles We Can Use](https://aerion.com.au/2019/08/13/just-give-us-the-throttles-we-can-use/)
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[
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](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8c8fddb-7e7e-4133-866b-0fa86fb335b5_768x560.jpeg)
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Modern touchscreen applications leave old mechanical controls behind. And it's not always for the better. In this case, lives were lost...
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## [5 Types Of Wireframes & Prototypes](https://aerion.com.au/2019/12/10/5-types-of-wireframes-prototypes/)
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[
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](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F767225dc-9083-4f7f-affb-814e0e248349_768x512.jpeg)
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So, what even is wireframing and how do you do it? What tools do you use? How does it tie in with the eventual "complete" design? Why is it even necessary? |