FeedCity: Chris Aldrich

Chris Aldrich
00:10 • Chris Aldrich

A burgundy 1964 Sears Cutlass typewriter with white racing strips which has a typed index card in the platen that reads: "Love is so short, forgetting is so long." ---Pablo Neruda | Opening card in All Too Well: The Short Film directed by Taylor Swift

Chris Aldrich
00:10 • Chris Aldrich

Filing Index Cards with a C-Line Document Sorter

View down onto a table with a C-line index card sorter with alphabetical tabs full of index cards. There are 31 various flaps labeled with letters of the alphabet, the months of the year, days of the week, and days in a month which can be used to quickly file index cards.

Not surprisingly, I don’t always file away my index cards as quickly as I probably ought to. Every now and then I go through my deck of unfiled cards and try to sort them into my card index/zettelkasten. The end of the year seems like a pretty good time to clear the decks. Because I … Continue reading Filing Index Cards with a C-Line Document Sorter

Chris Aldrich
00:30 • Chris Aldrich

Close up from above of a burgundy Sears Cutlass typewriter with white keys. A Christmas tree with red and green lights is in the background.

A red typewriter for Christmas! And it was hiding the uncommon Sears Futura typeface (aka Smith-Corona Numode No. 61) for its American 88 No. 423 keyboard which also features the Change-A-Type functionality. (Sadly it’ll be a slog to try to find matching Numode typeface slugs to match, though some of my math slugs may work … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
00:30 • Chris Aldrich

A comparison of A5 sized notebooks with 4 x 6 inch index cards on a cost per square foot basis

Three notebooks stacked up next to three separate piles of 1,300 index cards.

Notebooks Product Sheet width (inches) Sheet height (inches) pages price Area sq. ft. $/sq. ft. Hobonichi A5 Graph 5.8 8.3 288 $23.00 96.3 $0.24 Leuchtturm 1917 A5 5.8 8.3 251 $25.95 83.9 $0.31 Moleskine Hard Cover 5 8.25 192 $20.00 55.0 $0.36 Travelers Notebook 4.3 8.3 128 $11.90 31.7 $0.38 4 x 6 inch … Continue reading A comparison of A5 sized notebooks with 4 x 6 inch index cards on a cost per square foot basis

Chris Aldrich
00:05 • Chris Aldrich

A 4x6" lined index card with the title: A Christmas Zettel. It has a Luhmann-artig number identifier: 1225/Fa1a2a/1aLaLa/1a2a1a which looks suspiciously like the Fa La La portion of a famous Christmas song. The body of the note reads: Deck the halls with boughs of holly.

Wishing all my friends and fellow note takers a happy holidays!

Chris Aldrich
00:06 • Chris Aldrich

In part because of the Eaton Fire, I've been way behind on filing my index cards. Today I blew through a massive stack of about 300 index cards!

Chris Aldrich
19 Dec 00:06 • Chris Aldrich

Card catalog trays full of 5,000 index cards in salmon, blue, green, buff, and ivory.

Stocking stuffers anyone? Santa brought 6,000 index cards down the proverbial chimney today. Should have enough now to index all the books in the house?

Chris Aldrich
14 Dec 00:06 • Chris Aldrich

The rear of a white car with Black and Yellow California license plates which read "HOBOGUY"

I know what Japanese planner this guy uses.

Chris Aldrich
13 Dec 00:16 • Chris Aldrich

Breaking News: Brodart No Longer Manufactures or Sells Library Card Catalogs

angle on a row of oak drawers with brass drawer pulls in a library card catalog

With no advance notice or apparent fanfare, Brodart, one of the major library supplies and furnishing companies in the United States, has quit manufacturing, distributing, and selling library card catalogs and library charging trays. This seems sad news for analog library enthusiasts coming just two days after Melvil Dewey’s 174th birthday on December 10th. I’ve … Continue reading Breaking News: Brodart No Longer Manufactures or Sells Library Card Catalogs

Chris Aldrich
12 Dec 07:15 • Chris Aldrich

Photo from one home to another across the street at night. Of note is an 8 foot inflatable blue and white unicorn with candles from it's horn to the nape of it's neck making a menorah. The unicorn horn is the shamash candle.

No, you’re not dreaming, that is a blue Menorahcorn decoration on the lawn across the way. 🕎🦄🤩

Chris Aldrich
12 Dec 00:00 • Chris Aldrich

Lochby Field Folio A6 with Hobonichi A6 notebook, pens and pencils on a wooden table with some ceramic Christmas tree decorations on a nearby lazy susan

I recently asked the kind folks at Lochby “if the Folio A6 will comfortably fit 25-50 standard 4 x 6″ index cards which are slightly larger than an A6 notebook? If not, is it something you might consider for some of us ‘Hipster PDA’ tribe members in the future?” Erring on the side of caution … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
12 Dec 00:00 • Chris Aldrich

Brodart has recently discontinued their salmon card index cards with pre-drilled holes #23-188-218. This has been a shift since the summer of 2025, though they’re still carrying the standard salmon index cards (without predrilled holds for card catalog rods). A conversation with their customer service team seems to indicate there aren’t plans for discontinuing their … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
04 Dec 00:24 • Chris Aldrich

Fundamentals Of Hypercomplex Numbers | UCLA Extension

Majestic green tree in front of the 3 story brick building that is part of the Math Sciences Building at UCLA

Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This winter, he’ll be introducing hypercomplex numbers to those interested in abstract math: Fundamentals Of Hypercomplex Numbers. His courses are thorough and rigorous, but geared toward lifelong learners and beginners … Continue reading Fundamentals Of Hypercomplex Numbers | UCLA Extension

Chris Aldrich
27 Nov 00:12 • Chris Aldrich

I now have definitive written proof of a numeric indexing system (delineated in a popular textbook for secretaries, and published by a company which did significant business in Germany) from the mid-1920s with increasingly more detail into the 1940s and a fifth edition published in 1950. It’s exactly like, but notably predates, Niklas Luhmann’s alphanumeric … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
25 Nov 19:30 • Chris Aldrich

Twenty Four Correspondence Filing Systems

While digging about in indexing and filing systems, I ran across this chart created by the Oxford Filing Supply Company for a special Filing Supplies section of the May 1934 issue of Office Appliances magazine (Volume 59, Issue 5). It delineates the broad characteristics of most of the major commercially available filing systems of the … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
22 Nov 00:41 • Chris Aldrich

Zettel of the Year Awards

A black granite "index card" sits on a desk in front of a two drawer Shaw-Walker card index.

In preparing for some of my end-of-the-year review from my card index, I thought it would be interesting to choose the “Best Note of the Year”. Then it thought it might be worth choosing a “Best Insight”, “Most Surprising Note”, and a “Best Folgezettel” as well. And if you’re going to give out an award, … Continue reading Zettel of the Year Awards

Chris Aldrich
18 Nov 17:18 • Chris Aldrich

Banner that reads IWC San Diego IndieWebCamp 2025

This has been one of my favorite events for the past two years, and after a rough 2025, this is a great way to cap off the year. Even better, Tantek has already suggested a session on card catalogs that’s right up my alley: https://indieweb.org/2025/SD#Session_ideas.

Chris Aldrich
18 Nov 07:21 • Chris Aldrich

Wooden table with a green hardcover copy of Principles of Indexing and Filing on top of a copy of the fourth edition featuring a filing clerk on the cover. Next to the books is a yellow library catalog card for the first edition of the books.

The first section is on the rules of alphabetization and indexing to standardize the space of ordering cards for both people’s names and company names. The second section covers some history on basic filing techniques and then goes into alphabetic, geographic, numeric, and subject indexing methods. The final sections cover the L.B Automatic (Library Bureau), … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
18 Nov 01:27 • Chris Aldrich

Portion of a book page featuring an image of a card catalog tray full of index cards. In the front is a tab for November followed by 1/5 cut tabs numbered 1-31 followed by tabs for the months December - October.

Watching people online chat, ask questions, and generally get excited about their planners for 2026, I thought I would spend a few minutes to set up my Memindex-inspired planner version using 4 x 6″ index cards and tabbed dividers. It’s amazing how useful a $2.50 block of 500 index cards can be for planning out … Continue reading

Chris Aldrich
14 Nov 16:24 • Chris Aldrich

Yellow library index card with red lines and typed book details for Principles of Indexing and Filing.

Chris Aldrich
11 Nov 21:15 • Chris Aldrich

You’re Invited to Another Southern California Type-In!

View of the front street entrance of Vroman's Bookstore. An elegant purple lettered sign hangs over the door. In the foreground is an artistic and quirky plastic red "chair" in front of a Little Free Library box. On the adjacent wall is the window for Tepito Coffee with a yellow lettered sign. Beside this is a painted wall mural featuring a typewriter painted in red with a page coming out of it that reads: I will forever be in love with you. And that's not fiction.

“Like a jam session for people who like typewriters. You had unions do sit-ins and hippies do be-ins, so I thought, ‘We’ll do a type-in.’” —Michael McGettigan, 56, bike shop owner who coined the phrase With attendees from 8 months old to over 80, our Spring type-in was so successful, we’re hosting another one before … Continue reading You’re Invited to Another Southern California Type-In!

Chris Aldrich
07 Nov 06:39 • Chris Aldrich

There’s so much interesting to like in this post, but of particular interest to me is Gloria Steinem’s use of Wilson’s Memindex as her diary/to do list in 1960! Special thanks to my new friend Julian O’Shea who tipped me off to this little bit of history.

Chris Aldrich
05 Nov 22:06 • Chris Aldrich

Almost desk level view of a Dazor desk work lamp from the right side showing the subtle but blocky curves and the art deco-style lines. The lamp is pushed up slightly so we can see the two 18" long LED fluorescent-style bulbs. It sits on an oak card index box next to a brass raven desk decoration.

I had the ballast replaced to work with modern LED replacement bulbs and the switch upgraded to be able to control each of the two bulbs independently. I also cleaned of decades of grime and polished it up a bit. Thrift purchase for $24.98 from Goodwill on 2025-10-02.

Chris Aldrich
05 Nov 22:06 • Chris Aldrich

An interview set up with Susan Orlean in a chair on the left and David Perell facing her on the right. The background is a dark academia-esque set of bookshelves with old, vintage books and a handful of decorative book supports. Principle among these is a vintage Underwood standard typewriter which instead of standing by itself is being used to prop up a section of books which butts right up against it.

You know a typewriter is being used as flimsy filler decoration when it’s sitting on a shelf and simultaneously serving as a book support. A real writer’s typewriter is free and clear so that the carriage can move its full length.

Chris Aldrich
03 Nov 04:00 • Chris Aldrich

Typewritten score card for Game 7 of the World Series 2025

Last baseball game of the year.

Chris Aldrich
02 Nov 00:05 • Chris Aldrich

A black wooden "altar" with a black and cream colored Remington 666 typewriter sits next to a cocktail glass of blood red liquid. In the corner stands a kindergartener's black bat Halloween craft/decoration.

Samhain or All Hallows Eve when the boundary between the living and the dead has been blurred seems the best time to pull out the Remington 666 with the blood red ribbon and brew up a similarly colored Boulevardier cocktail to write about our wishes for the coming new year. Sláinte! How are you celebrating?

Chris Aldrich
31 Oct 10:24 • Chris Aldrich

An old fashioned glass with a large square ice cube and an eerie , blood red cocktail chills in front of a large gray Royal KMG typewriter. In the background a work lamp illuminates a group of books on a book case.

The blood red of the boulevardier works well on the night before Samhain. I’m pairing it with the 1950 Royal KMG (pica) to write about the ghosts of the year past.

Chris Aldrich
30 Oct 00:03 • Chris Aldrich

Typewritten index card which reads: Dear Trader Joe's: I suspect that if you move your sweet and dry vermouths out of the wine section and into the hard liquor section near the bourbon, gin, and vodka, you'll sell not only a lot more of the vermouth, but you’ll sell far more of the base liquors with them.

Chris Aldrich
30 Oct 00:03 • Chris Aldrich

Royal KMG typewriter on a desk with two piles of Greetings from Altadena postcards heaped in front of it. One of them is in the carriage ready to be typed on.

It’s been a rough year for a number of reasons, but I’ve bought a hundred postcards to try to catch up with people. Kindly send me your address if you haven’t heard from me in a bit and need proof of life.

Chris Aldrich
28 Oct 21:18 • Chris Aldrich

How do you use your typewriter? [Wrong Answers Only Edition]

It’s really an over-asked question: What do you use your typewriter for?. (tl;dr: writing). To make things more interesting and entertaining in the middle of the week, let’s turn it on its ear and ask only for the wrong answers today. Whether it’s use in food preparation: Throw a slab of steak into the segment … Continue reading How do you use your typewriter? [Wrong Answers Only Edition]