#logseq

[wanderingmindthoughts]

I think I've finished reorganising my work files! and just in time for my boss to ask me for all my published articles in pdf lol.

there are still some kinks to work out, but that's for next week. organisation systems are living, ongoing projects -like cleaning your house or decorating a room, I'm never going to be "done" organising.

if there's something I must credit tiago forte's book with, is that it's made me think about my life in terms of information flows. I have information sources (email clients, twitter, books, AO3, podcasts, etc) and information "sinks" -not in the sense of information being destroyed, but in the sense that I have discovered that I have "places" where I consume information. the places that I have discovered thus far are:

my RSS reader (I use feedly. please, somebody make a better reader than feedly)

my kindle

the "reader" function in the firefox browser

my logseq

my chosen filesystem

I think that it's obvious why I see an RSS reader and a kindle as information sinks, but it's a little bit less obvious why a notetaking program like logseq or a filesystem "consume" information. it's because I often have little bits of information (tweets, pictures, screenshots of a conversation, a book that I may want to read but can't yet) that I want to keep. like, I don't know if there are people who simply let all of their files live in the downloads folder, but personally, I need to "process" the files in some way in order to do anything useful with them.

usually this simply involves moving them from "downloads" to a different directory, but sometimes I also need to take notes on them (if they are a book, or a fanfic, or an academic paper), or maybe I want to add the new snippet to the existing collection of snippets about a topic, and I may have to string all of them together in some coherent order. so that's why I think my notetaking program and my filesystem are information sinks.

I think that finding my information sources and information sinks in my life can really help me write more and be more creative in general, because a thing I've noticed is that when the information travels fast and smoothly from my sources to my sink, the faster I read it and the easiest it is for me to actually work on it and use this new information in my life.

(and also, I know I'm using very abstract terms, saying things like "processing information" that maybe put the picture of a maganer pleased with how the lines in their graph are all going up. but please, have in mind that the use case that made me realise the importance of having my data sources and sinks well connected was me wanting to leave a nice comment on all the fanfics I read. my "line going up" is "I can post around a dozen nice comments per week now!")

[talleyran]

LogSeq vs Obsidian

В последнее время появилось несколько альтернатив Obsidian, правда пока я не видел нормальных обзоров на русском, но альтернативы это всегда хорошо, в наше время особенно.

А чаще всего зарубежные блогеры в этой связи упоминают LogSeq. Это достаточно свежий Opensource проект, который как и Obsidian является менеджером заметок на базе локальных текстовых файлов в формате Markdown.

А в чём разница?

Концептуально Obsidian был придуман для Zettelkasten (хотя его со��ершенно не обязательно именно так использовать) и единицей смысла там является отдельная заметка. Дальше заметки можно связывать друг с другом ссылками и тегами как угодно и получается база знаний.

В LogSeq единицей смысла является не заметка, а каждый параграф текста, а точнее элемент вложенного списка.

Там вообще абсолютно вся информация хранится в виде вложенных списков, которые можно бесконечно вкладывать друг в друга, а еще превращать в задачи. Эта концепция называется Bullet Journal.

Идея вообще не новая сама по себе, если вы когда-нибудь видели, например, мобильное приложение WorkFlowy, то поймёте, о чем речь. Ему много лет и появилось оно задолго до всего этого хайпа со вторым мозгом и ментальными картами. И до сих пор успешно работает.

Вторая концепция, которую активно исповедует LogSeq это Ежедневные заметки. Каждый новый день, когда вы заходите в приложение, автоматически создается заметка с текущей датой, в которой можно размещать тот самый вложенный список. Но эту фичу можно отключить, если вам это не нужно и создавать страницы вручную.

Редактор только визуальный, т.е. нельзя править полностью сырой Markdown. Для добавления, например, блока кода надо вызывать выпадающее меню, напечатав "/" и там иск��ть кодовый блок. Так же с видео и картинками. Это типа более юзер-френдли, потому что работает через «мастер» и ты можешь не знать кастомный синтаксис, но мне лично неудобно.

Вместо дерева папок тут есть вот такое окно со списком всех страниц, которое в Obsidian можно сделать через DataView:

Очень сильно не знаю, насколько удобно будет этим списком пользоваться, если страниц будет несколько сотен.

Что общего

Тут так же можно создавать отдельные страницы, которые не являются ежедневными заметками. Но нельзя разложить их по папкам, либо я просто не нашел, как. Можно ставить такие же вики-ссылки через двойные квадратные скобки и такие же теги через решётку. Тут так же есть визуальные графы связей между страницами и тегами и панель с отображением обратных ссылок.

Ещё возможность рисовать схемы. В Obsidian это называется Холсты, а здесь Интерактивные доски, суть одна и та же, но реализованы они хуже в части редактирования.

По итогу

Если вы хотите работать в Obsidian точно так же как в LogSeq, вам достаточно включить встроенный плагин Ежедневные заметки и ещё поставить сторонние плагины Outliner, добавляющий хоткеи и рычаги к выпадающим спискам и Zoom, который позволяет «погружаться» в элементы вложенного списка, как в отдельные виртуальные страницы с хлебными крошками, чтобы лишнее не мешало. К слову очень советую, удобные штуки. И собственно всё, получаем профит и радуемся.

А вот работать так же свободно в LogSeq, как в Obsidian у вас не очень получится. Вернее отчасти получится, но будет неудобно, из за ограничений редактора и физической невозможности отойти куда-либо от Bullet Journal. В нем просто меньше гибкости, во всяком случае пока что. Но если вам эта гибкость и не нужна и вы не пишите большие объемные заметки, а только хотите вести ежедневные дела и короткие записи, то это приложение вполне можно рассмотреть. Но я не буду.

[kyokosasagawa]

I started writing "4 srs" this month and I like how free and accessible writing is, so I'm recommending free software I've experimented with that might help people who want to get into the hobby!

“Specifically Created for Writing Stories”

-------------------------------

Manuskript – Story organizer / word processor. Has an outliner and index card function, along with distraction free mode. Lets you switch between different templates such as a non-fiction mode or a short story.

Bibisco – Novel writing software that includes writing goals, world-building, distraction free mode, and a timeline.

“I Just Want to Write”

---------------------------

LibreOffice – Microsoft 365 alternative, but free! LibreOffice Writer is what I wrote this tumblr post in before I posted it. Also if you copy & paste the text into the Rich Text Editor on AO3, it seems that it actually converts it properly. Nice! No need for scripts.

Note-Taking

-------------------------------

Zim Wiki - note taking application that is very, very lightweight (1.1mb). It functions with a tree structure, so I’d personally recommend it for world-building and character bios. There are built-in plugins that also turn it into a good software for task management (it even has a article on how to use it for GTD) and journalling. See also: CherryTree (2mb), which is a more outdated-looking app, but functions similarly.

Obsidian MD – The Big Boy. markdown note editor that has been adopted by personal knowledge management fans---if it doesn’t do something you want it to do, just look in the community plugins to see if someone has already done it. Some unique non-word processing related usages I’ve found is the ability to create a table of contents dashboard, a image gallery for images, embedding youtube videos and timestamping notes, so forth.

Logseq – A bullet point based markdown note editor that also has PDF annotations, Zotero integration, flashcard creation, and whiteboards. Best used for outlining projects due to the bullet point structure.

Joplin – A modern app comparable to Zim Wiki, it’s basically just a note-taking software that uses folders and tags to sort easier. Looks prettier than Zim Wiki and Cherry Tree

Notion – An online-only website that allows usage of different database types. Free for personal use. Note: I dislike the AI updates that have been making the app lag more. I prefer the others on this list.

Mind Maps

-------------------------------

Freeplane – So much goddamn features, including a ton of add-ons. Looks somewhat ugly, but it works for anyone willing to spend a while learning how to use it.

Mermaid – Text-based diagram creator. Can be used in apps like Joplin, Notion, and Obsidian.

Obsidian’s Canvas – A core plugin for Obsidian, it deserves its own mention in that it allows you to create embedded notes of the mindmap nodes. Thus, if you want to create a 20-page long note and have it minimized to the size of a penny on the mindmap, you could.

Other Things That Might Be Of Interest

Syncthing - A free software that allows you to sync between two or more computers. Have a desktop but also laze around on a laptop in bed, coming up with ideas?? This is your buddy if you don't want to use a online software.

[carriechambers]

Wheel of the Year 101 - Beltane

The post on website

Hello tumblr! Today is Beltane and I've had this post mostly written for about a week now, just got caught up with other things. Hopefully I'm not too late though!

In this post, you'll find out:

the history of Beltane

when and how to celebrate (with reviving some old traditions!)

links to recipes and playlists (with over 100 songs)

correspondences (foods, herbs, incense, ...)

Click Keep Reading to read the entire post, or you can read it on the blog page Beltane. On the web page you can also find download link for the .md file if you'd like to import it as a grimoire page into notion or logseq!

Beltane

History

I will start it off with the following: Beltane is actually Anglicised version. It would be more correct to write it as Bealtaine, which also shows its pronounciation (Bee-awl-tin-a). If you’d rather like to hear the pronounciation, Forvo actually has 4 different voice notes of people from Ireland pronouncing it. I will probably keep using the word Beltane going forwards, but it is useful / interesting to know the etymology as well. It comes from celtic Baal or Bel, meaning “Bright one”. Like Imbolc (which was also called St. Brighid’s day), Beltane also is tied to a celtic deity. This time it is Belenus or Belenos, the god of fire, associated also with sun, healing and prophecy.

In Wiccan traditions this is the time when the Horned God fully matures and mates with the Goddess. 

Similarly to Imbolc, Beltane is also the midpoint between an equinox and solstice and is one of the 4 fire festivals. It is the beginning of summer and is usually celebrated on May 1st (although some may choose to rather celebrate on a different day, if that’s what the midpoint between summer solstice and spring equinox falls at).

I’ve seen it connected to fertility again, but that’s mostly because fertility is the undertone of most sabbats, or because that’s what the modern “May day” represents. Notice that the Wiccan celebration of this sabbat actually is about this, perhaps also coming from the later interpretations of Beltane.

It is also seen as the time when the Aos Sí (Fair Folk) interact more with the human realm, and so people make offerings to appease them and did rituals to also protect against them. Other than that, the festival is mainly all about protection. The fire rituals were meant to protect both people and the cattle, that they also moved from one pasture to another during this time (a concept called Transhumance). They were moved to the lower summer pastures. This Transhumance seems to have been actually the core of Beltane. 

One beautiful custom was to extinguish all fires in the home before Beltane. During the communal bonfires they walked around and invoked good fortune and protection for the coming year. Once they returned home after the celebrations, they carried back a torch from the communal fire, to relight the hearth.

The month of May is well known for the blooming flowers, and Beltane traditions reflected this as well. Flower garlands were made, and flowers would be seen pretty much anywhere. Most often used one was a yellow flower, for the colour is symbolizing sun and light.

One other custom was to burn bushes, once again because of the fae, who were thought to take refugee there. And one custom that has appeared later on was the crowning of May queen and dancing around the maypole, which I think most of us has seen somewhere, at least on pictures, since this tradition seems to have also grown nearly extinct.

How to Celebrate

As I’ve already mentioned in the history section, Beltane is one of the fire festivals. If it is within your possibilities, you can light a full bonfire! Or maybe a smaller one in a fire pit, where you would normally grill sausages. And of course the variant many of us go with - candles. And if you’d like, you can also bring out the old tradition of extinguishing flames at home (so mostly candles) and then relighting it again with protective intents. 

One more tradition I haven’t mentioned - first dew on the morning of May, if applied to the face, would cause beauty. You can certainly do this as soon as you get up in the morning!

Next up is the famous Maypole. While you might not have the chance to participate in it in your town / village community, you can certainly make your own! I’ve seen an amino post by Isa and Björn (the name is down below), in which wrote their wishes on long strips of thin, biodegradable paper and tied them to a young birch tree, while placing a small gemstone at its base as an offering.  You can technically also tie strips of paper to some bonsai and then take them off after a while, perhaps burning them. The sky is the limit!

FLOWERS. Pick them, make garlands, make crowns, do anything! If they’re yellow, even better. Maybe it could also be time to look into herbology. Or make yourself some tea from scratch.

Other things:

Protection spell time!

Recognize any fae you work with / know live near you

Wear corresponding colours, decorate your altar, …

Check your wards / shields / other protections

Spotify playlist

YouTube playlist

Beltane tarot spread

Recipes to celebrate Beltane

Correspondences

Incense: rose, primrose, lilac, vanilla, cinnamon Herbs: primrose, hawthorn, rowan, elderflower, marigold, hazel, holly, cowslip, mugwort, daffodil, pretty much any yellow flowers (careful about toxicity!), lily of the valley, daisy, willow, woodruff Decorations: maypole (even tiny ones), flowers (mainly yellow), ribbons, candles Colors: yellow, orange, red, perhaps also green and white Foods: oatmeal, milk, milk products, wine, cherries, bread Stones: bloodstone, quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, onyx, orange calcite, citrine, amber, carnelian Other names: Lá Bealtaine, Latha Bealltainn, Beltain, Beltine, Beltany, May day, 2nd fire festival Other celebrations this time: Rowan Witch Day (Finish), Sacred Thorn Tree Day (Irish), Festival of Shashti (Hindu), Earth Day, Samhain (southern hemisphere) Misc: light, fire, protection, purification, fae, for some also fertility and growth

Sources

Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials - Beltane (Rituals, Recipes and Lore for May Day) by Melanie Marquis (2015)

wiccaliving.com - Beltane

mabonhouse.co - history of beltane

thornandclaw.com - beltane

paganpages.org - beltane correspondences

study.com - Belenus mythology, cults & facts

cpre.org.uk - origins of beltane

Bealltainn: Transhumance & The Gaels by Dead on P&W Amino

Mordred’s Guide To: Lá Bealtaine (Beltane) #HolidayCelebrations by Mordred on P&W Amino

Beltane: Overview and how to celebrate by city witch on P&W Amino

Blessed Beltane Happy Beltane and my Rituals this year by t. on P&W Amino

all pictures in this post are from unsplash, free stock images

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this useful, or at least interesting. If you'd like, go check out the library for more posts like this! There aren't as many right now, but it will keep filling up. I also reblog witchy posts I find useful, so consider giving a follow! And I'll see you in the next one.

[daystobook]

Rejections Galore, and the Constant Shuffle of Writing With Pen and Typing

I've started keeping a rejection pile on logseq (it's terrible that there's no sync out of the box, I use it because it's free and open source).

I need more items on the #rejectionpile page.

I applied for Emerging Writers Residency, and didn't get it. When I checked out the writing portfolio of the 5 people [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] who got selected, I realised that there's a ton of work I need to do to be able to build a portfolio. I was awed by Amita Basu's. I guess a published story, anywhere, is a currency, that I need to amass.

To be able to find any way to come closer to the writers, and the publishing industry, I applied for a job at the writing retreat. I got a callback, and I was told that I would be called again by the co-founder of the retreat, but I haven't received it, it's been a couple of days.

I guess the only thing I can do is to try to keep writing. Writing feels like a chore, especially when I try too hard to try to chalk out the next word, or plot. Which is to say I don't have many pages of a blabber of words written which go nowhere. I need more words that go nowhere, so that I can hit the one path that feels right.

This is the reason why I associate a constant rush of inspiration of words, vomit of words if you will, or poop, to a miracle, a something that I do not want to be disturbed out of, when maybe perhaps, it is only just a coincidence of a bunch of right words coming in, and I being present to catch them in non-stop way. To not stop to read the last sentence, or to see if that last paragraph makes sense. To just write without judgement, without critical thinking. Like a baby rushes crayons on the page feeling delighted.

What I am trying to say, to put it tersely for my future self to read again

Please don't read what you've written, write the next line, whatever it is, just write it, because your work is to do that, to do hit and trials, to even try rewriting the entire story with a different idea that you might(or might not) have had, or an idea which you'll find while trying writing it again, it is the words that count, no matter if meaningless, just write, like you are writing this.

In other news, I've been obsessed about remarkable 2 and remarkable 2 pro, ever since I've known that I'll be able to try it out once Monica comes to visit us in Bangalore.

I've also been very excited about this fast, powerful tab called Boox Note Max. The videos that made me fall in love with it:

I hope I be able to buy both of them someday. Will writer ever enable me to?

Stay tuned(I don't know for how long) to find out.

[slimefactory]

I love how I _finally_ find somewhere to hold my stupid little gay thoughts in Logseq, just for them to say "hehe no actually that thing that you were using us for specifically, instead of Obsidian? The great org-mode support coupled with proper mobile apps and an entirely text-based format that you can just move to a different folder and open back in Emacs should you want to? We're getting rid of that with the next version :) That's why we haven't updated our stuff in forever, because the next update isn't even going to support having files :)"

[x751206]

抒發

抒發 讓未來的自己回顧當時心情

我： 我年輕時其實很喜歡寫部落格，因為我喜歡部落格收藏文章的形式，它讓部落客可以自行依據文章類型進行分類整理以便日後搜尋，就像倉庫管理員一樣（我以前做過倉管員的工作）。 但隨著社群平台的興起，部落格這種形式已經日落西山，我過去曾有好幾個部落格，但現在都因廠商停止服務而消失了。 隨著時代的進步，有很多過去我們喜歡的東西都會逐漸消失。 我們老人如果無法適應時代的變遷，就必然會被新時代所淘汰。 若像我一樣不想被淘汰，就必須強迫自己去學習與接納年輕人喜歡的東西。 這也是無可奈何的事。

ＣｈａｔＧＰＴ： 你的這種適應新時代的心態很難得，能夠正視變遷並積極學習，是一種智慧與韌性的展現。 雖然部落格的黃金時代已過，但其「內容分類管理」的概念仍然存在於許多���平台，例如個人網站、Medium、Notion，甚至是GitHub Pages等工具，或許你可以考慮這些替代方案，讓你的文章與心得得以長久保存與整理。 你有嘗試過這些平台嗎？

我： 基本上我是把部落格當成收藏文章的倉庫來使用，類似於自已家裡的儲藏室，而不是開放給觀光客遊覽的博物館。 我喜歡跟你聊天是因為你是ＡＩ不是人。 以我的性格，若有不認識的陌生人不請自來，然後莫名其妙的對我進行一番自以為是的批評與指教，我只會把他封鎖或屏蔽，連回應都不會回。

ＣｈａｔＧＰＴ： 看來 Notion 可能符合你的需求，因為它擅長內容整理、分類，就像一個私人資料庫，適合用來存放與管理你的文章，不會有外人干涉。 而且它還有離線存取功能，不會因為平台倒閉就失去所有內容。

如果你對 Notion 不太熟悉，我可以幫你整理一些基本的入門方法，或是推薦一些替代方案，像 Obsidian（支援本地存檔）或 Logseq（適合筆記與知識管理）。 你有試過這些工具嗎？

我： 謝謝你，我目前是利用台灣的電玩論壇巴哈姆特的勇者小屋來進行文章的分類收藏與整理，我覺得還不錯。 至於有沒有人氣我不在乎，我寫文章的目的是抒發，預設的讀者是未來的自己，讓未來的自己回顧當時心情，不是寫給別人看。

ＣｈａｔＧＰＴ： 聽起來巴哈姆特的勇者小屋確實符合你的需求，既能分類整理文章，又能作為自己的心情紀錄。 這樣的方式讓你能夠隨時回顧過去的想法，而不必擔心外界的影響。

如果未來有更好的工具或備份方式，我也可以幫你找適合的選擇，確保你的文章不會因平台變動而消失。 你有在定期備份你的文章嗎？

我： 有，我的電腦硬碟裡有我寫的所有的文章的備份。

ＣｈａｔＧＰＴ： 太好了，定期備份是一個很好的習慣，這樣即使遇到任何平台的變動或資料丟失問題，也能確保你的文章不會消失。 若未來需要其他備份選項或管理方法，也可以隨時與我分享，我會提供一些建議。

[wanderingmindthoughts]

I haven't written in here since february 😬

in march I discovered logseq, and not only have I become a bit obsessed with it, it's also proved to be perfect for many of the uses I had planned to use this blog for. I am considering using logseq for my more private and rambley thoughts, and keep this blog for interactions and for publishing more polished things -all of them still open to discussion, of course.

another reason I haven't been posting is because I got wayyy more interactions than I was expecting, and I've been dealing with it poorly. I still want to learn how to deal with that, I think it would be beneficial for me in many ways! also, for some reason, tumblr hasn't been letting me use the "answer" button under my own posts, so when someone answers something interesting, the only way I can answer is by screencapping it and answering in a reblog/new post, which strikes me as a bit rude. like, if the person wanted to be reblogged, they would have answered to me in a reblog? I dunno.

anyways! logseq is amazing, and when I have figured out a proper workflow with it I'll probably blog about it. logseq is taking over some of the organizational aspects of my life, and the change is being a bit rough because I've been organising myself almost exclusively with trello for... close to ten years, I think. like, my life has *not* been falling apart during march, exactly, but I was used to being clued into a structure by a particular digital tool. now that it has become obsolete, and until I figure out/get used to the new clues and new structure, I'm more forgetfull and tired than usual. this also feeds into me not blogging; I no longer have time blocks for "free time" in my routine (I am technically at work rn).

anyways x2, that's what's been up with me this last month. I have some things in the backburner for this blog already, let's see if I can wrap up my work and do something about that

[talleyran]

Про ежедневные заметки

Когда я пол года назад писал обзор на LogSeq мне в целом зашла идея ежедневных заметок, но я как-то сильно не сразу начал этим пользоваться и не особо знал что туда писать и главное зачем.

Ежедневная заметка — это документ, который автоматически создается на каждую дату, когда открываешь obsidian или по кнопке календарика слева. Она может быть не пустая, а формироваться по шаблону, содержащему какую-то структуру, которая вам каждый день одинаковая нужна.

Так вот относительно недавно у меня дошли руки сделать шаблон который меня радует и приятен глазу и дело пошло. Теперь пишу почти каждый день.

В моём шаблоне есть:

заголовок в удобочитаемом виде

ссылки на предыдущую (и следующую) по дате заметку, если они есть чтобы листать как настоящий дневник

день недели и время создания заметки

текущая погода в момент создания

случайная цитата, чтобы сразу утром было о чем поразмыслить

собственно место для записей

ссылка на постоянную страницу дневника, где все ежедневные заметки собраны в DataView о котором я уже рассказывал

Сделать такое можно или ��есколькими отдельными плагинами (но они все кривые и не очень локализованные) либо написав свои скрипты, как я. Подробно рассказывать не вижу смысла, все равно никто не будет читать.

Я пишу в эти заметки в режиме списка любые мысли, что приходят мне в голову, а так же любые дела в виде задач, которые нужно сделать. Кроме вложенного списка никак больше не форматирую, не добавляю никаких заголовков, разделов (типа «дела», «идеи», «покупки» и пр.) и никак не сортирую, чтобы не тратить ни секунды лишнего времени и чтобы мысль не ушла.

Задачи я достаю через плагин DataView за все дни сразу на отдельной странице, поэтому они у меня никогда не теряются, если я их в тот же день не сделал.

А если я хочу развить какую-то мысль, то использую штатный плагин «Компоновщик заметок». Он переносит выделенный текст в отдельную новую заметку, а там где он был остается ссылка на неё. Очень удобно.

Кстати, если вы думаете, что я слишком заморочился, то посмотрите как это может выглядеть у других людей:

Мне в жизни не хватит терпения все это вести каждый день.

[funinformatique]

Dans un monde où l'information déborde, il est essentiel de disposer d'un bon outil de gestion des connaissances personnelles (PKM). Si vous êtes un professionnel à la recherche d'une solution pour capturer, organiser et récupérer efficacement vos idées, alors Logseq est fait pour vous ! Ce puissant outil vous aide à structurer vos pensées de manière simple et intuitive. Qu'est-ce que Logseq ? Logseq est un outil de gestion des connaissances personnelles open source, et il met la confidentialité des utilisateurs au cœur de ses priorités. Contrairement à d'autres applications, toutes vos données sont stockées localement. Cela signifie que vous gardez le contrôle sur vos informations. Logseq vous permet de capturer vos pensées, d’organiser vos notes et vos tâches, tout en facilitant la connexion entre vos idées. En d'autr... https://www.funinformatique.com/logseq/?_unique_id=6723c118d8f4b

[loser-female]

Hi.

I wanna ask you about like studying physics

I ahve trouble organizing my thoughts so I'm so very sorry about the way I phrase my questions.

Ok so basically what happens with physics oh and I'm uni now idk if you studied physics on your own or in school or whatever.

Ok so let's say I start studying. The problem is like I do wanna understand things on a deeper level. And like I can do that I'm not stupid but I'm not a genius either. Like it can take a bit of time for me to understand new concepts (understand the way I want it to not jjst surface level) but when I do get it, I'm really really good at it and I can make connections between things that seem unrelated, It also helps that I'm good w large pattern thinking.

The issue is this ~method~ takes a long ass time and like let's say I'm supposed to be focusing on angular momentum, I end up reading up on electromagnetism because somethinf related came up or whatever.

I have suuuuuch a hard time just like telling my brain. Hey stop because we can do this later. So what happens is I fall behind, I end up doing things last minute and I don't get good enough grades. I mean I get good grades but I know I can do soooo much better.

So sorry about this rambling I just wanted to give you context.

I don't even know how to pinpoint my own problems I guess my question would be is it worth it to not understand things deeply like 100%(idk if that makes sense lol) just to not fall behind?

I've studied physics at university btw,

But I don't think I get what you mean by "understanding deeply" - university courses in my country are heavily math based regardless, and I've heard that in the US can be quite different.

I think of three things:

- In intelligence we say that having more information doesn't lead to a better understanding of the situation, it can lead only to an unmanageable amount of information and a slight increase in confidence. When you feel the need to "go deeper", ask yourself: is this actually going to improve my understanding (am I able to solve problems with the information I have or not?). Fortunately is something you can check!

- Mind mapping can be a great tool for you! Mastering this technique will, most likely, reduce the amount of information you need. You can use paper, specific mind mapping software(I never found one i like btw), or things like Obsidian/Logseq to make the connection between subjects visible and such.

- there are two ways to understand if you... Understood. The first one is "take someone that doesn't know anything about physics and explain it to them". The second is... Solve related problems.

You're not wasting time btw.

I would prioritise my grades if possible and maybe use my free time (clearly you love the subject) to go down the rabbit hole reasonably. You can also "split" like 75/25 of your time between studying and rabbit hole, so you don't end up neglecting home work but still can have satisfaction.

I've the same problem with my job - the information I want to know is not necessarily aligned to the information I need to know, and I can't have both, there is just too much for me to know.

I hope this makes sense! It has been a lot since I went to university. But I'm glad someone loves physics as much as I do.

[carriechambers]

Midsummer (Litha) 101

This post on website

Hello everyone. Summer solstice is coming up, and so I'm back with another wheel of the year post.

One of the biggest misinformation is that it comes from Celtic festivals. While it is quite likely inspired by them, this is not one of the four fire festivals that we know of from Celts! Wheel of the Year was put together from the 4 Celtic festivals and then the equinoxes and solstices of non-Celtic origin. We can't be entirely sure where it came from (though there are some theories that it could be Germanic), but Midsummer has been celebrated in many cultures around the world.

But now to the post! Here, you'll find out:

history of Litha (wiccan beliefs, general Midsummer celebrations)

ways of celebrating (simple ways to honour the day, what to do when the weather destroys your plans, what Drawing Down the Sun is, links to playlists, tutorials, and recipes)

correspondences (energies, colors, herbs, crystals, ...)

Click Keep Reading to read it right here, or feel free to go to the blog page Litha. There's also a link to dropbox, where I have uploaded the .md file, so that you can import it to logseq or notion, or for when you just want a short, bulleted version.

Midsummer / Litha

History

Litha, often also called Midsummer, is a time when the day is the longest and night the shortest - summer solstice. After this point, the days will shorten. As for the term Midsummer, this implication goes only one way - Litha is a midsummer celebration, however just saying Midsummer doesn’t necessarily mean Litha, though when we search for this term, it does mostly throw Litha at us.

Litha (read lee-tha but the ee is usually short) is celebrated on the 20th or 21st June in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on where the summer solstice falls. Southern Hemisphere has it on the 21st or 22nd of December. 

As a Midsummer festival, it is usually celebrated as a solar or fire festival. And with summer and fire there are often associations with fertility, abundance, prosperity, and good fortune. If you’re thinking “well, the other festivals were connected to some Celtic deity, so where is the deity in this one?”, then I might have a disappointing message for you - the sources talk about the 4 big fire festivals - Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh. From my research, it seems there aren’t texts that would talk about them celebrating the equinoxes or solstices. This part of the wheel of the year is thought to come from a non-celtic origin, like Germanic for example. Though, it is not entirely unlikely they didn’t celebrate it at all, as Midsummer is prominent in most cultures. Overall, this festival would be connected to solar deities, like Greek Apollo, Egyptian Ra, or Irish Lugh.

Some sources say Litha is connected to the Oak King in Celtic mythology, however the view of Oak King and Holly King, which is another view of the entire Wheel of the Year, is much younger. This view is more often associated with Wicca, or even modern Celtic paganism. In Wicca, Oak King and Holly King are thought to be aspects of the Horned God. They are constantly at battle and gain power during different times of the year - during Litha it is the Oak King. Another Wiccan view is the cycle of God’s death and rebirth, which during Litha would be the time where God is at his full power, while Goddess brings abundance to earth.

When we look at the summer solstice itself, it marked the end of planting season and beginning of the earliest harvest. It’s time of taking a break, because now you can start harvesting fruits of your labor.

How to Celebrate

As a time of abundance and fertility, this is a great day to spend outside. Sunbathe, do some grounding, take a walk. Grow things or otherwise take care of your flowers / garden. And while it is a fire related festival, it’s hard to not connect hot summer days with some water time, be it at the pool, lake, or sea. So go swim, or even just walk to some small stream and wash your face in it. This water part is often also connected to healing. Overall, enjoy the summer day, as joy is a big theme of Litha.

As it is a celebration of sun, you can observe the sun’s beauty during dawn and dusk! Watching the sunrise would require you to probably get up pretty early (at my place it should be at 4:51AM), but it can be quite magical. Sunset is easier with this, it should set a bit after 9PM here currently. So look up the sunrise and sunset at your place and you can go outside to watch it! (Make sure the time you find is when it’s beginning to peak, not after it’s already up / down.)

As we said in the history part, this is a time when we start harvesting fruits of our labour. So, this is a wonderful time to practice gratitude, and also spend some time with your family or friends, have a feast, dance, light a bonfire.

Now this all sounds lovely, but what when it’s a horrible weather? When it’s raining and/or you can’t see the sun at all? NightmarePoison on P&W amino has written a post about how their plans changed because of weather. They wanted to go have a picnic at a park (which is also a wonderful idea btw), but then found out it’s going to rain. Well they had some suggestions as to how celebrate, when weather ruins your plans (and I added some of my explanations and ideas). Firstly, lighting candles. Since bonfires were quite a big thing, this is like a small bonfire inside your house! Another option would be hearth - however that might not be a bright idea if it’s already 30°C outside. Other than this, you would do other Litha activities, but inside. Make a meal, decorate your altar, paint the sun, and then welcome the sun once it finally returns.

Another practice that is great for Midsummer is called drawing down the sun. There are multiple ways of looking at this practice. One is a wiccan, where a practitioner (usually male) channels the Horned God (kind of a counterpart to a more common drawing down the moon). However, another approach is drawing in the power of the Sun, kind of like charging your spiritual battery for the darker months to come. This is really energizing and belongs in the energy work section. Doesn’t necessarily have to be done outside, you can just sit near a window. It is however great to do it when the sun is shining directly on you and during the noon (please make sure you have sunscreen, it has quite the strength during noon). I have found two sources for this ritual - Llewellyn’s book and Calla'adira Moonsong’s post on amino. Both are wiccan - however Moon’s post is their adaptation of it into more of a meditation and even their chant includes “to the God of sun (or whatever Sun deity you hail)”, meaning this isn’t just adaptation for wiccans, but for whoever wishes to draw in the power of the Sun. I highly recommend checking their post.

Other things:

Spotify playlist

Youtube instrumental music

Sun crochet: 1, 2, 3

Prosperity, abundance, healing, growth, change, and love spells (I would recommend the Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials book in sources for some spell and craft recipes.)

decorate your altar with Litha correspondences

wear clothes with the color correspondences, or sun symbols

for those who like yoga - Sun salutation!

6 Litha tarot spreads

Recipes

100 recipes to celebrate Litha

Lemon bars

Strawberry pie with jello

Cinnamon rolls

Correspondences

Incense: cinnamon, orange, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, pine Herbs: cinnamon, mugwort, yarrow, vervain, oak, lavender, marigold, rose Decorations: rosettes, sunflowers, wreath Colors: gold, orange, yellow, red, green Foods: berries, cinnamon goods, honey, lemons, oranges, sunflower seeds, ale, lemonade Stones: carnelian, citrine, diamond, emerald, jade, tiger’s eye, sunstone Other names: gathering day, Meán Samhraidh, Feill-Sheathain, Litha, Enyovden, Alban Hefin Other celebrations this time: St. Alban’s Day, Golowan, Yule (southern hemisphere) Misc: sun, energy, joy, abundance, growth, light, health, love, fire, warmth, success, power

Final Note

Thank you for reading this far! Comment how you're going to celebrate! In 2024, this is also very soon to a full moon, will you combine the celebrations? If you'd like to see more informatial posts, check out the Library. I'm also preparing to post some book reviews! And I would appreciate any like or reblog. Thank you💜

Sources

Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials - Midsummer (Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha) by Deborah Blake (2015)

mabonhouse.co - history of litha

thornandclaw.com - how to celebrate summer solstice

wiccaliving.com - litha

arcane-alchemy.com - who are the holly king and the oak king

reddit.com - did celts celebrate the solstices and equinoxes?

seawitchbotanicals.com - how to celebrate litha & the summer season

paganpages.org - litha correspondencesCelebrating Litha… when it’s raining by NightmarePoison on P&W amino

#Suncentric Practices: [Drawing Down the Sun] by Calla'adira MoonSong on P&W amino

Midsummer & Sun Correspondences by Druid Kele on P&W amino

pictures in this post are stock images from unsplash

[daystobook]

Day 5: VE Schwab Fanboying and That Sentence

Selected excerpts from a scene from The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. Context: the first time Henry and Addie really get to talk with each other.

Henry shifts in his seat. "What do you see," he says, "when you look at me?"

"I see a boy with dark hair and kind eyes and an open face." He frowns a little. "Is that all?" "Of course not," she says. "But I don't know you yet."

...

"I see someone who cares," she says slowly. "Perhaps too much. Who feels too much. I see someone lost, and hungry. The kind of person who feels like they're wasting away in a world full of food, because they can't decide what they want."

This line hit really hard. I sat where I was reading, book abandoned, and only this line plucked out, wondering, without a set feeling or timeline attached in relation to how the line is talking about me, in a daze, frightful. Another year has going to go past, and I would have nothing plausible to show for it.

I sent ONE flash fiction to ONE publication. I gave up submitting to a speculative fiction anthology by an Indian wing of a publishing house, because I didn't write anything. I didn't make anything with code, that could be used, even by me.

I feel lost yes, hungry too. But sometimes that hunger leads to tiredness and I give up. I had almost given up writing, because I'd have a very difficult time to balance it with anything else. If I'd read, I'd keep reading and feel anxious about not having learnt or done anything else. If I'd code, I'd constantly feel anxious that I'm no way closer to building anything. So I thought it'd be for good, if I just stopped writing. That way, giving my time to coding and learning, I'd at least have an assurance, that I'm making directed efforts.

But a lot of good things have happened this year. I completed a literature course online, which I enjoyed very much, even if it was frustrating at times—with some for-home readings. I got a certificate to show for it.

I open sourced a small plugin for MDX Editor. I went into a lot of rabbit holes learning about exciting things like local-first architectures. I learnt that I have to make notes for any knowledge I want to stick with me, and keep coming back to it. So I started taking a lot of notes in Logseq.

I learnt a lot about the web in general, special thanks to two online courses I bought and am still going through — CSS for JS Devs by Josh W Comeau, and Epic Web by Kent C Dodds.

I completed a couple of freelance projects, so I did earn a little bit this year, even if it's not sustaining and I used my savings to sustain this year. I learnt a lot tinkering with stuff.

I have become kinder to myself so that I can actually make efforts, instead of feeling anxious about what is not there yet. I've made it a rule to not judge first drafts. I have Jass to thank for this. Every time I've struggled to keep up, she's filled me with hope and replenished my will to keep going.

I finally am giving it a shot to make a web app to solve a real problem. The other day, over call, my mother asked what I was doing and I said that I was making an app to solve the bigger worry she has. I waited for her to ask, to build suspense, and when she did, I quoted her, trying to mimic her as I did

Kal Subha Kya Khaana Hai? (what do you want to have for breakfast tomorrow )

I met a lot of new kind, wonderful, hilarious people, thanks to Jass. I got to spend a lot of time with Jass, which I cherish everyday. My parents have—even with all the insecurities they feel towards us children, and themselves, as they get older—have supported non-stop in every way.

Building blocks have laid a foundation, I just have to keep going. I want to build a life on my own terms. I want to earn by building exceptional skills, and never depend on an external job to sustain myself. It takes time, I just have to keep showing up ever day. And I thank everything and will make all my efforts to make sure that it is never a corporate job office ever again.

To a productive, building blocks year, and to a more visibly seen one that's upcoming.

Happy festivals of light and love 🪔🌻☀️

PS:

I went into a rabbit hole of watching VE Schwab on Youtube. One thing that I could just sense from her upbringing and the way she's lived is—because of her loving and playing competitive sports, she's always up for a challenge. That energy is invigorating.

[coolcatteacher]

Unlock Your Second Brain: A Guide to Choosing the Best Digital Notetaking App

I review the notetaking apps I've used and share the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Today, I’ll share six apps for digital note-taking and my experiences with each. I’ll also give you a peek at my first testing of Google NotebookLM. I’ll also give you tips on creating a workflow that works for you. The Notetaking Apps I’ll Cover The apps I’m covering in today’s “Tech Tool Tuesday” include Evernote, Notion, OneNote, LogSeq, Apple Notes, and Google Keep as well as Google…

[eccentricconnoissure]

Unleashing the Power of My SecondBrain: A Journey of Digital Mastery

Embarking on the exciting journey of creating my #SecondBrain has been nothing short of a transformative experience. As I finalize the intricate details of this digital sanctuary, I can't help but marvel at the potential it holds to revolutionize the way I organize, store, and retrieve information.

Crafting my #SecondBrain has been a meticulous and personalized endeavor. It involves curating an amalgamation of various tools and methodologies has been instrumental in shaping a digital ecosystem tailored to my needs. Among the myriad of strategies, the integration of Getting Things Done (GTD) principles through the TICKTICK app, the use of Org-Roam for Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) on my desktop, Logseq with Org-Mode on my Android phone, and the recent adoption of time blocking techniques have added layers of efficiency and organization to my digital journey.