Help Garden

May 8th, 2020

Many people don't realize that you can link directly to every bulletpoint in Roam
- And
  - that these Block refs are also Bidirectional
  - That you can wrap a reference to a page or block in a markdown link to provide it with an alias.
    - Type (( to bring up autocomplete for a bullet
    - Type Command-K to write a markdown link [link text]``(address)
      - Markdown links can wrap blocks [x]``(((blockid))) or pages
- To show a quick example of this workflow
  - {{DONE}} Create a Choose Your Own Adventure game in Roam
    - 1
      - You are in a dark house
        Turn on the light 2
        Let your eyes adjust to the dark 3
    - 2
      - You see a zombie down the hallway
        Attack it with a bat
        5
        You crushed the zombie
        Click here to start
        Run away
        4
        You have been eaten by a zombie
        Write your own adventure
        Start again 1
    - 3
      - You hear a sound from down the hallway
        Move Forward in darkness
        4
        You have been eaten by a zombie
        Write your own adventure
        Start again 1
      - Turn on the light 2
    - 4
      - You have been eaten by a zombie
        Write your own adventure
      - Start again 1
    - 5
      - You crushed the zombie
      - Click here to start
  - Click here to start
23:06 -- 00:07 (1 hour)
- Want to do some quick comparisons between It's Time To Build and the Roam White Paper
  - Goals::
    - One of the underlying motivations for Roam is to build a more Anti-Fragile or at least Resilient Civilization, and I suspect there are differences of opinion between myself and Marc Andreesen on the what the underlying cause is to the current failures of our institutions and what the path is to build better institutions
      - I suspect we're pretty closely aligned though
      - I want to get more articulate about what I think the problems are, and work a bit off his thinking and past writing I did with Richard Meadows to do so
    - Provide a demo video showing how I use Roam to approach a thinking problem
      - a problem of exploring past writing, and current writing to come to a more articulate position / have new ideas.
  - {{DONE}} Choice How to approach the problem
    Decision::
    Start by collecting the problems from the Roam White Paper that I think are relevant to this topic, using that collection to figure out the things I haven't yet said
    {{DONE}} Choice How to collect it
    Options::
    Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
    Decision::
    Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
    - Options::
      - Start fresh by writing what I think the problems are
        List it out in some sort of structure
        {{TODO}} Choice what structure
        Options::
        Free form, essay style, structure later
        List problems
        then reasons
        List set of claims about the world, then group
        Decision::
      - Start by collecting the problems from the Roam White Paper that I think are relevant to this topic, using that collection to figure out the things I haven't yet said
        {{DONE}} Choice How to collect it
        Options::
        Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
        Decision::
        Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
      - Start by going through It's Time To Build and pulling out the most interesting points related to this topic
        {{TODO}} Choice What to call this topic - how to tag this set of thinking
        Goals::
        Tag the whole project so can continue this theme in the future.
        Options::
        Failure of institions
        Why the west couldn't handle Covid-19
        Filing Cabinet institions
        Defer to later
        Decision::
    - Decision::
      Start by collecting the problems from the Roam White Paper that I think are relevant to this topic, using that collection to figure out the things I haven't yet said
      {{DONE}} Choice How to collect it
      Options::
      Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
      Decision::
      Tag the page, then pull out quotes, then decide how to structure things
  - Roam White Paper
    - Large-scale collaboration requires a more flexible data structure than the classic file tree. Roam is built on a knowledge graph that maps all possible relationships, with ‘smart’ links between defined concepts. Users can connect similar ideas in multiple overlapping hierarchies, remix them without overwriting the original context, and selectively share parts of the graph with others to collaborate on specific sub-questions.
      - Large scale collaboration on complex problems really isn't possible today.
        see Reinventing Discovery
        we don't have Kasparov vs The World infrastructure for getting a large group of experts to be able to effectively allocate their attention on a complex issue
        Instead we have a sort of command and control - decentralized but not distributed system
    - For power users, the knowledge graph also unlocks applications in logic and reasoning, Bayesian inference and decision-making, modelling complex problems, and collaborative research.
    - Everything from peer-reviewed research papers to the opinion pages of a newspaper are based on formulating arguments that support a certain premise, along the lines of the following:
      If A is true, then B is true.
      If C and D are both true, then A is true.
      C and D are true.
      Therefore, B is true.
      Example:: Precise Links
      PWRiHAsEv
    - Often, C and D will be supported by links to external articles, where they are conclusions reached by larger arguments based on combining other premises. Unfortunately, the structure of the argument is only implied by the prose. Rarely are the relationships between arguments and pieces of evidence explicitly laid out, except perhaps in the notes of the author investigating the claims.
      - The Media in particular failed to prepare people for the pandemic -- see ReCode vs Balaji Srivasanan
        Questions::
        Even supposing a better system for evaluating claims existed
        -- see Roam Public Covid Argument
        a test that I had of whether I could use my twitter followers to Sanity Check the logic of some of my thinking, and factual basis of premises...
        Would that actually influence decisions?
        At least in some effective institutions - definitely -- the existence of my twitter community completely changed my behavior in preparation for the pandemic -- we started sheltering in place in February, buying material, getting things needed just for Worst Case Scenarios, figuring out Work from Home scenarios !
        A better system would have given me a lot more confidence even then
        Claims
        Will to act comes from belief
        Help Resources:: The Will to Believe
        Belief is a choice between live options !
        Belief is a choice between live options!
        A better sensemaking system helps you make choices between live options and commit to those with greater conviction!
        We fail to do anything because we're perplexed by complexity!
        There are too may options, and too few things we're certain about to do anything, that is the root problem.
        {{DONE}} Looking for the quote here which is saying that problem is will to build
        It's Time To Build
        And that is a failure of action, and specifically our widespread inability to *build*.
        Notice certain words that are coming up
        Our scientists will hopefully invent therapies and a vaccine,
        but then we may not have the manufacturing factories required to scale their production.
        but then we may not have the manufacturing factories required to scale their production.
        I'm thinking right now of all the kids and 20 somethings I've met who struggled with purpose -- What should I do with my life?, the answer isn't simply that they should go build -- but to build what?!
        how many young bright minds would have felt motivated to go work on cotton swab manufacturing 6 months ago -- despite that being something we need now
        We don’t have enough coronavirus tests, or test materials — including, amazingly, cotton swabs and common reagents.
        Drives home my point
        We fail to do anything because we're perplexed by complexity !
        There are too may options, and too few things we're certain about to do anything, that is the root problem.
        {{DONE}} Looking for the quote here which is saying that problem is will to build
        It's Time To Build
        And that is a failure of action, and specifically our widespread inability to *build*.
        Notice certain words that are coming up
        Our scientists will hopefully invent therapies and a vaccine,
        but then we may not have the manufacturing factories required to scale their production.
        but then we may not have the manufacturing factories required to scale their production.
        I'm thinking right now of all the kids and 20 somethings I've met who struggled with purpose -- What should I do with my life?, the answer isn't simply that they should go build -- but to build what?!
        how many young bright minds would have felt motivated to go work on cotton swab manufacturing 6 months ago -- despite that being something we need now
        We don’t have enough coronavirus tests, or test materials — including, amazingly, cotton swabs and common reagents.
        Drives home my point
        SELF(xxnha5qd3)
        Oh the other point -- which is the one related to Eric Weinstein's Distributed Idea Suppression Complex
        — it took scientists 5 years to get regulatory testing approval for the new Ebola vaccine after that scourge’s 2014 outbreak, at the cost of many lives.
        And the system that they were using it based on lab rats that probably wasn't even valid!
        Oh the other point -- which is the one related to Eric Weinstein's Distributed Idea Suppression Complex
        — it took scientists 5 years to get regulatory testing approval for the new Ebola vaccine after that scourge’s 2014 outbreak, at the cost of many lives.
        And the system that they were using it based on lab rats that probably wasn't even valid!
        23:54 - 00:06
        Lost train of thought trying to get the meta place to write
        should have just tagged with tangent
        {{TODO}} have some quick keyboard shortcut for turning on and turning off filters -- if I had that I could throw the random thoughts inline and not worry about it at all
        Also wouldn't have Victoria's problem of not wanting to reorganize things when there is a filter applied.
        23:56
        Got it - meta thought was that It's a little tricky right now for me to see my thoughts vs the quotes
        00:01 -- 00:06
        exporting movie, taking break
- Meta thoughts
  - Tempted to narrate this process verbally, to make for potentially better video -- but then that's a layer beyond just what is in the text...
    - not as durable, not async
      - Some sort of interesting thing there though - particularly for presenting graphs in the future. Forging
  - really wish I had the drawing tool finished right now...
    - {{TODO}} Wonder if there is an easy drawing tool that I could embed in an iframe?
  - 23:39
    - {{TODO}} really need to ship those styling improvements to the breadcrumbs
    - {{TODO}} I want filtes in the sidebar
      - {{DONE}} Choice
        Options::
        on specific pages?
        Across the whole sidebar?
        Decision::
        on specific pages?
  - 23:43
    - Breaking It's Time To Build into structure
    - {{DONE}} Choice how to structure
      - Options::
        Break the quotes apart inline and mix my thoughts within
        tag things with questions
        rephrase as questions and link to source
      - Decision::
        Break the quotes apart inline and mix my thoughts within
  - 23:54 - 00:06
    - Lost train of thought trying to get the meta place to write
    - should have just tagged with tangent
      - {{TODO}} have some quick keyboard shortcut for turning on and turning off filters -- if I had that I could throw the random thoughts inline and not worry about it at all
        Also wouldn't have Victoria's problem of not wanting to reorganize things when there is a filter applied.
    - 23:56
      - Got it - meta thought was that It's a little tricky right now for me to see my thoughts vs the quotes
    - 00:01 -- 00:06
      - exporting movie, taking break

Referenced in

Roam Change Log

[[May 8th, 2020]]

May 8th, 2020