Idea book

[Bob Hayes]

Here is a tip for all you newbies out there. Buy an inexpensive scanner for your computer(Cannon has one for $99), and get a three ring binder and a hole punch. Every time you see an article that has something you think you might be able to use some time in the future, make a copy, and put it in your idea book. You could have catagories such as track plans, bench work, laying track, scenery, DCC and wiring, etc. And of course you are bookmarking the websites the posters link to, right???? Do the same thing with your bookmarks, too.
Bob Hayes

[ericsp]

Is that legal?

[leonardbrand]

Hope so! Been doing it for years,You can not sell or any way profit on someones else ideas,without thier written consent but you can collect them for your own personal use, and in talking to someone about things that you downloaded, be honest and give credit to where it came from. We all collect ideas from others I've even collect some from Jack Danials, not some of my best,but at the monent seem like the thing to do.

[cacole]

As long as you don't print and sell these items, it's perfectly legal to make a copy for your own use. Besides, the FBI is too busy chasing real criminals to come to your house and bust you for scanning a magazine article.

[CBQ_Guy]

I've been doing this since I got my scanner 1 1/2 years ago. I also print out useful info I may need from online sources, lists, forums, etc., using draft mode when I print to save ink.

[BurlingtonJohn]

In the drawings in Model Railroader, there always used to be the caveat that a modeler had the right to make copies in order to assist their own model making, but you don't have the right to distribute the copies to others.

I'm with Paul. I save pictures of ideas to my hard drive, as well as copy and/or print things out. One of these days, the stuff will come in real handy when I start building my layout!

Regards,
Burlington John

[jguess733]

My dad has been doing that for as long as I can remember. Although he just copies the articles/drawings, and places them in his fileing cabinet, he's not into the whole computer thing, he won't even consider using DCC. I love flipping through his files looking at wealth of information he has.

[Anonymous]

The computer just makes it easier to vacum up the material and store, old style cutting and pasting was taking too long. That scanner does help. If my hard drive was actual physical stuff instead of magnetic bits arranged in 1's and 0's I would have blew out three of my houses full of stuff anyway.

[Jetrock]

I don't do much "idea booking" of modeling techniques, but I have a fairly thick couple of folders with historical research information, gleaned from libraries, museum archives, and the Web. It lets me consolidate hard-to-get research information and keep it at hand. I also have a tendency to grab any images I find online that would aid in research in the same manner...space on my HD is less dear than space on my bookshelves!

[Anonymous]

Over the past few months, I've taken all my magazines, cut out with a razor blade knife any articles I couldn't live without, and scanned them into the computer. I've only printed articles a couple times (it takes way too much ink, and it's more fun to pull stuff up on the computer then make it dissapear when I'm done).

I freed up so much book shelf space. Also, everything is now where I can find it.

I'll never search though an old pile of magazines ever again. That was such a pain.

Utah Belt articles for example, all in one directory. George Sellios articles, one directory. Handlaying track & turnouts in one directory. Scratchbuilding a brass loco in one directory (instead of like 10 magazines). It's the best man.

Did the same with a bunch of drumming magazines - categorized by drummer. (Now I really had a lot of those: 15 years worth).

Aren't computers great?

The only "magazines" I've kept are the Annual GMR and MRP issues. I'm considering doing the same with them (to achieve the "utah belt directory", "CM&SF directory" effect mentioned above). But they're almost like books, you know? Not a constant string of ads with about 3 articles you want to save like the magazine (not knocking the magazine - all the ads are the necessary reality of publishing, I'm sure).

No magazines cluttering up my bookshelf. I know, they're fun to have around, but after a while, they became a burden for me.

[Bob Hayes]

Have you checked the prices being paid for back issues of Model Railroader? Instead of cutting out the articles and then scanning them into the computer, why not just scan them and then sell/give the magazines to some one else. Once you start cutting them up, they're of no use to anybody. The only reason I have an idea book, is to keep the articles in one place, easy to get to rather than scattered in 56 yrs. worth of back issues. The reason to keep the back issues? Sometimes it interesting to go back and look at the ads and see where we've come. And while I'm there, I just might find something of interest I wasn't looking for.
Bob Hayes

[Anonymous]

I started by scanning without cutting. But it is MUCH more difficult to get a good scan that way.

Scanned and placed on the scanner one sheet at a time - gets some really good preservation of the nice "candy" pics I love so much. Without cutting it out, it doesn't work as well.

Some may not like me saying this, but librarys, neighborhood kids, etc. aren't as needy for this stuff now that they have the internet.

I practically had to force my drum magazine collection on someone. Selling on ebay, etc. is worthless.

[tstage]

As long as you own the magazine, you shoiuld be able to make one personal copy of it for your own use - e.g. archiving purposes. Perhaps someone who is a copyright lawyer, or in that line of business could address the issue for us.

Tom

[Anonymous]

The local hobby shop accepts old magazines. Modelers can come in, and give a donation to the model railroad at the childrens hospital, and take as many as they like. Great idea if you ask me, and it goes to a good cause too.
Morgan

[Anonymous]

Websites can disappear....If you find something important on a website I suggest either printing it out or copy-paste the content to a local file Don't rely on bookmarks for an 'archive' !!!
Jennifer.

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jennifer RR

Websites can disappear....If you find something important on a website I suggest either printing it out or copy-paste the content to a local file Don't rely on bookmarks for an 'archive' !!!
Jennifer.

Boy, I'll say. I learned that the hard way.

I had a site bookmarked the last couple years or more with a write up and pictures on mating a Walthers turntable to an Atlas TT. The better looking, but crappy operating Walthers turntable, would sit on top of the better operating, but as nice looking, indexed Atlas unit

Now and then online someone would remember seeing the site, but wouldn't know what/where it was. At that point I would look in my bookmarks and share the link with them.

Until the last time . . . the site ain't there no more! D'oh!!