Quickies — MIT's Intelligent Sticky Notes

Iddo Genuth writes to mention that MIT researchers have made their first pass at bringing the common yellow post-it note into the digital age. Using a combination of artificial intelligence, RFID, and ink recognition, the team hopes to make the digital version as ubiquitous as possible. "The Quickie application not only allows users to browse their notes, but also lets users search for specific information or keywords. Using a freely available commonsense knowledge engine and computational AI techniques, the software processes the written text and determines the relevant context of the notes, categorizing them appropriately. "The system uses its understanding of the user's intentions, content, and the context of the notes to provide the user with reminders, alerts, messages, and just-in-time information" - said the inventors. Additionally, each Quickie carries a unique RFID tag, so that it can be easily located around the house or office. Therefore, users can be sure never to lose a bookmarked book or any other object marked with a Quickie."

Comments

as ubiquitous as possible

[smittyoneeach]

as ubiquitous as possible

Ubiquitous means omnipresent.
English, mon frer, do you speak it?
If you make an intelligent sticky note that's so unique, it's one-of-a-kind, and you put it on Nigel Tufnel's amp, and he cranks it up to 11, will /. editors suddenly become competent?

Re:as ubiquitous as possible

[75th Trombone]

I wish you would stop regularly alternating between decently insightful posts and off-topic tediopedantic flamebait so I could decide whether to leave you on my Friends list or not. :P

Sometimes simplicity...

[Hangtime]

is best. I have to write my sticky on a touch-sensitive pad which will then need to be transferred to the PC, undergo handwriting recognition and AI to try to ascertain what the heck I meant which will then try to organize that information.

Or, I can continue using my sticky notes and organizing them on my cube wall (a much larger surface and higher resolution then my 19 inch monitor), freely moving them from one place to another, changing meaning through organization without having to worry about manipulating them on a computer.

Forgive me but I believe this is a tool in search of a problem that does not exist.

Re:Sometimes simplicity...

[neokushan]

Or to put it in simpler terms...

"if it ain't broke..."

This does seem to be a prime example of over-engineering and tackling a problem that either doesn't exist or can be fixed via much simpler means, i.e. training the "user" to be better organised. It reminds me of NASA spending millions developing a pen that would work in space, while the Russians just used pencils....

I'd rather they spent the money they used researching this to develop glues that have the same properties as that used on post-it notes, but don't lose their stickiness over time, combine that with a reusable form of paper and you have yourself a winner.

Then again, I suppose you could just use small, magnetic whiteboards to achieve a similar result....hmmm...perhaps I should take a trip to the patent office...

Re:Sometimes simplicity...

[Hojima]

I'm pretty sure its development was for the sake of progress rather than the replacement of an already loved product. Remember this is MIT that developed it, not some commercial entity. I'm pretty sure that the main reason for its conception was another baby step towards creating a system that assists humans with their means of communication, which may seem trivial, but it is a crucial step towards modernizing the way humans interact with machines. FTA:"The scientists say Quickies can be used to seamlessly blend the old-fashioned and modernized ways of communication". I'm sure the next step is to have the system analyze the code that the programmer is developing, and based on the comments and general coding habits, lay out the skeleton of the program (or perform some other vital function, like warn the coder of a possible logic error with his objective).

Re:Sometimes simplicity...

[pipingguy]

"wouldn't of"

Aaaaarrrghhh! One doesn't even have to be a junior high school graduate to be annoyed by this misuse of the language. Or is being ignorant about language "cool" now, similar to the way that ignorance of math is "cool" for those that can't program computers?

Is this really a problem?

[sdkmvx]

I may be old-fashioned, but I see no need to use more than the assortment of paper I have on my desk for notes.

Paper costs ~$40 for 20 pounds; and I can pick it up, put it in my pocket, and take it to the grocery store. And if I drop it, its not damaged. An equivalent computerized system costs ~$300 (PDA) and does not respond well to being dropped. I would also have to remember to check my to do list. A note on a desk/keyboard/table/whatever is much more likely to be seen.

Wait a minute...

[clichescreenname]

... since when do MIT students get quickies?

Or any sex, for that matter?