{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://decoding.io/tag/notes/feed/json -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://decoding.io/tag/notes", "feed_url": "https://decoding.io/tag/notes/feed/json", "language": "en-US", "title": "Notes – Decoding", "description": "Articles about productivity and technology.", "items": [ { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=3530", "url": "https://decoding.io/2026/01/bookmarked-owl/", "title": "Bookmarked \u201cOwl\u201d", "content_html": "
\n

Owl is a note-taking app currently under development for Apple platforms. An early version is available for Mac.

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\n
", "content_text": "Owl is a note-taking app currently under development for Apple platforms. An early version is available for Mac.", "date_published": "2026-01-10T16:35:26+01:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-10T16:35:26+01:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Application", "macOS", "Notes", "Bookmarks" ] }, { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=3309", "url": "https://decoding.io/2025/01/bookmarked-rift-notes/", "title": "Bookmarked \u201cRIFT Notes\u201d", "content_html": "
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Quickly capture your thoughts and find them later.

\n\n
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Interesting app, which also uses the chat-based UI we seen with Strflow and Gibberish. I really like the design of this one, feels retro.

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Also, it saves notes as simple Markdown files, which can be moved around, so there is no proprietary database.

\n

Previously:

\n\n
", "content_text": "Quickly capture your thoughts and find them later.\n\n\nAlways ready to capture\n\n\nMessage-like interface\n\n\nInstant-search, grep-like results view\n\n\nSyncs .md files to your iCloud\n\n\nMarkdown syntax highlighting\n\n\nSweet retro look \u2019n feel, color themes\n\n\n(inspiration: SCRL component/style)\n\n\nView your notes on a map\n\n\n\nInteresting app, which also uses the chat-based UI we seen with Strflow and Gibberish. I really like the design of this one, feels retro.\nAlso, it saves notes as simple Markdown files, which can be moved around, so there is no proprietary database.\nPreviously:\n\nTexting yourself for capturing ideas\nTrying out Strflow for project-related status updates", "date_published": "2025-01-24T13:33:23+01:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-24T14:13:17+01:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Application", "iOS", "iPadOS", "Notes", "Zettelkasten", "Bookmarks" ] }, { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=3303", "url": "https://decoding.io/2025/01/bookmarked-memos-open-source-self-hosted-your-notes-your-way/", "title": "Bookmarked \u201cMemos \u2013 Open Source, Self-hosted, Your Notes, Your Way\u201d", "content_html": "
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A privacy-first, lightweight note-taking solution that allows you to effortlessly capture and share your ideas.

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Open-source, self-hosted note-taking platform that allows users to create and store notes in an SQLite database. There is threading too.

\n

Previously:

\n\n
", "content_text": "A privacy-first, lightweight note-taking solution that allows you to effortlessly capture and share your ideas.\n\nOpen-source, self-hosted note-taking platform that allows users to create and store notes in an SQLite database. There is threading too.\nPreviously:\n\nUsing Mastodon\u2019s threads for thinking out loud \nSetting Up Mona for Private Thinking \u2013 Decoding\nI just love the Gibberish UI for drafting ideas \u2013 Decoding", "date_published": "2025-01-24T13:16:01+01:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-24T14:13:30+01:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Notes", "Privacy", "Productivity", "Self-Hosted", "Bookmarks" ] }, { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=3288", "url": "https://decoding.io/2025/01/setting-up-mona-for-private-thinking/", "title": "Setting Up Mona for Private Thinking", "content_html": "

Since I started to thinker with private Mastodon threading, I’ve been experimenting with using Mona as a private note-taking app.

\n

Hiding the Home tab from Mona makes the app feel more private. I only left the following tabs available because I want to optimize it only for my posts.

\n
\"\"
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I read other people’s posts in Reeder; I use Mona for threading and journaling about ideas privately (and keeping up with my notifications and mentions).

\n

Another thing I did is to replace the \u2318N keyboard shortcut with a custom Keyboard Maestro macro which creates private posts by default. This way, I can work on my threads in a private manner, but still see my notifications if I post something public.

\n

These changes make Mona a note-taking app with built-in discussion features. I don’t know if we have any other app like this.

\n

This is one of the things I love about the Fediverse. In essence, it is just a public place where we post things, but we can make weird mashups on top of it, like a note-taking app.\"\"

\n
", "content_text": "Since I started to thinker with private Mastodon threading, I’ve been experimenting with using Mona as a private note-taking app.\nHiding the Home tab from Mona makes the app feel more private. I only left the following tabs available because I want to optimize it only for my posts.\n\nI read other people’s posts in Reeder; I use Mona for threading and journaling about ideas privately (and keeping up with my notifications and mentions).\nAnother thing I did is to replace the \u2318N keyboard shortcut with a custom Keyboard Maestro macro which creates private posts by default. This way, I can work on my threads in a private manner, but still see my notifications if I post something public.\nThese changes make Mona a note-taking app with built-in discussion features. I don’t know if we have any other app like this.\nThis is one of the things I love about the Fediverse. In essence, it is just a public place where we post things, but we can make weird mashups on top of it, like a note-taking app.", "date_published": "2025-01-19T09:55:39+01:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-19T09:55:39+01:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Journaling", "Mastodon", "Notes", "Open Web", "Social Media", "Zettelkasten", "Posts" ] }, { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=3271", "url": "https://decoding.io/2025/01/using-mastodons-threads-for-thinking-out-loud/", "title": "Using Mastodon\u2019s threads for thinking out loud", "content_html": "

A few days ago I wrote about getting back to Mastodon, and it\u2019s becoming an unexpected part of my workflow. While I initially set up my instance just to syndicate my blog posts, I found myself using it in ways I didn\u2019t anticipate.

\n

Remember how I loved Gibberish\u2019s chat-like UI for drafting ideas? Well, Mastodon\u2019s thread format accidentally became my new space for thinking out loud. I create private threads where I can ramble about stuff, just like I used to do in Gibberish, but with some nice advantages:

\n\n

What I find fascinating is how this turned into a lightweight note-taking system. I write posts for myself, bookmark them, and can easily go back to review my thoughts. It\u2019s like a poor man\u2019s Zettelkasten, but the thread format adds this natural, conversational flow to my thinking process.

\n

The best part? Mona\u2019s sliding pane UI feels like it was accidentally designed for this kind of short-form note-taking. The way you can slide between connected thoughts makes it natural to build on ideas. I treat my posts as append-only \u2013 while I could edit them, I choose not to. Instead, I add new posts to clarify or expand on my thoughts. This self-imposed constraint helps in capturing the evolution of ideas.

\n

I\u2019m finding myself using Mastodon more and more for drafting ideas, alongside Gibberish. Not what I expected when I set up my instance, but it\u2019s becoming a nice addition to my workflow.

\n
", "content_text": "A few days ago I wrote about getting back to Mastodon, and it\u2019s becoming an unexpected part of my workflow. While I initially set up my instance just to syndicate my blog posts, I found myself using it in ways I didn\u2019t anticipate.\nRemember how I loved Gibberish\u2019s chat-like UI for drafting ideas? Well, Mastodon\u2019s thread format accidentally became my new space for thinking out loud. I create private threads where I can ramble about stuff, just like I used to do in Gibberish, but with some nice advantages:\n\nMastodon is completely open, so I can:\n\nRun my own instance\nControl my data\nBuild whatever I want on top of it\n\n\nThe clients are surprisingly good\n\nMona\n\nHighly customizable\nThe sliding panes UI reminds me of the old Tweetie for iPad\nPerfect for browsing through connected thoughts\n\n\nIvory\n\nClean, focused interface, but I prefer Mona\u2019s sliding pane UI\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat I find fascinating is how this turned into a lightweight note-taking system. I write posts for myself, bookmark them, and can easily go back to review my thoughts. It\u2019s like a poor man\u2019s Zettelkasten, but the thread format adds this natural, conversational flow to my thinking process.\nThe best part? Mona\u2019s sliding pane UI feels like it was accidentally designed for this kind of short-form note-taking. The way you can slide between connected thoughts makes it natural to build on ideas. I treat my posts as append-only \u2013 while I could edit them, I choose not to. Instead, I add new posts to clarify or expand on my thoughts. This self-imposed constraint helps in capturing the evolution of ideas.\nI\u2019m finding myself using Mastodon more and more for drafting ideas, alongside Gibberish. Not what I expected when I set up my instance, but it\u2019s becoming a nice addition to my workflow.", "date_published": "2025-01-16T11:30:33+01:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-21T11:49:17+01:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Mastodon", "Notes", "Open Web", "Social Media", "Thinking", "Threading", "Zettelkasten", "Posts" ] }, { "id": "https://decoding.io/?p=2948", "url": "https://decoding.io/2024/10/bookmarked-forever-%e2%9c%b1-notes-a-free-framework-for-apple-notes/", "title": "Bookmarked \u201cForever \u2731 Notes \u2013 A free framework for Apple Notes\u201d", "content_html": "

Forever \u2731 Notes is a simple framework and scalable digital note-taking method for Apple Notes that\u2019s free and created to last\u2014forever.

\n
\n
", "content_text": "Forever \u2731 Notes is a simple framework and scalable digital note-taking method for Apple Notes that\u2019s free and created to last\u2014forever.", "date_published": "2024-10-02T23:39:54+02:00", "date_modified": "2024-10-02T23:39:56+02:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Zsolt Benke", "url": "https://decoding.io/author/zsbenke/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2f7385024c21eb525b487cf362987f5?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Digital Garden", "Journaling", "Notes", "Tools", "Workflow", "Zettelkasten", "Bookmarks" ] } ] }