https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/ Recent content in Alternative Ways on Under the Anvil Hugo en-us Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:10:20 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/dirty-data-why-cleaning-takes-longer-than-analysis/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:10:20 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/dirty-data-why-cleaning-takes-longer-than-analysis/ It is a universal truth that textsmiths work with data formats. Yet formats are attempts to impose structure on messy reality, but no format can decide what the right structure is for you. So in this post, we are going to look at what data cleaning is. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/write-the-table-first-a-better-way-for-blind-users-to-create-tables/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:55:20 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/write-the-table-first-a-better-way-for-blind-users-to-create-tables/ Here is a trick that I developed when creating tables inside word-processors like Microsoft Word or Libreoffice Writer: as a blind person, you should create a table first in CSV format then turn it into a regular grid table. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/the-humble-csv-the-most-important-data-format-you-already-know/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:27:28 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/the-humble-csv-the-most-important-data-format-you-already-know/ In the previous post, we looked at the table. But as textsmiths, we need to look at something that is so basic, something that we work with everyday, namely the comma-separated value file. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/understanding-tables-without-a-spreadsheet/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 06:54:35 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/understanding-tables-without-a-spreadsheet/ If ever there is one object that one has to understand in data analysis even before data collection, it is a table. A table is an organizing object of data. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/what-is-data-analysis-really/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:14:47 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/what-is-data-analysis-really/ The previous post asked, “Do spreadsheets define data analysis?” This one asks the more fundamental question: “What is data analysis in the first place?” https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/beyond-the-spreadsheet/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:11:10 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/beyond-the-spreadsheet/ The spreadsheet is a wonderful interface. But it is not the only way to think about data. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/why-plain-text-scales-better-than-you-think/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:21:30 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/why-plain-text-scales-better-than-you-think/ Why does plain text fits the bill when it comes to backing up information for long-term? The answer lies in its format: it does well as source, and asn end-product in data. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/mathematics-without-a-mouse/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:52:05 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/mathematics-without-a-mouse/ This article seeks to answer the question of whether it is possible to do math using plain text, and without the use of a mouse. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/keeping-your-personal-finances-in-git/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:22:01 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/keeping-your-personal-finances-in-git/ A major benefit of plain text accounting is that you can treat your personal finance in the same way you treat your other precious data: placing it under version control and tracking its revision. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/plain-text-accounting/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:00:44 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/plain-text-accounting/ How does a textsmith manage his personal finance? This article demonstrates that plain text goes beyond the domain of sysadmin and programming into personal spaces. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/markdown-didn-t-just-win-the-internet-now-it-s-coming-for-the-office-suite/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:10:08 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/markdown-didn-t-just-win-the-internet-now-it-s-coming-for-the-office-suite/ Technologies that change the world do not always get glossy press statements. Instead, they do so quietly and with the power of the community: this is the story of Markdown. https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/introducing-a-new-series-alternative-ways-doing-it-in-plain-text/ Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:48:43 +0200 https://blog.thetextsmith.com/alternative-ways/introducing-a-new-series-alternative-ways-doing-it-in-plain-text/ Today we introduce a new series on doing things in plain text. This way, as a textsmith, you do not have to rely on proprietary formats to be productive.