# Welcome to the Digital Garden This site functions as a "digital garden"—a collection of evolving notes, research, and ideas. Unlike a traditional blog, which presents polished, static articles arranged chronologically, a digital garden is topological. It focuses on the connection between ideas and the gradual growth of knowledge. Because this workspace is public, notes exist in varying states of completion. This practice, often referred to as "working with the garage door up," allows for the sharing of raw ideas alongside finished theories. To help visitors navigate the reliability and depth of the content, every note is assigned a maturity stage. ## The Maturity Model (Epistemic Status) The following classifications indicate the "defensibility" of a note—how much rigour has been applied to the concept and how heavily it should be relied upon as a reference. ### 🌱 Seedling * **Status:** **Low Confidence / Raw Capture** * **What it is:** A rough, fleeting thought, a captured quote, or a temporary placeholder. These notes are often unverified and unstructured. * **Reader Context:** Treat these as scratchpad entries. They may contain inaccuracies, "AI hallucinations," or incomplete sentences. They represent the initial seed of an idea, not a conclusion. ### 🌿 Budding * **Status:** **Medium Confidence / In Progress** * **What it is:** A note that has been reviewed and synthesised but is still under active development. The core concept is defined, but the arguments may lack nuance or comprehensive referencing. * **Reader Context:** These ideas are taking shape but are not yet fully strictly defensible. They connect to other concepts but may change significantly as research deepens. ### 🪴 Sapling * **Status:** **High Confidence / Developing** * **What it is:** A substantial note written in original prose. It contains structured arguments, context, and internal links to related topics (e.g., [[Concept Linking]]). The information is reliable, though specific sections may still be expanding. * **Reader Context:** This content is useful and generally accurate. It represents a working theory or a consolidated body of knowledge that is ready for feedback. ### 🌳 Evergreen * **Status:** **Verified / Foundational** * **What it is:** A complete, atomic concept. Evergreen notes have been refined over time and are densely connected to other parts of the garden. They are written clearly, concisely, and authoritatively. * **Reader Context:** These notes represent the author's established views or foundational knowledge. They are citable, defensible, and unlikely to undergo radical structural changes, though they may grow new connections. ## How to Navigate This system relies on **associative linking** rather than a linear timeline. 1. **Follow the Links:** Click on `[[WikiLinks]]` to explore connected concepts. 2. **Check the Tags:** Use tags (e.g., `#cybersecurity`, `#philosophy`) to see thematic clusters. 3. **Mind the Icons:** Always check the maturity icon at the top of a note to understand the context in which it was written. ## References * Appleton, M. (2020). [A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden](https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history). * Matuschak, A. (n.d.). [Evergreen notes](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/Evergreen_notes).