Update [16th July 2010]: I’ve uploaded the mind map on MindMeister here. This should allow you to download and view the mind map in any format you wish.
Skip to part 2 : ASP.NET MVC – The ‘Hello, World!’ Mind Map
Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking
– Albert Einstein
Lucky for him, Einstein wasn’t a programmer! I love reading stuff, but mostly just ‘once’. Sadly with technology, I seem to follow the ‘Out of sight is Out of mind’ philosophy, forcing me to re-read a lot of topics I’ve covered before. Trust me; nothing is worse than having to wade through ninety percent of the known to find that ten percent you are looking for – nothing.
Recently, Praful introduced me to the concept of Mind Maps and I liked it. I’ve been studying ASP.NET MVC and thought it would be refreshing to take notes using a Mind Map. I struggled with the first one, but I’m really beginning to like them. I created my first Mind Map yesterday in FreeMind, a free Mind Mapping software. It is a really easy to use once you get the hang of it.
My first Mind Map – An introduction to ASP.NET MVC.
Mind Map: ASP.NET MVC - Introduction (summarized view)
Mind Map: ASP.NET MVC - Introduction (detailed view)
And what is a Mind Map? Well a Mind Map is simply a graphical way to take notes. Tony Buzan is one of the prominent promoters of the Mind Mapping technique and claims it can be used as a mnemonic device to remember stuff! I sure hope hes telling the truth!
My next ASP.NET MVC Mind Map is going to be – Understanding your first ASP.NET MVC application. Stay tuned :)
Preeti Edul's Blog 
Even though you give me the credit for introducing you to Mind Map, I think you have really exploited it to its maximum benefit. Great job! I think the ideas have been presented really well and they are the typical questions a newbie would ask.
I am a big fan of ASP .NET MVC and would love to see it being promoted in every possible way.
On a side note, if I google for ‘ASP.NET MVC mind map’ this entry appears on the first page. Congrats!
I am waiting for the future editions of this series. Cheers!
Hey this is cool stuff. This is simply a great way to remember the usual ‘not so interesting’ technical stuff!! way to go girl :)
Thanks Praful :) When did you sneak this one through ;-)
Hey Kani, Thanks a lot ! I’m so glad you liked it ! Considering it was a technical blog, I wasn’t really expecting any readers ! :)
It does indeed seem like a very nice way to remember stuff, and as you put it – esp. the not so interesting stuff that we are likely to forget if not in constant touch.
Sounds pretty cool. Looks little ugly but I m sure, once tuned, it ll save lot of time going forward!
Santy, Ugly? :D I never thought of it that way, it does look a little out of control ! But trust me, it looks better than the paper notes I scribble (and eventually burn) ;)
I prefer them on paper. The usual pros abt paper + the fact that i can draw stick figures wherever i want to.
oh yes. I meant little complicated :) although, i can imagine, how many pages from book it must be representing…so its a clear win!!! btw, u owe me a blog…
@Santy, It’s on its way ;)
@Amit, I am fond of the paper medium too. Though to be honest, it tends to get a little unorganized and kinda illegible down the line. What I like best is to have it neatly organized and then printed! And whats this about stick figures? I’ve drawn one here https://preetiedul.wordpress.com/bottom-of-the-stack/ ;)
BTW, what task do you use Mind Maps for? Have they proved to be useful?
Preeti,
You win the best use of Einstein in a blog award for today.
I enjoy your entries. As far as Mind Maps, it looks like a graphical way to outline. I suppose it doesn’t matter what technique is used, only that the process of copying and organizing your thoughts helps the learning process.
The MVC pattern is very abstract. I’ve recently been trying to implement it, with some examples, in Flash Action Script — not fun.
:D Thank you Scott! You’re right about the Mind Map. Also, organizing your thoughts in little pockets helps you (rather forces you to) filter out the “unnecessary”, something that is less likely to happen when you simply write text notes.
For me personally, a Mind Map cannot help me study a “new” concept. I really need plenty of well written text explaining every how and why. But it can definitely help me “recall” stuff.
About the MVC pattern, I know very little about programming in Flash, but Microsoft took a decade to bring true MVC to the .NET world ;-) That should bring you some solace ;-)
to be honest, i’m not super-organized and don’t have mind maps for too many things. but i do make them for concepts i’d need to brush up in a hurry ( like before a job interview for eg )
@Amit
>> but i do make them for concepts i’d need to brush up in a hurry ( like before a job interview for eg )
EXACTLY !
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