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What do you use as an Engineer's Notebook? Time for IdeaBook.com?

4ringfan

I'm trying to come up with the best memory archival tool.  Kind of a digital notebook of sorts.  I'd like something that I can store images, scraps of knowledge, notes, calculations, etc. and have it completely searchable. Right now, it is pen and paper, saved internet links in my browser, dropbox, and images on my phone.  My thoughts are probably scattered and saved somewhere, but they are never where I need them of course.  I can't seem to find anything when I need it.  Maybe I'll just have to blog everything on E-14 and have it searchable that way. Hehe, everyone get ready for my grocery list!  Putting the guys that use pen and paper aside (Sorry, but it just doesn't work for me), does anyone use any notebook apps that they are especially fond of?


The tools I commonly use:  Macbook, iPad, iPhone, and Desktop PC.


Ideally this application would be web based and useable anywhere by any device, it would be scalable and able to store vast chunks of data, and indexed for fast searches.  Suggestions?


Might be time to launch a new internet startup company called IdeaBook or something like that.  Just a white graph paper screen on which one can scribble notes, images, calculations, etc and have them stored like a journal and searchable like a database on the WWW.


Has anyone seen anything like that, or what do you guys use to record your stuff?

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  • 0

    I just found this list of online note apps on mashable.

    Top 10 Online Note Taking Applications

     

    I'm out in the field working right now, so I'll respod to everyones comments later, just so you understand the general direction of the online engineering "specific" notebook that I was imagining.

     

    i would like an online application that is not device specific, that is searchable, stores URLS, images, schematics, possibly videos, etc.

  • 0 in reply to 4ringfan

    Hi Mike!

     

    I'd say OneNote _almost_ meets your entire requirements, and is free.

    It has a browser-based version (so device-agnostic), and apps for iPhone/Android as well as the PC application. It stores images, and I just tested videos now too.

    The requirement regarding search seems to be met for the PC and iPhone/Android applications, but the web client version has a slightly limited search where it will only search the current page of the notebook, although if you search additional pages in the notebook you don't need to retype the search query, but you do need to select the page.

    The apps versions can search all pages in a notebook automatically in one fell swoop.

    The web client version search capability may not be such a restriction if (say) you organize your documents into many few-paged sections/notebooks, so that you already know the section you want, and then there may be only a few pages to click through. However I guess the web client search capability is only needed if you don't have your mobile with you or your normal day-to-day PC.

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  • 0 in reply to 4ringfan

    Hi Mike!

     

    I'd say OneNote _almost_ meets your entire requirements, and is free.

    It has a browser-based version (so device-agnostic), and apps for iPhone/Android as well as the PC application. It stores images, and I just tested videos now too.

    The requirement regarding search seems to be met for the PC and iPhone/Android applications, but the web client version has a slightly limited search where it will only search the current page of the notebook, although if you search additional pages in the notebook you don't need to retype the search query, but you do need to select the page.

    The apps versions can search all pages in a notebook automatically in one fell swoop.

    The web client version search capability may not be such a restriction if (say) you organize your documents into many few-paged sections/notebooks, so that you already know the section you want, and then there may be only a few pages to click through. However I guess the web client search capability is only needed if you don't have your mobile with you or your normal day-to-day PC.

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  • 0 in reply to shabaz

    I've seen these type of discussions before, and while the new technolgy tends to make some of them possible, I've got a question for you to ponder.

     

    Do you remember phone numbers, now you have a phone that stores it?

    Have you lost that ability to recall even 5 or 6 common ones.?

     

    The above becomes worse when you keep using that Technology to store meeting dates, birthdays, shopping and the like.

    You rely more and more on the technology and stop actually remembering.

     

    So now instead of recalling the event or item, you have to search for "what was that thing I had to do/I've seen this before" event.

     

     

    I agree that paper is often the best method, as the process of writing it tends to help cement it into the grey matter.

    Mark