computer science

LongPen

LongPen is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LongPen rather than just read about it. In short: The LongPen is a remote signing device that allows a user to produce a signature on a physical document from a distant location. It was invented by writer Margaret Atwood in 2004 and debuted in 2006.

Key takeaways

LongPen belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LongPen to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LongPen from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The LongPen is a remote signing device that allows a user to produce a signature on a physical document from a distant location. It was invented by writer Margaret Atwood in 2004 and debuted in 2006. It allows a person to write remotely in ink anywhere connected to the Internet, via a touchscreen device operating a robotic hand. The system also supports a live audio and video connection between the signer and the receiving location.

History The concept was conceived by Canadian author Margaret Atwood in early 2004, while she was on a paperback book tour for her novel Oryx and Crake, with the initial aim of allowing authors to sign books for readers without travelling. In 2004, Atwood co-founded Unotchit Inc. with Matthew Gibson to develop the technology. Engineering development was carried out in partnership with Quanser Consulting Inc., a Toronto-based control-systems firm. The system was publicly demonstrated at the London Book Fair in March 2006. The first transatlantic signing using the system took place from Toronto on 24 September 2006. In late 2007, Conrad Black, who was on bail in the United States and awaiting sentencing in a fraud case, used the LongPen from his home in Florida to sign copies of his biography of Richard Nixon at a Toronto book event introduced by Atwood. Unotchit Inc. subsequently shifted its focus from author book-signings to business and legal transaction signing and was renamed Syngrafii Inc. The LongPen became one component of a broader remote-signing product line.

Technology The system consists of an input device on which the signer writes, software that captures the kinematics and pressure of the signature, and a robotic writing arm at the receiving end that reproduces the signature in ink on a physical document. Unlike an autopen, which reproduces a stored signature without the signatory present, the LongPen produces a one-time original signature in real time, in conjunction with an audio-video link between the parties. The underlying technology is the subject of patents filed by Unotchit Inc. and Syngrafii Inc.

See also Autopen Electronic signature Telautograph

Notes

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LongPen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LongPen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LongPen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LongPen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LongPen

In research: LongPen appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LongPen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LongPen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2006 establishments, Canadian inventions, Computer output devices, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LongPen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LongPen in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LongPen means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LongPen out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LongPen in simple terms?

The LongPen is a remote signing device that allows a user to produce a signature on a physical document from a distant location. It was invented by writer Margaret Atwood in 2004 and debuted in 2006.

Why does LongPen matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LongPen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LongPen.