I Have Been Scanning My Mail for More Than Ten Years
I have scanned almost every letter for more than ten years. Today I ask my archive a question and receive the answer together with its source.
Operus Search – Find Everything, Share Nothing
SERIES · 9 PARTS
Nine chapters about turning more than ten years of scanned mail into a local, searchable archive with verifiable answers.
My Documents Should Stay with Me
Insurance policies, contracts and tax assessments: I wanted them searchable, but I did not want them to leave my network. That was the first decision.
How My Archive Became Searchable
What happens when the NAS disappears for a moment? How Operus Search watches my folders, picks up new letters and avoids forgetting anything prematurely.
A Scan Is Not Text Yet
A scanned letter looks perfectly readable yet may not contain a single word for a search engine. Text recognition is what makes my archive searchable.
Search Had to Work Without AI
Operus Search is a search engine first. Full-text search works without a language model — and reveals where its limits lie.
The First Question to My Own Archive
Instead of guessing search terms, I ask my archive an ordinary question — and receive an answer together with the letter it came from.
When the Answer Is Spread Across Many Letters
Who did I spend the most with in 2024? The answer is spread across many letters. Why AI may understand the question but should not do the arithmetic itself.
What Changed — and What Still Applies?
Quotation against invoice, old contract against new, warranty against statutory rights: how a strictly limited research assistant compares letters.
AI That Genuinely Saves Me Work
More than ten years of scanned mail — and today my archive answers questions. Locally, with verifiable sources and clear boundaries.