Audio recorder | Bell uses an Olympus digital recorder to capture everyday conversation. Easily available off the shelf.
Voice recording | A modified phone tap captures MyLifeBits phone calls and routes them onto a hard drive. Buy one at Radio Shack, or use Skype for online phone calls and HotRecorder[2] to record them.
Pictures | The Microsoft SenseCam snaps pictures of everything Bell looks at all day. A Webcam trained at your desk can automatically snap pics while you're sitting there, but on the road, you'll need to snap digital shots manually.
Web browsing | MyLifeBits automatically stores a copy of every page Bell views. The free "Slogger[3]" extension for Firefox will do the same for you.
Email | Bell never throws away email. Use Gmail[4], or buy a 250-GB hard drive for your computer, and you can hold a lifetime's worth of email.
Paper documents | Bell uses a Fujitsu scanner to turn every month's buildup of paper--letters, bills, everything--into PDFs. Almost any autofeeding scanner will do the same for you.
Finding stuff | MyLifeBits has a suite of experimental search tools to help Bell find things. You can use free Google Desktop[5] search or Windows Desktop Search[6]. PC users can also try PHLAT[7], an experimental tool from Microsoft. Mac users can buy DEVONThink[8] for truly intelligent searching.
