You probably know that Alan recently published a new book, Feeding Baby Green. I wanted to give him a special gift to celebrate his accomplishment. A pen for a writer seemed like the perfect fit, but I had no idea how cool this pen would be. It records the audio in the room while you're taking notes (ideal for college students, professionals taking meeting notes, and journalists doing interviews). You can tag as you go to play back at specific locations without having to listen to the entire lecture or conversation. This is perfect if you think what was just said is going to be important later.

The pen also allows you to sync with your computer and upload your written notes as a pdf or into Microsoft Word for editing.

It's loaded with additional features like a translator (write in Engish and hear the word or phrase in Mandarin, say, or Swedish) and a digital display with date and time so you don't have to sneak a peak at your watch to see how much longer the class or meeting is going to last.

Potential draw backs: it's expensive, it uses special paper for some features, it has several parts (pen, docking station, headphone / microphone combination) so it may be easy to lose vital pieces, and did I mention it's expensive.

That said, if you're looking for a hot high tech gift this holiday season, I highly recommend it.

Basically, I am blown away.

Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpenis at Amazon.com

• ‹ Organic Lunchbox Snacks from Organix Goodies ...
• Cash Flow -- The Game (or is it?) ›