Well, I want to know exactly what it is that he was supposed to remember. And what does he mean, “It cost me money to forget!” It could mean:
(a) He lost money because he blew some business deal, because he forgot to go to a meeting or something. I think that’s what they mean here. But it can also mean:
(b) He paid someone or something to prevent him from remembering. He really had to pay some money, in order to forget! Perhaps Lacuna, Inc? In which case, we may have a prequel to write.
And what a thrilling invention we have in the Memindex. It’s a card file! It’s revolutionary! Also fairly expensive for 1948, but worth a thousand times more than the $5.75 you will pay. Those little 3×5 cards must be embossed with gold. Or they are magically enchanted and can speak to you: “Hey, you loser! Don’t forget that meeting with Johnson this morning!”
Thank you to Lisanne! at Flickr for the image, from Popular Mechanics (1948).
I bet he could have bought a pencil and a notepad for a lot less.
Again, why would one try to sell a product by mail to people with poor memories? They might go so far as to write down the address of the company, but they would forget to mail it or forget to put a check in the envelope. On the other hand, they would also forget they ordered it in the first place, so you wouldn’t have to send the product to them. That would make it more profitable. Pros and cons, I guess.
Wow! That’s a lot fancier than the card system I talked about on my blog yesterday!I’m wondering where I can get my hands on one of those because now I feel woefully inadequate with my regular old colored cards and plastic box.
The Memindex 3000 easily organizes your iPhone, BlackBerry, pocket calculator, and restaurant receipts in a handy plastic systematizer you hang around your neck. And still only $5.75 (plus shipping and handling)! From your friends at The Wilson Memindex Co. and Northern Response.
This is a not a simple card system or memory method. No, it says right in the ad it is a personal systemizer. $5.75 was cheap for that.
Oops. See, I forgot some letters. It is a systematizer. Do you know what that could have cost me?
He would have to remember to use the Memindex firstly…
Tori – I don’t think he thought of that.Max – Well, yes, it is ironic, isn’t it? If you can get yourself together to order this, you probably can remember things on your own – or as Tori suggests quite rightly, with a notepad and pencil.Dr. Julie-Ann – I thought of your post yesterday after I wrote this! Brian – Oh no, you have to wear it around your neck?Da Old Man – I could use a good systematizer around here, actually.Amy – That’s true, I can just see him ordering it and then just…leaving it in the box. Forgotten!
Or you can order the NEW Pocket Memindex 3000! Holds important lint, rare coins, bottle caps, phone numbers of strange men/women on matchbook covers, and paperclips of various colours. Still only $5.75 (plus shipping and handling)!
….and then my hand turned into a claw!!! Arrrghh!
And, sometimes, it costs me money to remember. LOL!
Brian – Sounds like a winner!
Lin – Oh no!Me-Me – It costs me money when I don’t remember to make a grocery list…
Considering that the minimum wage back then was 40ยข per hour, you would need a good enough memory to climb the ladder to afford one of these handy helpers.
Bill – That’s true. Maybe they thought you had worked so hard you were too tired to remember how you got there.
Is it live or is it Memindex?
Hairball – I have no idea, and dare not ask!
What a coincidence! I saw one of the Memindex card wallets at a flea market today, fell in love with it and scored it for $3. I really dislike spiral-bound notebooks, and the 3×5 cards are perfect for taking notes.