iLust

I know that I should be saving my nickels and dimes for the trip this fall, but I couldn't help myself. Really. I've got one of the first-generation iPods, purchased the first week that Apple was rolling them out. That rollout happened to coincide with the technology budget that I'd received as a new hire at Syracuse, and of course, the ability to use my iPod as a portable drive allowed me to add it to my wish list.

And I've slowly watched the damn things improve, to the point where a lot of the accessories are simply incompatible with my pokey little 5 gig, first-gen pod. Heck, I've stopped downloading iPod software upgrades, for fear that I'd mess it up somehow.

And so, I placed my order this afternoon for a new "click wheel," 4th gen model, along with car adapter, extra dock, etc. The works. Couldn't help myself. And as I was poking around at sites checking out accessories, I came across the following article about an NEC project, called P-ism (P as in Pen). Oh. My. God. Here's one of the promo photos:

The design concept uses five different pens to make a computer. One pen is a CPU, another a camera, one creates a virtual keyboard, another projects the visual output and thus the display and another a communicator (a phone). All five pens can rest in a holding block which recharges the batteries and holds the mass storage. Each pen communicates wireless, possibly Bluetooth.

Let me say that again. Oh. My. God. Of course, the prototype cost about $30K to put together, and realizability is sketchy on a couple of the pens, but damn. It's enough to make me go out and buy a pocket protector.