On 'Starting to Record'
After much delay, I’ve finally launched the “Subspace Investigation Notebook.”
Why Write
Not because I think I have some extraordinary insights—quite the opposite: it’s because memory is too unreliable.
The baffling news from last week is forgotten by the next; the infuriating pseudo-human incident that angered you at the time fades from memory in a month, with no details left. If I don’t record these observations, they’ll dissipate like the fog of subspace, leaving nothing behind.
Writing isn’t because you have something to say, but to figure out what you’re actually thinking.
A Few Principles for Myself
1. Honesty Over Correctness Better to write, “This is what I think now, and I might be wrong,” than to be vague just to appear correct. An honest mistake is more valuable than polished ambiguity.
2. Record the Process, Not Just the Conclusion Conclusions become outdated, but the reasoning process is a reusable asset. Write down “how I arrived at this judgment.”
3. Distinguish Observation from Evaluation “Someone did something” is an observation; “Someone is a bad person” is an evaluation. Observations can be shared; evaluations are often just emotions. This notebook will aim for the former as much as possible.
4. Allow for Roughness Perfectionism is an excuse for procrastination. Publish first, refine later.
About the Categories on This Site
The four categories correspond to a layered approach to information processing:
- Leek Vision: Identifying external scams
- Cthulhu Investigation: Identifying harmful people
- Human Constellation: Preserving a sense of humor
- Personal Growth: Building yourself up
The first three are defense, and the last is offense. No matter how much defense you have, it’s no substitute for continuous growth.
—— Let’s encourage each other.