Livescribe!
Note: not actually dead. Just very infrequently online, as work is super-busy and home internet is still "in progress" according to Netspace. I'm also getting ready for the CRC conference next week.
I bought a Livescribe pen after eyeing them off since February. What made me decide to buy one now? Mac OSX support, the ability to export audio in AAC format, and my 2009 research support funding not rolling over from year to year... I'll be using this to record many interviews and conference sessions over the next couple of years, so I will hopefully be using my support funding to pay for it.
For the uninitiated: it's a pen, with a built-in microphone and a small camera that helps it work out where it's writing on a page. You can record digital versions of all your notes, with audio linked to them. When you want to listen to the playback, just tap the written notes and listen from that point.
It can also do stereo recording with a microphone headset. While the files are obviously going to be larger, it's a nifty trick for filtering out background noise in busy recording environments: your brain is used to focusing on the sounds that are balanced between left and right (they come from the thing you're looking at), so it should help when several people are talking.
I have downloaded the Livescribe Desktop software, and will have a play with it tonight. If it all works as planned, I'll record seminars at the Social Media 2009 conference tomorrow. I should be able to put these online ("pencasting" :D ) so the world can see my messy handwriting, and listen to some interesting seminars.
I bought a Livescribe pen after eyeing them off since February. What made me decide to buy one now? Mac OSX support, the ability to export audio in AAC format, and my 2009 research support funding not rolling over from year to year... I'll be using this to record many interviews and conference sessions over the next couple of years, so I will hopefully be using my support funding to pay for it.
For the uninitiated: it's a pen, with a built-in microphone and a small camera that helps it work out where it's writing on a page. You can record digital versions of all your notes, with audio linked to them. When you want to listen to the playback, just tap the written notes and listen from that point.
It can also do stereo recording with a microphone headset. While the files are obviously going to be larger, it's a nifty trick for filtering out background noise in busy recording environments: your brain is used to focusing on the sounds that are balanced between left and right (they come from the thing you're looking at), so it should help when several people are talking.
I have downloaded the Livescribe Desktop software, and will have a play with it tonight. If it all works as planned, I'll record seminars at the Social Media 2009 conference tomorrow. I should be able to put these online ("pencasting" :D ) so the world can see my messy handwriting, and listen to some interesting seminars.