015.txt (1139B) [raw]
1 Add Context to Your Notes 2 ------------------------- 3 Sat Dec 11 04:15:51 PM EST 2021 4 5 My dad found an old USB from 2014 that was mine. I had 6 given it to someone with some mp3's that I thought 7 they'd like, but it was at first a mystery as to who 8 it was. 9 10 There was a README.rtf, which I was able to salvage 11 via GNU unRTF (shoulda used plaintext!), and the USB 12 itself was UMass (my alma mater) branded, so I had a 13 rough idea of when I received the USB... but the 14 full context was woefully lacking from the README. 15 16 Fortunately, the modification times on the files indicated 17 it was my brother's birthday--a dead giveaway; but I 18 couldn't help but feel I got lucky this time around. 19 20 Mod-times are notoriously easy to break as we move 21 files between devices, back them up, etc. It occurred 22 to me how important it is to keep crucial context 23 (who was this for, when was it written, etc) in the 24 note itself, and not rely on external systems 25 (filesystem info, word-of-mouth, memory) to stand up 26 to time. 27 28 Do your future self a favor: Add Context to your Notes! 29 30 In vi(m), it's easy to add a date. Just: 31 32 :r !date 33 34 And carry on with your writing.