Greg LloydApr 28

RE: https://oldbytes.space/@amoroso/116481754724892559

“Isaac Newton’s famous Waste Book, currently kept at Cambridge University Library, is a rare example of a physical continuity between the two cultures of notetaking: humanist and scientific. It starts out as a commonplace book of excerpted scriptural commentary… Newton found the deceased [stepfather] Smith’s partially used commonplace book and began adding his own prolific and inventive notes on mathematical problems and derivations and sketches of physical experiments.” #journal #wastebook

Show threadAlan is @cogdog 🇨🇦Apr 28

@Roundtrip Field notebooks were essential in long ago days of doing geology field work. I have a stack somewhere, like decipherable. Here is one of a section of volcanic deposits where I think I was measuring maximum pumice and included rubble sizes at different levels.

https://cogdogblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bandy-field-notes.jpeg

Show threadGreg LloydApr 28

@cogdog
Patent notebooks — a personal and dated series of quad-ruled and serial-stamped bound paper notebooks — were still a thing when I worked at NRL in the 1970’s.

Any page with a significant discovery was supposed to witnessed, signed, and dated in ink as ‘read and understood’.

I still keep series of notebooks with a unique date stamp and page for that date eg [Work Vol 35 | 28 Apr 26 / 1 … 2 ] This serves well as a ‘permalink anchor” for written or digital use. 📕🔗 #journal #hypertext

Show threadAlan is @cogdog 🇨🇦
@Roundtrip It's a lost art/practice but I'd like to believe a number of folks still do notebook logging.
Apr 28 at 6:09pmWeb
Show threadGreg LloydApr 28

@cogdog
I also keep a paper notebook on my nightstand and desk for when I need to log something instantly — a few words, a quick sketch, a note from a meeting, or YouTube (i write down the timestamp).

At least for me, it’s still much faster and more flexible than a phone, iPad, or a walk to my MacBook. If it’s of lasting value, I can copy or xref my paper note’s permalink or a snapshot of the notebook page in any digital system of record I choose. And do that days or a week latter. #wastebook