These are both helpful mnemonic tricks. I always forget links' syntax.

More generally in this post I find Markdown has a pretty short learning curve, is highly readable and logical (EG. I like the number of `#` for level of headings). My biggest issue with Markdown is the different interpretations and how they're represented. Eg. Github vs. someplace else vs. Markdown-viewer apps. Org in comparison looks more concise, but less readable, IMO.