Wednesday, September 12, 2012

A Modern Day Cure For Collectivitis

I have always been a keeper, a sorter, a filer, an archiver. It's a personality type characterised by the desire to put things in boxes, stick labels on the boxes, and stack the boxes in some kind of order. Sometimes it's a blessing (I am always the one asked to help find things) and sometimes it's a curse (I am always the one asked to help find things). Throughout my life the filing medium may have changed, but the message has always been the same : "clip it, tag it, and save it". At one stage it was things cut out and stuck onto filing cards, and then when computers came onto the scene, it would be complex databases of trivial information. My music collection has been catalogued more times that a Mozart symphony, my negatives have been archived with a care that would be more in place in the Library of Congress.

However, the day of the stand-alone database has passed, and more recently my base desires have gravitated towards the clouds - or to be precise, cloud cataloguing. Step forward, EVERNOTE. I don't think that I have been as happy with a system since the day I first discovered my first 6" x 4" file card. Evernote is a wonderfully simple piece of software which allows you to clip and save almost everything and share the results between a variety of devices. I use it to save on-line press cuttings, blog-posts, and interesting web-sites. I also use it to index my music collection, reference my photographs, keep my personal diary. and file my paperless collection of gas and electricity bills. Because things are filed on-line, they are protected from the ravages of computer failure or loss. It works on Mac and PC, iPads and other tablets, and even most smartphones. You can set up an account for nothing and this includes enough on-line storage for most needs. If, like me, you suffer from severe collectivitis, you can opt for a premium account for just a few pounds (dollars) a month and set about saving the world.

The point of this post is to celebrate the 1,000th item I have added to my Evernote collection (which will be a clip of this blog-post). And I should stress that this post is a response to having found a very useful piece of free software which I want to share with my friends. It has not been sponsored by, or paid for by Evernote.

Now, where did I file that recipe for Apple Crumble?

17 comments:

  1. Hello Alan:
    We fear that this fills us with horror - 1000 items stored on Evernote or, indeed, anywhere. But most likely we are the odd ones.

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  2. Wow a well organised man. You are a rare one. The Evernote App looks like a great idea. Is iCloud a similar thing?

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    1. A little : think of iCloud as a table and Evernote as a file index box on a table.

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  3. I've had Evernote for a couple of weeks but haven't 'learned' it yet. It sound as if I need to get on and do so!

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  4. Alan, I believe I lost ______... could you be a dear and tell me where it might be? lol....

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  5. Betsy, it is in that old shoe box in the kitchen cupboard.

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  6. Alan, I too am a fan of the index card and now...I have been successfully SUCKED in to EVERNOTE. It IS a clever system isn't it?? OH MY!

    I must report that I bought a copy of "1,000 beers" for my hubbie and he is blissfully making his way through it. He is finding that many are hard to come by which then makes him determined to figure out HOW he is GOING to find them! Loved that post you did and THANK YOU as I got GREAT kudos for purchasing that book!

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  7. Alan, a hundred years from now historians will say your name with great reverence.

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  8. I have never used this program for storage but maybe need to check it out. Especially since i have an old computer and no back up.

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  9. I am soooo behind the times, I was ever so pleased when 3 boxes decorated with cupcakes arrived on Friday for me to file old photos in.
    I wonder if clouds come with cupcake patterns? ;)

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  10. Way cool thanks for sharing. I wonder will it save my blog posts so that I can print them out? That is a project I will begin this winter..I am only two years behind. You are going top be so organized now..I am impressed:)

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  11. My mind is always in awe of people like yourself who are so very able to organize their lives. The most I am able to organize anything is limited to what I can hold in my hand.

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  12. Since I am a "classic random chaotic" filing just goes right over my head. My filing system is just a huge pile!

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  13. Alan, I agree with the need to de-clutter, but have not yet migrated to total online storage. I can usually find whatever it is that I'm searching for, but Evernote might be worth checking into, except I would want only the free version. Grenville downloaded it and was disappointed in that he said it did not have online help.

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  14. Hmm, may have to check that out... I save lots of things but I'm hopeless at the cataloging side of things, which rather undermines the collecting. Maybe I could employ you to sort all my stuff out!

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  15. I didcovered evernote a few years ago and agree it is very useful. I don't use it as much as I should, but your post has prompted me to have a good sort out.

    The web clipper function is excellent.

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  16. I have collectivitis...but you knew that...

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