Public notes from Devon Meadows' working brain. https://devonmeadows.com en-us Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:08:36 GMT https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ads-lab/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ads-lab/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Where it all started. A Skool community teaching advertising. Won the Skool Games, proved the model, then evolved into Main Branch. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/awake-happy/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/awake-happy/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT A clothing brand that taught me passion without economics doesn't work. Winding it down now. Those lessons feed directly into Main Branch and Noontide. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/build-in-public/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/build-in-public/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Share your work as you build it. Show the mess, the decisions, the failures. Don't wait for polish. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/main-branch/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/main-branch/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT A Skool community where people build AI that knows their business. Structured reference files in, real outputs out. The engine is the product. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/my-working-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/my-working-notes/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT I'm Devon Meadows. Dad. Thinker. Tinkerer. I run Noontide. Main Branch is the main thing. These are my working notes. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/noontide/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/noontide/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT The company behind Main Branch. A small team building AI-powered business tools. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/skool/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/skool/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT The community platform I run Main Branch on. Gamification done right. Recognize top contributors with visible badges, make progress tangible. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-commune-box/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-commune-box/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT The vision for Commune is a physical box you own at home. That vision is now running on my shelf. Thoth, a 2018 MacBook Pro, works as an always-on AI agent node. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/thoth/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/thoth/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT A 2018 MacBook Pro running as an always-on AI agent node on a shelf. Handles automated jobs, morning briefs, and signal scouts while I sleep. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/what-is-commune/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/what-is-commune/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT The project behind this wiki. Voice capture flows into atomic notes, readers navigate via explicit links. A lot of what I envisioned for Commune showed up in other tools. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-creator-pricing-2024-2025/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-creator-pricing-2024-2025/ Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT 2024-2025 sentiment analysis on creator platform pricing. Key finding: creators hate hidden fees and revenue share at scale. $9 entry + 0% fees at $49 wins. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-digital-garden-tech-stacks/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-digital-garden-tech-stacks/ Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Static vs dynamic architecture research for digital gardens. Astro 40% faster for content-first sites. Hybrid recommended: Astro wiki + Next.js agent dashboard. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-hardware-ecosystems/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-hardware-ecosystems/ Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Research on successful 'box' products like Raspberry Pi, Umbrel, and Home Assistant. Key lesson: software-first, hardware optional. Validate PMF before custom hardware. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-oss-business-models/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/research-oss-business-models/ Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Research on how companies like Plausible, Ghost, and Obsidian built sustainable open source businesses. Bootstrap model validated: $2-3M with 4-18 people. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ai-shapes-voice-dumps-into-atomic-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ai-shapes-voice-dumps-into-atomic-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Dump thoughts while walking. AI shapes them into atomic notes. Review in iOS app. Refine with more voice. Infinite game of hammering notes into 150-250 word format. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/andy-matuschaks-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/andy-matuschaks-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Andy Matuschak's note-taking system pioneered the concept of evergreen notes with sliding pane interfaces and dense linking. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ask-the-brain/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ask-the-brain/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Ask a question, get an answer that cites specific notes. No invention. If it can't cite, it doesn't answer. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/atomic-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/atomic-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Each note should express exactly one idea. This is a key property of Evergreen Notes that makes them reusable and composable. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/auto-generated-og-images-for-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/auto-generated-og-images-for-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT AI generates OG images for notes automatically. Template-based, regenerates on major edits. Required for SEO/GEO but manual creation doesn't scale. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/cursor/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/cursor/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT An AI-powered code editor that changed my mindset about what's possible with LLMs and agents. Showed me the future of working with AI. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/discovery-runs-on-time-follows-and-why/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/discovery-runs-on-time-follows-and-why/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT I do not want a For-You page. I want time and intent. Discovery starts with two lists. What I made and who I follow. Sort by updated time. That is it. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/evergreen-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/evergreen-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Notes written to evolve and compound over time, not dumped into an archive. Foundation of personal knowledge management. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/homepage-cards-triage-discovery/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/homepage-cards-triage-discovery/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Two cards below the home note. Left shows backlinks (expandable). Right shows recent activity. Triage users to interesting content without overwhelming them. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/intelligent-commit-summaries-replace-verbose-logs/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/intelligent-commit-summaries-replace-verbose-logs/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT AI analyzes git commits daily and generates smart summaries of what you're working on. Clusters by theme, weighs by significance. No verbose logs. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ledger-replaces-feeds/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/ledger-replaces-feeds/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT AI analyzes my commit history and shows you what I'm actually working on. No raw commits. No algorithmic feed. Just a smart summary of my recent thinking. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/manual-note-refinement-doesnt-scale/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/manual-note-refinement-doesnt-scale/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT I used Reflect with a "higher self" prompt to refine my voice dumps. Had to manually select transcripts, run analysis, copy/paste formatted output, update the prompt. Too arduous. Couldn't get my data out. That's why I'm building Commune. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/mobile-preview-without-breaking-flow/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/mobile-preview-without-breaking-flow/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Desktop has preview panes on hover. Mobile needs something equivalent that lets you peek at the next page without breaking flow. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/obsidian/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/obsidian/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT A local-first note-taking app with markdown files and a plugin ecosystem. I tried it before Reflect but couldn't make it stick. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/people-pay-to-follow-working-mind/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/people-pay-to-follow-working-mind/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT People pay for polish. But I think the world is shifting. People will pay for access to a working mind over polished outputs. At least I hope so. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/preview-panes-preserve-reading-flow/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/preview-panes-preserve-reading-flow/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Previewing links before clicking keeps reading flow unbroken. You can peek ahead without committing to navigation. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/reflect/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/reflect/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT A note-taking app with end-to-end encryption, daily notes, backlinks, and AI integration. Clean interface. But you can't get your data out easily or run automations on it. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/seo-optimized-atomic-notes/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/seo-optimized-atomic-notes/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Atomic notes formatted as articles create more entry points for search and LLM discovery. More potential hits than traditional blog posts. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/subscription-unlocks-depth-into-the-mind/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/subscription-unlocks-depth-into-the-mind/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The simple view of Commune is free. You get a tease. But anything that gives you depth into the mind is subscription based, like Substack. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/substack/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/substack/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Newsletter platform—you can read the first half, subscribe to get the rest. Similar freemium pattern to Commune's depth gating. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/suggestions-and-proposals-make-readers-part-of-work/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/suggestions-and-proposals-make-readers-part-of-work/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Readers can suggest fixes or additions. I review and approve. Changes show up in the changelog. Pull requests for thinking. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-higher-self-prompt-in-reflect/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-higher-self-prompt-in-reflect/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT I created a note in Reflect called "the higher self" with all my favorite books, articles, and methodologies. I'd run AI analysis over my voice dumps to get advice from my higher self and refine the prompt over time. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-home-note-should-guide-first-three-steps/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-home-note-should-guide-first-three-steps/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The home note is the first note when you land on a Commune-powered site. Everyone needs to design their starting note. It triages readers to your best ideas. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/three-panes-deep-then-you-pay/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/three-panes-deep-then-you-pay/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Commune lets creators gate their wiki at any depth. Three panes is the default. Land on home, click twice more, hit a wall. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/daily-walks-attract-downloads/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/daily-walks-attract-downloads/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Taking a 30-60 minute walk in the early afternoon protects deep work and mental presence with family—plus you get downloads from the universe. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/data-sovereignty-for-individuals/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/data-sovereignty-for-individuals/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT You should control your data the way nations control their territory. No third-party should own or monetize your information. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/deep-work-shields-attention/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/deep-work-shields-attention/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The goal when at the computer is deep work—focused, uninterrupted thinking that produces real output. Everything else threatens it. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/film-production-managing-information/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/film-production-managing-information/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Worked at Lightiron (acquired by Panavision) as a machine room operator, then DI producer—learned to manage creative teams and information flow. Preferred the machine room. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/gamification-drives-self-discovery/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/gamification-drives-self-discovery/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The right game mechanics help people discover who they are and make a living doing it—that's the dream behind Commune. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/learning-in-public-accelerates-growth/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/learning-in-public-accelerates-growth/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Making your learning visible creates feedback loops. People correct mistakes, suggest resources, open opportunities. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/local-systems-require-enhancement-dashboards-for-training/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/local-systems-require-enhancement-dashboards-for-training/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Local AI needs a UI for correcting mistakes. User feedback trains the model. The dashboard shows what needs review. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/network-effects-in-knowledge-work/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/network-effects-in-knowledge-work/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Knowledge compounds nonlinearly. Each new note connects to existing notes. Value increases faster than linear growth. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/networked-thinking-reveals-hidden-connections/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/networked-thinking-reveals-hidden-connections/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Building a wiki where notes link to each other lets you see patterns you'd miss otherwise. Cross-domain insights emerge when ideas can connect freely. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/private-ai-outperforms-cloud-ai/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/private-ai-outperforms-cloud-ai/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT AI running on your hardware with access to all your data beats cloud models trained on generic internet content. Context wins. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/release-is-monthly-human-wrap/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/release-is-monthly-human-wrap/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Once a month, review everything you captured. Write a human synthesis. What mattered? What connected? What changed your thinking? https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-star/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/the-star/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT A Commune feature marking notes that anchor key ideas in your wiki—top 5% by backlinks, inspired by Skool's approach to recognizing contributors. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/transparent-decision-making-builds-trust/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/transparent-decision-making-builds-trust/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Showing why you made a decision builds credibility. Hiding the reasoning creates suspicion. Transparency compounds trust over time. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/unscheduled-quick-calls-destroy-deep-work-flow/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/unscheduled-quick-calls-destroy-deep-work-flow/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Quick calls are never quick. They shatter focus and steal 15-20 minutes of recovery time after the interruption ends. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/zettelkasten-method/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/zettelkasten-method/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Slip-box system for atomic notes with unique IDs and dense linking. Developed by Niklas Luhmann. Foundation for modern networked note-taking. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/associative-linking-over-hierarchies/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/associative-linking-over-hierarchies/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Knowledge is naturally networked, not hierarchical. Associative links between concepts create more flexible and discoverable information structures. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/auto-essay-closes-loop-each-week/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/auto-essay-closes-loop-each-week/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Longform should be a by-product of work, not a second job. The agent scans the ledger, clusters the week by topic and momentum, and drafts 700–1,200 words in my voice. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/follow-and-collect-keep-signal-not-hype/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/follow-and-collect-keep-signal-not-hype/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Follow is for updates. Collect is for taste. That is enough social. No likes. No karma. No hidden rank. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/local-first-software/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/local-first-software/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Local-first software prioritizes user agency by keeping data and computation on user-controlled devices while enabling collaboration when needed. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/manual-file-management-is-high-friction-waste/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/manual-file-management-is-high-friction-waste/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Traditional file organization systems consume mental energy that should be spent on creative work, not digital housekeeping. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/notes-beat-posts-for-showing-progress/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/notes-beat-posts-for-showing-progress/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Posts slow you down. Notes ship now. A post wants a mood and a full arc. A note makes one claim, links two or three neighbors, and moves on. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/related-and-stroll-give-serendipity-without-feed/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/related-and-stroll-give-serendipity-without-feed/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Every note carries a few links in the prose. Each link explains itself. The right rail can show a Related list, but the real work happens inside sentences. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/titles-are-takeaways-not-labels/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/titles-are-takeaways-not-labels/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT A title should read like a conclusion. Labels slow readers and weaken Ask the Brain. A sharp title makes a short note land. https://devonmeadows.com/notes/accurate-transcription-requires-personal-training/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/accurate-transcription-requires-personal-training/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Speech-to-text accuracy depends on teaching the system your specific vocabulary, names, and contexts https://devonmeadows.com/notes/business-management-is-context-management/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/business-management-is-context-management/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Running a business is really just managing an ever-growing amount of context that needs to remain accessible https://devonmeadows.com/notes/defaulting-to-no-protects-deep-work/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/defaulting-to-no-protects-deep-work/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Protecting focused work time requires saying no to spontaneous interruptions, even when they seem urgent https://devonmeadows.com/notes/externalizing-thought-builds-cognitive-scaffold/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/externalizing-thought-builds-cognitive-scaffold/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The practice of making your thinking visible creates feedback loops that enhance problem-solving capacity https://devonmeadows.com/notes/integrated-data-analysis-unlocks-impossible-observations/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/integrated-data-analysis-unlocks-impossible-observations/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Connecting all your data sources—business, personal, creative—enables insights that are invisible in traditional separated systems https://devonmeadows.com/notes/intelligent-router-eliminates-project-management/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/intelligent-router-eliminates-project-management/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Automated context management makes traditional PM tools obsolete by capturing and routing all work naturally https://devonmeadows.com/notes/owning-data-infrastructure-eliminates-middleware/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/owning-data-infrastructure-eliminates-middleware/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT When you control your full data stack, you can eliminate many traditional business roles and middleware solutions https://devonmeadows.com/notes/personalized-ai-optimizes-communication-strategies/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/personalized-ai-optimizes-communication-strategies/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT AI with access to complete relationship history can help optimize how you communicate with specific people https://devonmeadows.com/notes/reality-as-spiritual-hide-and-seek-game/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/reality-as-spiritual-hide-and-seek-game/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Many spiritual traditions describe existence as a divine game where consciousness hides from itself to experience the joy of rediscovery https://devonmeadows.com/notes/router-tasteful-knowledge-integration/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/router-tasteful-knowledge-integration/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The technical challenge isn't routing information—it's integrating new context without degrading existing knowledge https://devonmeadows.com/notes/spiritual-paradox-hider-and-seeker-are-same/ https://devonmeadows.com/notes/spiritual-paradox-hider-and-seeker-are-same/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT The deepest spiritual realization is that the divine consciousness seeking itself is the same consciousness that chose to hide in the first place