Fifty years ago today, as a young teenager in Lexington, Massachusetts, I typed my first index card note. Naturally I have an interest in others who have followed a similar habit. Lichtenberg, Leopardi, Maugham, Manguso. Emily Dickinson, Michael Frayn, Samuel Butler. B. F. Skinner, N. N. Taleb. I happily regard these as kindred spirits through the ages, and I keep their books on a special shelf.

Lichtenberg wrote notes for more than 30 years, and Butler more than 40. Tomorrow I’ll be past 50!

[14 February 2020]