Freemind

I downloaded a program yesterday that has taken up the bulk of my time since and is basically the coolest thing ever.

It's called "Freemind," and here's the Wikipedia site for it. At their page you can find information on the program, and the website to download it from.

It is a mind-mapping (MM) program, and if you've never done mind-mapping before, the basic idea is that it's a chart of information to help you organize and arrange your thoughts on any sort of subject. I was first introduced to it reading a book called "How to Think Like DaVinci," that I read in a Borders in New Jersey. Or a Barnes and Nobles.

Having mind-mapping software makes the whole MM thing about a million times more powerful, though, as you can continually edit and rearrange different parts, and also hide parts to make it neater and so you can focus on one part, you can link to different files on your computer, and to sites on the internet. I have started four of them already, one for my life in general, one for my dreams, one for Chinese, and one for a book I'm writing (I did say this had taken quite a bit of my time.) I'm planning a few more, and the above mentioned could potentially all fit on one map (and, since they all link to each other in places, they sort of do,) which is the other cool thing about having software: your map can be as big as you like without it taking up the walls of your house. I am writing out answers to questions in the back of an econ book I've just read, something that will be a rather large amount of text, and I'm just planning to do it right in the middle of my normal "life" map. We'll see if it slows the program down at all.

I could see this being helpful and time-saving for just about anybody who uses a computer. I'm thinking of using it mostly to arrange ideas and essays, as well as help me to organize my time and thoughts and studies, but again, whatever you do, this could be a wonderful program.

It could be better, I think, and if possible in the future I would love to make a digital "mind-web," where the parts are less hierarchically arranged, but for now, this will do. This will do just fine.

Glad Face Adorn You.

P.S. Thanks to Dan of the Market, who passed this along to me.