Woah. Just got out of an in-depth discussion with a friend about this very thought-space.

How do we think? How do we manage ideas? What does conversation do? What are the elements of a generative conversation? How else can we effectively externalize thoughts?
How do we represent visual ideas? What is the role of tools? Are existing tools effective? What if we could more effectively externalize and capture thought progress?

Could we build higher?

If we externalize, can we think bigger? Can we handle more nuance? More complexity?
What does a good conversation do to “stoke the flames” of an idea?

Is it openness and curiosity? Is it a shared faith that the pursuit of clarity is the more important target?

That conceptual understanding can triumph any barrier?
Can we simulate the elements of conversation that are generative? Can we augment our creativity through environmental simulation?

How might we create a thinking space that promotes openness and curiosity? One that encourages clarity and elaboration before limiting feasibility.
What about a VR space? One where we are prompted with questions or asked to clarify an idea we’re working on.

One with a GPT3 like engine that simulated the natural discourse of an encouraging friend.

An environment where you could think. And then explore the transcripts.

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More from @brandontoner

28 Nov
<Systematic randomization>
<Programming your attention>
<Algorithms of thought>
<Responsive reflection>

This represents a piece of the cloud of ideas I’ve been wrestling lately.

@RoamResearch + @roamhacker ’s new #SmartBlocks extension makes these lofty terms feel practical.
Could you build systems to direct your attention intentionally?

Could you systematically approach creativity?

Could you build a responsive reflection practice?

What if you could *premeditate* processes to follow given a certain trigger/situation/experience/feeling/etc
Would this be helpful?

What would it enable?

How would it change things?

… at the individual level,,, or *collectively*?

Could we *collaborate* systematically?

And *should* we?
Read 15 tweets
10 Nov
I’ve noticed a shift lately.

I’m settling into my tools.
This summer, I went all in on tools for thought. I spent a lot of time and focus think *about* tools.

I’m now spending much more time thinking *with* those tools.

It’s feeling quite fluid and effortless lately.
Sure, I still tinker, experiment, adjust, and imagine — but that’s my fun. I don’t watch Netflix 😂

Plus, that thinking gives me returns down the line.

I’m feeling those returns.
It’s a blending of play and vocation. Structure and content. Meta and practical.

The interplay between these things is fascinating to me.
Read 4 tweets
9 Nov
What’s happening in #RoamBookClub feels like a breakthrough in collaboration.

It’s exciting to watch the chaos evolve into order. Structure and convention taking form.
I just keep thinking of how profound this will be once the conventions take place and large communities can become aligned in pursuit of a common goal.
Imagine getting 100 experts on a topic together, and giving them a format to collaborate both synchronously and asynchronously.

In a medium that encourages elaboration and nuance.

One where time is not a factor because you’re not competing for “air-time”
Read 9 tweets
24 Oct
On track with this, I’ve been listening to philosophy podcasts on Airr this week.

Wow — I love this. A while world just opened up.

The history of seeking knowledge maps so well with the present act of seeking knowledge.
My approach:

Start with the quick 30 min episodes from “Philosophize This!”

From the beginning-ish, with some meandering paths. I’m loving the sense of time and evolution of thought this provides.

If I’m intrigued by a collection of ideas, I search broadly for more sources.
This week I sought to understand “Machiavellian” ideas from the Prince and Discourses on Livy.

I’ve always liked wrestling with concepts of morality — this was fun.
Read 7 tweets
24 Oct
I’m nearing a point in my digital life that I’ve always yearned for:

knowing where to send every piece of content I want to save.

Images → mymind
Book highlights → RW
Podcast clips → Airr
Tweets → RW
Online highlights → Memex
Conversations → Otter
Notes → Roam
What’s missing?
Extracting highlights and full text from *email* is still strangely elusive...
Read 8 tweets
23 Oct
I love visual content. And I think visually.

I’d like to create visual content.

I’d even like to create bad visual content at first.
I often look at things and think:

“How’d you make that”
What I’d like is to know *enough* to quickly whip up sloppy graphics of things.

And to slowly stack more polish over time.
Read 4 tweets

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