極客死亡計劃

In the past, I would organize any thoughts I had into words and publish them on my blog or briefly note them in my diary. Many of these were lost after I repeatedly tinkered with my blog and whimsically changed notebooks several times. Of course, this does not include those ideas that floated through my mind and were forgotten before I could capture them, as well as those thoughts that suddenly lost their inspiration halfway through writing, leaving me to abandon them.

Recently, I read an article titled Networked Thoughts, which has a double meaning: it refers to both "networked thinking" and "thoughts connected to the internet." One sentence in the article left a deep impression on me:

We live in an information age. The amount of data we produce far outweighs what we consume, so much so that it has extended far beyond our ability to make meaningful use of it.

We live in an information age. The data we produce far exceeds what we can digest, and it has grown to far surpass our ability to utilize it.

As for why it is important to emphasize the information age, I think it is because information technology has provided us with too many "raw materials" and "catalysts" for generating data, and these materials grow in a networked manner. For example, I am a board game enthusiast. In the past, the board games I focused on were only Werewolf, Monopoly, and Turtle Soup. Algorithms from various information platforms began to push other types of board games like Avalon, Uno, and Don't Make a Challenge based on my existing preferences. If I start to take an interest in the content pushed by the platform, I am likely to receive more similar content like DOS, tabletop RPGs, and Three Kingdoms Kill.

However, today's theme is not about information inflation, but rather how to process the information we receive in such a context, so that we do not feel too lost in the vast ocean of data. In this article, I will share how I filter, organize, and summarize the information I receive on the internet, as well as the tools I use in this process.

Establishing Your Own Filter#

Do you remember the title of this article? I said "My Thoughts Flow Like a River," so let me briefly explain this metaphor.

Here, "thoughts" do not refer to the information itself, but rather the reflections that arise after receiving information, as that is the most important thing. This metaphor also cleverly excludes information that lacks value for individuals, as it does not provoke much thought. Of course, this judgment is very subjective; an article related to vegetarian diets and nutritional pairing may hold no value for me, but it is something a vegetarian would be eager to reference and learn from. As for the term "river," one is a noun and the other a verb, emphasizing fluidity. In summary, you can abstractly understand the information received by individuals from various sources as a data stream flowing through their brains.

Why Filter?#

All data streams flowing through the brain occupy "CPU" resources. If the volume of data exceeds what the human brain can process, it can enter a state of "discomfort." There is a saying that refers to this state as "information syndrome," which, in my words, means that after receiving too much information, a person gives up thinking, allowing information to flood into their brain without processing or digesting it, leading to a "choking" sensation. It's like having sex without foreplay; while it feels good, over time it loses a lot of its excitement.

Scrolling through short videos can easily lead to this state. Before a video starts playing, you don't even know what you're about to watch; after the video ends, the software automatically jumps to the next one, leaving no time for reflection. Unknowingly, you waste several hours of sleep, and when you realize it, it feels like you just had a dream, and unless something particularly memorable happened, you can't remember what you just watched. Moreover, after watching, you feel like your brain has turned to mush, unable to focus on tasks, yet inexplicably excited and unable to sleep.

The direct cause of this problem is the explosion of information, and the solution is as logically simple as "losing weight by eating less"—just reduce the amount of information you receive daily. However, like weight loss, what needs to be reduced is fat, not water or muscle; therefore, evaluating the value of information is necessary. After assessing whether the information is beneficial to you, you can decide whether to receive it. Adding a "filtering" step ensures that what you truly need to focus on is worth your time.

Ensuring Information Quality from the Source#

However, when evaluating the value of information, a problem arises—if I do not receive and understand the information, how can I know if it is valuable to me? If I force myself to receive information to assess its value, I still need to let the data stream pass through my brain, which will still consume energy. This leads to a Russell's paradox.

"How can I get such clear water? Only by the source of living water." To have a rough understanding of the quality of information before processing it, finding the right information sources is key.

The current internet is very different from the past, and this difference can be seen in the changing relationship between people and the internet. Jokes about old and new search engines are common, and they generally express that: in the past, search engines would directly present what you described, while now, browsers place ads at the forefront. There is also a saying, which I have forgotten where I read it, that roughly states: in the past, going online meant searching for information yourself, while now, going online means platforms actively display information to you, making you passive.

When searching for information yourself, having a clear goal in mind allows you to go to relevant platforms, use keywords to search, and narrow down the scope of information to a minimum; when passively receiving information, you are sifting through a mixed pool of information, like picking the tallest person among a group of short ones.

In most cases, for individuals, the first situation is the best. Having the initiative forces you to think independently, to consider what you need most, rather than letting other things do the thinking for you. Of course, passive information reception is also necessary, especially when there is a need for entertainment, but this passivity should also be based on your active choice. In other words, you must allow yourself to passively receive information under certain conditions and at specific times, such as when you are bored and need to kill time, or when you want to roam the internet for writing ideas. At the same time, you need to use the right channels and methods to avoid falling into traps set by capital; you certainly shouldn't scroll through short videos on Meituan or Pinduoduo.

Specialization of Information Sources#

Instead of opening a search engine for any retrieval need, it is clearly a better choice to select different information sources for different scenarios. If you need images, go to dedicated image-sharing sites like Unsplash, Pixabay, and Flickr; if you need icons, vector libraries like IconFinder and Icon Font are better choices; if you need professional-related e-books, search on Z-Library; if you want to check word origins, look it up in Etymonline; for English internet memes and slang, there is also the specialized Urban Dictionary... When there is a clear need, these information sources provide higher quality results than search engines. When searching for information on specialized websites, irrelevant content is naturally filtered out, which is also part of the filtering process.

When your needs do not have a known corresponding information source, or when you need to try your luck elsewhere because the specialized sources do not yield satisfactory results, search engines come into play. Search engines are highly comprehensive information sources, but they are also mixed with both good and bad content. Their advantage lies in the fact that, in absolute numbers, the results you want are more likely to be included in the search results; their disadvantage is that search engines have no reason not to include low-quality content, even large amounts of duplicated material, and you are likely to be overwhelmed by ads and low-quality content.

Therefore, ensuring the quality of search engines is crucial. My current strategy is to block some notoriously low-quality websites using the browser extension uBlacklist, which allows me to set blocking rules using regular expressions, so they do not appear in my search results. I have blocked sites like CSDN, Baidu Baike, Baidu Zhidao, as well as common paid image material and template sites. I have also blocked video sites and social media like Sina, X, Facebook, Bilibili, and YouTube, because if I need to check social media or watch videos, I wouldn't open a search engine. The same goes for shopping sites like Taobao and JD.

In addition, you can subscribe to some blocking rules in the GitHub repository rjaus/awesome-ublacklist. Although the websites in these lists generally have low search engine rankings, it still provides some peace of mind to take a little extra effort.

Returning to the river metaphor: a river is certainly not just water; the filtering and screening when actively seeking information, as well as the strategies for passively receiving information, can be seen as a filter that removes impurities of no value to the individual, ensuring that most of what flows in is clean "water." Information receivers need not worry about falling into an information cocoon, as most of what is filtered out by their established filter is repetitive, low-value, useless information. The role of the filter is not only to filter but, more importantly, to "enrich," reducing the total amount of information and concentrating the information worth processing together, improving efficiency and rescuing one's gradually scattered attention in the ocean of information.

Seizing Every Moment of Inspiration#

The year before last, when I moved into my new home, the small living room had many lights, and there were two switches for the lights, so for a long time, I couldn't figure out which switch controlled which light. One afternoon, when I was alone at home, the weather was a bit gloomy, but the room was still relatively bright. I noticed that the living room light was still on, so I reached out to press the switch. I pressed the first switch but turned on another light, so I quickly turned it off and reached for the next switch... Somehow, I couldn't find the switch for the light that was on. I wandered around the room, found another row of switches, and after several attempts, I finally turned off the light. That light wasn't very bright; it was a spotlight installed in the corner. After turning it off, the room became a bit darker, but not much different from when the light was on—suddenly, a strange feeling surged in my mind.

So I let this feeling brew and develop, and ultimately, I wrote a horror story based on it within the Backrooms universe, titled Black and White Fear.

I believe this is not an isolated case; I must have many good ideas that I have never recorded. Such inspiration does not always come from myself; I vaguely remember that after watching a video, reading an article, or a certain passage in a book, I also had many thoughts that were not organized into words. At that time, I only felt enlightened and exclaimed, thinking that I could do something, but within half an hour, I forgot.

I discovered this problem in myself several years ago and chose to record them in a notebook, which worked quite well. Many of my works that I am satisfied with were written on paper. I believe that paper and pen are the best writing tools because handwriting cannot be erased, and I always want to keep the paper as neat as possible, which forces me to think carefully before writing, taking three or four steps before acting.

For me at that time, this was indeed a good solution, but that was because I had plenty of time. Additionally, I had a habit of keeping a diary, allowing me to review the day's records at the end of each day. Now, I still hope to keep my notebook neat, but I no longer have enough time to ensure that every word I write is beautiful, and having left the middle school campus, I can now use electronic devices with ease. A phone is clearly a more convenient choice than a notebook.

Pen might be mightier, but my keyboard is faster.

At first, I put everything I needed to remember in my phone's notes. After a while, I began to feel that Huawei's notes were not very useful. First, I have never liked Huawei's UI design; second, adding and viewing notes is inconvenient, as each note requires a title, even if I am recording scattered, themeless, and unconnected text, and viewing notes requires clicking into the corresponding page to see details, even if the content is not much.

So I chose Flomo. Its philosophy of "no formatting, no layout, no categorization" and card-style design perfectly solved the pain points of the phone's built-in notes, and it also supports multi-device synchronization. So I started using Flomo to record fragmented thoughts; I just need to open the app and click to start typing, unlike the notes app, which requires an extra click on the "+" button to enter the editing page.

Although Flomo provides a powerful tagging management system, I do not need it; I just treat it as a universal "read later." Whenever I have any thoughts or interesting ideas that I think are worth recording, I take out my phone and jot them down in Flomo. However, this also requires me to regularly check the notes in Flomo, systematically organizing the content in other note-taking software; some of these are "timeless to-do items," and during the review, I will select the worthwhile ones to do, of course, also deleting some useless ones or putting some long-term tasks into the main to-do list.

I highly recommend treating Flomo as an information transfer station; when using it, you can completely abandon the burden of organizing and summarizing information. Once you have an idea, just write a card and throw it in, and deal with it when you truly have the time and energy.

Managing a Digital Garden#

Previously, I discussed why I need to collect information and record inspiration. Clearly, after receiving and temporarily storing information, to let the information realize its value, it must be used. And usage often occurs only when there is a need, which means I need a "warehouse" to store information for easy access later, and this warehouse is not simply a place to store the information I have collected.

In the article Networked Thoughts I mentioned at the beginning, an interesting concept called Digital Garden is introduced. The term "garden" is used to metaphorically describe a way of organizing information, distinguishing it from a regular "warehouse" or "filing cabinet" in that different parts of the garden are connected by intertwining paths, and elements are related to one another. Additionally, my personal understanding is that a garden is a garden, not a gallery or library, because the plants in the garden are cultivated and planted by the gardener themselves, and the water I use comes from the river.

Seeds, Water, and Paths#

Seeds are the information received by individuals after filtering, water is the flowing thoughts of individuals, watering the seeds one by one, slowly growing into the plants in the garden. The paths connect every cluster of related plants in the garden; it could be roses connected to wild roses, or two flower beds that planted the same seeds being interconnected. In any case, paths help the gardener quickly find related plants and are necessary routes for passage in the garden.

I must clarify that the "garden" I am describing now is a concept I have modified to represent a way of organizing information. The original "digital garden" was proposed by a scholar named Mike Caulfield, and his "digital garden" is more like Wikipedia and has a certain social attribute—anyone can visit your garden if you wish, following the paths you have walked to admire the flowers you have planted. He also proposed a metaphor of "stream," which is different from my "river." The "stream" and "garden" are parallel concepts; streams are like threads in social media and chat records in instant messaging software, where you must enter the stream to understand the information it carries, closely related to time and a series of events; the garden is inherently meant to be admired, and in the garden, no one is curious about which appeared first, a bridge or the tree next to it; the garden has value independent of time and event chains.

I really like the metaphor of "garden" because I find organizing and summarizing information to be a relaxing activity, perhaps akin to a gardener tending to his garden.

Let's break free from these endless metaphors. Mike Caulfield believes that establishing a digital garden is a practice of successful people; when you extract useful knowledge from the modern bloated information flow, using it to build a networked knowledge system and publish it on the internet, your contribution to humanity has already surpassed those who play in the streams of social media. However, I am more concerned about the personal significance of the garden to the gardener—organizing knowledge is a survival skill in the information age, a process of self-healing and satisfaction, a fulfilling task akin to building with blocks, and something worth persisting in for a lifetime.

Choosing the Right Tools#

Having just discussed a lot of metaphors and concepts related to gardens and streams, the ultimate goal is to establish a personal knowledge management system, allowing information to have a good place after going through filtering, collecting, and digesting steps, making it convenient for oneself and others to use.

When it comes to knowledge management, most people likely think of Notion, but personally, I do not like this glorified note-taking software for the following reasons:

1. Notion's positioning is actually closer to team collaboration rather than personal knowledge management;
2. All data is stored in the cloud, and I cannot fully control my data;
3. I prefer plain text over the concept of "blocks";
4. If one day I want to stop using Notion, I cannot migrate my data painlessly;
5. There is almost no extensibility.

Of course, I list these reasons not to persuade you to stop using Notion; the right note-taking software varies for everyone. Notion also has many advantages I like, such as the ability to share pages publicly with one click, easy multi-device synchronization, and support for multi-column layouts. The software I use, Obsidian, has many advantages and disadvantages that Notion does not have, and I will briefly list a few.

Advantages:

1. Uses Markdown syntax, allowing for complete plain text editing;
2. Data is stored locally in .md file format;
3. Offers a rich array of plugins and themes;
4. Native support for bidirectional linking, generating relationship graphs for each page (the paths of the garden).

Disadvantages:

1. Data synchronization requires payment (Obsidian Sync);
2. Publishing notes online requires payment (Obsidian Publish).

However, since Obsidian saves data in Markdown file format, with a little extra effort, one can fill in the disadvantages themselves.

Regarding data synchronization, you can use file synchronization services like Nutstore or iCloud, or like me, turn the Obsidian repository into a Git repository, publishing it as a private repository on GitHub. This way, each device only needs to manually pull to synchronize with the GitHub repository, while also enjoying Git's version control. As for publishing, the same principle applies; you can use static site generators that support Markdown, like Hexo and Hugo, or use Quartz designed specifically for Obsidian, which can parse Obsidian's bidirectional links. Thus, using Markdown to store data locally is Obsidian's greatest advantage, as the control over data is entirely in your hands.

So, if you don't mind tinkering and prefer Markdown, consider using Obsidian to establish your digital garden.

What I Do in the Garden#

As a note-taking software, Obsidian is undoubtedly capable of taking notes, but it actually has a lot of exploration space in both depth and breadth. In terms of depth, I have not truly felt the pleasure brought by linked notes; but in terms of breadth, I have already realized that this is not an ordinary note-taking software.

Because Obsidian supports Front Matter, or "document properties," I can manage all my blog articles in the Obsidian repository. Since Obsidian provides a visual way to edit Front Matter, I can even use Obsidian instead of Typora to write blog posts, and the writing experience is better. Somewhat exaggeratedly, Obsidian can be used as a CMS.

Obsidian also helped me accomplish something I had always wanted to do but had not been able to achieve—writing character profiles. Every person I know has an independent page in my Obsidian repository, containing their basic information, birthday, introduction, and records of our interactions. Since I also use Obsidian to keep a diary, I can note in my diary who I interacted with today and link to their pages. At this point, the advantages of bidirectional linking become apparent; I can see in the relationship graph of a particular day's diary who I interacted with, and on a friend's page, I can see on which days we communicated.

Occasionally, I also like to collect articles worth rereading. I can use the browser plugin Simpread to export articles from web pages as Markdown files, then store them in my Obsidian repository for easy access whenever I want, like a private library.

I previously mentioned that Obsidian has rich plugin support. For example, you can install the Excalidraw plugin, allowing you to draw within Obsidian; install the Markmind plugin, and you can create mind maps; Obsidian also has a built-in whiteboard plugin, allowing you to freely organize notes in a blank file. As long as you can get used to it, you can use it as a one-stop replacement for productivity software like Notability, XMind, and TickTick.

Postscript#

I recently completely restructured my information recording system and felt it was worth writing an article to document it. To help more people see it and find it useful, I tried to summarize my methods for collecting and organizing information. By the way, here is the directory structure of my Obsidian repository.

|-- Diary
	|-- 2023
	|-- 2024
|-- Library
	|-- Excerpts
	|-- Worth Reading
	|-- Reading Notes
|-- Learning
	|-- Data Structures
	|-- Economics
	|-- ...
|-- Character Profiles
|-- Article Archives

And some plugins I highly recommend:

• Dataview: Real-time indexing and query engine
• Templater: Easier use of page templates
• Excalidraw: Drawing in Obsidian
• Markmind: Mind mapping

Finally, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

TL;DR#

1. Establish an information filter: Choose the right information sources, specialize, and use uBlacklist to filter search results.
2. Record fragmented thoughts: Use Flomo as an information transfer station to record information worth processing later.
3. Manage a digital garden: What is a digital garden? Use Obsidian to build a personal knowledge base.