I have long been a gadget geek. I have a binary-coded decimal clock in my office, a Linksys SPA 942 VoIP desk phone, a wireless router running custom firmware, a Garmin nüvi 360 GPS for my car, etc.
But all these gadgets serve some practical function. I have learned, over the years, to use gadgets where they are useful, not everywhere.
I find freehand sketches very useful, nay indispensable to problem-solving: whether it's formulating rules for phonological assimilation, or composing an SQL schema, writing and drawing are, for me, indispensable tools for organizing my thoughts.
Though I make extensive use of Journler, Scrivener, and OmniGraffle after looking high and low for an application to quickly create and edit a rough sketch of a process, perusing the isles of the local Staples, I finally came across a set of 8½ x 11 marker boards. A perfect fit.
- They're light–much lighter than a Tablet PC,
- They're relatively clean (cleaner than chalk, anyway) and can be edited instantly without clicking on a palette to switch tools, you just use a finger to wipe off a mistake,
- No, you can't make backups, but you don't need to. This is a thinking tool, not a revision of a final product.
An inexpensive, effective solution to the problem-solving mechanism.
