WJ.1: Introduction, Why Write a Weekly Journal

The articles on my blog are usually quite "heavy," with each article starting at around 4000 words. At the same time, in order to ensure the quality of my blog content, writing can be a burden and requires a lot of energy and time.

I remember setting a goal for myself to write a blog post every month a couple of years ago, but I only managed to keep it up for 6 months before I stopped. After I got busy with work, I couldn't find continuous, long periods of time to sit down and write. Looking back, the only times I was able to consistently produce articles were during the May Day and National Day holidays. This resulted in a low frequency of written output and a monotonous theme, which goes against the original intention of writing blog posts.

In my 2021 Year in Review, I mentioned the "input-output" process of knowledge in my workflow. When I read, I quickly extract snippets using "Drafts," which is like "fragmented intake." Then, on a weekly basis, I do a "regular consolidation" and organize it in "LogSeq."

The image below is a simple summary of my notes after organizing them:

But I feel that this is still just "input" and does not allow me to diverge my thoughts for better "output." Some friends have also criticized me for producing too little. Writing blog posts is my preferred "output" method, but I want another way to output my writing more frequently and lightly, just like my old blog from 2014-2017, which was full of casual and unpolished content.

Last week, I accidentally discovered that one of my readers had a weekly newsletter column on their website. I also found that some classmates have their own weekly newsletters, which also include a certain level of depth and reflection. I really like the idea of regularly sharing and outputting in this format.

The simplest way to benefit from reading is to write down your inspiration and ideas, and publish them on social media immediately, even if they are not mature. The process of writing is also a step in deep thinking, and valuable comments from others can help you constantly refine your thoughts or bring you new clues. Accumulating these experiences will naturally lead to profound insights. It is difficult for a person to improve their thinking depth by reading and taking notes in isolation. - Silicon Valley Wang Chuan's Weibo

After thinking it through, I decided to write a weekly newsletter. Although there may be occasional delays, since I have started, I will use this regular output method to push myself forward. Its significance to me is to motivate myself to input more efficiently and to bring readers closer. I have noticed that my blog includes both lifestyle and technical articles, but readers prefer to read my lifestyle articles, especially the annual year-end reviews. Haha, there are always classmates urging me to write the year-end review every year-end.

Alright, now that I have the motivation to start the newsletter, what will be shared in it?

If it's just a collection of notes and recommendations without quality, it won't have the desired output effect. Therefore, each issue of the newsletter will be divided into two parts: thematic reflections and recommended sharing.

Thematic Reflections: I will customize a theme, which will be the main content of the newsletter. I will share observations and thoughts about this theme, similar to casual essays. For example, the theme of this issue is "Why Write a Weekly Newsletter."
Recommended Sharing: It will generally be divided into technical sharing and lifestyle sharing. Technical sharing will include good tools I have come across, high-quality technical articles, technical challenges and details I have encountered at work. Lifestyle sharing will include my own experiences, reading materials, and thoughts.

Now, it's time for the "recommendation" section~

Weekly Recommendations#

About Expiration#

Last week, I finished reading "Paradox 13" and the story depicted a scenario of food shortage due to expiration in a post-apocalyptic world. This reminded me of a quote from the movie "Chungking Express":

I don't know when it started, but everything has an expiration date. Mackerel will expire, meat sauce will expire, even plastic wrap will expire. I started to wonder, is there anything in this world that doesn't expire?

In this world, is there anything that doesn't expire? There is no eternal existence.

About Nintendo Games#

Last week, I came across a video about Nintendo titled "This Video Explains How Awesome Nintendo Really Is? [Business 02]." Whenever people talk about Nintendo games, they think of "fun." Gunpei Yokoi laid the foundation for Nintendo's game style:

"A shortcut to avoid the lack of creative ideas in games is to compete in terms of CPU, graphics, and sound quality, using high performance to compensate for the shortcomings of the game itself." - Gunpei Yokoi

In the end, gameplay is what truly attracts players to a game. Nintendo's strategy of expanding its user base has ensured that their games are suitable for all ages, even for young children. Reggie Fils-Aime, the former president of Nintendo of America, said in an interview with the Toronto Star:

"We are very happy that our competitors do not focus on the children and family game market. This is actually a very important market because children who are 5 or 6 years old now will grow up and still be our loyal users when they are in their teens and twenties. And when you play games like Kirby, The Legend of Zelda, or Mario Kart with your family, it strengthens the bond between family members."

It is difficult for China's environment to give birth to such a great game company. Limited game licenses, a single notice can ruin an industry, causing panic and uncertainty. Everyone is just trying to make quick money, coming up with various ways to monetize, making it really hard to create a high-quality domestic game.

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