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This one is still very much in the experimental phase, and may wind up being aborted, but I figured it's about time I post something here. My brother recently took a Russian lit class and, eager to share some random facts, he told me that the novelist Vladimir Nabokov wrote most of his novels on index cards. Why? Because in those pre-word processor days it let him shuffle around and rewrite passages with a minimum of fuss. A couple weeks ago the micro cassette recorder I used for taking notes during my urban ranger walks broke again (I've been through about 8 in the last 3 years). Frustrated at the prospect of having to shell out another 25 bucks, and a solid month behind in my transcription anyway due to baby stress, I remembered nabokovs index cards and thought: maybe I could replace my tape recorder with index cards instead. I'd considered carrying around a pocket notebook at times, but index cards go one better. Here's why: - you only have to carry around 1 days worth of cards, minimizing the danger of losing a whole lot of personal information and having it fall into the hands of your worst enemy. - like Nabokov, you can shuffle around the cards easily and use them to actually make something. A linear note taking system (cassette or notebook journal) is more difficult to rearrange like this. If you put a date and a keyword on each card it further expedites this. - it's less antisocial and weird than walking around mumbling to yourself (though with all the cellphones I guess no one bats an eye anymore). You can do it during meetings. - it's a great way to manage to-do lists, especially if you follow this rule: 1 day's tasks shall fit on one card. Whatever you don't finish, copy over to the next days card. Keeps you from overextending yourself. - you can draw What are the cons? - It's hard to write while you're walking. - speech is more natural than writing. It's more satisfying to speak. You really feel like you are unburdening yourself. - there are certain kinds of thoughts you're just going to lose this way. It's great for project centered thoughts. It's not so hot for random diary stuff. Keyword pressure can be a good tool for organizing your thoughts but it can also be stifling. I think it clearly beats the pants off of plain old notebook, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to retire my microrecorders just yet. Oh, and the name. "Nabocards," of course. Nabokov loved puns and silly combo words ("pin," pineapple juice and gin, was Humbert Humbert's favorite drink in Lolita). I'm sure he'd think this was vulger and awful and his estate would sue me if I ever tried to include it in a book of systems, but literary pedophiles and their estates be damned, this is the world wild web, and I like it. Picture of one of his cards: http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/epo/nabokov/fus.htm (what a snotty bastard, right?) Pictures of some of my cards pending. Reinhard |
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