Summarizes unique advantages of paper, pen and digital media.

1. Paper, Pen
and Digital

2. Paper
 Extension of human memory and communication
 Cognitive efficiency
 Easy to read.
 Annotation is easy to recognize
 Easy to think and communicate.
 Space layout as you like.
 can quickly navigate pages.
 Sight memory - Color cover of files help or page
positions in a book help distinguish contents.

3. Paper (cont’d)
 Handy
 Cheap
 No electronic power
 Easy to carry: foldable, light weight.
 Easy to modify
 Easily annotate while reading.
 Easy to cut, staple, decorate by seal/stamp
 Information media in the time/space context
 Helped by space memory: Places in a house/room
help expect what the paper is.
 Be a reminder or message: paper on refrig, Post-It on a
page, Memo in car, card on a room door.

4. Pen
 Extension of human memory and communication
 Cognitive efficiency
 Can focus while writing.
 Writing is better remembered.
 Easy, fast and simple.
 Smaller steps to write than digital.
 Non-text (symbols, drawings) is as easy to write as text.
 Free format and layout.
 Can write while operating, walking, listening, conversing.
 One hand operation
 Handy
 No electric power
 Cheap

5. Digital
 Remote access
 Can update/input remotely.
 Can share with remote people
 Extension of human memory and communication
 Can easily store, copy, and update.
 Ready to computation – search, sort, spell check, etc.
 Persistent memory: Not be lost. Not be degraded
physically.
 Characters are beautiful. Layout automatically aligned.
 Link information - Can link any information with
bits/atoms: voice, image, movie, alert, Geo-tag, URL
 Instant communication

6. My Take-away
 Each paper, pen, and digital have unique
advantages which is hard to replace soon. Digital
industry should not simply mimic paper/pen.
Digital gadget should take its advantages.
 Tablet + Pen may enjoy a broad adoption soon.
 If we can make it easy to exchange medium b/w
paper and digital, our life will be easier.