So months ago, Around 6 months ago, when I first started thinking about XML flashcards, I couldn’t find much.

Now that I have taken the plunge and wrote some software to do it, everybody is doing it. I do a search for ‘xml flashcards’ and now suddenly there is lots of info. How did I miss all of this 6 mos ago when I was hoping to find that someone else had already done it?

Well now I’m gonna search and see if people have made any cool data sets. If so then I’m just that much further ahead. I have the program written to take the XML file and print it to pre-punched business card blanks. That way I get 10 cards per sheet. (After manual duplex printing.)

I punch a hole in the upper left hand corner of these and bind them by chapter or subject using a 3/4″ binder ring.

I feel compelled to rant about binder rings. A few years ago you could get them anywhere. All the major office supply stores carried them in boxes of 100 for good prices. Now it seems that they think these things are made o’ gold. They sell them in packs of 3 (three. no really three) for the price they used to sell a box for.

One of my most treasured possessions is a box of 9/16″ binder rings. Never before and never again will you these these. I got them in London in the year 1998 or so. Nobody makes them. People think I am an unfrozen caveman when I ask about them. Bah.

All this because I wanted flash cards to study my Italian.