Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Free, cross-platform note-taking application Evernote offers a handful of tools for clipping content into your Evernote account, including the newly released Web Clipper Firefox extension. Aside from a Clip to Evernote entry in the right-click menu and a new toolbar button, the extension works just like the Clip to Evernote bookmarklet (perfect in its own right if you don't want to install another extension). The inline dialog autocompletes tags and adds the item to your Evernote account without interrupting anything you're doing. A Web Clipper keyboard shortcut would be nice, too, but the extension or bookmarklet are a must-have for anyone getting started with one of the best note-taking tools available.

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Wired-Marker permanently highlights text on web pages. Unlike web-based highlighters or offline options like previously-mentioned Scrapbook, Wired-Highligher is a hybrid of online and offline highlighting. So while you can't send highlighted content to someone else or view your content offline, you can see your highlighted content automatically any time you browse to the original web page. You can highlight content in a variety of colours and customise what your highlights mean to better categorize your highlighted content. Syncing capabilities would be killer, but as-is Wired-Highlighter is a great extension for highlighter junkies who feel left out in their browser.

Despite the wealth of information a Google search box puts at our fingertips, good old-fashioned note-taking is still one of the best ways to build a personal knowledge database. The only sensible solution used to be pen and paper, but computers have introduced a handful of excellent alternatives for capturing notes in computer-friendly digital form. Keep reading for a look at the five best note-taking tools according to our readers. Photo by Dvortygirl.

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Windows/Linux: Free note-taking app Incollector is a pretty convenient and lightweight way to keep small bits of data close at hand, while also keeping everything organised and easily accessible. Pull up Incollector from the system tray and tell it what kind of note you're adding—conversation snippet, web address, plain text, among others—and what tags apply to it. Add comments, give it a star rating, and all that data can be used to create saved searches, filter by tags or ratings, and even search from the system tray by right-clicking the icon. Incollector isn't a high-powered, universal note collector, but it fills its desktop role nicely. Incollector is a free download for Windows and Linux systems.

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Linux only: Free multimedia note organizer BasKet takes a page from Microsoft's OneNote, along with a good portion of Getting Things Done-style organisation, to offer an all-in-one spot to drop your thoughts and next actions. You can quickly paste in text and images, sure, but you can also set up launchers to open files with particular programs, grab a section of your screen to paste up, and grab text from files. BasKet also runs as a desktop widget, and offers a pre-built GTD package for help in getting yourself oriented. BasKet is a free download for Linux systems, and requires a number of KDE libraries to run. Thanks, Mark!

Web marketer and migraine sufferer Scott Clark is tracking all the daily variables—food, environment, activity, and the like—that surround his attacks with a migraine diary, and he's found text-to-speech services like Jott (original post) are the best hassle-free tool... Read More »

If you've ever forgotten the details of a recent conversation with a friend or family member, weblog Parent Hacks suggests taking notes during personal calls to improve your social brain.

When I forget enough of these details, the next time I talk to that person it sounds a lot like I wasn't listening, or worse, don't care.... At first it seemed odd to rely on tools to remind me about details I thought I should just be able to just keep in mind. I felt slightly guilty about even needing reminding about the most important people in my life. But it's better than forgetting.

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The Capturx is a digital pen that takes notes on real paper and transfers them to your PC with surprising accuracy. I saw a few of these types of pens in action a few years ago and wasn't impressed, but from the looks of things they're getting on track. Check out the video demo to see for yourself. The pen itself will set you back a hefty $350, but if you're a pen-and-paper type who wants to do less manual transfer of your jottings to digital documents, the price of admission might be worth it. If you have more experience with this specific tool or a similar one, let's hear about it in the comments.

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Being stuck in a meeting that has little to do with your actual work can feel like a waste of time—but don't zone out out of habit. The Corporate Hack blog suggests that even if your meeting isn't, well, enthralling stuff, taking detailed notes on what was said, who's going to tackle the issues brought up, and other topics can score you serious points with the boss, whether or not you're the designated note-taker. It also helps prevent your mind from wandering in a way that's obvious from a glance, and if there's really nothing to note, you can always (surreptitiously) plan out your own action list for after the meeting. How do you put a pen and paper to good use during your round-table time? Share your secret tactics in the comments.

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