My favorite code

In most cases, code is a tool. Sometimes its hard to remember that. Sometimes code is a tool to help you code, but in the best case code bridges something in reality to enhance it.

What is the purpose of technology? Technology generally serves to enhance the world around us. Glasses enhance eyesight. Cars enhance locomotion. Soap enhances the immune system (by providing an external one). Pots/pans and fire enhances digestion. Computers and code enhance knowledge, and memory.

Most often, my favorite code is the code that helps you keep memories. Here are some of them:

gojot

I have tried and tried to keep a journal. I constantly find that physical journals become cumbersome to move and keep track of, but then I find that the same is true of software tools. That is why I think one of my favorite pieces of software is one that I wrote myself — gojot, which is a simple and fast way to keep a decentralized and encrypted journal.

cowyo

I have two types of journals typically — one for short term and one for long term. Both are spread out on tons of pieces of paper and apps on my phone and on my computer. My attempt to centralize these became cowyo which is a extremely simple wiki / blank space for me to write notes, make to do lists or keep track of lists. Its just an online notepad really, but the simplicity it what endears it to me. Also, its another thing that I made, so I know exactly how it works and how to fix it and I know that I will own all the data I put in it, forever.

git

I had a brief stint with svn and then I gave up on version control. I loved the idea of it though, and performed rudimentary backups that somewhat served as a version control. Now that I grasp and understand git, I keep almost every project I do (papers, research, code) in a repo and host it on one of the many cloud controls. Though git is a tool for coding, it helps me keep track of my memories and actions.