Taking Notes on the News

While there are many different stations that offer cable news, I tend to prefer reading the newspaper as the ads can more easily be ignored. That being said, the reading alone feels somewhat insufficient to me. Thus, I take notes. Studies have shown that taking notes helps to solidify the information in one's mind because it forces one to use several different areas of the brain at once. Nevertheless, I sometimes find the process of taking notes to be cumbersome, and to a certain extent, pointless, as the news is ever-changing and, moreover, once I have written the notes I no longer need them. I have considered other methods of retaining the information, such as picking out the most important factoids in an article and then printing them, thereby giving me a study sheet. However, that still seems to me somehow inferior to the old-fashioned method of simply taking notes.

What are your thoughts? 

Ever take notes on the news?

Do you even bother with the news?

Out of curiosity, why are you taking notes on the news? If I ever needed to remember something from the news, locally, nationally, or globally, I'd probably just Google it online and be able to find it. It seems, as you pointed out, kind of pointless.

If you're trying to retain the information by using tactile learning methods, then maybe you can employ highlighters as you're reading, or taking notes in the margins of newspapers. Or, try discussing what you read immediately afterwards with someone else. That will usually do the trick for me. 

Original Post by sauvignon:

Out of curiosity, why are you taking notes on the news? If I ever needed to remember something from the news, locally, nationally, or globally, I'd probably just Google it online and be able to find it. It seems, as you pointed out, kind of pointless.

If you're trying to retain the information by using tactile learning methods, then maybe you can employ highlighters as you're reading, or taking notes in the margins of newspapers. Or, try discussing what you read immediately afterwards with someone else. That will usually do the trick for me. 

Well that's just it, I don't want to have to look things up. I want to have that information at the ready as I enjoy debating with people (which is often spontaneous), as well as watching, and moreover understanding, the debates that take place on the television and elsewhere. Thus, it is very beneficial to have my facts straight before going point-to-point with someone on an issue. Perhaps I am strange, I don't know. 

you are strange... though you know this. i think you post these threads sometimes to try to magnify your own sense of strangeness. i think you define yourself by this strangeness. i also think you try to amplify our perception of your intellect.

think you have some serious insecurity issues. the news is for watching or reading. not regurgitating and not for consolidating psychologically or neurologically

Maybe get a laptop and take notes on that?

Like you, I prefer reading the news to watching it, but I have found I don't have all that much trouble in retaining or "solidifying" the information, so I don't feel the need to take notes.  Plus, if I debate the news with anyone, it's usually in the form of an online discussion, and searching isn't all that big of a deal.

Original Post by cptbunny:

Maybe get a laptop and take notes on that?

and then you could use something like this firefox add-on

clipmarks

I can't think of a better system, but hey, if taking the notes helps you focus and retain the information better, nothing wrong with that.

If it's for an online discussion or debate, you usually have to provide the source for your information, and you can't exactly say "it's in my notebook!!".

Original Post by fidget84:

you are strange... though you know this. i think you post these threads sometimes to try to magnify your own sense of strangeness. i think you define yourself by this strangeness. i also think you try to amplify our perception of your intellect.

think you have some serious insecurity issues. the news is for watching or reading. not regurgitating and not for consolidating psychologically or neurologically

You can think what you want, but I simply created this thread to see if anyone else takes notes on the news. Personally, I don't find my actions to be all that strange. I want to retain the information because, in doing so, not only can I debate with others, but moreover, I can also more easily make connections between past and present information. I don't know about you, but that is something that I enjoy doing.

I don't see why you go out of your way to attack everything that I have to say. If you don't agree with me, that is fine, however, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from personal attacks in the future.

Original Post by cptbunny:

If it's for an online discussion or debate, you usually have to provide the source for your information, and you can't exactly say "it's in my notebook!!".

I mostly participate in casual debates among friends. Plus, I tend to read articles from only a handful of sites, so remembering which article came from where is not all that difficult. Aside from debates, I also like to have the information in mind so as to ease the process of making connections between past and present information.

Original Post by santonacci:

Like you, I prefer reading the news to watching it, but I have found I don't have all that much trouble in retaining or "solidifying" the information, so I don't feel the need to take notes.  Plus, if I debate the news with anyone, it's usually in the form of an online discussion, and searching isn't all that big of a deal.

I can keep in mind generalizations if I read or watch the news, however, if I actually want to conduct further analysis, then it usually helps me to write it down. 

To each their own.

Maybe try copy/paste important information from websites (instead of printing out and wasting paper) and saving it in a file, on your pc/laptop? And use the addon WG mentioned?

I, personally, don't need to take notes for pretty much anything as I have a photographic memory and can sorta replay events in my head if needed. That, and I'm pretty sure my brain is a giant sponge.

Original Post by cptbunny:

Maybe try copy/paste important information from websites (instead of printing out and wasting paper) and saving it in a file, on your pc/laptop? And use the addon WG mentioned?

I, personally, don't need to take notes for pretty much anything as I have a photographic memory and can sorta replay events in my head if needed. That, and I'm pretty sure my brain is a giant sponge.

I do save some snippets of articles and useful comments in an online journal. However, for what I believe to be important news items, I like to have a more in-depth understanding of the information, and thus I write it down. 

I wish my mind worked like that! As I stated before, generalizations and generalized connections are not a problem if I have only read or watched the material, but further analysis beyond that typically becomes difficult. 

if i write something down, i remember it. bookmarking...not so much. so yeah, i totally get what you are saying. i admire your ambition. good luck vincent. :)

Original Post by watergirl:

if i write something down, i remember it. bookmarking...not so much. so yeah, i totally get what you are saying. i admire your ambition. good luck vincent. :)

Thank you :]

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by cptbunny:

If it's for an online discussion or debate, you usually have to provide the source for your information, and you can't exactly say "it's in my notebook!!".

I mostly participate in casual debates among friends.

I remember you saying in a previous thread that you did not have nor want any friends, because you preferred being alone and people your age were too immature for you...

Original Post by merylwhite1:

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by cptbunny:

If it's for an online discussion or debate, you usually have to provide the source for your information, and you can't exactly say "it's in my notebook!!".

I mostly participate in casual debates among friends.

I remember you saying in a previous thread that you did not have nor want any friends, because you preferred being alone and people your age were too immature for you...

What do you hope to gain by this merylwhite1?  Why do you make this woman your personal campaign?  If she is a loner who takes notes on the news how can that possibly matter to you?

madamq, vincent is a dude. i swear he and ibez are twin sons of different mothers. lorik is a distant uncle. ;)

Original Post by madamq:

Original Post by merylwhite1:

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by cptbunny:

If it's for an online discussion or debate, you usually have to provide the source for your information, and you can't exactly say "it's in my notebook!!".

I mostly participate in casual debates among friends.

I remember you saying in a previous thread that you did not have nor want any friends, because you preferred being alone and people your age were too immature for you...

What do you hope to gain by this merylwhite1?  Why do you make this woman your personal campaign?  If she is a loner who takes notes on the news how can that possibly matter to you?

This is the first I have posted on this thread. How does that mean I am waging a personal campaign against him? I was just pointing out that his post was a little inconsistent with a previous thread in which he argued continually that he did not need nor want any human contact.

maybe this is an effort to achieve just that - as in conquering a fear or trying to make contact. the fact that he created the thread tells me he is interested in at least that much feedback. im not sure bashing him for being strange (in your opinion) or for being a loner is particularly encouraging however.

*shrugs*