A Novel Use for Digital Photos

[Bodryn]

Here is a novel use for photo browsing software: For as long as I can remember I have had numerous boxes, drawers and closets of belongings that after awhile became a burden because I would sometimes spend an hour or more looking for some item I knew I had but didn't remember where. In the early '90s I developed an interrim solution by giving each box and drawer a unique name or number and going through and indexing each item in each box into an early version of MicroSoft Works. I also took color slides of each box in case I wanted to view them. This worked reasonably well and saved many hours of frustration.

Recently I found a much better solution: take one or more digital photos of the contents of each box or drawer and then index the contents in ACDSee and use the search function to find things. This has turned out to be a wonderfully practical solution.

Now, whenever I'm looking for an item, all I do is type in a key word or name of an item and usually several thumbnails will show up in a search of ACDSee. By browsing those photos selected I can easily see which item is the one I'm looking for. If the computer is on, a search can be done in less than a minute and I can go directly to the box or drawer with full confidence that the item will be there. Naturally I can update a photo at any time to reflect changes in the contents of any box and reinsert it into the database.

One very convenient aspect of this system is that boxes of items do not have to be organized as to content; rather it seems faster just to throw whatever items you have into a box willynilly and depend on the indexing system to select out what you need. (I understand that this system is analogous to a book indexing system long used at the New York Public Library where books were simply shelved in order of acquisition, given a serial number and were made available via thorough indexing systems.)

I wonder if anyone else has tried something along these lines? There is also an added benefit that in case of fire or other loss, you have a thorough record of everything.

[IndyJeff]

Brilliant


Actually I had suggested my wife do something like this with her little house villages. You know those cute little over priced ceramic houses that women like to put up at Christmas? Well my wife has about 10-12 of those 2ft x 3ft x 20inch high boxes full of Dept 56 houses and such. Christmas....we have at least 4 villages for that season as well as at least 2 for spring, summer, and fall.
She never can find what she needs and I suggested laying the village out, taking a picture of it and then mounting an 8x10 on the box.

[Jemmind]

(I understand that this system is analogous to a book indexing system long used at the New York Public Library where books were simply shelved in order of acquisition, given a serial number and were made available via thorough indexing systems.)


That is weird. I can see how it would be easier when initially setting up a library or adding new books yet the books still need to be reshelved in the correct order when someone turns it back in. Also what if you just wanted to browse the photography book section and didn't have a title already in mind? That library would suck!

If someone is going to be as detailed as to catalog every item in every box, that person is also most likely to be as detailed to organize the items as to content as well. That seems easier in the first place, have a box put stuff in it, label it camping supplies, one Halloween decorations, one for computer supplies, ect. I would only see a need for miscellaneous items to be cataloged. Or just have a box for miscellaneous.

But your idea would be good for someone who didn't like to organize things, but liked to keep records-
I guess it would be organized disorder:)

Julie

[Moppie]

Organized Chaos is the correct term.

I have my flat and my work space set up like that, I don't know where anything is, but I know where that sort of thing is kept.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Er.. you all have too much stuff!

Sell it all and buy lenses.. they are easy to find ;)

[dewmuw]

Er.. you all have too much stuff!


LOL! Like it - I aspire to have one of those minimilist houses you see in magazines. However my kids conspire against me and I have ended up with a maximilist house!

[Bodryn]

Julie, the reason I settled on this system is that when I tried to group similar items together, I never could do it because some items belonged in more than one category, i.e., box. (There's no way to put an item in more than one box!) Another thing was that the box was never the right size for the amount of related stuff that might belong in that box. Not to mention it would have been virtually impossible to reorganize stuff into all the proper boxes when you might have 30 or 40 categories. I tried that at first. Anyway I just couldn't manage it, but with the system I now use, it's pretty fast, I don't bother trying to put similar stuff together except in a few limited cases, I just enter the names of everything and everything can be found. For new items, just start a new box. Anyway I'd be happy to hear from anybody who tried this or some other system which may be far better than this. Or maybe most people have a better memory than I and don't need this! So far, it works well for me. :)

An analogous situation often happens with books: What if a book deals with three separate subjects? Which subject do you file the book with? Whichever you choose, the other two subjects won't have it in their sections. However, librarians came up with a workable solution: subject headings, and in this case, the book would have at least three separate subject headings in a card catalog or a computer catalog. Likewise, browsing library shelves by subject works pretty well, but doesn't get you everything in that subject area. For example I've often found computer books somewhere in the 001 section, but others were in the 600's. Don't know why.

[daaaveman]

I think it's called an organized packrat. I'd suggest ebay. Clear it all out! I have a rule. If I find it in a box and I haven't seen/used it in over a year, I get rid of it. I have a big, three-story house and it's cluttered enough with stuff that I actually use. I do the same with clothes.

I do use my digital camera when I'm taking something apart that's complicated. I took a laptop apart recently and took pics throughout the dis-assembly. Helped a lot on the re-assembly and I didn't have any parts left over! It even worked!

[Bodryn]

Daaavemen, using your camera when repairing something is another great idea! I did something like that years ago when I had to take an engine out of an old 1971 VW Campmobile so as to grind the valves, and then put it back in. Back then (early '80s) I had to use a Polaroid camera and had to do it alone, outside, surrounded by mosquitoes.

I do have a problem with throwing everything away as you suggest after one year. That would mean throwing away things like: my tire tools, my spare tire, my hydraulic auto jacks, many wrenches and other tools, dozens of archive CDs, most of my install disks for software, my emergency boot disks, all my old color slides, negatives and black and white photos (most have been scanned), spare circular saw blades, dozens of books, perhaps a hundred music CDs which were bought at a deep discount, etc, etc.

Actually as you can see these boxes store a lot of stuff that I use from time to time; so I actually AVOID clutter by keeping things out of sight in boxes but yet always quickly accessible. If as you say you have a three-story house with some clutter, I think you could use this system to clean up the clutter problem, to save space, and also have a record of everything in case of fire or theft, for insurance purposes.