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

 

Fountain Pens Australia Facebook Group
Have you heard? There’s a giveaway happening!

The fine people at Bookbinders Online have kindly provided a bottle of Iroshizuku Syo-ro and a Tomoe River notebook for one lucky Australian based member of the group.

To enter, leave a comment on the giveaway post by 4pm this Thursday (24 September). If you are thinking of joining the group there is no better time:
Fountain Pens Australia

 

Fountain Pen Economics
Some posts have a way of keeping at you until you write them, and this appears to be one of those.

A very touching account of family, and the resounding influence they have on us and our lives. I don’t believe this could have been any better written — thanks for sharing Jonathan:
Memento Mori

 

Nib & Ink
Continuing on with the theme of the post above — another post fortified with emotion. This time intertwined with the author’s love of pens, resulting in a truly unique custom-made writing instrument by a very talented pen maker.

Thanks for writing about a great pen Matthew, and more than that, sharing the story of the great person behind it:
Review: Newton Pens “Moody”

 

Dave Rea
A couple of things about this: Firstly, I am always amazed at the thinking of others and the subsequent nerdery which often ensues. Second, Dave writes really, really well. Always highly enjoyable to read. Time will tell if there is any way to predict the longevity of the TWSBI Eco – however this is not a bad place to start.

After you’ve read the following, be sure to check out Dave’s fantastic notebook indexing web service Indxd.

But first:
The Polarizing Truth: Why Your TWSBI Eco Won’t Break

 

The Pencilcase Blog
As I worked my way through this excellent review, I found myself coming around to the finish and overall design. There is certainly no shortage of places to look for a new pen. We really are spoiled for choice:
Edison Collier Fountain Pen Review

 

Executive Style
So our 29th Prime Minister signed one of his first agreements with a fountain pen. I cannot fault his taste. Apparently he also wears an Apple Watch and listens to The Pen Addict and Connected. Ok fine — so I made that last bit up — though you never know right?:
A fountain pen: crucial tool of trade or pretentious affectation?

 

The Sydney Morning Herald
A little on the back room machinations which resulted in Australia waking up to a fifth Prime Minister since 2010 earlier this week:
How it happened: Inside the Malcolm Turnbull leadership coup

 

The Huffington Post Australia
A NSW senator on why the government should take a hands-off approach in dealing with something government is apparently finding difficult to understand: the sharing economy. Of course the example at the forefront of all this is Uber, with the Australian Tax Office determining there should be different rules for Uber in order to “level the playing field” for taxi drivers.

It begs the question though: more regulation for Uber – or less red tape for the taxi industry? I’m not really sure where the answer lies:
Hands Off The Sharing Economy

 

David Hewson
Currently on Android or the web, my message here is not about the platform or service specifically — more so the brief outline of how a successful author keeps track of a work in progress.

I keep book diaries simple, direct and honest (if you think you’re writing crap you need to say so).

Honesty is clearly tantamount to success:
A book diary in action

 

Ulysses Blog
One to file in the “just because you can doesn’t mean you should category”. That said, a few simple steps from idea to iBook:
Self-Publishing for Absolute Beginners

 

Perfect Daily Grind
Although the specific details might vary in the eyes of some — a timely reminder to keep that espresso machine clean:
Espresso Machine Maintenance: The Essentials

 

CRS Coffeelands Blog
One of my favourite coffee blogs with another enlightening piece on what occurs at the heart of the industry — the farms.

By the time we collected baseline data in Nariño in 2012, Nespresso and Starbucks were buying more than 98 percent of the region’s coffee.  This is generally a very good thing for growers.

This post has a focus on the remaining 2% of growers who wished to explore third-wave opportunities directly with buyers looking for smaller, high quality, traceable coffee.

I tip my hat to those working tirelessly to improve things at the ground level:
Nariño’s Third Wave

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