Laptop for Taking Notes in Class

[yellowjack]

Does anyone here successfully use their laptop for taking notes in a class? For those that do, what program are you in & do you use anything other than MS word?

The reasons I am considering this are as follows:

1) I end up rewriting a lot of my notes anyway after class to learn the material (by summarizing) and I'm a nit.
2) I'm not always able to write down every word a professor says, and this bugs me.
3) Oftentimes I'm writing down notes but have a lot of trouble listening and comprehending to what is being said. I type fast.
4) Playing poker during breaks.
5) Datamining when using desktop at home during peak hours (if this is even practical).