Wiser Web Wednesday – a semi-regular link to posts of interest from around the web by those far wiser than myself:

Write Analog
Mark does an outstanding job of telling us how he came to buy the Pelican M205. Incidentally, I bought the same pen (colour, EF nib) – purchased on the very same Pen Chalet deal (though I must admit, minus the subsequent nib tuning). I do indeed love mine:
Pelikan M205: The Story & Review of My First “Real” Fountain Pen

Reckoner
A nice review on where I guess we are all headed eventually — the smart home. Nice to hear the August Smart Lock (not yet available in Australia) works (mostly) as expected. The protocols and security features of devices such as these really do make me question how secure the good old garage door openers we’ve been using for years really are:
August Smart Lock review

The Pen Addict
It would be remiss of me to post a series of links without including the update Brad has made to his Top 5 Pens lists on The Pen Addict site. I must congratulate my 12 year old son on his own selection of the Pentel Vicuna 0.7mm for the new school year – which I see is number three on the ballpoint list.

View the actual lists here, and read an explanation of same in Brad’s recent post:
Top 5 Pens Spring 2015 Update

Ink & Flour
Sometimes simple is just what you need, and although the Franklin-Christoph 66 is by no means flashy — it delivers where it counts — on paper.

While it’s not flashy, there’s a lot of small details that add up to something special

A great review which captures the essence of this particular pen:
F-C MODEL 66 STABILIS

CoffeeGeek
Posted here simply as one of those nice to look at, and perhaps think about for a couple of seconds before saying to yourself — “yes, it’s very nice, but I won’t be spending $US4495.00 on a home espresso machine any time soon”.

Although a pre-production unit was briefly tested here, I think we gain a pretty good understanding this is a high quality machine with a price tag to match.
La Marzocco Linea Mini

The Spectator
I thought twice about linking to yet another article on the swings and roundabouts of the pens are dying — pens/fountain pens are returning discussion. I’ve included it here simply because this would have been amusing to see:

Last Christmas Eve I encountered a scene of utter mayhem in the pen department of John Lewis on Oxford Street as shoppers fought over the remaining models

Well, I guess that isn’t the only reason. It is, after all, a nice story with some history, and a view on where things stand at present — summed up nicely with:

The fountain pen holds its secrets, and its dignity

Read the full article here:
The return of the fountain pen

From the Pen Cup
A great post on letter writing — something we should all do more often — particularly those of us who enjoy the handwritten word and the tools we use to write them. At times I can be a little self-conscious returning a letter after receiving one which demonstrates vastly superior handwriting — although thankfully I am getting better (at letting go — not necessarily at improving my handwriting!!).

I must admit I’d never thought of making my own envelopes, and I may have just saved the link to the templates available at Jet Pens:
Letter Writing: Stuff That Helps

Steven Pressfield Online
Although I realise things are a lot different these days for aspiring artists to get their work out there, I thought this was interesting from successful author Stephen Pressfield, about what happened to the numerous demo tapes found daily on Bob Dylan’s front gate by his security:

The service’s top priority is to make sure that NOTHING unsolicited gets anywhere near Bob. Each morning the guard collects the demo tapes and throws them unopened into the trash.

Why does the security service do this? First, obviously, to protect Bob Dylan’s time and safety. But equally important, to shield him from a potential plagiarism suit

On the advice of his attorney, Pressfield is also under orders to delete the two or three novels he is emailed each week without ever opening the attachments. It might be an amateur mistake, but one which clearly is ongoing and repeated by many. Some suggestions as to what the “aspirers” should perhaps be doing:
The #1 Amateur Mistake

Gentleman Stationer
I’ve really enjoyed Joe’s posts on vintage pens — none of which I own mind you, however as I’ve said before, these posts are saved for reference when I do look at perhaps buying a couple.

Here’s why I collect Vacs:  They are excellent user pens, among the best vintage pens I have used on a day-to-day basis. They are the perfect size for me, hold a ton of ink via an interesting filling system, and the nibs typically work well for my style of writing…

Reason enough to begin with the vacumatic perhaps.
Vintage Pen Primer, Part IV: The Parker Vacumatic

Macdrifter
I’ve yet to configure Launcher properly after downloading it recently on my iPhone. A nice overview can be seen here.

One great use I have always found for these types of shortcuts? Ensuring the text message I send every afternoon telling my wife I am on the bus home actually goes to her, and not accidentally the last person to whom a message was sent. Perhaps “a great way to idiot proof your phone” should be added to the feature set on the app store description:
Launcher for iOS

Gorgeous.Ink
I did put down a few thoughts in and around blogging, reviews and transparency in a recent post. You know what? At the end of the day, it all really can be summed up quite succinctly, as Paul has done perfectly with this one statement:

So how do you know that I am not influenced by receiving ink for free? You don’t, but I say that I am not and I don’t think that I am

Good enough… no — more than good enough — for me.
How Gorgeous.Ink Addresses Blogger Transparency

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