∞

I’ve been deep into writing about learning and the art of taking notes. That’s why I love it that Steven Johnson keeps returning to the same theme: The Blank Page Revolution. How paper changed the way we think.

#zettelkasten #note-taking #PKM #WritingLife #ThinkingOnPaper #HistoryOfIdeas

∞

My uncle and both my grandfathers were dedicated anti-fascists. That’s why I get to be here today, reminding you that they won.

∞

Zettelkasten podcast episodes

Here are a couple of podcast interviews where the Zettelkasten approach to making notes is discussed in detail. Enjoy!

William Wadsworth (Exam Study Expert) interviews Sonke Ahrens, author of How to Take Smart Notes. Apple Podcasts.

Sönke Ahrens on Niklas Luhmann’s writing process:

“The main part of the writing process happened in this in-between space most people, I believe, neglect. They write notes, they read, they polish their manuscripts, but I think few people understand the importance of taking proper notes and organising them in a way that a manuscript, an argument, a chapter can evolve out of that.”

Jackson Dahl (Dialectic) interviews Billy Oppenheimer, Ryan Holiday’s research assistant, on staying attuned for clues. Apple Podcasts.

“I adopted/adapted Ryan Holiday’s notecard system, which he learned from Robert Greene. And it’s just literally boxes of 4x6 notecards. I’ve never seen Robert’s actual cards, but I have seen Ryan’s. His are filled with shorthands: a maybe a phrase, a word, or a single sentence that conveys a story from some book. They are little reminders capturing the broad strokes of something. You notate it with the book and page number so you can go back and find the specific details.”

“Niklas Luhmann also has another great idea about making notes for an ignorant stranger… Because that’s what you are when you come back to it. We think, “There’s no way I’m going to forget this story.” You come back to it, and it’s highlighted and underlined. You’re like, “What was I loving about this?” I try to make the note cards for an ignorant stranger. You should be able to pick one up and have enough context to make out what this thing is. And so in a similar way, in the margins of books, I try to do that for myself.”

∞

If AI can’t do simple anagrams, how is it meant to fix the economy and make our jobs obsolete? (Admittedly, my job doesn’t involve solving anagrams - I’m not that senior - but still).

#anagrams #AIfail #AI

The Gemini chatbot is asked to come up with an anagram for the name Nimrod Workman. It replies, "Nimrod Workman is an anagram of 'Mormon Dorkin'."
∞

Some books I read before visiting Japan.

#reading #Japantravel #shuhari

Fifteen books about Japan, spines upright on a white surface next to a leafy house plant.
∞

Western learning is linear; mastery is cyclical. A new article will show exactly why the Japanese concept of Shu Ha Ri offers a more effective path to true expertise than conventional Western methods. Is it time to unlearn how we learn?

#ShuHaRi #Learning #Mastery

∞

An atomic note isn’t just about ideas; it’s about time. Start smaller, stop sooner, and your notes become easier to reuse and connect. ✍️ Post here: The shortest writing session that could possibly work.

A cat is lying next to an hourglass filled with blue sand on a table.

#NoteTaking #KnowledgeWork #zettelkasten #writingtips

∞

On a single small island in Shugaku-in, the imperial pleasure garden, Autumn has arrived.

A tranquil Japanese garden scene features a pond bordered by trees with autumn foliage, set against a backdrop of dense forest.

I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, available now.

#japantravel #Kyoto #KyotoJapan #shuhari #Japanesegardens

∞

Kyoto is a unique mix of ancient and modern. From this angle Japan’s tallest wooden pagoda Gojūnotō, rebuilt 1643, has a great fire escape.

I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, available now.

#japantravel #Kyoto #KyotoJapan #shuhari #streetphotography

A Kyoto cityscape features modern buildings with a traditional pagoda visible in the distance, set against a backdrop of mountains.
∞

Craig Mod’s newsletter Ridgeline features a wry account of a fashion photoshoot in a pizza toast café for the Uniqlo clothing wear in-house magazine. In search of good coffee at Kyoto Station I stumbled upon the very article at the front of the little Uniqlo store there.

Author and walker Craig Mod in a sweater is seated at a table with pizza toast, featured in a magazine, which includes both English and Japanese text.

Now you’re probably wondering whether they let him keep the sweater. That’s what they call a cliff-hanger, though admittedly it’s a small cliff.

And if you’re wondering where to get ok coffee at the station, it’s Caffe Ciao Presso. I’m telling you this, Internet friends, so you can correct me, but not if you like Americano (I’m from Sydney after all).

Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters is available now.

#japantravel #Kyoto #coffee #shuhari