TBX Meetup 27JAN24 Unedited Zoom AI Companion Script
Quick recap
The team had a conversation about their experiences with the Tinderbox tool for blogging and outlining. They considered collaborating on a show to demonstrate different approaches to using the tool. The topic of safety wiring in racing was also discussed, with Dave Rogers sharing his personal experience with it. However, no clear decisions, next steps, or action items were captured in the discussion.
Summary
Casual Conversation on Tinderbox and Safety Wiring
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David Eddy and Dave Rogers had a casual conversation about a variety of topics. They shared personal experiences and history, including Dave Rogers’ involvement with the Navy due to his father’s influence. They also discussed their experiences with the Tinderbox tool for blogging and outlining, and considered the possibility of collaborating on a show to demonstrate different approaches to using the tool. The conversation also touched on the topic of safety wiring in racing, with Dave Rogers recounting his experience with it. However, no clear decisions, next steps, or action items were captured in the discussion.
Tinderbox Meetup: Guest, Sharing, and Enthusiasm
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The meeting was about the upcoming tinderbox meetup. Mark Bernstein, the designer of tinderbox, provided details about the meetup and announced the guest, Kathy Marshall, a hypertext research legend currently writing a biography of Joan Volmer. Quico Moya, a new participant and software engineer, shared his reasons for attending. Michael Becker encouraged community members to share their thoughts, comments, projects, or questions. kimpetersen shared his work on Bloom’s taxonomy and his enthusiasm for the tool, 10 or Bucks. The transcript ended before Frederick Hirsch could discuss his unspecified topic.
Tinderbox Mapping and Infocom Game Discussion
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Frederick Hirsch discussed his use of Tinderbox for mapping an Infocom game and raised a concern about managing complex maps with many links. He sought an automatic layout tool or a way to manually rearrange notes for proper link display. Mark Bernstein suggested using the broad link type and proposed distinguishing between forward and backward links. He also recommended naming one-way links for simplicity. There was a discussion about the hyperbolic view tool, with Michael Becker suggesting its potential use in a specific situation, which Mark confirmed. Frederick Hirsch encountered difficulties accessing the hyperbolic view, which Mark explained requires a selected focus point and links. Frederick Hirsch found Mark’s explanation interesting and planned to experiment with the tool, especially in the context of Infocom.
Knowledge Management and Learning With Bloom’s Taxonomy
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kimpetersen discussed the application of Bloom’s taxonomy in knowledge management and learning, presenting his personal approach that segments and understands different types of knowledge like factual, conceptual, procedural, and meta cognition. He introduced a tool, Tinnerbox, to organize his knowledge and establish connections between different concepts. Kim also highlighted the importance of sequencing knowledge and identifying keywords for easier retrieval. kimpetersen and Michael Becker discussed developing new content by curating existing knowledge with a goal of creating permanent notes. They agreed on breaking down knowledge into various areas such as procedural, conceptual, and factual. Frederick Hirsch questioned the separation of these knowledge areas, leading to an open discussion without a clear resolution. kimpetersen and Michael Becker also discussed the process of creating knowledge bases and generating new ideas. They agreed to start with terminology and build out the conceptual variables.
Table View Feature and RDF Data Discussion
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The team discussed their experiences with the new table view feature, with Michael Becker sharing his practical uses for it. A future discussion was suggested by Mark Bernstein to gather more input on people’s experiences with the feature. Mark Anderson then shared his experience with Rdf data, a format used in link data, and the challenges he faced when cleaning and organizing data. David Eddy clarified the purpose and origin of Rdf data, emphasizing that it is about mathematical linking rather than semantics.
Data Infrastructure and Visualization Challenges
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The team discussed the challenges and potential solutions related to data infrastructure and visualization. Mark Anderson pointed out the difficulty of making technology compatible with human needs and the issue of data being trapped in PDFs and relational databases, hindering discovery and linkage. He also highlighted the problem of incorrect data in academic papers and the role of publishers in ensuring data quality. Frederick Hirsch suggested looking at JSON LD as a possible solution. Michael Becker introduced the concept of Solid, a new standard for self-sovereign identity management across the internet, which links personal data and identity. The team concluded the discussion without any specific decisions or next steps.
Challenges of Exporting Images From TBX File
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Michael Becker discussed the challenges of exporting images from a Tbx file while maintaining their path in the Markdown file. He suggested not embedding images directly in the Tbx file to avoid issues with repurposing and accessing them across different platforms and projects. Instead, he recommended storing images in a generic directory structure or in a project-specific file. Michael Becker also highlighted the complexities of transferring assets from a Devonthink file to Tbx due to security restrictions and the structure of the file mapping. He proposed creating a prototype, P. Media, to manage these assets and associating several attributes with them. This approach allows for more detailed note-taking and preserves fidelity lost in the embedded image approach.
Tinderbox to Markdown Export Process
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The meeting focused on the process of exporting notes in Markdown from a system called Tinderbox. Michael Becker demonstrated how to create a template that converts HTML into Markdown, explaining how to specify different levels of headings and media files treatment. He also discussed the hierarchical cascade in Tinderbox and how it processes notes one at a time. There was also a discussion about the linear processing of commands in Tinderbox and the management of templates and instructions within media files. Towards the end, Mark Bernstein suggested constructing a function to create a markdown string, which could be easier to share than a piece of the template. Michael Becker also mentioned a problem he encountered with his Tinderbox files in July 2020, which was resolved by using ‘include’ as suggested by Mark Bernstein.
Note Identification and Document Formatting Methods
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The team discussed methods for uniquely identifying notes. Michael Becker suggested using the Id string as it is easier to remember and type compared to the Id. Mark Bernstein agreed, but noted potential confusion with numbers. Mark Anderson shared Tinderbox’s setup for exporting a note for every note that exists by default using the Id method. The team also discussed using templates in document formatting, with Mark emphasizing the system’s flexibility. Michael Becker demonstrated how to adjust the system to output pure Markdown text but encountered issues during debugging.
Image Manipulation and ID Usage Discussion
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Mark Anderson and Michael Becker discussed the use of IDs in coding and suggested not rushing to use them, especially for those still learning. Michael Becker demonstrated how to manipulate and manage images within a file, explaining his method of adjusting outline numbering schemes to accommodate a large number of projects in one file. He also showcased the use of agents to automatically number figures and tables in a project. The conversation concluded with Michael Becker asking Mark about the recording of the meeting, which Mark confirmed was saved locally but could be sent to Michael Becker if necessary.
Next steps
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Dave will talk to Michael about a show on different approaches to maintaining a blog and Tinderbox. Mark Anderson will consider the external resource approach for handling images in Tinderbox files. Michael will debug the demo and upload it later for others to see the fixes.