About the library
GeekLibrary is a library of ideas, published as cards.
A card takes one idea, explains it clearly, and makes it worth remembering or passing on. It is not a trivia entry, a news item, a lesson or an article. The subject can change. The standard does not.
How the library is put together
- CardOne self-contained idea. The basic unit of everything here.
- TopicWhat a card is about. A card can have several.
- CollectionA deliberate group of cards that belong together.
- TrailA short sequence of cards meant to be read in order.
- EditionA published selection of cards, such as The Primer.
- VolumePhysical packaging. It exists on the shelf, not in the library.
What every card has to earn
Eight tests, printed on the first card of the set. A card passes all eight or it does not get made.
What the library optimises for
Clarity over completeness. Interesting over exhaustive. Retellable over encyclopedic. Evergreen over timely. Curated over algorithmic. Simple for the reader, rigorous behind the scenes.
The goal is not to tell you everything about a subject. It is to give you one idea worth knowing.
The card that explains the cards
Front
The Eight Laws
How every card in this set was made
Eight tests every card in this set has to pass before it can be printed.
Back
- Standalone makes sense on its own.
- One subject one card, one idea.
- Teaches or turns you learn something or see something in a new way.
- Thirty seconds start to finish.
- Retellable you can pass it on from memory.
- Sourced every fact is traceable.
- Evergreen stays true.
- Fits the card if it does not fit, it is not a card.