>1. Why would the writing implement that comes with the Pilot scratch the surface of the Pilot? Of all the impressive things I've seen with the palm, this is so glaringly stupid.

Any surface will scratch give enough time. Getting some crud on the tip of the stylus could compound the problem. Sounds anal but a replacement screen is $100US.

>2. Scotch tape on the Graffiti Area to stop #1? Are they for real?

You betcha.

> Does the tape help?

If you use the rough scotch tape that is easy to write on the it provides better writting feedback. This simulates pen on paper. Which is really nice.

>Gum up? Come off easily?

No gum. The glue is strong but not gummy. So it doesn't fall off, but isn't a hassle to remove.

> Impede writing?

It does impede the Palm from recognizing input, in fact it makes writing easier (see above).