Squeal!

If you want to make me squeal...

First, get your mind out of the gutter.

Second, buy me a Pulse Pen!

"What is a Pulse Pen?" you ask.  Well, let me tell you.  It's a pen that actually writes, while taking a picture of the writing so you can upload it to your computer. Once uploaded, you can "translate" it to text, use a keyword search to find a place in your notes or journal—or whatever you decide to use the pen to write.  You can even share pencasts. Here's my first one:

First Pencast
brought to you by Livescribe

But wait, there's more! While you're writing, you can use the pen to record a lecture you may be taking notes on. The pen then links the notes to the audio so you can go back to parts of the lecture you didn't quite understand. Or, if you wish, you can just use the pen as a voice recorder.

And there's no catch. The handwriting to text software does cost $30 extra. The ink cartridges are a little more than what you'd pay for fountain ink. The special paper can be printed for free (Note to self: Possum tooth broke printer, put new printer on shopping list.). It charges through a USB port. And the interface is as intuitive as a smart phone.

So I think I made a pretty good investment.  And I'm still ooohing and ahhing over it.