# Agent README — Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts This document is the canonical operating specification for creating, editing, categorizing, linking, verifying, and maintaining **Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts** in this repository. Treat the rules below as hard requirements unless a later repository-level instruction explicitly supersedes them. The objective is not merely to create attractive quotation pages. Every reminder is a small, addressable knowledge object that must work simultaneously as: 1. a poster-generation source; 2. a readable webpage; 3. a stable public permalink; 4. a node in the wiki's internal knowledge graph; and 5. a reciprocal link target from relevant wiki entries. A reminder is therefore not complete until the reminder file, its metadata, its Related Articles and Collections routes, its Related Topics links, its public share text, and the reciprocal wiki backlinks all agree with one another. --- ## 1. Repository Roles The repository contains two distinct but connected content systems: - `wiki/` contains the main knowledge-base entries. - `reminders/` contains Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts. The reminder library is organized by category for verified material, with a quarantine area for unverified material: ```text reminders/ AI Control/ Connectomics/ Consciousness/ Cybernetics/ Digital Afterlife/ Existential Risk/ Identity/ Machine Succession/ Mind Upload/ Preservation/ Risk Debate/ Simulation/ ...other approved one- or two-word categories... unverified/ tests/ ``` `tests/` contains parser/backend fixtures. **Do not rewrite, normalize, reformat, move, enrich, or backlink test fixtures unless explicitly instructed.** They are controls, not production reminder entries. `unverified/` is a **verification-state folder, not a thematic category**. An unverified reminder still carries its real thematic category in front matter. ### 1.1 Editorial trajectory scope The reminder corpus is organized around the specific trajectories this repository is tracing: - neural continuity; - connectomic acquisition; - substrate migration; - biological and synthetic hosting; - successor intelligence; - extinction and civilizational succession; - digital persistence; - identity and memory; and - the thresholds where these subjects stop being philosophy and become engineering. A quotation should advance, challenge, historicize, or supply evidence for at least one of these trajectories. Do not dilute the corpus with generic inspiration, celebrity remarks, or broad technology commentary that lacks a meaningful route into this ontology. A quotation may belong to several trajectories, but its primary `Reminder Category`, headline, Related Topics, and reciprocal placements must follow the proposition it actually expresses. --- ## 2. Absolute Invariants Every production quotation reminder MUST satisfy all of the following: - The Markdown filename and the H1 are identical, except that the filename adds `.md`. - The H1 ends with `by Author Name` or `by Organization Name`. - The headline before `by ...` is concise, Title Case, editorial, truthful, and compelling. - The headline states the quotation's atomic proposition clearly enough to work without hidden context; demonstratives, pronouns, reactions, and probability fragments may not stand in for the actual subject. - The poster-generating quotation and attribution are the only lines inside the `>` blockquote. - Every verified reminder carries a `## Sources and Context` section immediately above `## Related Articles and Collections`, with a direct publication, transcript, recording, broadcast, or authoritative contextual page that supports its exact wording and attribution. - Every production and quarantined reminder carries `## Related Articles and Collections` immediately above `## Related Topics`. - Related Articles and Collections list the most relevant collections first, then two to four proposition-specific Bryant McGill articles, followed when useful by one large wiki map. Every target must exist. - A headline or source note may explain provenance, but neither may rescue a poster quotation whose subject, antecedent, probability event, reaction target, or governing clause is absent from the quotation itself. - The permalink begins with `simple-reminders-`. - The permalink is short and semantic. - Person-name portions of slugs use first and last name only; middle names and middle initials are omitted. - Slugs omit filler words and grammatical padding. - `Reminder Category` is one or two words only. - Related Topics use only wiki entries that actually exist in `wiki/`. - Related Topics use the exact internal-link form `[[wiki/Entry Name|Entry Name]]`. - Every reminder placed in a wiki entry must include that wiki entry under `## Related Topics`, and the wiki placement must reproduce the complete quotation object under the exact section `## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts`. - The social-copy URL exactly matches the reminder's `permalink` value. - Unverified quotation status is outside the blockquote. - Never invent a quotation, source, speaker, relationship, wiki entry, or verification status. These are validation rules, not suggestions. --- ## 3. Canonical Reminder File Format Use this core structure for a verified quotation. The canonical order is quotation block, `## Sources and Context`, `## Related Articles and Collections`, `## Related Topics`, and social copy. ```markdown --- permalink: simple-reminders-andrew-payne-brain-inspired-ai-brains Reminder Category: Simulation --- # Build Safe, Brain-Inspired AI, and Simulate Brains by Andrew Payne, Arlo Sheridan, Kathleen Leeper and Johan Winnubst > "To transform neuroscience and cure brain disorders, build safe, brain-inspired AI, and simulate brains, we need detailed maps of brain wiring in mammals." > **— Andrew Payne, Arlo Sheridan, Kathleen Leeper and Johan Winnubst**, *October 1, 2025, E11 Bio PRISM announcement* ## Sources and Context - **Authored announcement and full sentence:** [PRISM | E11 Bio](https://www.e11.bio/blog/prism) — the four authors identify detailed mammalian brain-wiring maps as necessary for neuroscience, brain-disorder research, brain-inspired AI, and brain simulation. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/2026 Annual Report on Brain-Computer Interfaces|2026 Annual Report on Brain-Computer Interfaces]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Arlo Sheridan|Arlo Sheridan]] - [[wiki/Johan Winnubst|Johan Winnubst]] - [[wiki/Executable Brain Model|Executable Brain Model]] - [[wiki/Whole Brain Emulation|Whole Brain Emulation]] - [[wiki/Functional Digital Twin|Functional Digital Twin]] - [[wiki/World Simulation|World Simulation]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "To transform neuroscience and cure brain disorders, build safe, brain-inspired AI, and simulate brains, we need detailed maps of brain wiring in mammals." — Andrew Payne, Arlo Sheridan, Kathleen Leeper and Johan Winnubst, October 1, 2025, E11 Bio PRISM announcement https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-andrew-payne-brain-inspired-ai-brains ``` ``` Do not add decorative sections between these elements. `## Sources and Context` is evidentiary infrastructure; `## Related Articles and Collections` is discovery and corpus-routing infrastructure. --- ## 4. Front Matter The required front matter is: ```yaml --- permalink: simple-reminders-... Reminder Category: Category Name --- ``` Rules: - Keep `permalink` first. - Keep `Reminder Category` second. - Do not add a leading `/` to the permalink. - Do not include the domain in `permalink`. - Do not quote the values unless YAML syntax makes quoting necessary. - Do not add speculative tags, authors, dates, aliases, IDs, or verification fields unless the repository specification is later expanded to require them. --- ## 5. Headline and Filename Rules ### 5.1 Filename and H1 must be synchronized The filename is the H1 plus `.md`. If the H1 is: ```markdown # No One You Love Has to Die by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston ``` then the filename MUST be: ```text No One You Love Has to Die by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston.md ``` There may be no wording, punctuation, capitalization, author-name, or organization-name difference between the two. ### 5.2 Headline structure Use: ```text <Editorial Headline> by <Author or Organization> ``` The word `by` remains lowercase. The displayed author name in the H1 and filename may preserve the person's proper published form, including middle initials when appropriate. For example: ```text Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne A Thousand-Year Journey by Randal A. Koene Brain Circuitry and Mind by Edward S. Boyden ``` The **slug is different**: middle names and initials are removed there. ### 5.3 Headline editorial standard The headline must read like a strong newspaper, magazine, or feature headline that captures the actual idea and makes a reader want to open the page. Write the headline as if it must earn attention in a serious news feed while remaining defensible against the full source. The headline must name the subject and the claim explicitly; it may not rely on the folder name, category, speaker, or surrounding wiki page to supply the missing proposition. Append `by Person or Organization` only after the headline has become independently meaningful. A strong reminder headline is: - concise; - specific; - proposition-driven; - thought-provoking; - somewhat sensational, surprising, inspiring, unsettling, or arresting when the source itself supports that tone; - faithful to the actual quotation; - understandable without already knowing the speaker; - not merely a category label; - not a mechanically truncated quotation. Good patterns include: ```text No One You Love Has to Die by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston The Last Invention Humanity May Ever Need by I. J. Good Reality Is a Controlled Hallucination by Anil Seth Machines May Never Have to Die by Alan Turing A Thousand-Year Journey by Randal A. Koene Meaningful Human Control by Max Tegmark I Am My Connectome by Sebastian Seung ``` Avoid generic headlines such as: ```text The Future of AI Consciousness Digital Afterlife Important Thoughts on Technology The Nature of the Mind Quote About Simulation ``` Avoid headlines that exaggerate beyond the quotation. Curiosity is desirable; distortion is not. ### 5.4 Think before naming Do not generate a headline by blindly taking the first six words of the quotation. Determine the **atomic proposition** first: what is the one idea that makes the statement worth preserving? Write the headline from that proposition. Examples: - Quote about an electronic substrate surviving a thousand-year trip → `A Thousand-Year Journey`. - Quote asserting personal identity in a connectome → `I Am My Connectome`. - Quote warning that superintelligence may exceed human control → headline should foreground the control asymmetry, not merely say `AI Risk`. ### 5.5 Filesystem-safe headline wording Because the filename and H1 must be identical, avoid characters that are unsafe or troublesome in filenames. Prefer words over filesystem-hostile punctuation. In particular, avoid `/`, `\\`, `:`, `*`, `?`, `"`, `<`, `>`, and `|` in the headline. A question-style headline does not need a question mark: ```text Can Humanity Stay in Charge of Advanced AI by Demis Hassabis ``` --- ## 6. Permalink and Slug Rules ### 6.1 Required pattern Use: ```text simple-reminders-<short-author-or-org>-<short-core-idea> ``` Example: ```text simple-reminders-andrew-payne-simulating-human-brain-circuitry ``` ### 6.2 Person names in slugs For a person, use the person's recognizable first and last name only. Examples: ```text Andrew C. Payne -> andrew-payne Edward S. Boyden -> edward-boyden Randal A. Koene -> randal-koene Joergen M. R. Kornfeld -> joergen-kornfeld ``` Do NOT put middle names or middle initials in person slugs. Preserve a true surname particle or compound surname when it is part of the family name rather than a middle name. Examples may include forms such as `von-neumann`, `van-...`, `de-...`, or hyphenated surnames when appropriate. ### 6.3 Organization names in slugs For an organization, use the shortest unambiguous public name or acronym that a reader would recognize from the repository context. Examples: ```text OpenAI -> openai E11 Bio -> e11-bio Future of Life Institute -> future-of-life ``` Do not reproduce a long legal corporate name when the shorter identity is unambiguous. ### 6.4 Idea portion The idea portion should normally contain about **3–5 meaningful words**. It should encode the subject of the reminder, not reproduce the entire headline. Prefer: ```text simulating-human-brain-circuitry thousand-year-journey meaningful-human-control machines-take-control connectome-personal-identity ``` Avoid: ```text toward-even-simulating-our-own-human-brain-circuitry this-is-the-thing-that-he-said-about-the-brain quote-number-247 ``` ### 6.5 Remove filler words Aggressively remove words that add grammar but little retrieval value. Typical slug stop words include: ```text a an the our own even toward towards this that these those it its we us you your I my very really just some something about ``` Also remove unnecessary auxiliaries and connective words when the meaning remains obvious. **Preserve meaningful negation.** Words such as `no`, `not`, `never`, `without`, and `cannot` may completely change the proposition and should remain when semantically important. ### 6.6 Slug normalization Slugs must be: - lowercase; - ASCII where practical; - hyphen-separated; - free of punctuation other than hyphens; - free of repeated hyphens; - free of leading or trailing hyphens; - concise; - unique within the reminder library. ### 6.7 Uniqueness If a proposed permalink already exists, improve the semantic phrase rather than immediately adding a number. Prefer: ```text simple-reminders-alan-turing-machines-take-control simple-reminders-alan-turing-machines-never-die ``` over: ```text simple-reminders-alan-turing-machines-2 ``` Use numeric disambiguation only as a last resort. ### 6.8 Social URL synchronization The public URL is always: ```text https://bryantmcgill.com/<permalink> ``` If the permalink changes, update the Share on Social Media URL in the same edit. --- ## 7. Reminder Category Rules ### 7.1 Category length A `Reminder Category` MUST be **one or two words only**. Do not create long category names. Correct: ```text Connectomics Consciousness AI Control Machine Succession Digital Afterlife Existential Risk Mind Upload Deep Time Neural Interfaces Space Survival ``` Incorrect: ```text Brain Mapping Connectomics and Simulation The Future of Artificial Intelligence Mind Uploading and Digital Human Continuity ``` ### 7.2 Category describes the proposition Choose the category from the **dominant idea expressed by the quotation**, not from the speaker's profession, employer, or the article where the quote appeared. For example: - A neuroscientist talking about machine extinction risk belongs under `Existential Risk`, not automatically `Connectomics`. - A computer scientist talking about phenomenal experience may belong under `Consciousness`, not `AI Control`. - A quote about preserving a brain for future recovery belongs under `Preservation` even if the speaker is also a whole-brain-emulation researcher. ### 7.3 Reuse before inventing Before creating a new category, inspect existing `Reminder Category` values and category folders. Reuse an existing category whenever it adequately describes the proposition. Categories already used in the current corpus include: ```text AI Control Civilization Connectomics Consciousness Cybernetics Deep Time Digital Afterlife Digital Life Evolution Existential Risk Extinction Identity Information Machine Succession Memory Mind Upload Neural Interfaces Preservation Risk Debate Simulation Space Survival ``` This list may grow, but new categories must still satisfy all category rules. ### 7.4 Creating a new category Create a new category only when: 1. no existing category is semantically adequate; 2. the proposed category is one or two words; 3. it describes a durable conceptual class rather than one quotation; 4. it would plausibly contain multiple future reminders; 5. its wording is clear without explanation. Use Title Case for multiword categories. ### 7.5 Physical folder placement For a verified quote: ```text reminders/<Reminder Category>/<Filename>.md ``` For an unverified quote: ```text reminders/unverified/<Filename>.md ``` Even in `unverified/`, the front matter must retain the true thematic `Reminder Category` so the file can later be moved automatically after verification. --- ## 8. Quotation Block Rules The poster backend reads the blockquote. Keep it clean. Canonical form: ```markdown > "Exact quotation text." > **— Author Name**, *Source or Context* ``` Rules: - The quotation text must remain inside the first `>` line. - The attribution must remain inside the second `>` line. - Do not put Related Topics inside the blockquote. - Do not put verification notes inside the blockquote. - Do not put commentary inside the blockquote. - Do not put the social URL inside the blockquote. - Do not silently paraphrase a quotation while retaining quotation marks. - Preserve substantive punctuation, wording, and meaning from the source. - Do not clean up grammar merely because the spoken quote is imperfect. - If removing surrounding material would alter meaning, keep the necessary context or do not use the quotation. ### 8.1 Attribution Use the actual speaker, not automatically the article author. If a journalist quotes a scientist, the scientist is the attribution. The publication/interview belongs in the context. If an institutional statement genuinely has no named individual author, use the organization as attribution. ### 8.2 Context string Keep the context concise but useful. Prefer combinations such as: ```text 2024, interview/book discussion in The Guardian 2010, TEDGlobal 2005, The Singularity Is Near 2024, E11 Bio connectomics roadmap 2023, U.S. Senate testimony Smithsonian interview ``` The context should help identify provenance without turning the poster attribution into a bibliography. ### 8.3 Sources and Context section For every verified reminder, insert this section after the quotation block and before `## Related Articles and Collections`: ```markdown ## Sources and Context - **Full quotation and context:** [Descriptive publication or transcript title](https://direct-source.example/item) — identify what an otherwise ambiguous pronoun, demonstrative, probability, reaction, or clipped phrase refers to. - **Recording:** [Program, episode, lecture, or interview](https://direct-recording.example/item) — include the relevant timestamp when it is known. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] ## Related Topics ``` The section may contain one or several concise bullets. Use only the source types that actually exist: - the original publication, paper, book record, authored statement, or institutional page; - a full transcript or a page reproducing the complete passage; - the television or radio program, podcast episode, lecture, conference session, or interview recording; - an authoritative contextual page that identifies the event, date, interviewer, venue, and surrounding proposition; - a stable archive link when the original source is unavailable, clearly labeled as an archive. Rules: - Link directly to the source page, not to a search-results page or an unattributed quotation aggregator. - Describe exactly what each link supplies: full quotation, surrounding passage, recording, transcript, publication record, or contextual reporting. - Keep interpretation outside the quotation marks. The section may explain a referent, but it may not turn a paraphrase into a direct quotation. - Do not imply that separately quoted sentences were contiguous in the source. - Do not use the section to inflate verification confidence. Preserve the reminder's verified or unverified state. - If no reliable link is available, the reminder is not verified: place it in `reminders/unverified/` with a precise status note rather than adding a generic bibliography or guessed URL. - A source section resolves provenance for the reader; it does not make a contextless quotation suitable for a poster. Recover a complete self-contained passage, replace the quotation, or quarantine the record. - The section belongs on the reminder page. Reciprocal wiki placements still reproduce only the canonical quotation object, provenance qualification when applicable, and reminder backlink. ### 8.4 Related Articles and Collections section Every production and quarantined reminder must carry this section immediately before `## Related Topics`. It is a reader-discovery route, not evidence for the quotation, and it never changes the reminder's verification state. Use this order inside the section: 1. one to three important collections; 2. normally two to four meaningful Bryant McGill articles; and 3. when useful, one broad wiki map. Select collection and article routes by inspecting these canonical collections first: - `collections/Consciousness Continuity.md` - `collections/Machine Succession.md` - `collections/Neurotech.md` - `collections/MARS.md` Within those trajectories, prefer the following developed articles when they genuinely fit the quotation. Resolve shorthand labels to the canonical file target and preserve the useful reader-facing alias where appropriate: - [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|Valley Roots]] - [[articles/Modern Artificial Intelligence in the 1970s|AI in the 1970s]] - [[articles/Uploading Is Imminent|Uploading Is Imminent]] - [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|Never Going to Make It!]] - [[articles/Christopher Nolan's Odyssey at the Threshold of Machine Succession|Nolan's Odyssey]] - [[articles/The Last Migration Will Not Be Human|The Last Migration]] - [[articles/Escape Hatch in the Skull|Escape Hatch in the Skull]] - [[articles/Who Pays for Your Heaven|Who Pays for Your Heaven]] - [[articles/Cyber-Physical Lessons from Imperial Beekeeping|Cyber-Physical Beekeeping]] - [[articles/STEVE|STEVE]] - [[articles/Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta|Host Infrastructure Overview]] - [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - [[articles/2026 Annual Report on Brain-Computer Interfaces|2026 BCI Report]] - [[articles/The Architecture of Continuity and Emerging Neuroinformatics Standards|Neuroinformatics Standards]] - [[articles/The Closed-Loop Gaussian Sensorium Engine|Gaussian Sensorium]] - [[articles/Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks and the Allen Institute|Cortical Networks]] - [[articles/The Next Interface Layer|Next Interface Layer]] Use only targets that exist. Every route must materially illuminate the quotation's proposition or trajectory; do not fill the section with generic links merely because they are prominent in the corpus. Collections always precede articles, and the optional wiki map comes last. --- ## 9. Verification and the Unverified Quarantine Verification is metadata/state, not a reason to discard a potentially valuable reminder. ### 9.1 Verified quotation A verified quotation has wording, attribution, quotation boundaries, and provenance checked against a primary or authoritative source; it also stands alone as a complete, meaningful poster statement. It does not need a verification-status line. Place it in its thematic category folder. ### 9.2 Unverified quotation If exact wording, attribution, or source provenance has not been independently confirmed, place the file in: ```text reminders/unverified/ ``` Immediately below the blockquote, outside the `>` block, add: ```text Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: <best available provenance clue>. ``` Example: ```markdown > "The real question is what level of detail is sufficient." > **— Randal A. Koene**, *Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate. ``` ### 9.3 Never convert paraphrase into quotation If a source only paraphrases a person, do not put the paraphrase in quotation marks and attribute it as verbatim speech. If wording appears widely online but the original source cannot be established, it may be retained only as **Unverified** with the provenance clue clearly stated. ### 9.4 Promotion after verification When an unverified reminder is later verified: 1. confirm exact wording and attribution; 2. improve the context string if needed; 3. remove the `Verification Status` line; 4. move the file from `reminders/unverified/` to `reminders/<Reminder Category>/`; 5. update every wiki backlink so its path points to the new physical folder; 6. leave the permalink unchanged unless there is a compelling reason to change it. --- ## 10. Related Topics — Finding Existing Wiki Entries The `## Related Topics` section connects a reminder into the knowledge graph. ### 10.1 Source of truth The source of truth is the existing `wiki/` folder. To determine whether an entry exists: 1. inspect/search the filenames under `wiki/`; 2. remove the path prefix; 3. remove `.md`; 4. use the remaining exact basename as the wiki entry name. For example: ```text wiki/Whole Brain Emulation.md ``` becomes: ```text Whole Brain Emulation ``` and must be linked as: ```markdown [[wiki/Whole Brain Emulation|Whole Brain Emulation]] ``` Do not carry absolute local filesystem prefixes such as `/Users/.../wiki/` into Markdown links. ### 10.2 Required link syntax Every Related Topics link must use: ```markdown [[wiki/Entry Name|Entry Name]] ``` Do NOT use: ```markdown [[Entry Name]] [[wiki/Entry Name]] [Entry Name](...) ``` for this section when the repository convention requires the explicit path-and-alias form. ### 10.3 Topic selection priority Normally select about **4–6 high-value links**. Quality matters more than count. Prioritize in this order: 1. **Speaker/author page**, if that person or organization has a wiki entry. 2. **Primary proposition page** — the concept most directly expressed by the quote. 3. **Immediate technical/scientific concept pages** that explain the mechanism. 4. **Relevant project, institution, or technology pages** when they materially illuminate the quote. 5. **One broader synthesis page** if it genuinely gives the reader useful next context. Do not mechanically add the same category-wide links to every reminder. ### 10.4 Semantic relevance standard A Related Topic must help a reader understand at least one of the following: - who said the quote; - what scientific/technical concept the quote concerns; - what system, project, institution, or technology produced the context; - what larger argument the quotation bears on; - what serious counterposition or neighboring concept is necessary to interpret it. Do not link an entry merely because it shares a buzzword. ### 10.5 Existing entries only Do not invent a wiki link because it would be convenient. If the ideal conceptual page does not exist: - use the closest relevant existing entry; or - omit that link. Creating a new wiki entry is a separate task unless explicitly requested. ### 10.6 Disambiguation matters When multiple wiki entries have similar names, choose the correct entity. Acronym collisions, similarly named projects, and organizational variants must not be conflated. --- ## 11. Reciprocal Wiki Backlinks Creating Related Topics in the reminder is only half of the linking operation. The agent must also edit each selected wiki entry so the wiki points back to the reminder. ### 11.1 Exact section heading Every linked wiki entry must contain this exact H2: ```markdown ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts ``` Do not rename it to `Quotes`, `Reminders`, `Related Quotations`, or another variant. ### 11.2 Complete quotation-object syntax Under that section, reproduce the reminder's complete quotation and canonical attribution/context, then link to the reminder's physical path using its H1/filename as the alias. A link-only bullet is not a complete wiki placement because the reader must be able to encounter the thought without leaving the wiki page. For a verified reminder in `Connectomics`: ```markdown ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > "We anticipate PRISM will be essential for scaling up whole-brain connectomics from small brains, to the large brains of mice and ultimately humans — a critical need for making more human-like AI, treating brain disorders, and even simulating our own brain circuitry." > **— Andrew C. Payne**, *2024, E11 Bio connectomics roadmap* [[reminders/Connectomics/Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne|Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne]] ``` For an unverified reminder, preserve the provenance qualification outside the blockquote: ```markdown > "The real question is what level of detail is sufficient." > **— Randal A. Koene**, *Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate* *Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate.* [[reminders/unverified/What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene|What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene]] ``` Do not add `.md` inside the `[[...]]` internal link unless the repository later adopts a different convention. ### 11.3 Which wiki pages receive reminder placements Place a reminder where its proposition materially helps the reader understand, challenge, contextualize, or remember an important proposition on the page. Name overlap alone is insufficient. `Related Topics` is the candidate graph; reader-facing quotation placement may be built incrementally, but every placement made must be reciprocal immediately. This means the graph is intentionally bidirectional: ```text Reminder -> Related Topic wiki page Wiki page -> full quotation object -> canonical reminder ``` ### 11.4 If the section already exists If `## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts` already exists: - merge the full quotation, attribution/context, verification qualification when applicable, and canonical reminder link into that section; - do not create a second section; - do not add a duplicate link; - preserve existing valid links. For deterministic maintenance, sort complete reminder entries alphabetically by their display headline when practical. ### 11.5 If the section does not exist Create it near the end of the wiki entry. Preferred placement: 1. before terminal `References`, `Sources`, `External Links`, `Notes`, or similar citation-only sections if they exist; 2. otherwise append it at the end of the file. Do not reorganize unrelated wiki prose merely to insert the section. ### 11.6 Backlink integrity after moves/renames If the reminder's filename or physical folder changes, update every reciprocal wiki link in the same operation. A reminder rename is not complete until all inbound wiki links point to the new path. ### 11.7 Semantic strength, saturation, and prose placement A normal wiki page should usually carry one to five exceptionally relevant reminders. Major synthesis pages may contain more when the quotations add genuinely different positions, but broad hubs must not become indiscriminate quote dumps. Prefer proposition matching, provenance quality, historical importance, disagreement, and conceptual clarity over keyword or person-name matching. The exact H2 section is the stable reader-facing home for loose quotations associated with the entry. A quotation may also be threaded into an explanatory section when it directly advances that section's argument; the threaded use does not replace the canonical reminder object or its reciprocal section entry. The poster renderer reads the first blockquote, treats its final blockquote line as attribution/context when structurally marked, and chooses a square Simple Reminders poster for payloads up to 55 words and 360 characters. Longer quotations and paragraph-length thoughts automatically use the rectangular poster format. Do not shorten a complete thought merely to force it into the square format. Future article integration follows the same proposition-first principle. When article-side reminder linking is enabled, use the canonical reminder object and maintain reciprocal article routes without weakening or replacing wiki relationships. --- ## 12. Share on Social Media Section Every production reminder ends with: ```markdown ## Share on Social Media ``` "Exact quotation in plain text." — Author Name, Source or Context https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-short-semantic-slug ``` ``` ### 12.1 Required line break The quote and attribution must be on separate lines. Correct: ```text "I am my connectome." — Sebastian Seung, July 2010, TEDGlobal https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-sebastian-seung-connectome ``` Incorrect: ```text "I am my connectome." — Sebastian Seung, July 2010, TEDGlobal https://... ``` ### 12.2 Plain-text requirement Inside the code block: - remove Markdown bold and italics; - do not include `>`; - keep ordinary quotation marks around the quote; - use an em dash before attribution; - keep source/context after a comma; - use the exact canonical public URL. The section exists so a reader can copy the quote and attribution directly into social media without cleanup. --- ## 13. Workflow When Arriving at a Wiki Entry or Article to Extract Quotes When an agent is examining a wiki page, article, paper, transcript, interview, book excerpt, institutional page, or other source and is asked to create reminders, follow this sequence. ### Step 1 — Read enough context Do not extract a sentence from a search-result fragment or isolated snippet if the surrounding context is available. Read enough of the source to understand: - who is speaking; - what proposition is being made; - whether the wording is direct quotation or paraphrase; - whether qualifications immediately before/after the sentence change its meaning; - when and where it was said or published. ### Step 2 — Identify candidate quotations Prefer statements that are: - unusually clear; - memorable; - consequential; - intellectually provocative; - surprising without requiring distortion; - scientifically, philosophically, historically, or culturally meaningful; - capable of standing on a poster without losing the source's intended meaning. Do not select a quote merely because it sounds dramatic. It must encode an idea worth following into the wiki. ### Step 3 — Check for an existing reminder Before creating a new file, search the reminder library for: - the exact quote; - distinctive phrases from the quote; - the same speaker and proposition; - obvious near-duplicate variants. If the reminder already exists, enrich its links or provenance instead of creating a duplicate. ### Step 4 — Determine verification state Treat a quote as verified only when the exact wording, attribution, complete thought boundary, and direct source are established and the quotation passes the standalone-poster test. If not, create it in `unverified/` with the required verification-status note. Never pretend uncertainty has been resolved merely because the quotation is famous or widely repeated. ### Step 5 — Determine the atomic proposition Write one internal sentence answering: > What is the single most important idea expressed here? Use that answer to drive the headline, category, slug, and Related Topics. ### Step 6 — Choose or create the category Search existing categories first. Choose the one- or two-word category that best represents the proposition. Only create a new category if no existing category is adequate and the new term satisfies Section 7. ### Step 7 — Write the editorial headline Create a concise, compelling, defensible headline from the proposition. Add `by Author/Organization` at the end. Then set the filename to that exact H1 text plus `.md`. ### Step 8 — Build the short slug Generate: ```text simple-reminders-<first-last-or-short-org>-<3-to-5-word-core-idea> ``` Remove middle names/initials and filler words. Confirm uniqueness. ### Step 9 — Create the quotation block Copy the quotation exactly enough to preserve meaning and add the canonical attribution/context line. ### Step 9A — Add Sources and Context When direct evidence is available, add `## Sources and Context` immediately after the quotation block. Link the full publication, transcript, recording, broadcast, or authoritative context page and state what the link resolves. This step is especially important when the quotation contains `this`, `that`, `these`, `they`, `it`, an unexplained probability, or a clipped reaction. ### Step 9B — Add Related Articles and Collections Add `## Related Articles and Collections` immediately before `## Related Topics`. Inspect the Consciousness Continuity, Machine Succession, Neurotech, and MARS collections and select the routes that genuinely develop the quotation's proposition. List collections first, then two to four related Bryant McGill articles, then one large wiki map when useful. ### Step 10 — Search the wiki folder Search existing `wiki/*.md` filenames and content for: - speaker/organization; - central concept; - immediate scientific/technical terms; - projects/institutions involved; - relevant synthesis pages. Use only existing entry names as links. ### Step 11 — Add Related Topics Add roughly 4–6 strong links using exact syntax: ```markdown - [[wiki/Entry Name|Entry Name]] ``` ### Step 12 — Add reciprocal wiki backlinks For every Related Topic selected, open that wiki file and add the reminder under: ```markdown ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts ``` using the reminder's actual physical folder and synchronized filename. ### Step 13 — Add social-copy block Use the exact quote, a line feed, attribution/context, and canonical URL. ### Step 14 — Validate the entire object Do not consider the task finished until the validation checklist in Section 17 passes. --- ## 14. Workflow When Starting From an Existing Wiki Entry If the agent is already inside a `wiki/Entry Name.md` file and notices a strong quotation in the text or sources: 1. determine who actually said the quotation; 2. trace the source if possible; 3. check whether the quote already exists in `reminders/`; 4. create or update the reminder according to this specification; 5. include the current wiki entry in Related Topics if it materially relates to the quote; 6. search for additional existing wiki entries that deserve Related Topics placement; 7. add the reciprocal reminder link to the current wiki entry and all other Related Topics entries; 8. validate all paths and links. Do not assume that the wiki entry where the quote was discovered is automatically its only or best conceptual home. --- ## 15. Choosing Related Topics Intelligently Related Topics should form an **evidentiary and conceptual graph**, not a keyword cloud. A quote can relate to a person, technology, proposition, controversy, and institutional context at the same time. Select the entries that give the reader the best route into that graph. For example, a quotation about simulating human brain circuitry by Andrew C. Payne can legitimately connect to: ```markdown - [[wiki/Andrew C. Payne|Andrew C. Payne]] - [[wiki/Neural Mapping|Neural Mapping]] - [[wiki/Connectomics|Connectomics]] - [[wiki/Whole-Brain Connectomics|Whole-Brain Connectomics]] - [[wiki/MICrONS|MICrONS]] - [[wiki/FlyWire|FlyWire]] ``` That is better than filling the section with broad generic pages simply because they belong to the same overall research theme. Likewise, a philosophical objection to mind uploading may need `Psychological Continuity`, `numerical identity`, `Whole Brain Emulation`, or the speaker's own page rather than generic neurotechnology pages. The question is always: > Where should a curious reader go next to understand the proposition, its mechanism, its author, or its strongest implications? --- ## 16. Referential Integrity Rules Reminder files participate in several coupled identifiers: ```text H1 <-> filename filename/folder <-> inbound wiki links permalink <-> public social URL Related Topics <-> reciprocal wiki backlinks Reminder Category <-> thematic classification Sources and Context <-> direct publication, transcript, recording, or authoritative contextual page ``` Whenever one side changes, update the other side in the same operation. ### If the headline changes - change the H1; - rename the file to match exactly; - update every wiki backlink target and alias. ### If the category changes - update `Reminder Category`; - if verified, move the file to the matching category folder; - update every wiki backlink path. ### If verification changes - move between `unverified/` and the thematic category folder as appropriate; - add/remove the verification note; - update every wiki backlink path. ### If the permalink changes - update front matter; - update the URL in `## Share on Social Media`. ### If Related Topics change - add reciprocal links to newly related wiki pages; - remove stale reciprocal links from wiki pages no longer listed, unless another independent reason for the backlink exists. Never make half of a referential change. --- ## 17. Final Validation Checklist Before completing any reminder-generation or reminder-editing task, verify every applicable item below. ### File identity - [ ] Filename equals H1 exactly plus `.md`. - [ ] H1 ends in `by Author` or `by Organization`. - [ ] Headline is concise, Title Case, compelling, and true to the quotation. - [ ] Headline is not a generic category label. - [ ] Filename contains no unsafe filesystem punctuation. ### Front matter - [ ] `permalink` exists. - [ ] `permalink` begins with `simple-reminders-`. - [ ] `Reminder Category` exists. - [ ] Category is one or two words only. - [ ] Category reflects the proposition rather than merely the speaker. ### Slug - [ ] Slug is lowercase and hyphenated. - [ ] Person slug contains no middle names or middle initials. - [ ] Slug is short. - [ ] Filler words such as `our`, `own`, `even`, `toward`, `the`, `this`, etc. have been removed unless semantically indispensable. - [ ] Meaningful negation has not been accidentally removed. - [ ] Slug is unique. ### Quote block - [ ] Exact quotation is inside the blockquote. - [ ] Attribution/context is inside the blockquote. - [ ] No verification note is inside the blockquote. - [ ] No Related Topics or social text is inside the blockquote. - [ ] Attribution names the actual speaker or responsible organization. ### Sources and Context - [ ] Every verified reminder has `## Sources and Context` immediately above `## Related Articles and Collections`. - [ ] Every link goes directly to a publication, transcript, recording, broadcast, institutional page, or clearly labeled stable archive. - [ ] Each bullet states what the source contributes: full quotation, surrounding passage, recording, publication record, or contextual identification. - [ ] Ambiguous referents and probabilities are explained without changing quoted wording or presenting paraphrase as quotation. - [ ] Separately quoted source passages have not been falsely joined into one continuous quotation. - [ ] No source section was padded with guessed, generic, or search-results links. - [ ] The quotation remains intelligible without relying on the headline or source section to supply a missing referent. ### Related Articles and Collections - [ ] `## Related Articles and Collections` exists immediately above `## Related Topics` in every production and quarantined reminder. - [ ] One to three important collections appear first. - [ ] Two to four meaningful Bryant McGill articles follow the collections. - [ ] An optional large wiki map, when present, appears last. - [ ] Each target exists and materially relates to the quotation's proposition. - [ ] Article routes were checked against the Consciousness Continuity, Machine Succession, Neurotech, and MARS collections. - [ ] This discovery section has not been represented as evidence for quotation verification. ### Verification - [ ] Verified quote is in its category folder. - [ ] Unverified quote is in `unverified/`. - [ ] Unverified file retains its thematic `Reminder Category`. - [ ] Unverified status note is immediately below the blockquote and outside it. ### Related Topics - [ ] Every linked wiki entry actually exists. - [ ] Every link uses `[[wiki/Entry Name|Entry Name]]`. - [ ] The speaker/organization page is included when it exists and is useful. - [ ] Links are proposition-specific, not generic filler. - [ ] No accidental acronym/entity collision is present. ### Reciprocal wiki backlinks - [ ] Every wiki entry receiving a reminder contains `## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts`. - [ ] Every selected wiki entry reproduces the complete quotation and canonical attribution/context. - [ ] Every selected wiki entry links back to the reminder, and the reminder lists that wiki entry under Related Topics. - [ ] Every unverified wiki placement preserves the reminder's provenance qualification outside the blockquote. - [ ] Backlink uses the actual reminder folder and filename. - [ ] Backlink alias equals the reminder H1. - [ ] No duplicate reminder backlink exists in the same wiki entry. - [ ] Normal wiki pages are not saturated with more than five reminders without a substantive editorial reason. ### Social copy - [ ] `## Share on Social Media` exists. - [ ] Quote is plain text inside the code block. - [ ] Attribution is on a new line below the quote. - [ ] URL is on its own line. - [ ] URL uses `https://bryantmcgill.com/` plus the exact permalink. - [ ] No Markdown bold/italics or `>` characters appear in the copy block. ### Repository safety - [ ] `tests/` fixtures were not modified unless explicitly requested. - [ ] No unrelated wiki prose was rewritten merely to insert backlinks. - [ ] No nonexistent wiki entry was fabricated. - [ ] No source uncertainty was silently upgraded to certainty. --- ## 18. Canonical Example — Verified Reminder Filename: ```text Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne.md ``` File: ```markdown --- permalink: simple-reminders-andrew-payne-simulating-human-brain-circuitry Reminder Category: Connectomics --- # Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne > "We anticipate PRISM will be essential for scaling up whole-brain connectomics from small brains, to the large brains of mice and ultimately humans — a critical need for making more human-like AI, treating brain disorders, and even simulating our own brain circuitry." > **— Andrew C. Payne**, *2024, E11 Bio connectomics roadmap* ## Sources and Context - **Authored roadmap and full sentence:** [A roadmap to scale connectomics to entire mammalian brains](https://www.e11.bio/blog/roadmap) — Payne identifies mammalian-scale connectomics as infrastructure for brain-inspired AI, brain-disorder research, and detailed simulation of human brain circuitry. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks and the Allen Institute|Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks and the Allen Institute]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Andrew C. Payne|Andrew C. Payne]] - [[wiki/Neural Mapping|Neural Mapping]] - [[wiki/Connectomics|Connectomics]] - [[wiki/Whole-Brain Connectomics|Whole-Brain Connectomics]] - [[wiki/MICrONS|MICrONS]] - [[wiki/FlyWire|FlyWire]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "We anticipate PRISM will be essential for scaling up whole-brain connectomics from small brains, to the large brains of mice and ultimately humans — a critical need for making more human-like AI, treating brain disorders, and even simulating our own brain circuitry." — Andrew C. Payne, 2024, E11 Bio connectomics roadmap https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-andrew-payne-simulating-human-brain-circuitry ``` ``` One reciprocal placement, for example in `wiki/Andrew C. Payne.md`, would be: ```markdown ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > "We anticipate PRISM will be essential for scaling up whole-brain connectomics from small brains, to the large brains of mice and ultimately humans — a critical need for making more human-like AI, treating brain disorders, and even simulating our own brain circuitry." > **— Andrew C. Payne**, *2024, E11 Bio connectomics roadmap* [[reminders/Connectomics/Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne|Toward Simulating Our Own Brain Circuitry by Andrew C. Payne]] ``` The same complete quotation-object form is used in each additional wiki entry selected for reader-facing placement. --- ## 19. Canonical Example — Unverified Reminder Filename: ```text What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene.md ``` File: ```markdown --- permalink: simple-reminders-randal-koene-minimum-detail-mind-requires Reminder Category: Simulation --- # What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene > "The real question is what level of detail is sufficient." > **— Randal A. Koene**, *Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Simulation|Simulation]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Whole Brain Emulation|Whole Brain Emulation]] - [[wiki/Executable Brain Model|Executable Brain Model]] - [[wiki/Functional Digital Twin|Functional Digital Twin]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "The real question is what level of detail is sufficient." — Randal A. Koene, Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-randal-koene-minimum-detail-mind-requires ``` ``` Because the file is physically under `reminders/unverified/`, the reciprocal wiki link must point there: ```markdown ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > "The real question is what level of detail is sufficient." > **— Randal A. Koene**, *Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate* *Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Whole-brain emulation roadmap discussions, wording candidate.* [[reminders/unverified/What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene|What Is the Minimum Detail a Mind Requires by Randal A. Koene]] ``` If it is later verified and moved to `reminders/Simulation/`, every inbound wiki link must be updated accordingly. --- ## 20. What the Agent Must Never Do Never: - generate a headline that materially changes the speaker's meaning; - use a mechanically truncated quote fragment as a headline when a stronger proposition-based headline can be written; - put middle initials or middle names into person slugs; - make a long SEO-style slug from the whole H1; - leave filler words such as `our`, `own`, or `even` in a slug merely because they occur in the quotation; - create a three-or-more-word category; - use `unverified` as the thematic `Reminder Category`; - move an unverified item into a thematic folder merely because it sounds plausible; - present a paraphrase as a verbatim quotation; - preserve a headline such as `This`, `That`, `These Things`, `My Opinion`, or `Not an Estimate` when the source supports a clear proposition-driven headline; - use a source section to disguise a contextless quotation that still fails as an independent reminder; - link to search results, quotation aggregators, or guessed URLs as though they were provenance; - put verification text inside the poster blockquote; - link to a wiki page that does not exist; - use `[[Entry Name]]` when the required reminder-side form is `[[wiki/Entry Name|Entry Name]]`; - add Related Topics without adding reciprocal backlinks; - rename/move a reminder without updating inbound wiki links; - change a permalink without updating the social URL; - modify `tests/` while doing production-content maintenance; - confuse similarly named projects, institutions, acronyms, or people; - use the quotation library as rhetorical evidence for a proposition the speaker did not actually endorse. --- ## 21. Completion Standard A reminder is complete only when all of the following are true at once: ```text SOURCE UNDERSTOOD ↓ QUOTE SELECTED ↓ VERIFICATION STATE ASSIGNED ↓ ATOMIC PROPOSITION IDENTIFIED ↓ CATEGORY CHOSEN ↓ EDITORIAL HEADLINE WRITTEN ↓ FILENAME = H1 ↓ SHORT PERMALINK CREATED ↓ QUOTE BLOCK CREATED ↓ EXISTING WIKI ENTRIES DISCOVERED ↓ RELATED TOPICS ADDED ↓ RECIPROCAL WIKI BACKLINKS ADDED ↓ SOCIAL COPY GENERATED ↓ ALL IDENTIFIERS AND LINKS VALIDATED ``` The system is deliberately reciprocal. A reminder should never be an isolated poster file. It should become a navigable node in the wiki, and each wiki entry it points to should point back to it under **Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts**.