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Keep a programming journal

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Re: Keep a programming journal

#71

Post by Mystitat »

kellishaver wrote: post #65
eckyptang wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 but I use a mechanical pencil as you can rub stuff out, it's immune to coffee spills and you can file your nails down on the knurling when you are thinking (Rotring 600 recommended). I am sometimes ridiculed for such low technology though which I find rather strange. I think there are some serious cultural identity problems at the moment.

I usually end up writing with a pen because I find the greater level of contrast easier to read; I have pretty bad eyesight. Lately I've been using fine-point Sharpie pens and they're great for readability. I do a lot of pencil drawings, though ( http://orng.us/ob8yao ) and I do find something magical about the feel of pencil on paper, and even the smell of the graphite. I can lose myself for hours. But if I'm writin…

I've found that fine-point sharpies bleed through every kind of paper. What kind of paper do you use?

Re: Keep a programming journal

#72

Post by Reltair »

Does anyone happen to know if there are any leather bound notebooks with pre-numbered blank pages?

Moleskine notebooks look promising, except they aren't really leather and don't have pre-numbered pages. I guess I can number the pages myself, but it would be nice to already have it done.

Re: Keep a programming journal

#73

Post by samspot »

I think this is probably fantastic advice, but I can't seem to let go of the searchability of electronic notes. It is also nice that I mostly do not need to worry about things like losing the notebook or filing old ones.

Re: Keep a programming journal

#74

Post by ENOTTY »

This is a great idea that I've been practicing with not as much discipline as I would like. I've been slowly converging on an optimal (for me) paper size. I use the Pilot G-2 pen which writes well and feels good but is still cheap.

But I haven't been able to find a paper that is thick enough to allow for double sided writing. The composition pads tend to have really thin sheets that the ink shows through. Does anybody have suggestions?

Re: Keep a programming journal

#75

Post by lallysingh »

richardjordan wrote: post #54
brainid wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The National Brand Computation Notebook is popular. $12 from Amazon. I have used them for years.

Thanks for the tip - nice notebook - I wish I could get a nice hard cover book WITH numbered pages.

Available off of amazon: http://www.leuchtturm1917.com/

I switched from moleskines, and have been quite happy.

Re: Keep a programming journal

#76

Post by gcr »

nlh wrote: post #70

So despite the great ideas and tales of pens & paper (and moleskin) here, I'd love to hear some thoughts on good digital solutions to the programming journal. I use and am totally in love with Day One (iOS & OSX) for my personal journal: http://dayoneapp.com It could very easily be adapted into a programming journal (it supports images w/ each entry & monospace fonts, which are both great). Unfortunately, they don't…

Bend org-mode to your will!

http://orgmode.org/

I have a org-mode "capture" keybinding set up so I can just hit a key while programming and a small popup buffer asks me for some notes on what I'm thinking about. It can then add it to tomorrow's TODO list or perhaps a journal file/folder of my choosing.

Best part: because it works with Emacs, it doesn't break my flow. I can just capture thoughts while coding and immediately get straight back to coding.

Re: Keep a programming journal

#77

Post by kellishaver »

Mystitat wrote: post #71
kellishaver wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I usually end up writing with a pen because I find the greater level of contrast easier to read; I have pretty bad eyesight. Lately I've been using fine-point Sharpie pens and they're great for readability. I do a lot of pencil drawings, though ( http://orng.us/ob8yao ) and I do find something magical about the feel of pencil on paper, and even the smell of the graphite. I can lose myself for hours. But if I'm writin…

I've found that fine-point sharpies bleed through every kind of paper. What kind of paper do you use?

Just a Mead 5-subject spiral notebook. It's not super thin paper, but it's not really heavy, either. I've never had an issue of bleed through, but I don't write on the back side of the page, either.

A Pigma Micron might work well for you: http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival

Re: Keep a programming journal

#78

Post by kellishaver »

eckyptang wrote: post #68
kellishaver wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I usually end up writing with a pen because I find the greater level of contrast easier to read; I have pretty bad eyesight. Lately I've been using fine-point Sharpie pens and they're great for readability. I do a lot of pencil drawings, though ( http://orng.us/ob8yao ) and I do find something magical about the feel of pencil on paper, and even the smell of the graphite. I can lose myself for hours. But if I'm writin…

Nice work on the big cats :)

Thank you :)

Re: Keep a programming journal

#79

Post by Glide »

Johngibb wrote: post #37

I've been doing this as well. Does anyone have advice on pens? This is what I'm currently using and I really like them: http://amzn.com/B0027AEKJ8 they come in a 4 pack of different thicknesses, and are only $12 at Staples. I'm sure there's better however!

I got a fountain pen when I wanted to improve my own handwriting just to see what is so different about them. I bought a Lamy Al-Star pen, a converter, and a bottle of ink. I would never use an ordinary ballpoint pen if I can help it. Writing with a fountain pen seems so much easier than writing with other pens.

Re: Keep a programming journal

#80

Post by ryanmolden »

richardjordan wrote: post #52
notJim wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "One second of CPU time per day" got me thinking. Sure there are benefits to having modernly cheap computers, but how did they do it before? By this argument, do you also pay your bills manually by check at the end of each month? And book all your air travel by calling a travel agent? There's nothing wrong with trying these things to see what advantage they have, but advocating the old ways of doing things purely b…

I don't think you can extend his/her argument like that in a valid sense. I don't think he was advocating for a luddite position. The appropriate question is whether or not the move to computers has improved things. Not every step forward technology-wise is an improvement. Some things need to be walked back. For example, as a Physicist by training, most of the math I had to do was far more easily worked out by hand t…

>I'm only realizing now I'm older and would rather pay a little premium for the convenience of not wading through a gazillion different sites to get the right bookings and prices for a complex itinerary

Have you tried FlightFox? I haven't yet, and have no vested interest in / association with them (i.e the suggestion isn't me shilling :)), but it seemed an interesting possibility to me.

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