Pile of Index Cards

ref. : Quadrille Indexcard in U.S.

I decide to start “tiny business”, smaller than “small business”, to provide Japanese indexcard and dock for someone who really want this system in hand. This is highly motivated by my experience in U.S ; it was enough shocking to push me to move. Also, it seems the Correct doesn’t responds to email from abroad.

Now I export the Correct’s product personally to you, using my spare time. I provide “Starter Kit” with,

* 5×3 size, quadrille
** The amount you will consume in 1.5 - 3 months

I guarantee a quality of the products. I will ship to U.S., Europe, Asia, everywhere in the world. Let’s share experience. ;)

Revised : 2006.12.21 21:03 I bought scale today. I found the postal fee must be corrected. Especially for Dock. It will be much higher. :/ I will update this article with new price table.

News : 2006.12.23 09:06 I have been preparing new order page.
News : 2006.12.26 20:01 New “Service” Page available

ref. : Indexcard Survey @ Shinjyuku
and @ San Francisco

What is surprise for me with quad (short for “quadrille”) card in U.S. is, as Lepard and Gregkise pointed out, the cut is not associated with the grid. As a result, if I see the card’s edge from top, the grid is totally random. This quad card could not be use for the PoI system, especially for “tag”.

Another difference is grid spacing. For Office Depot’s : 6 mm each, and for Correct’s : 5 mm each. Since I have been using 5 mm grid, the Correct’s one looks more tight, tense, and compact for me.

I have never imagine how different the quad card in U.S. and Japan. I realize that how difficult to obtain quad card like the Correct’s. Long time I had thought indexcard like the Correct’s is easy to get even in abroad ; but it’s not.

Summarize various reports from my friends (Leopard, Gregkise, John, Ayalan, and David) and my research, only the Correct achieve this marvelous, state-of-the-art work. And I realized that my method won’t be achieved without the Correct’s products. This is one large key of the PoI system.

As a simple solution for this problem, I decide to provide “Starter Kit” to you in abroad.

Revised 2007.01.02 12:01
Revised 2006.12.22 08:25 : Added photos and description about grid spacing.

I have been to San Francisco to attend meeting. In my spare time, I walked around Moscone Convention Center. I tried to look for an indexcard.

I found a stationery store close to the SFMOMA. The indexcards occupy a corner. There are 5×3, 6×4, and larger index card available. What is curious for me is there are a lot of colors, blue, yellow, red indexcards. I could find plain and ruled indexcard. Same time, I disappointed that I couldn’t find quadrille card in the store.

I found Office Depo, too. I could find indexcard with “Office Depo” brand. The price is relatively cheeper. This time I could find quadrille card from the “Office Depo” brand. But it is enough to make me surprise.

Last sunday, I went Shinjyuku, Tokyo, to survey how many indexcards are sold in stationery store there. I went to the Sekaido (世界堂), one of the largest stationery store in Shinjyuku. And it is close from a subway line that I use to go office.

It is 5 to 6 floor building, all with stationery and art goods. The indexcards are settled at the first floor in Sekaido. I could find name card size, 5×3 size, 6×4 size, B6 size with plain, printable, section (quadrille), 6 mm ruled, and 8 mm ruled. Also, Dock, index (separator), and purse are available. I still couldn’t find such a plenty of indexcard goods ever in Tokyo. In fact, I only found B6 and 5×3 card, two kinds each in another larger stationery store “Loft” @ Shinjyuku Mitsukoshi. The Sekaido is rare case.

When you come to Tokyo, you should come to Sekaido. This is a “Macca” for indexcard geek ;)

ref. : Website, Sekaido (in Japanese)
ref. : High resolution map @ Yahoo! Japan, Sekaido

ref. : Comment by David
ref. : Where to get Moleskine Memo Pockets?

David Lainer kindly gives some more information about Moleskine.

“Here are some other sites to purchase Moleskines, and related products:

• http://www.moleskines.com/

• http://www.moleskine.co.uk/

• http://www.moleskineus.com/ “

I think the PoI system resembles to human life.

0 - 1,000 (0 - teenage) : When I just started using indexcard. I just enjoy writing card day by day. I simply enjoy the Dock is filled by written card. This resembles when I was child. I enjoyed to get new information, knowledge from outside of me. Through family, friend, school, adventure, etc.

1,000 - 2,000 (20- 30 years old) : Keep up writing card. The number of card exceed a thousand. It can be reorganized/reused to find further knowledge. The system starts to function as knowledge database.

1,000 - 5,000 (30 - 40 years old) : Cards in the Dock is full. I added new Dock. Getting more and more difficult handle all cards in the Dock because of huge number. It takes an hour to flip through all cards. Same time, card and card is connected like organ. I find a pattern between card and card; which we call as “wisdom” in our life.

5,000 - (40 - years old) : A complexity of system being maximum. Difficult to handle all cards (ref. : Known issue). Now problem is how to reduce card. I should choose how to write, how not to write. How to keep, how to discard. Perhaps “forgetfulness” is an important feature of human in order to reduce information in a brain. For human, only high quality information survive by forgetting small things. Bunch of wisdom.

If you cannot find the Moleskine Memo Pocket in bookstore/stationarystore near you, the easiest way to obtain is to go Amazon, online book store, of your country. For example,

• @ Amazon.com
• @ Amazon.co.uk
• @ Amazon.de
• @ Amazon.fr
• @ Amazon.co.jp

There are two size, pocket and large. I use pocket size (14 cm x 9 cm). Confirm the dimension when you buy it.

Usually, Amazon discounts the Moleskine. For more information, please ask the Amazon of your country, or directly to Moleskine.com.