Zettelkasten Forum


Online Course -- Short text for demonstration purposes

Hi folks,

I am in the search of a small text that has the following traits:

  1. Non-fiction.
  2. No need for much domain specific knowledge.
  3. 3-5 pages .
  4. No overly complex language.

I will use a small text to demonstrate all the methods, techniques etc. in the online course. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Progress Update: I have scripted ~40% of the course material at this moment. The progress is progressing. :smile:

I am a Zettler

Comments

  • I haven't read this yet but it might be interesting to use. It is 22 pages, sorry.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322520338_Ernest_Hemingway_The_Complexity_of_Simplicity

    Come on Zettlekasten Padawans, offer suggestions so Sacha can finish.

  • Lewis Carroll, "What the Tortoise Said to Achilles," 2.5 pages altogether...

  • edited November 2019

    Perhaps an excerpt from a well-known, accessible, and more or less public-facing work of science writing, such as:

    Rachel Carson - Silent Spring
    Thomas Kuhn - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
    Stephen Jay Gould - Wonderful Life
    Charles Darwin - On the Origin of Species

    Also, what are your concerns regarding copyright? Are you looking for something in the public domain?

  • @argonsnorts said:
    Perhaps an excerpt from a well-known, accessible, and more or less public-facing work of science writing, such as:

    Rachel Carson - Silent Spring
    Thomas Kuhn - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
    Stephen Jay Gould - Wonderful Life
    Charles Darwin - On the Origin of Species

    Also, what are your concerns regarding copyright? Are you looking for something in the public domain?

    Are those 3--5 pages? :wink:

    And yes. Public domain only.

    I am a Zettler

  • edited November 2019

    @Sascha said:
    Are those 3--5 pages? :wink:

    @argonsnorts said:
    excerpt

  • @argonsnorts said:

    @Sascha said:
    Are those 3--5 pages? :wink:

    @argonsnorts said:
    excerpt

    So... You expect me to read your posts acurately...? Can't take this pressure anymore.... I am a millennial after all..............

    I am a Zettler

  • I don't have a nice example but I would be interested in something more technical as I never found a way to get CS/Math/Engineering stuff working with my ZK the same way that less math-ish domains seem to work.

  • I recommend the perineal classic, "Chicken Chicken Chicken." It may require some domain knowledge, but it definitely wins for simplicity of language. For full effect, you should watch the original presentation here, but after that the pdf is available here.

    On a slightly more useful note, here is a history of the introduction of the Giraffe to Europeans. Not sure it's what you need, but I just happened to be reading it.

  • My preliminary analysis gives a strong indication that it may have something to do with chicken? I hope Sacha can sort this out for us.

  • While I have no specific suggestion, I think something like a sample chapter from a non-fiction book might be good. Lets you show off how it works, should meet the size and ease-of-understanding requirements, and being a sample it is meant to be shared.

  • My vote is on an Origin of Species excerpt, for the reason that everyone already has at least a rudimentary understanding of it that they can follow along without much extra effort.

  • edited November 2019

    @orderinthecourts said:
    My vote is on an Origin of Species excerpt, for the reason that everyone already has at least a rudimentary understanding of it that they can follow along without much extra effort.

    Good point.

    My objection is that it is more helpful if I use a original text and not an excerpt. After all, this is what we want to learn. To extract from natural context.

    I am a Zettler

  • @Sascha How about some essays from the co-founder of Y Combinator? They're easy reading and there are a few in there that pass the 3-page minimum (Why Nerds are Unpopular is one).

  • https://aeon.co/ has some nice essays on a variety of topics, which are written for a general public.

  • George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.” 10 pages. Here

  • @dianac said:
    https://aeon.co/ has some nice essays on a variety of topics, which are written for a general public.

    I would second aeon.

  • edited December 2019

    Thank you all for your proposals. I will look into them. It think it is reasonable to choose one in the beginning and adding material.

    Want to create a body of a couple of thoroughly analysed texts and Zettel that I made from them. Then the need to choose is not as big. :smile:

    I am thinking about starting with "Learning how to read" since it would be a bit inception-esque.

    I am a Zettler

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