Can you recognize this building?
Some of you may have recognized this.
This building is called
the John Hancock building.
This is in Chicago.
I recently bought this building.
Isn't it nice?
Heavens no!
I am in my home in Pune in India.
I am Bala Ramadurai,
an author, professor, and an innovation coach.
Hello and welcome to my talk on
“How to incorporate handwritten notes
into Emacs Org Mode”
Now, why did I show you this building?
The name is of interest for this talk.
In the US, someone's signature is
also referred to as their Hancock.
Your handwriting is pretty much part of your identity.
It is as fundamental as that.
Of course, there is a movie by that name too, Hancock.
I could have started with a clip from that movie,
but in spite of Will Smith and Charlize Theron,
both my favorite movie stars in the movie, I hated it.
[Clip from Hancock (2008)]
But I digress.
Handwriting has been a fascinating topic for me.
However, note-taking has always been on my computer,
in particular, in the Emacs Org Mode system.
It is so easy to note down anything,
add a schedule, add a deadline,
search anything you want, link anything you want,
export it to any format, track what you've been doing,
clock your tasks, and on and on and on.
It's such a squeaky-clean system to
track everything and link it to
anything from the digital world.
Sharing the original notes is still a pain in the rear,
but for personal stuff, it's awesome.
But then what about handwriting?
Research seems to suggest that handwritten notes
can enhance clarity of thought, retention,
sometimes even getting rid of your worries.
[Fried, C. B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning]
[Speaker displays articles on Note-taking]
My experience seems to agree with that too.
As a professor, my fear has always been
this quote, “Lecturing is that mysterious process
by means of which the contents of the notebook
of the professor are transferred
through the instrument of the fountain pen
to the notebook of the student
without passing through the mind of either.”
Hmmm... So, question — How do we combine
the efficient Org Mode system
with the effective handwritten note-taking system?
Merge the systems together. Absolutely.
How do you do that?
Step 1: Write the notes by hand
on a notebook. Pen, pencil.
Keep some convention for yourselves
for tracking tasks like a star or an asterisk.
Step 2: Scan them using
your favourite mobile app.
I recommend Adobe Scan or Dropbox.
Step 3: store the document as a JPG file
into a folder called Inbox.
Make sure this syncs into a cloud storage folder
and your Org Mode system
has access to this folder.
(Optional) Step 4: convert the notes into text
using Google Keep or just type
the damn thing one more time.
Then you can process that
in your Org Mode system
as you always do in whatever
is there in your inbox.
But, three steps or four before I get access
to my notes and into my Org Mode?
What a precious waste of time.
I'd rather be tinkering with my
config file in that time, correct?
Boy...
Get or buy or gift or convince your partner,
parent, or anybody else to gift yourself
a touch-enabled large device.
Then use an app like OneNote to write notes
on the device and link the handwritten note
directly into Org Mode by copying the link.
You can use a shortcut like Ctrl-1
to mark the todos, but that means it remains
only on OneNote ecosystem, the todos.
You can use the same app to also convert
the handwritten note into text
just by the click of a button.
As a bonus, you can even include screenshots
from your online meetings.
I like both my options.
Option 1: use a regular notebook,
scan and process them into my inbox.
Option 2: write the notes in a digital device
and convert them into text.
Or, third option, I appeal to thee,
oh great community, can you please build a package
inside Org Mode that recognises handwriting
to export it into our Org Mode, Emacs Org Mode.
Thank you so much for your attention. Bye.