Tinkering with Roam Research
Already leaps and bounds beyond what Bear is capable of and I hardly know how to use the product. It serves a different purpose. Maybe.
Like Bear it is text based plus a few embeds and wiki links, though its ability to connect words, notes, and ideas together while providing magical—and logical—connections between notes is unparralleled.
I’m wondering whether it fits within my digital ecosystem or if it’s just going to swallow the whole stack. And if the latter, would I be better served if I just said “out with the old and in with the new!”? Perhaps.
Thus far it’s been fascinating, mind bending, and perplexing at the same time. Which, if we’re being honest, are novel experiences that are quite rare nowadays—especially in the midst of this ongoing pandemic.
If I were to put EVERYTHING in Roam, it would effectively become a force multiplier for all my raw material. The inputs and outputs of my brain can actually be materialized and made record of for future reference and use. Thoughts captured as notes and writing, highlights from books and articles, and random digital bits and bytes would become integrated with my to do list, my journal, my contact database, my internet meanderings, and whatever else might make sense to throw in the system. That could be wildly prolific if tended properly.
This could possibly be the closest version of a “digital you” you’ve ever had.
Thus far our online avatars have been visual representations of ourselves along with essays, videos, codebases, and Finished Product™-type creations. With Roam Research and all of our digital materials as inputs, the sky really is the limit when it comes to possibility.