Microsoft OneNote (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/)
OneNote has been around for years, but not many people know about it or use the powerful tool. The people who do use it, are usually vocal advocates of how it can help them in many ways. OneNote is what I would consider a hybrid application that is part Word/PowerPoint/Publisher with a host of other features tossed in. You can do notes obviously, but it will also do screen grabs, convert voice and handwritten notes to text as well as being searchable. It integrates really well with SharePoint, and the program is laid out like a notebook so it is easy to get around. The list of features goes on and on. Now that it is included in Office 2010, it might be worth taking a look at to see if it is a good fit for you.
Ambient Weather WS-1170 (http://www.ambientweather.com/amws1170.html)
I’m not a big weather person. Living in Chicago you quickly get used to just dealing with the crazy weather changes. A couple of years ago I received a weather station as a holiday gift. It worked OK and it was helpful knowing what the outside temperature was at that moment. Well, the device died and since I was used to having one, it was time to look for a replacement. After doing some research, I found the Ambient Weather one and for only $30 it is a bargain that packs a lot of features for the price. This device shows temperature of course, but also dew point, humidity, and even a barometric pressure history with some simple weather guides showing you a fairly accurate forecast of what to expect in the near future (IE: symbol of rain clouds moving to sunshine, etc.). The large display makes it easy to see and read from across the room. If you want a weather station then check this one out since it works great.
