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

Aaron Mahnke
In my quest to read more books this year, I came across Aaron Mahnke’s supernatural thriller Consumed – which I highly recommended. I’m glad I did, because in doing so I also found one of my favourite podcasts of the year so far – Lore, which the creator explains a little further here:
Why I Created Lore

Incidentally, Episode 3 has just been released – get to it:
Episode 3: The Beast Within

I Laike Pens
Kindly shared by Ian Hedley on Twitter, this is as good a list as any if you want to ensure you have every angle covered for filling and maintaining your fountain pens:
The Fountain Pen Toolkit

Curious Rat
Harry Marks, author and creator/host of another great podcast – Covered (which now has a Patreon page to support the podcast), discusses what has changed over time as his writing has developed and improved. You guessed it — daily reading and daily writing.

Reading is everything. It’s almost more important than the actual writing. I absorb the books I read and in turn churn my stories in my mind to thicken them up. To make them richer.

Read regularly. Read widely. Then grow as a writer — wise words indeed:
My Growth as a Writer

James Greig
The curse of the self help book or site, is of course the sense of improvement we feel just by reading them. What has changed? Actually nothing at that point.

The other thing to remember is that reading too much advice can give you a false sense of empowerment.

Conversely, I have also felt guilty I perhaps could be doing better after reading one of them and then not implementing the recommended changes. Yes – that’s right – you need to implement some of that new-found knowledge for things to actually happen:
Don’t Take this advice

Sprudge
Three recipes from this year’s US AeroPress Championship, two of which use the inverted method. I’d say a sample size of three is probably not necessarily indicative of the entire competition nor any emerging trends. Here for you brewing experimentation if you so desire:
3 Top Recipes From The 2015 US AeroPress Championship

Sprudge again, this time with the Australian winners and recipes. First and second place both using the non-inverted or standard method. I wonder which will triumph at the World AeroPress Championships soon to be decided in Seattle:
The 2015 Australia AeroPress Championship Winners & Recipes

Trubaca
Although written from a coffee industry perspective, more than a few of my friends (i.e. cafe customers) have experienced one or more of the factors causing the author’s lament.

So if your attempt to do by-the-cup service leads to wait times longer than a few minutes, if your espresso tastes sour in milk, if you aren’t giving someone an opportunity to even like what you’re serving: you are sending the message that you are more interested in your perception in the coffee industry than you are in the people coming through your doors

In circumstances like the one quoted above, I often find I am muttering to myself about a fine line between being cool and being too cool — the former is effortless, the latter — all for show. And believe me — it definitely shows. A universal truth here (via Emily Oak):
When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

That One Pen
An enjoyable read this one. With so many pen review sites out there (not complaining!), sometimes it is good to hear which pens are actually in day-to-day use by those with wide experience in such matters. As Todd states:

For those of us afflicted with late-stage pen and/or pencil addiction, writing tools constantly fall in and out of favor. However, over time, we find ourselves returning to a short list of favorites

The post also states the list is “biased and personal”. Of course it is — and has to be. After all — what is the criteria? The pens and pencils you pick up and use, by personal preference — plain and simple.
A great post:
The Pens And Pencils I Actually Use