Original Location: Fizzy Notes > Rediscovering the Past, with modifications
Some Background#
This is the umpteenth time I've started a blog. It started with a Sina blog in high school, then WordPress, Typecho, and other CMS platforms. Later, I tried static site generators like Jekyll and Hexo, and even helped some friends create their own academic websites. While studying in the UK, I also wrote an English blog using Ghost and even developed a theme called Fizzy Theme, which I open-sourced on GitHub. Similar to WordPress, Ghost requires a server to run, which not only incurs costs but also requires maintenance and other related operations, adding to the various costs of writing articles. Later, I learned about Gridea, a client for generating static blogs, but its drawback is the inability to customize content types, and it requires backup through sync tools after switching devices, which is not very elegant. Finally, based on the Jamstack concept, I developed my last blog system, Fizzy Notes, and it is also completely open-source on GitHub: Fizzy-Jam. If you're interested in this concept, you can take a look.
Some time ago, I learned about the decentralized blogging platform xlog.app developed by DIYgod. It impressed me and was something I had always wanted to do but didn't have the ability to do 😂. At least in terms of content ownership, the content you create is written on the EVM-compatible blockchain Crossbell that they built.
I am a very persistent person when it comes to blogging, and perhaps a bit stubborn, or rather, I have my priorities mixed up. I could have published content on blogging platforms or media platforms, and even gained fans and traffic, but I insisted on tinkering with an independent blog. It was thankless hard work and took up a lot of my energy. But I particularly dislike being constrained, especially when it comes to blogging. While internet technology is becoming more advanced, it is also becoming more closed off. I hope that blogging can be more pure and open. So, this strong desire to create a decentralized website that connects me with the outside world has driven me to continuously learn and understand the technical capabilities behind various implementation methods. For example, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript (my initial understanding actually started in middle school with the forum software Discuz), Markdown used by Jekyll, GitHub, command line operations, and later when I wrote themes for Ghost, combining static generation languages like Handlebars with system APIs, databases, servers, and continuous integration. These technical skills have helped me in various ways in work and life, and I would call it the ability to make connections through analogy.
Some Reflections#
People have long recognized the power of blogging products, otherwise there wouldn't have been a blogging boom in previous years. However, with the explosive growth of internet information, we have become busier and more utilitarian. Our time is divided among various platforms and content stimuli, and so-called content creators are busy catering to the preferences of different platforms and users, using knowledge and content for monetization, with little time left for deep conversations with themselves.
In terms of the purpose of this blog, I have made significant changes. In the past, it was about understanding and testing the mechanisms of SEO (search engine optimization); collecting and learning content related to my interests; recording knowledge related to my master's degree and work; and trying to exercise my ability to build complete projects using open-source frameworks. However, I lacked the aspect of having a dialogue with myself and the world.
Writing as a Medium for Thinking#
As I grow older, I increasingly realize my lack of systematic thinking and deeply appreciate the power of words.
We all have this experience: thinking is a leap and divergence, and if we want to analyze a complex problem, we need tools to record or visualize it. The same goes for expressing a topic in writing. We need to think around the topic, list core viewpoints, and then enrich the content based on those viewpoints. The same applies to reading or learning. Without good tools to integrate and understand knowledge systems, that knowledge will be like short videos we've watched or content we've added to our bookmarks but never revisited, just passing through our minds. Only by organizing knowledge based on our own understanding, and then systematically thinking and outputting through writing, speeches, or applying that knowledge in different environments, can we truly internalize knowledge (writing is not the result of thinking, but a medium for thinking to occur). As we repeatedly exercise this ability, when we look back at our past writings, our minds will make connections with that knowledge, and we will have the ability to apply it in similar situations in the future.
The Importance of Using the Human Brain Correctly#
I feel compelled to briefly mention the importance of using the human brain correctly because many people nowadays often feel that they have poor memory. For ordinary people, the human brain has many characteristics and abilities, as well as limitations. For example, instant memory from our senses, limited short-term memory, and long-term memory that triggers thinking. In addition, the human brain has abilities such as comparison, classification, abstraction, imitation, and generalization. Furthermore, each person's brain has different abilities in different aspects. If we can acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of our thinking and make use of our strengths while seeking alternative methods for our weaknesses, we can maximize our thinking abilities.
For example, in this information age, it is unwise to rely on our brains to remember all the information we come across. Information is easily accessible, and there are now many excellent software tools that can help us with most of the memory work, acting as the hard drive for our brains. I will write an article on this topic later. What we should make use of is the brain's ability to analyze, summarize, abstract, and transfer knowledge, which some people call thinking ability. It is the ability to process sensory materials and transform them into rational understanding in order to solve problems.
The Importance of Simple Expression#
The ability to express complex concepts and ideas in simple and clear language is a skill.
Starting Over#
After turning 30, I became more aware of the power of words, their ability to connect individuals, spaces, and time. So, at the beginning of 2023, I made a New Year's resolution to start writing a blog again, hoping to use it to record my growth.
As an ordinary person with poor memory, limited reading, mediocre writing skills, and limited life experience, I simply want to use a simple method to record my reading summaries and thoughts, exercise my writing skills, and leave some clues for my future self to help make the right decisions when it matters.
I haven't set any requirements for the depth of content or the length of articles because I don't want to increase the cost of writing, and I believe that deliberate practice will inevitably lead to improvement.