mind mapping using Free Mind and emacs and its nXML-mode

I got my quick introduction to Free Mind by son#1 (13yrs) today. Of course I am a stressful student. Of course he is not an advanced user. But we are doing well together.

We didn't manage to get a cloud removed other then by undo. And of course you don't want to make use of undo, if the doing happing an eternity ago.

As expected Free Mind's file format is XML in its very own dialect.

So removing the cloud within the XML was an obvious option. Trang helped me to derive a RELAX-NG grammar from the example. The  compact version of that grammar for use with nXML-mode is not perfect, but improving it doesn't look difficult.

The first thing to do in emacs was obviously tidying the indentation. It was then, that the grammar showed, how imperfect it is. But easy to fix. And it was trival to remove the cloud.

starting a busy Sunday quite early with …

… brainstorming and sorting lots of ideas.

Actually I got up at like 07:00, because of an acute case of senile insomnia here on my side. I don't suffer from that too often, just like 2 or 3 times a year. I rather enjoy a heavenly sleep, I have to confess.

I had neglected my personal and company book keeping for weeks, and I couldn't delay that for yet another day.

I felt rather fresh after 2 hours of sleep, having enjoyed quite a good part of The Godfather II with son#1 last night. He fell asleep in the middle, and I decided I would be more productive w/o the movie destracting me; I only watched the movie yet another time because son#1 had sought my company for that, which I loved.
So I got up, started brewing lots of coffee, enjoyed the new shower gel, emptied the trash, and attempted to clear my mind with brainstorming and sorting lots of ideas.

Once I would be able to wake up son#1, I would let him teach me Computer Aided Mind Mapping and create my 1st ever computer mind map together with him. I have been rather looking forward to that since yesterday. Son#1 has grown quite a little and started being a man, sort of in a way. I am proud on him. Not that he and/or his mother let me contribute a lot, so clearly: I'm not proud on my contribution to raising him during the last couple of years, but rather just on him as my son. Whatever… – I hope: YKWIM.

A couple of minutes ago mother of son#2 called and they are going to show up here for joining us for Sunday morning breakfast, so my mind clearing time is coming to an end right now.

To be continued…

son#1 teaches me mind mapping - I'm so proud!!!

During my last conversation with my lawyer (she is cute and pretty tough, I hope she is not going to take too much money, but we are going to see; she e-mails with me and she sends me the communication with the other party as PDFs, I am amazed!!! she is a digital native!!!), I asked myself, how often I would have to explain her that situation. Afterwards it came to my mind, I should have created a mind map together with her, and just for fun I did a little research and I also involved her there. And you know what: she told me the names of the software, she has already been using. I was embarrassed, at least a little. Alright I installed Free Mind, and I am a little stuck with it.
Weekend comes, son#1 shows up again, ..., I ask him, whether he know the term Mind Mapping, and yes, he knows it, I am kidding with him, asking, whether he can show me (and teach me), how to do it, and you know what: he said: yes. Yes, he will do it. That was last night or so, around our watching Godfather I.
Now today I set up an account for him on my MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard (and of course he loves that, who wouldn't, it is a hot Mac!!!), I dragged Chrome in his dock, removed a lot of the unnessary stuff there, explained him, how to use the "right mouse button" with the mouse pad and how to scroll with the mouse pad, a few things. And now he gets into that, and I am looking forward to son#1 teaching me mind mapping. I am really amazed. That will be good for the two of us.
I'll keep you updated, watch this location!

Update / 2010-07-24 18:28:
Although son#1 and son#2 are actually hard to confuse, this is actually about son#1.
Son#1 is 13 years old (he learned mind mapping at school, I guess with a teache from SW Germany as well), son#2 is 3.9 years old, I am >40.
And another thing I should add:
Whenever they started calling that sort of stuff mind mapping: one of my teachers on high-school actually taught us that sort of stuff ages ago. And I guess they also did at the Agora of Alexandria.
What a luck, this sort of stuff cannot get copyrighted!!!