Why does the household spreadsheet stop at eleven rows?
Eleven rows can look very promising. The names are tidy, the photos are filed and someone has even adjusted the column widths. Then everyday life calls, and row twelve has to wait.
Each object brings a few little jobs: taking a photograph, working out what it is, writing a description and keeping the information somewhere useful. Repeat that across a shelf and a quick task becomes an afternoon. Making those repeated steps easier is a problem I enjoy working on.
What can samla.ai help with?
Photograph an item and AI suggests what it is, along with details and an estimated market value. Review the suggestion, add what you know and save it with its location, down to a room, shelf or box. You supply the part a camera cannot know, such as why that chipped bowl has survived every clear-out.
samla.ai is available on iOS and Android, in 12 languages.
When does a small catalog become useful?
As soon as it answers a real question. Start with records you tend to buy twice, or the box you keep opening because you can never remember what is inside. A handful of entries can save you a search or a duplicate purchase.
- See whether you already own something while browsing a shop.
- Find the right box without opening the other five.
- Keep a receipt and a condition note alongside the photographs.
- Prepare listing drafts for Discogs or eBay when you want to sell.
Let the catalog grow around those useful moments. A drawer this week and a shelf next month still give you something helpful in between.
Where do the stories go?
Some details will never turn up in a model number. Add a few lines beside the photograph: who used the object, where it came from and why you kept it. Someone else may be glad you wrote them down.
Invited collection members can contribute according to their access. One person can take photographs while another remembers the details. You end up with a record of the bowl, and perhaps a story you had never heard.
What would be enjoyable to start with?
Pick something you enjoy looking at: a favourite camera, a row of records or the box labelled “misc”. That last one has enjoyed a remarkably long career without explaining itself. A little curiosity is a good enough reason to begin.
FAQ
Do I need to finish a room first?
A few useful entries are enough to begin. Add more whenever they help you find something or answer a question.
Is this only for collections?
You can catalog everyday belongings using the same photographs and records. Tools, kitchenware and clothes fit alongside records and other collections.
