Hacker News Reader

Comment by nikivi | Hacker News Reader

I usually comment with the same thing on these tip threads. And that is learn to rebind your keyboard. Make each key programmable modifier. Open apps, run scripts/macros instantly. My Karabiner config:

https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/dotfiles/blob/master/karab...

I go as far as binding keys to instantly type `console.log()` or `fmt.Println()` or the other language equivalent with my dot modifier key. Plus typing things like `Thank you` with dot+spacebar press.

https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/dotfiles/blob/master/karab...

The other tip that paid off in time is starting a wiki. And building an interface to access contents of the wiki instantly.

Wiki: https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/knowledge

Interface: https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/alfred-my-mind

View on HN

One thing I worry about with these extremely customized keyboard configs and such is that once you get used to them, you will have a hard time using any other computer when you suddenly need to. Maybe this isn't such a big problem with physical keyboards, but can be with e.g. text editor configs, which you can't take along if you need to SSH into many servers during a workday and work with whatever is installed there.

I always find this argument nonsense. Most people will be on their computer for 99% of the time and sacrificing for the rest of 1% doesn't make sense. I had a colleague who had been using vim without customization because of that reason and he's always on his computer but I find the reasoning very odd.

I have a bind to turn off all my binds if anyone else wants to use my computer.

And I can still use other people's computers although with some pain.

as a caps-to-ctrl remapper, I can't imagine how crippling it would be to have serious remaps or Dvorak or something and try to use someone else's keyboard. Doesn't seem worth it.

A buddy of mine uses dvorak with a qwerty keyboard and an inline usb switch to engage dvorak. Pair programming and everything.

I actually got used to it pretty quickly. Adapting was not hard.

It's a little like how learning more instruments doesn't make you worse at the ones you know.

Maintaining a Wiki or any sort of extensive note taking operation requires a lot of dedication and I guess practice? Do you have any tips for someone who wants to start out? Is there a smaller step that one could take initially?

I don't use a wiki but instead use Bear (https://bear.app) which gives cross-referential tags and a slick sorted tree of tags. I tag every article ('note') with a set of tags at the top.

#d/2020/05/08 #fam/sis #fam/gifts — notes around a conversation I had with my sister today about potential gifts .

#d/2020/05/05 #recipes/dinner #recipes/c/italian — notes a ravioli recipe I made on 5/5. If I later make it for a group dinner, I'll tag it, too, so I can track when I made things for who and collect longitudinal feedback and recipe changes.

#todo/today is things that need to get done today; things that don't will get moved to other notes.

In case you want to generate a graph of your notes (via graphviz for now), I wrote a project recently (I'm working on a D3 version of the graph "at the moment" although it won't happen until at least tomorrow, today is off-programming day): https://github.com/rberenguel/bear-note-graph

edit: parse error, unbalanced parentheses

Use mind maps. Its quick (much quicker than a wiki) and makes it really easy to reorganise a mess. Freemind/freeplane is good.

Holy shit... that wiki and alfred workflow is INSANE. I am so jealous. Do you find that you're able to discover what you're looking for pretty instantaneously? Any general tips for organizing (sorry if you cover this in the wiki, haven't dived into it yet, but i'm going to!)? also, huge fan of keyboard remapping. I use karabiner, kinesis advantage, and a couple kinesis foot pedals (had some rsi issues, but all this opened my mind to the possibility of experimenting with key mappings and input movements).

I cover it here https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/other/wiki-workflow

Plan to write some more things and do videos to explain my workflow & wiki setup in more detail.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com