In the mail yesterday was a package small enough to fit in the mailbox. These things arrive sometimes, many days or weeks after I’ve placed an order for yet another gadget. Not so long ago, a pen that actually records video came in a similar small package. This pen plugs into a USB port for downloading data to your computer and I’ve tried it out and it works! The hard part is getting it turned on and then positioned just perfectly in your pocket, but with trial and error, I’m sure I’ll eventually get something useful. 

Yesterday’s package contained two USB drives that have a built in sound recorder. Seriously, they look just like any other flash or thumb drive, as people like to call them, except there is a switch to turn on or off the recorder. The instructions for using this device were written by someone who doesn’t have English as his first language, but hey, I’m a guy, so I just did what I thought was right and read the instructions later!

Turns out, there was just one little subtelty in the instructions that made a difference. Other than that, I had it right. Of course, like most people might, I held the thing up to my face and spoke in a clear strong voice that completely over drove the little microphone, so I sounded pretty foolish in playback mode. If you just leave the gadget laying on the desk and speak in a normal tone, the sound quality is remarkably good. 

Did I mention I got two of these? I did. Maybe Margaret would like to have one. I’ll see what she thinks. Time will tell if any of these things make any sense at all. As in, if they are not used routinely, then it was probably yet another senseless purchase, based on “gee whiz” technology sales (to an easy mark).