I used to use the number two pencil for this kind of thing, but I find that while it works well with looseleaf paper, and (my preferred tool for "analog storage medium") the unruled three-buh-five card, the resulting records are subject to generational degradation over usage, especially when typical usage includes being carried in pockets or school bags. The ball-point pen (wide-tipped is my preference) significantly reduces the generational usage loss, although it's not immune to it.
Additionally, the tools that the broad classes of pencil/pen-like utilities are compatible with tend to be incompatible with utilities that I use to mitigate this generational loss, namely rsync, unison, md5, sha256, and Git. (I've heard rumors of prototypes that are compatible with these utilities, but I've yet to see them personally.) Remember, there are only two types of computer users: those who've experienced data loss and those who are about to. While I do still stick with pen and three-buh-five for quick notes whose longevity is not important or whose data is already stored redundantly elsewhere, or as an alternative to LaTeX when I don't have access to an input device, I've generally switched to LaTeX for subject notes which I want to keep around for a while. I do still use the three-buh-five family of tools for early speculative design documents, though, since the interface is much easier for spatially arranging thoughts. (The Gimp and PBrush are just not very user-friendly for things like pressure-sensitive strokes or tactile feedback, at least not without a lot of specialized hardware.) -------------------- BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ The opinions expressed in this message are the responsibility of their author. They are not endorsed by BYU, the BYU CS Department or BYU-UUG. ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
