​​Kording’s lab teaching on IT for scientists
​​February 27, 2019 

​​Problematic topics

​​URL management

  • ​​spaces = free chrome extension; file system for tabs/windows 
  • ​​pocket
  • ​​personal spreadsheets
  • ​​refrain from “open tabs”
  • ​​the “bloat” problem
  • ​​combine with notes management (add descriptions/tags; link to TO-DO lists)

​​Email management

​​To-do lists

  • ​​Todoist (allows subtasks)
  • ​​Google tasks app (allows subtasks)
  • ​​Use bite-size tasks
  • ​​pb of obsession
  • ​​Eisenhower matrix; how to categorize the tasks?
  • ​​priority must be distinguished between collaborators
  • ​​Meta tasks (i.e. make an optimization)
  • ​​Use colors for tasks and in calendar

​​Notes management 

  • ​​Emacs/Vim (orgmode); expand/hide headers; tags; agenda; LaTeX works here.
  • ​​Evernote (there is a free version)
  • ​​Google Keep (integrates with phone’s pictures)
  • ​​Apple note app
  • ​​Trello (boards / lists / cards / checklists); not great with tags → evolution to “infinity”
  • ​​What about hand-written notes??? Go full hand-written? → easier to remember
  • ​​FreeMind (mind mapping software); easy export to outlines; maybe better for creative process
  • ​​(Markdown) file management with version control and UNIX commands (like grep)
​​Markdown files can be converted with “pandoc” to many formats

​​Roughly solved topics

​​
​​TOPIC
​​SOLUTIONS
​​Password management
  • ​​KeyPass (interfaces with browser)
  • ​​KeyChains (Mac; Linux)
  • ​​Google can suggest strong passwords
​​Bibliographic references
​​Coding (big need)
  • ​​Git/GitHub
  • ​​Muscow (Must Should Could or Want/Won’t/Wish) system
​​File management
  • ​​Git/UNIX
​​Figures
  • ​​Jupyter Notebook + GitHub + Nbviewer
​​Scientific report
  • ​​Jupyter Notebook + GitHub + Nbviewer
​​Collaborative writing
​​