Mycelium of knowledge

When AI Becomes Your Zettelkasten's Co-Pilot: How an Agent Changed My Knowledge Workflow

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine you have been tending a garden for years — planting seeds, pulling weeds, carefully arranging beds. Then one day a skilled assistant arrives who already knows your garden by heart: where the roses go, how the soil prefers to drain, which paths you walk most often. You no longer need to explain the layout every time. You just say what you want to grow, and together you make it happen. That is roughly what happened when I connected an AI agent to my Zettelkasten.

The Dream Team for Business Rules: How LLMs and BRMS Revolutionize Your Processes

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Challenge: Prose and Manual Processes

Business rules are the invisible framework of your company. They determine how decisions are made, what criteria must be met, and how workflows are structured. However, today these rules are often documented in policies, guidelines, and best practices in pure “prose.”

The problem?

- When handling customer inquiries, orders, or complaints, employees must sift through documentation to find the relevant rules.

- This is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors.

From Lean to Agile IT and DevOps A Journey with a Clear Compass

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine you have a reliable compass that guides you from the roots of Lean in manufacturing all the way to modern approaches in IT and services. That’s exactly what we’ll explore here: how Lean began at Toyota, how it evolved into Agile and DevOps – and what practical steps you can take yourself.

The Starting Point Lean in Manufacturing

Your compass’s “North” lies in Japan in the 1950s, when Toyota began developing a new production system. This Toyota Production System (TPS) was built on:

Unlocking Specialized Vocabulary in Foreign Languages

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Navigating Specialized Language Like an Experienced Sailor

Learning foreign languages is like sailing on open waters: without the right equipment and technique, you quickly find yourself stuck. One of the biggest challenges is mastering specialized vocabulary, which is often missing from conventional textbooks. In this post, I demonstrate how to systematically acquire specialized terminology—using Dutch sailing terminology as an example, but with a method that can be applied to any language or field.

Unlocking Content: Converting PDFs to Markdown with marker-pdf

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever tried to efficiently extract information from a PDF? Whether you need the content for documentation, a blog project, or better organization, converting PDFs to Markdown provides a clear and flexible way to access and work with that information. With marker [1], you have a powerful tool at your fingertips to do just that.

In this post, I’ll show you how to set up and use marker-pdf to transform PDFs into Markdown files. Markdown is a versatile, text-based format that’s perfect for structured content. This approach will help you quickly unlock important information and make it actionable for your projects.

Building a Long-Lasting Zettelkasten: Practical Strategies for Durability and Flexibility

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In personal knowledge management, a Zettelkasten can serve as a lifelong companion for capturing, organizing, and interlinking ideas. However, while the benefits of the Zettelkasten method are widely discussed, less attention is given to the underlying system’s longevity. A robust setup ensures that your notes remain accessible and usable regardless of how software and tools evolve.

In this post, I’ll walk you through my setup, which prioritizes durability, portability, and adaptability, and explain the practical benefits from a user perspective.

Your Personal Language Lab on the Go: Learning Languages While Driving

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine turning your long drives into a personal language lab. No more wasted time—just an opportunity to improve your language skills effectively, without needing a screen or taking your hands off the wheel. Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?

If you’ve ever tried to learn a foreign language, you’ve likely noticed how hard it can be to find methods that seamlessly fit into your daily routine. That’s where my approach comes in: interactive language exercises in MP3 format that make learning possible and flexible during long drives.

Staging Notes in Your Zettelkasten: How to Systematically Grow Your Knowledge Network

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Zettelkasten thrives on clear, coherently linked notes. But how can you ensure that every new note meets these standards? This is where staging comes in – a process that not only checks the quality of your notes but also ensures their seamless integration into your knowledge network.

The Staging Process: Steps to Note Quality

The staging process ensures that every note meets the high standards of an effective Zettelkasten. The following criteria play a central role:

Your Knowledge Assistant: How a Custom GPT Revolutionizes the Zettelkasten Method

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine having a digital assistant that helps you structure your thoughts, create connections, and take your knowledge to the next level. That’s exactly what a Custom GPT can do for you when you use the Zettelkasten method.

Why a Custom GPT Enhances Your Knowledge

The Zettelkasten method is characterized by its ability to interlink ideas and foster long-term learning. However, it requires discipline and care. A Custom GPT can significantly ease this process by supporting you with key aspects of the system.

The Invisible Order: How Collecting Notes and Mental Models Can Transform Your Thinking

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever tried to grasp a sprawling, endlessly branching topic? Just like a tree with unchecked growth, knowledge can sometimes feel overwhelming. But, just as a skilled gardener shapes a tree, you can structure your thinking – with tools like collecting notes. These quiet heroes of order and creativity are ready to bundle and interlink your knowledge. Niklas Luhmann, the father of the Zettelkasten method, mastered this technique: up to 25 references could be found on a single collecting note. It’s a fascinating way to bring clarity while leaving space for new ideas.

Order and Freedom: How Hierarchy and Links Work Together in a Zettelkasten

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine your knowledge as a forest. Some paths are clearly marked, leading to specific destinations, while others are untamed trails that take you to unexpected clearings. In this forest, you can lose your way—or you can design it to have both structured paths and spontaneous discoveries. This is the essence of balancing hierarchy and emergent structures in a Zettelkasten.

Structure Meets Freedom: What Defines a Zettelkasten?

Many modern tools like Obsidian emphasize the power of linking notes. With just a few clicks, you can connect ideas, and the graphical mode visualizes a network of notes that resembles a starry sky. But is this enough to foster deep thinking?

Building Your Thought Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up and Using a Zettelkasten

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine your thoughts as seeds, scattered across the landscape of your mind. Some sprout into towering ideas, while others remain dormant, waiting for the right conditions. What if you had a structured garden—a system to nurture, connect, and grow these seeds into a thriving ecosystem of creativity? Welcome to the Zettelkasten, a tool designed to cultivate your knowledge and transform scattered thoughts into interconnected brilliance.

What Is a Zettelkasten and Why Should You Use One?

The Zettelkasten: How Isolated Notes Become Creative Ideas

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how ideas come to life? Mark Twain once said:

There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.

This kaleidoscope perfectly describes what Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten system enables: rearranging and linking thoughts to create something entirely new. Matt Giaro explores this principle in his blog post and demonstrates why Luhmann’s method can be a foundation for creativity – and how you can use it for yourself.

The Zettelkasten: A Method for Creativity and Knowledge Acquisition

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine a cabinet full of index cards, each carefully labeled and interconnected. At first glance, it might look like a simple filing system. Yet this very system was the secret behind the extraordinary productivity of sociologist Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998). His “Zettelkasten” was not only his workhorse but also his source of creativity and new insights.

What Is the Zettelkasten?

The Zettelkasten – literally “box of slips” – is an analog knowledge management system that Luhmann used to structure and expand his thoughts. His slips of paper were divided into eleven knowledge areas and systematically numbered. Additions were made through sub-cards, but the true magic lay in the interlinking of the cards.

Privacy Policy

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Who we are

Our website address is: https://www.mycelium-of-knowledge.org.

Dr. R. Rebentisch, Bad Vilbel Germany, rupert.rebentisch.at.gmail.com

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Welcome to "Mycelium of Knowledge"

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my blog! Here, the focus is on tools, methods, and ideas to help you build an effective personal knowledge management system. The name of my blog, Mycelium of Knowledge, is no coincidence—it’s inspired by the fascinating world of fungi.

The mycelium of a fungus spreads through its substrate in ever-expanding circles, connecting and transforming it. I see this as a perfect metaphor for effective knowledge management: we take in a vast amount of external information, creatively connect it, and shape something entirely new that goes far beyond the sum of its parts.