# I am the Watcher. I am your guide through this vast new twtiverse.
#
# Usage:
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/users View list of users and latest twt date.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/twt View all twts.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/mentions?uri=:uri View all mentions for uri.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/conv/:hash View all twts for a conversation subject.
#
# Options:
# uri Filter to show a specific users twts.
# offset Start index for quey.
# limit Count of items to return (going back in time).
#
# twt range = 1 30
# self = https://watcher.sour.is/conv/62y6xma
ObsidianA few of you have shared and talked about this before... I _believe_ @carsten and @abucci .. How do you use this? What's the best way to get started? What habits do you create around this tool? Does it help you significantly? 🤔 -- Thinking about using it work at my new job... 🤔
ObsidianA few of you have shared and talked about this before... I _believe_ @carsten and @abucci .. How do you use this? What's the best way to get started? What habits do you create around this tool? Does it help you significantly? 🤔 -- Thinking about using it work at my new job... 🤔
@prologic for me, obsidian has been a complete game changer. It's one of those handful of tools that once you start using it, you can't ever see yourself giving it up. I also think it's not for everyone so you'll probably have to evaluate it yourself to see where you stand.
A couple warnings:
It's an Electron app built with Javascript/web tech, for the most part, and that is potentially a big problem. I check semi-regularly whether it's making network connections I don't want it to make. I've considered only running it in a container or firejail or some such thing, but haven't bothered so far because it hasn't misbehaved. It uses a fair amount of system resources and wants to render on the GPU if you have one. I could see all that being very offputting for many people.
I have something like 59 plugins installed, and the experience of the tool is going to be largely shaped by which plugins you use. The base Obsidian tool is more or less a fancy Markdown editor with nice capabilities for navigating and interlinking Markdown documents. The plugins are where it really shines. Like with the app itself, the plugins are written with Javascript ecosystem stuff, and you have to be careful with them because they can and might make network connections, too, or use a lot of system resources.
Anyway, with the warnings out of the way: I use obsidian for
- Planning, with the kanban board plugin and the excellent support for todo lists/task management
- Learning and writing, with the spaces repetition plugin, the support for LaTeX figures and math equations and source code highlighting
- Data visualization, with several plotting plugins that let you make plots, graphs, flowcharts, you name it
- Teaching, with the advanced slides plugin and the Excalidraw plugin mainly
- Math--there's a computational algebra plugin that will perform all sorts of math operations, including solving for roots etc
- Maps--there are several GIS plugins for making maps
what's extraordinary to me about Obsidian, and why I chose to consolidate so much of my work into it in spite of its shortcomings, is that underneath all of this is just a directory of mostly vanilla Markdown files (I forget exactly which Markdown flavor, but it's a typical one). I use and edit files in my Obsidian vault in other Markdown editors or just ordinary text editors when I feel like it. I use SyncThing to sync that to other computers and my phone, and that works fine. You could make the vault a git repository no problem if you wanted to. If Obsidian ever goes to shit you don't lose any of your stuff because it's literally just a directory of Markdown files (you do potentially lose some of the functionality built on top of it).
@prologic I use it as a glorified notepad with Markdown support.
The search capabilities are great. It's faster that Notion (which I disliked very soon), more convenient than taking notes with a code editor, since it manages the folder structure and links between files.
Syncing notes between Android and PC is quick. Sadly I had problems Syncing images, with Google Drive, so I only use it for texts.
I've heard it's an amazing tool for https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zettelkasten
@prologic I didn't write about how to get started...
I guess I haven't learned it yet, sorry 😅
The first steps are installing it, deciding if you want to pay for the sync between devices, or use a free alternative (I use Google Drive 😬), installing Omnisearch, and typing notes!
Well this sucks 😢 
Well this sucks 😢
@eaplmx Sorry I _should_ have provided more context. The reason this sucks is because (at least on iOS) I cannot easily use Obsidian on my macOS Desktop and my iOS Phone because of this. I don't use any of Apple's "cloud" services, I turn them all off on purpose. So my only other choice is to pay Obsidian for the privilege of syncing my notes? No thanks, I'd rather that transfer my network and remain on my devices.
So unless they add an option to "Add server..." I'm stuck 🤦♂️
@eaplmx Sorry I _should_ have provided more context. The reason this sucks is because (at least on iOS) I cannot easily use Obsidian on my macOS Desktop and my iOS Phone because of this. I don't use any of Apple's "cloud" services, I turn them all off on purpose. So my only other choice is to pay Obsidian for the privilege of syncing my notes? No thanks, I'd rather that transfer my network and remain on my devices.
So unless they add an option to "Add server..." I'm stuck 🤦♂️
@prologic Hmm, I'm seeing that on iOS you have a very limited access to the file system.
On Android you can sync with many tools, SSH, Dropbox, Google Drive...
Damn ! sorry mate 🫤
@eaplmx Yeah it says it right there. Self-hosted options are basically no supported. No Syncthing support, no server I can install myself 😢
@eaplmx Yeah it says it right there. Self-hosted options are basically no supported. No Syncthing support, no server I can install myself 😢
@prologic I use synching with obsidian and it works fine. Just create a local vsult in the filesystem inside a folder you already sync, or add the local vault folder as a new synced folder.
@eaplmx wait what kind of non-operating system is this??? you can't access folders on your own device?
@abucci Welcome to the Walled Garden.
@abucci Doesn't work for iOS though 😆
@abucci Doesn't work for iOS though 😆
@abucci it's called iOS... 🤔
I haven't used it since version 10, so I don't know if in current versions that has changed.
For instance it happens the same Syncing music. That's why I started using Spotify Premium, it was the only convenient way I found to download music when I traveled.
I think iCloud has improved, but that's the only way I know of syncing a limited file system.
researching quickly on this, I found that you can open files from Dropbox, but I think apps can't see files between them. I don't have a current device to test.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206481
The only solution to this really that I'd accept is if we can self host the Obsidian server? 🤔
The only solution to this really that I'd accept is if we can self host the Obsidian server? 🤔