No. 318 - Wacom Bamboo Tablet

A Facebook friend today posted: Dreamt I had a notepad hooked directly up to my computer. Finally I could go paperless without giving up my need to doodle and sketch and jot notes... so I woke up and installed OneNote and bought a Bamboo Wacom tablet.

I learned that this is a device you write on using a digital pen, or stylus. Whatever you write shows up on your computer screen. I suppose I knew these things existed. In fact, it appears that this is the device used to create the videos by the Khan Academy, the subject of Post No. 236.

Wacom is a Japanese company. Its name comes from the Japanese words Wa for "harmony" and Komu for "computer". It is one of the largest graphics tablet producers, and is very popular with artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, who commonly cite it as an industry standard. It apparently has a 94 percent market share in Japan and 85 percent share in the rest of the world.