up:: [[My Newsletter MOC]]
tags:: #output/newsletter 
dates:: 2021-02-28
X:: [[150 - The Almagest]]

# Obsidian Timelapse, The Almagest, and the strangeness of what we believe
The feedback on the draft of LYT Kit, Version 5 has been plentiful and even a bit passionate. Half of you like the numbers (like “010 Mindsets”), and half of you don’t.

Here’s what’s most clear: the LYT Kit should help newcomers see what it would look like if they wanted to do certain things (like numbering notes, or using tags like “meetings” to chronologically sort their notes). I’ll make sure to show those examples, especially in the highly requested LYT Kit video :)

Thanks for all the feedback; it’s very much appreciated!

## On Obsidian “Timelapse”

Some features change the game, others just make it more fun. Obsidian “Timelapse” is definitely in the “fun” category. Here’s my [3-minute showcase on Youtube](https://youtu.be/9NyOGXOTmUc) of four different vaults set to some Norwegian’s music (maybe you’ve heard it before?).

[![](https://embed.filekitcdn.com/e/dv87Nny89souiCFyZqnEgh/rK4Gg4drcUasKhsHNaH5mb/email)](https://youtu.be/9NyOGXOTmUc)

How to do a timelapse? Go to the graph view, hit Command-P (on a Mac), and start typing “timelapse” until you see “Start graph timelapse animation”, then hit enter. The animation will start.

## On why everyone believed the book that said the moon doubled in size each year

Ptolemy was a Greek guy living around 150 CE in Alexandria, Egypt, where the biggest library in the world was.

And so Ptolemy did what any self-respecting librarian and star-lover would do: He read and stared at the stars…a lot.

All that reading and staring led to something massive. He assembled and created a unified theory of the cosmos known as **“The Almagest”** (which basically means “The Greatest”). This text was so good, it was treated as 100% true for 1500 years!

Except, for it to have been 100% true, the Moon was supposed to double in size and then shrink back each year! But, it doesn’t. So why did really smart people believe in The Almagest? Because it could consistently tell you where the stars would be at any time of the year. (So who cares about that Moon business!)

Even after Copernicus published his heliocentric theory in 1543 (casting major doubt on The Almagest), it took another century until Kepler did what no one else could: he gave up his deeply ingrained beliefs. Kepler didn’t just think outside the box, he thought _outside the circle!_ (That story is for another time.)

The Almagest is the centerpiece of a fascinating exploration—not into the stars—but into how we form our beliefs. Here are some personal thoughts on the strangeness of what we believe:

-   The Almagest shows our ability to force fit incorrect solutions, and then believe those solutions (ignoring the inconvenient parts).
-   The Almagest shows how we conflate _some_ truth with the _whole_ truth.
-   When reality disproves our beliefs, it’s easier to change the narrative protecting our beliefs, than to actually change our beliefs.
-   We just believe whatever we want to believe.

It makes me wonder:

-   What blind spots are we each living in right now?


---

👣 **A LYT footnote** 🎵

The noise 🗑 is deafening. I promise to focus on the signal 🌿. For me, the signal is high-value, evergreen stuff like:

-   how to think better and with more joy
-   how to be a better _**note-maker**_ instead of just a note-taker
-   getting past the shiny surface and asking the deep questions
-   spotlighting 🔦 people and ideas that have stood the test of time ✨

So until next time... \[\[Stay Connected\]\],

Nick
