What this is
Each tool page has a workspace at the top and a short write-up underneath. You work through the method in the workspace, and the results update as you type. The write-up explains how the method works and where it came from.
If you're not sure which one you need, the home page has a list of common situations with a few suggestions for each.
Using a workspace
- Example
- Loads a worked example so you can see the method in use before you start.
- Undo and redo
- Every change can be undone, including Clear and Example. ⌘Z and ⇧⌘Z work outside text fields.
- Export
- Download or copy your page as Markdown, or print it. Printing leaves out the article and the controls.
- Lists
- Enter adds the next line. Backspace on an empty line removes it. In outlines, Tab indents.
Privacy
There are no accounts. What you type is saved in your browser's local storage and never sent to a server.
We use Google Analytics to see which pages get visited. It doesn't see anything you type into a tool.
The catch is that your notes only exist in this browser. If you clear your browsing data, they're gone. Export a backup from the notebook now and then. The same file moves your work to another computer.
Sources
None of these methods are new. Each page names the person or team who came up with it and lists a book or paper if you want to read more.
The name and the seal
kōgu (考具) is a Japanese word for thinking tools. 考 (kō) means to think and 具 (gu) means an instrument.
The orange mark in the logo is 考, drawn like the name stamp (hanko) people use in Japan to sign documents.
Colophon
Set in Newsreader, IBM Plex Sans and IBM Plex Mono, with the seal drawn from Shippori Mincho. Built with Next.js.