Knuth Airgaps and Knuth Buffers

Donald Knuth, a highly respected computer scientist, prioritizes information hygiene by disconnecting from the digital world. Since 1990, he has not had an email address and relies on his secretary to filter urgent mail. Additionally, Knuth keeps his computers airgapped, using Ubuntu Linux on a standalone laptop for important work, while reserving other machines for internet browsing. He emphasizes the importance of jotting down ideas on paper before implementing them on a computer, a practice known as “buffering.” Neal Stephenson, another renowned author, follows a similar approach, handwriting his books to improve the quality of his first drafts.

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