                             Paper and Pencil


     The  current information revolution has emphasized the importance  of
low cost easy-to-use memories for recording, computing, and data handling.
The  PAPER  (Passive Accumulative Permanent Erasable  Raster)  and  PENCIL
(Plotter/Encoder/Notator  for Ciphers,  Icons,  and Letters) system  meets
these requirements,  and provides a flexible format from which information
is retrieved by optical character recognition.

     Paper  is  a modular storage medium,  implemented in  fibrous  sheets
typically  0.125 mm thick.   Contents are nonvolative and readout is  non-
destructive.

     The  pencil  is a solid-state data entry  instrument,   whose  active
element is a carbonaceous rod of LEAD (Local Entry Access  Device).   This
is  commonly  encased  in a wooden tube of  circular  or  hexagonal  cross
section.   General  purpose  LEAD's  are black,   although  a  rainbow  of
alternative colors are also available.

     Pencils  must  be calibrated before initial  use,   and  recalibrated
periodically to compensate for wear.   Special purpose SHARPENERS (Shaping
ARangement  for  Pointing  ENds of ERsatz Styli) are  available  for  this
operation,  but knives,  files,  and teeth may be employed.

     In  use,  the  pencil is grasped above the calibrated tip  using  the 
thumb and first two fingers of either hand.  The upper shaft of the pencil 
is  allowed to rest on the side of the hand,  between the thumb and  index 
finger.   A slight force is applied to hold the tip against the paper  and 
the  pencil  is  moved  to  trace out  characters  at  the  desired  paper 
addresses.   Line  intensity  and width are affected  by  applied  forces, 
velocity of pencil movement, lead hardness, and paper quality.

     An  ERASER (ERror And Superfluorus Entry Remover) may be  affixed  to 
the pencil shaft,  for deleting data.   In use, the eraser is brought into 
contact with the paper, and is rubbed back and forth over the addresses to 
be cleared.

     In  principal,  paper  may  be erased  and  re-written  indefinitely.  
However, remnant writing and pink noise induced by the writing process may 
exaust its ability to accept new information.   In some instances  erasure 
also ruptures the storage medium,  rendering it of marginal future value.

     An alternate means of data removal,  crossing-out, involves inserting 
deletion  lines  or scribbles over unwanted information.   It  is  usually 
possible to recover crossed-out data,  which is very useful in the event a 
user decides the origional idea wasn't so bad after all.


          (Adapted from a story by Alan Krigman that appeared in
              INSTRUMENTS and CONTROL SYSTEMS,  March 1972)


            