Many of my thoughts come serendipitously - whether it’s an errand I need to run, an idea for a blog post, or a feature I should build into one of my projects. But unless I’m able to jot it down soon after it slips my mind until I have another serendipitous thought to bring it back. It’s frustrating when I know I had something but can’t recall what the actual thought.

A smartphone makes it a lot easier since I can always jot down some words to trigger the thought later on and I’ve also started carrying a small notebook for times I’d just like some pen and paper. Unfortunately, there are still a few cases where this approach doesn’t work. One is when I’m in a group and don’t want to bust out my phone and start taking notes. The others are where a phone just isn’t practical - whether I’m out exercising and don’t want to take a break, in bed where I don’t want to stare at a bright screen, or just in the shower. In those cases I’d love something akin to mind reading where I’d be able to just back up a thought to a place that I can reference later. The only idea I’ve had is a braille-like system that lets you enter the worlds tactilely. Imagine having a small device in your pocket that you can run your fingers over to type whatever you’d like. You’d be able to do this regardless of the location - whether you’re in bed or in a crowded subway car with your hand in a pocket. I’d love to see a Kickstarter for this.