Have you tried ChatGPT?
One of the things that I love about it is the way it organizes its responses. The cleanliness it shows.
Take this ChatGPT response for example, ignore the content, and look at the info organization:

As you can see ChatGPT uses headings, ordered/unordered lists, highlight commands and provides code snippets too!

It is so helpful to me and millions of others that I can’t even describe how important these small things are.

This formatting in ChatGPT is made possible by a simple formatting markup language called Markdown.

The beauty of Markdown

Look at the sample table showing the most basic Markdown syntax:

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As you can see, if you want to create Heading1, you put one # hashtag in front of it. If you want to create Heading5, put five ##### hashtags before the title.
You can enclose your code by two backticks to create a code block.
Read this quick-start guide on Basic Markdown Syntax.

But…why the hassle?

If someone hasn’t used Markdown or similar language markups, it is natural to think that using these special characters while typing is an extra hassle.
Wouldn’t it be easy to just fire up Microsoft Word or Google Docs and start formatting text?
Click, click, click. Easy, right?
I understand the sentiment. But there’s a key difference between using word processors and using markup language.

Let me show you.

I copied the ChatGPT response shown at the beginning of the letter and pasted it in Google Docs. This is what it looks like:

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Notice the special characters around some words?
​That’s because Markdown syntax accompanies its text wherever the text goes. So, Markdown text can be opened by virtually any software in the world. This is not the case when we use Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

What does this mean for our use?

We can use Markdown and organize our documentation in any plain text editor. And share it with anyone, assured that the structure will remain the same.
So, if you write something using Markdown syntax in your WhatsApp, Google Notes, Notepad, or any simple text editor, you will be 100% sure that your document will look the same to the reader no matter what software they use.

And this is where Microsoft Word or Google Docs can’t compete. When we copy anything from Microsoft Word or Google Docs and paste it into any plain text editor such as Notepad or WhatsApp Message, the formatting is not retained. Because we left the their software system.

My affair with Markdown

I came to learn about Markdown almost 4 years back when I discovered a note-taking software called Obsidian. (That’s where I do all my writing, including these letters. I will cover it in our letters this year.)

Obsidian uses a Markdown format for writing. It provides an ultra-rich text editing experience and the interconnectedness of all the notes.

Markdown software

Next week, I will walk you through a few options of Markdown apps that you can readily use: Dillinger. I only use Obsidian, but Dillinger is good, to begin with, to familiarize yourself with Markdown syntax. It is extremely easy.

I love Markdown syntax and I use it all the time. Did you know that you could save your ChatGPT answers in a properly readable format, without those hashtags, asterisks and backticks? I will cover it next week when talking about Dillinger.

Oh, by the way, do you use Markdown in your day-to-day work?

Hit Reply and tell me.

Reads of the week:

Okay, being a student of Molecular biology and Epigenetics, I get thrilled when I come across genuine research such as this.
Depending on your background and interest, this may or may not make sense.

But here’s the crux: we have evidence that goes contrary to the accepted Central Dogma in Molecular Biology and Gene Expression: “DNA makes RNA, and RNA makes protein,” in a unidirectional process. We used to think that nothing gets in its way, but several findings tell us that this is not the case.
In patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), there is a higher level of stress-causing chemical than that of a non-PTSD person. And this is due to the micro-RNA’s interference in DNA expression.
Such type of research showcases how much we are dependent on our biochemistry.

Jason Fried’s Chicago Home for Sale Photos

This one is not a “reading” piece. But a “seeing” piece. Just look at the beautiful home Jason has put up for sale. Gorgeous!
Find all the pictures here posted by his realtor.