It will last longer.Â
Last year I was installing a new video card into my computer. The instructions said that I should write down the serial number printed on the card before installing the card inside my computer because the number was needed during the software installation process. There were three or four numbers and none was labeled as the serial number. I hate to write down long strings of seemingly random numbers. I always transpose a couple of the digits and then I’m stuck.
I had just uploaded some pictures to my computer and my camera was right in front of me. Why write something down when I can take a picture of it. My camera can take a very high resolution picture and I have a macro lens for getting in close. Two seconds later I had a nice picture of all those numbers.
That gave me an idea. Why not keep track of all my important “numbers” with pictures. It’s like using a photocopy machine, but much more versatile. Now I take pictures of anything more complicated than a phone number. The insert is a UPS tracking sticker for my kid’s Nintendo DS. I stuck it on the box and snapped a picture. I’ve done the same with all my serial numbers and key codes. I have a folder on my computer named “serial numbers” and all the pictures go in there.
TSPY=0.56
![Dum Dum Dum Dum Da Dum Dum Da Dum [406/1000]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6854417645_0612db02f1_t.jpg "Dum Dum Dum Dum Da Dum Dum Da Dum [406/1000]")
![Manual Aperture [405/1000]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6849853919_313cb31dae_t.jpg "Manual Aperture [405/1000]")
![Big Tree Beside Road [404/1000]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6844404451_6d2eb083df_t.jpg "Big Tree Beside Road [404/1000]")
![Night Lights [403/1000]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6844370787_1f6ab62b3f_t.jpg "Night Lights [403/1000]")
I have used this method for several things. The one that saved me the most time was troubleshooting a water leak between the meter and the house. If you have ever seen a water meter you know that it consists of several dials and then a “odometer type” numeric display. When I was trying to find the leak I would take a picture of the meter, then turn off an area of the house, wait, then take another picture, then compare the two. The date stamps on each picture helped as well. With the pictures it was easy to see any movement in the dials, as they measure small amounts of water as it moves through the meter.