I’ve started my degree in computer studies about 3 weeks ago and I’m using my laptop to write down everything. As you already know, computer studies equals (more or less) mathematical studies, at least during the first year so I have to write down more than just plain text.

I use OpenOffice Math to write down complex equations easily. It integrates pretty well into OpenOffice Writer, so after a couple of days of learning the OpenOffice Math language, I can type equations pretty smoothly.

The only problem I have is when I need to add some graphic notes (graphs, parabolas, geometry etc.) to my documents. I’ve tried using a stylus, but found them to be more suitable for graphic designers and not for math.

Recently I bought the DigiMemo A502 which is a digital surface which you can place normal paper on and draw with a digital pen (using real ink). The DigiMemo comes with built-in 32MB memory so it remembers what you write for quite a while. You can jot down loads of pages and then dump it all using a USB connection. You can also expand its memory with a CF card.

I use this to write down everything I can’t type. Instead I just type the page number (which is visible on a small display on the pad) into the document and after class I just hook up my pad and copy&paste everything I jotted down.

This is a pretty cool gadget. Its great for situations where you have some neat design ideas and have to write them down. Its also great for meetings and such. The bundle comes with a trial version of some OCR application, but since I write mostly in Hebrew, I haven’t even installed it.

I think this pad does a fairly good job in terms of accuracy. Not perfect, but really good enough for its price.

Cons:

• A tad expensive (around $140, here in Israel)
• A tad heavy (560g) but not unbearable.
• Comes with a CF slot and darn it, why not SD?
• How about some wireless support? argh.

Pros:

• Saves my ass in class.
• Nice & sturdy design.
• Easy to operate, just turn it on and focus on what’s really important. (Math in my case, I guess…)
• Lets me draw cool stuff like:

Actually, I didn’t draw it, its a well known picture, but I swear I felt the exact same emotion today in class.

Overall, I’ll recommend this pad to just about anyone who will settle for 99% accuracy.

I’m an unemployed bastard. I’m actually quite happy that I left my workplace since I have a lot of free time to do things I actually like in software such as concentrating on learning new things and participating in open-source projects.

One of the hardest things I had to do when I left was to return my leased car. Really, I actually patted its trunk and wished it farewell.

Anyway, we have a different car now and I have a great ride on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but on Sundays I take a path few developers remember - public transportation.

Don’t know about your country, but public transportation here in Israel can be inefficient. I have to go a 30km distance by 4 means of transportation.

I get up ’round 5:30am, grab a quick shower and prepare the morning Macciato using my Bialetti Brikka.

Before leaving the house, I open up Google Reader just to make sure no new technologies have been released overnight. I quickly scan my favorite feeds and head on out.

First thing is a good 20 minute walk to the train station. Its still early in the morning so its not too hot outside and the walk feels refreshing and awakening. I hook up to my iPod Shuffle and take full advantage of these 20 minutes by listening to the latest Hanselminutes show.

After that I have a ~45 minute train ride. Trains here are quite comfy and spacious and working on a laptop is really convenient, so I pull out my hp nx7400 and work on some open-source projects (currently Regionerate) over the entire ride.

Following the train ride I have a ~30 minute bus ride, in which it is impossible to pull out old lappy so it’s the perfect time to give the posts in my Google Reader reading list a more thorough read. Good thing I have it synced to my iPAQ.

I get off the bus at a 10 minute walk from campus, I try to empty my head during this walk.

Then I get to college and learn things that are absolutely unrelated to my career, but still have to learn them because that’s the only way to get the degree.

On the way back I listen to the latest .NET Rocks! (a.k.a “The Cure for the Common Commute”) show while fixing all the unit tests I’ve failed on the way to Campus

Hey, I could have made it in 30 minutes by car, but this happens only once a week and is a really great opportunity to do stuff I really love. Better than being a traffic zombie.

How about you? Do you take full advantage of your ride to work?

I’ve upgraded this blog from Blogger to a self-hosted WordPress. Blogger wasn’t that bad but I found it to be a bit unprofessional when it came to real-life blogging behaviors (pings, categories, themes).

Anyway, upgrading was pretty easy and the blog is now available on http://www.rauchy.net/blog. In order to keep the validity of any permalinks that might be out there, the old subdomain (http://blog.rauchy.net) will remain available and will point to the new blog.

Please let me know if you find any missing links or if you see any kind of problem with the new blog. Thanks!

Also, I got the Meebo widget back on, so you can contact me freely using it.