Junyi Zhao in the McKelvey School of Engineering demonstrates using a simple ballpoint pen to write custom LEDs on paper (left). The same pens can be used to draw multicolored designs on aluminum foil ...

You sell pens in an age when people communicate by text and other digital means. Why the bullishness on writing tools? The debate around the importance of handwriting was put to rest a while back.

image: Junyi Zhao in the McKelvey School of Engineering demonstrates using a simple ballpoint pen to write custom LEDs on paper (left). The same pens can be used to draw multicolored designs on ...