This could be a deleted scene from Idiocracy: in the future, cell phone users will print out text messages on their hands. This is one of the very-real ideas that arrived courtesy of a project sponsored, in part, by "Research in Motion (RIM), the creators of the BlackBerry," notes Mason Currey at Metropolis magazine. Think of it as a 21st century version of tying string to your fingers to improve your recall. Or don't.

Wall Street Journal Idea blogger Christopher Shea imagines the practicality of such a device. "You glance at the phone to see how important the message is, and you get some kind of signal. If it’s crucial, you press your finger onto a certain portion of the phone, and the (as yet undeveloped) 'SkinDisplay' would place the message there, by means of raised letters and some kind of temporary print."

And then, congratulations, you've printed "Heyyy, pls dont 4get dinner rez at 8pm :)" on your hand. Useful, right?

Naturally, the innovative project is still in its "concept" stage.

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Erik Hayden