One Man & His Commonplace Blog

Mr Whatley on RSS and commonplace books:

However, I prefer reading everything at random. It’s a habit I’ve kept for a long time but it’s something that’s recently been re-enforced by learning about the origins of the commonplace book, and its place in both history and the creation of serendipitous innovation.

A decade or so back, more than one person made the connection between the linkblogging/aggregational style of blogging and commonplace books. It’s a concept I honour through the name of my Tumblr, a service that makes commonplace book-style blogging almost compulsory, through the way its structures its post formats.

James’s principle is a good one – read widely, and certainly beyond the boundaries of what you perceive as your own field. Oh, and keep notes on the best stuff. You never know when it’ll come in handy…