I’ve started a new weekly blog, dedicated to helping people find meaning in their work even when it feels unimportant or unappreciated. Here is the first post.
Tag Archives: writing
Why I Use Markdown to Write for the Web
One of my favorite single-purpose apps – Brett Terpstra’s Marked – is on-sale through Christmas. Marked allows you to preview documents written in Markdown as you write them, so that you can see what they will look like online. Each time you save the document, Marked automatically updates the HTML preview. When I’m using a dual-monitor to write for the web, I have Marked open on the second monitor as I write on the first.
When I tweeted about the Marked sale, my friend Matt Stauffer made me laugh with his reply:
He then asked me to write about why Markdown is practical. Over the last 18 months or so, I’ve become a Markdown convert. Here’s why and how I use Markdown.
What Is Markdown?
First, a brief description of Markdown, from its creator John Gruber:
Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).
If you, like me, were introduced to the Internet during the era of plain text emails and Usenet newsgroups, Markdown looks very, very similar to the rudimentary formatting used back then. Here are some simple examples. The following, written in Markdown:
##Heading 2
This text is **bold** and *italic*.
I’m linking to [my website](http://www.mikehickerson.com).
>; Ooh, a clever quote.
becomes this when converted to HTML:
Heading 2
This text is bold and italic.
I’m linking to my website.
;
Ooh, a clever quote.
Here’s the full list of Markdown syntax. The variant of Markdown called MultiMarkdown allows you to do even more.
Why Do I Use Markdown?
Simplicity: Markdown uses plain text files, which means I can edit them using any app that writes and edits plain text. I’m not locked into a specific app, and I can be certain that my formatting will remain correct if I switch from one app to another. Further, because Markdown formatting is more compact and less intrusive than standard HTML, I can focus more easily on the text.
Link
Singing the praises of science fiction
My new post at ThinkChristian.
Earlier this summer, NPR asked listeners to select the top 100science fiction and fantasy novels of all time.
By some chance, the final list began and ended with the two most acclaimed Christian novelists of the twentieth century. J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings†trilogy came in at No. 1, while C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy rounded out the list at No. 100.
Read the whole thing and join the conversation.
My Reflections on Parks
Earlier this summer, I wrote a couple of articles about parks for two terrific websites. I’ll let you judge whether the articles themselves were terrific.
Parks and Recreation, Comment Online
A Biblical Basis for Parks, ThinkChristian.net
Enjoy!
Scrivener
I have just started reading Andy Crouch’s new book Culture Making, and, for some unknown reason, I decided to start at the back, in the acknowledgments. Among the people thanked:
Keith Blount, an unapologetic English atheist, [who] created the marvelous cultural artifact call Scrivener, a program which justifies the existence of the Macintosh computer all by itself and which made completing this project an unexpected joy.
Amen, brother. Amen.