Dante's Encounters: May
Losing keycaps while hoarding books, missing the point and some very bad decisions.
May 2024
Hello once more...
May felt long, longer than usual. Winter as also decided to start rearing its head. I spent a good chunk of it reading and working on a course I'm taking.
After what seems like an eternity, cooking is enjoyable again.
Let me tell you about some interesting stuff that happened this month.
~ Dante
⌨️ Keycaps and Clicking Away
I have a mechanical keyboard, it fits perfectly on my desk. Giving the most efficient setup for my workflow.
Now the thing about one of these keyboards is that dirt and dust will end up collecting under the keys. You will have to clean it - thoroughly.
On a particular Saturday I decided to do just that. That involved an initial dusting of the keyboard, then removing of all of the keycaps. Keycaps i cleaned separately while the rest of the keyboard got a good rub down. In the process I managed to lose one of the keycaps and I am not even fused about it.
The Reason?
On a full keyboard, there is a numpad. I don't use the numpad. There is a clear demarcation as to where my fingers stop when using a keyboard. The cap I lost was for the numpad. I now have a keyboard that is one key less and I am clicking away merrily.
Side Note
if you know a place that sells mechanical keyboards and they have ones WITHOUT a numpad please let me know - at an affordable price preferably.
📚 Book Hoarding and Selective Reading
I have a lot of books I want to read. Several I am currently reading and others I started an never finished. That's the beauty of being an avid reader is I can do that. It's one of the things
that keep me sane, keep me grounded - keep me from becoming a mass mur---
Moving on...
Anyway, recently I have been having a bit of difficulty with my book reading. Mainly because some of the books I would have started aren't as engaging as I assumed. What do
I mean?
Foundation - after watching the series and learning it was based off a book it was natural for me to go find and read it. Yeah, despite how much praise it go it just doesn't do it for me.
Silo - same as before; watched the series, decided to read the book. This one is different because I really enjoyed book one of this three part series. It was when I got to the second one it just didn't feel the same. That could be for the fact that it takes us back to the creation and first days of the silos.
Silence of the Lambs - I chose a different approach and went with the audiobook route. Not as exciting as my initial read sometime ago. So I just stopped.
All I am saying is; yes I have countless books I want to read. I will start some of them, finish others and put others aside. Why? Well that is the joy of being fascinated by different kinds of books
What do yo have on your reading list?
🎯 Missing the Point
In the last newsletter I mentioned that I use Obsidian. The great thing about being part of the community is that there is a wealth of knowledge and tips from users from all around the globe. Early in the month - or was it end of the last? - a new voice popped into my radar, and what he had to say resonated with me. His name is Odysseas and the first thing that caught my attention was what he calls 'Mini Essays' - a note with a single idea that is short and concise that is between 100 and 500 words.
These essays are part of his system and how he approaches self education and note taking, which he went on to walk us through. He guided us in emulating his approach whilst explaining why he made the decisions he did. This was his approach to the Zettelkasten system of note taking. What he emphasised the most was a focus on making your notes and not tinkering with your vault (basically a folder) and adding countless plugins.
What happened after is what amused me...
Another YouTuber - who shall remain nameless - took it upon himself to not only review, but deconstruct and make changes to Odysseas's method. In the process completely missing the point of what he (Odysseas) was trying to share. His main points were to do with how outdated the methods were and how plugins would bring it up to speed and make it more rewarding to use. While some of the additions made sense, the bulk of it succeeded in complicating an otherwise simple system.
By modifying the folder structure and adding a bunch of plugins, he missed the core tenet of Odysseas system - Your vault is meant to be easy for you to use and facilitate your note taking. It is supposed to work for you and help you resurface ideas and build your knowledge bank. Lastly, what Odysseas described was aimed at someone who is either starting out in their knowledge management journey or one who is looking for a streamlined approach to it.
What I found funny about this is that the unnamed YouTuber seemed to be criticising Odysseas system from an "I have used this tool longer and I know better" standpoint. Which I found unnerving. As a community built on sharing and helping each other, this approach taken made me laugh. It was not in the spirit of Obsidian.
The Zettelkasten method is a note-taking system developed by Niklas Luhmann, a German sociologist. It involves creating a network of interconnected notes that can be used to organize and connect ideas, concepts, and information.
🤦🏾♂️ Legendary Bad Decision
I have a rule, a very simple one. If a people show - yes I call them people shows, I refuse to use the terminology they have tarnished. If a people show is based off a game (I have played) or was initially animated, I don't touch it. This is to save myself distress. I broke part of my rule because I had nothing to watch and was waiting for other stuff to complete.
And I chose to watch Fallout
My word! The amount of bad decisions made by characters in that show is astounding. For example; this one who stole the armour suddenly deciding to reveal what he did to the person who used to bully him during training. Or Lucy, who assumes people she meets are going to be understanding and follow the rules of her vault.
The only person with a bit of sense is Rico (Hannah Montana)/Bonzo(Ender's Game). Yeah, I don't know his real name and I'm not searching.
I think the only time I have ever seen this level of bad decisions was in Locke and Key - I really hope that doesn't get another season.
What's my point? I have none. Just sharing the ridiculous things I witness and the things that ingratiate me whilst I'm watching shows.
🎉 Over To You
What about you? What did you get up to this month? Anything interesting you would like to share?
Hit me up in the comments 😄
Thanks for stopping by. See you in 30--ish days.
~ Dante