🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:09:27 -0400, Wes Groleau <Groleau+news@FreeShell.org>
wrote:

>On 07-31-2010 22:53, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> 4. No one seems to have found, or be using, a suitable substitute for the
>> Research Data Filer program (RDF).
>
>I tried several systems similar to what you described.
>None of them accomplished the goal�organization�for me.
>
> From your description, RDF won�t do it either�for me.
>
>RDF sounds to me just like the Franklin Day Planner, i.e.,
>a marvelous tool for people who are not organizationally
>challenged; false advertising for the rest of us.  :-)
>
>Where do I put the note that reminds me to look at my notes?
>
>How do I remember to take the pill that helps me remember things?

As in "How do I remember to take the pill that helps me to remember to take
the pill?"

Yes, of course. And that's why I think it is important to keep it simple. 

And it's because it's simple that the numeric filing system works for me. 

I still have piles and piles of unorganised stuff. But the stuff I have
organised, I can find.

The simplicity is what makes it easy to start anywhere, and pick it up at any
time. 

With many other filing systems, I get the feeling that "I can't file this
document until I've found that other one that is in one of these piles
somewhere."

If I have a spare half hour, I can start on any pile, punch holes in the
document, file it, and number it consecutively after the previous one. 

I can record its description then or later. I can index the people in it then
or later. 

That's why I recommend it for thoroughly disorganised people, like me. 

Here, for example, is an extract from the .DOC (document description) file.
Search argument "viljoen"

1 DOC 01304
  Deceased Estate; MOOC 6/9/8878; Ref 78619; Cape Archives
  Viljoen, Francina Dorothea, born Mechau. s/s Hendrik Andries


2 DOC 01470
  Deceased Estate; MHG 7099/65; Tshwane Archives
  Doman, Enslin Edward, s/s Maria Susanna Aletta f. Viljoen, b. Boshoff
  p/s Elizabeth Anne, b. Louw


3 DOC 01532
  Deceased Estate; MHG 2293/41; Tshwane Archives
  Miller, Francis George Viljoen, s/s Emily Miller, born Finlayson

And here is an example from the .DAT (people index file), also using the
search argument "viljoen".

1 Calderwood, Charles Pringle                                    M    1321
  Death          25 Jan 1938        RSA, TVL, Pretoria
  SIL - Viljoen, Senie SIL- de Wet, Hessie              2446  /2448  /
                                                      DOC 01272       (    )

2 Miller, Francis George Viljoen                                 M    3026
  Death          3 Jun 1941         RSA, TVL, Pretoria
  W- Finlayson, Emily F- Miller, George M- Miller, A    11411 /3023  /2449
  No children                                         DOC 01532       (    )


3 Viljoen, Francina Dorothea                                     F    2446
  Death          15 Feb 1942        RSA, Cape, Worcester District
  F- Mechau, Johan Franciscus M- de Kock, Hester J.     2162  /2439  /
                                                      DOC 01304       (    )

4 von Backstrom, Gerbrecht Elizabeth                             F    02217
  Death          10 Sep 1917        RSA, TVL, Standerton
  F- Roos, Jan Christoffel M- Viljoen, Magdalena        03148 /      /
  MHG 33112                                           DOC 01041       (    )

Those DOC numbers, since they are filed in numerical order, can easily be
found in my paper files. 

The fields are: 
Name, Sex, Id (RIN)
Event, Event Date, Event place
Relatives, Relative RIN (space for up to 3)
Remarks

You can sort on most fields - the most useful being Name, Date and Place. 

It's designed to do two things, and do them well -- keep track of paper
documents, and index the people in them. 


-- 
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web:  http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk