As we go about our daily activities we generate a large amount data. We go places. We have conversations. We spend money and buy particular products. We work on various tasks. Often we would like to remember that information, and in some cases, such as criminal investigations ideal to have “total recall” with video if possible.

Before computers, recording this information was a manual process with pen and paper. Most modern gadgets have simply replaced the pen and paper with stylus and touch screen. However, there are some devices and software that simply record your activity without any assistance. The information is available and the right solution can just gather the data as it happens. Then it provides useful and structured searching and reporting of the information.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Trackstick: This inexpensive device records where you go and provides a means to record way points for future notice. The information can later be displayed on Google maps. You can record jogging routes, sales trips, fishing expeditions (with hotspots) and more. I think this space is going continue to grow. I suppose cellphones will take over here since I think they already offer real time GPS.
• Nike pedometer: Any pedometer is a great example of gathering implicit information. The Nike implementation is clearly robust since it works with the iPod to track steps and more. I am not sure if it records velocity or impact, but it should.
• TimeSnapper: This great product takes a picture of your desktop at regular user-defined intervals. It also records the active application at the time the image is taken. The user can then replay the day. This implicit diary refreshes the memory of what happened. It also aligns activity to time for reporting. If an important text-based document is lost, you can often jump back to the day you worked on it and use the OCR capabilities to recover the information.
• SenseCam: This is a “life recorder” that Microsoft Research is developing.
• IBM and Maersk Logistics: These companies have developed real-time cargo container tracking. Each container device can talk to other containers to leap frog information back to a central computer as a mesh network. The container is aware of the lighting changes which implies intrusion. It detects geo-location, moisture levels and more.

I would like a system that keeps track of what I buy down to the product. Costco knows exactly how much I spent with them last year. Now I just need it in an itemized report so I can track expenditures more accurately.

For better or worse, with little intervention, computers will dig deeper and deeper into the information we create to provide us with a thorough look at what we do.