From the "I Didn't Know They Could Put a Computer in That" department, apparently the Livescribe Echo™ Smartpen is a pen computer that runs software. No, it's not a tablet -- it's a computer inside a pen. Out of the box, the pen has handwriting/drawing recording, audio recording, a built-in display with clock, a speaker, and various apps. The thing even has an App Store. Um. So yeah, now your pen can be smart too. In my day, it was pretty sweet if your pen had a decent grip and a way to change... READ ON

Just because the people of your city are supportive of bicycle use doesn't mean the terrain itself is. When it comes to massive hills, all but the most dedicated cyclists will often find themselves discouraged. Fortunately, the people of Trondheim, Norway, have found a way to work around this problem. Trondheim installed an experimental Trampe System, designed by Jarle Wanvik. The basic concept allows the bike rider to place one foot on the lift and be tugged to the top of the summit. The hill chosen... READ ON

How can you force people to be more water wise? By making them think that an innocent animal's life depends on their actions. Designer Yan Lu's "Poor Little Fish Basin" uses guilt and fear to help curb the wasteful use of water. Every time someone uses the sink, the water in the fish bowl—which is not actually connected to the sink water pipe—starts to drop. When the water is turned off, the water begins to rise again. Whether or not the fish can actually die, you'd probably feel compelled to be... READ ON

Here at the _floss, we love Scrabble and have written about it often. Among others, there's Stacy's post on Scrabble words that will help you win, my post on how Alfred Mosher Butts, inventor of Scrabble, couldn't spell very well, and even a quiz by Jason Plautz testing your knowledge of 2-letter words. One of the topics we haven't really covered, however, are those big point-getters—the words that earn the most points and the people who've played "˜em. But before... READ ON