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

 

The Pen Addict
I’m unsure of the exact percentage of fountain pen users for whom Rhodia paper is a staple, and it’s often the dot pad at that. Regular Pen Addict contributor Jeff Abbott outlines the details that make these a favourite of many.

I can certainly vouch for these easy to use, fountain pen friendly, tear off-and-scan sheets of great, reliable paper.

A great review, however I suspect many of you knew a little about these already:
The Rhodia DotPad Notepad Review

 

The Pen Habit
I don’t have any pens from the Edison Pen company in my collection, something I hope to change one day. This one is certainly a beauty.

It is, of course, silly to buy a pen solely for the filling system inside, but acquiring one of the Edison Pen Company’s pump fillers has been on my list for a while.

Or perhaps it isn’t so silly — either way, no judgement from me:
Pen Review: Edison Pen Company Menlo

 

Nibcreep
When a post starts as “a cautionary tale” and contains:

“How hard can it be?” you think to yourself. “The tines are steel, I should be able to bend them back if I’m careful” you think to yourself.

…you just know it’s not likely to end well, and I guess it didn’t. A hard one to read, though no doubt much harder to write:
How to ruin a vintage pen in less than 2 hours

 

The Finer Point
Jenny reviews an interesting looking pen, the Ateliea Brass Pen, the lovely patina upon which will further develop with increased use.

Although I do like the look and design, it is probably not for me, and I would be a little concerned about the cap — definitely be one of those stand it on its end so it doesn’t roll away scenarios:
Ateleia Brass Pen

 

That One Pen
A great post from Todd as he continues down the road to a short list of loved and well-used pens. One thing I do see from the list of pens and pencils in this post is a reasonably common theme: a lot of people like them, they are recommended fairly frequently, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to develop a collection around them.

I understand that some of these writing tools may be the single greatest pen or pencil you’ve ever tried. I’m just saying that they don’t work for me and, in some case, I’m actually disappointed that they don’t. All I know is that they don’t work for me and I’m moving on.

The concluding paragraph I’ve quoted above is a timely reminder that reasonably widespread popularity (which I’m not suggesting is unwarranted with this list) simply does not equate with individual fit and contentment.

Here’s to our differences:
I know what I like

 

Pens! Paper! Pencils!
If you haven’t to date, please read the initial post by Ian, and the reply from Pilot UK for context (links to both in this post).

Although there still appear to be some lingering questions:

This wasn’t a boilerplate response, it was an email from a real person who took the time to respond to my questions in a thoughtful and considered way.

The following of course is spot on — if no-one cared for the pens Pilot produced, no-one would be bothered asking in the first place:

I wrote the original post out of frustration but also out of affection. Pilot make great pens and I wish they were able to sell them here for a reasonable price

Looking forward to any further information (and more reviews and drawings). Nicely done Ian:
My Thoughts on Pilot UK’s Reply About Availability and Pricing

 

The Clicky Post
Looking at my own collection here beside me, the word “conservative” would not be out-of-place in an overall description — certainly as far colour is concerned.

Judging by the great images in Mike’s post, the finish on the Starburst Galaxy brings a little brightness and sparkle, yet isn’t overly “blingy”, and wouldn’t look out place on my desk here at all.

Well, how about that:
Sailor Sapporo (Pro Gear Slim) Starburst Galaxy – Music Nib

 

The Specialty Coffee Chronicle
For the first time in 21 years, the coffee tasters flavour wheel has been updated, with some lofty goals indeed:

The foundation of this work, the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon, is the product of dozens of professional sensory panelists, scientists, coffee buyers, and roasting companies collaborating via World Coffee Research (WCR) and the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). This is the largest and most collaborative piece of research on coffee flavor ever completed, inspiring a new set of vocabulary for industry professionals. This groundbreaking new tool will shift the way our industry thinks about and utilizes coffee flavor.

Although there is considerable overlap with the previous version, perhaps some new descriptors to our “tasting notes” are imminent:
Reinventing the (Flavor) Wheel: Industry Collaborates to Identify Coffee Flavor Attributes

 

World Coffee Research
Following on from above, further background on the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon can be found here, including a 50 page PDF document, which:

identifies 110 flavor, aroma, and texture attributes present in coffee, and provides references for measuring their intensity.

What do you mean there’s no way you’re downloading and reading that?:
World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon

 

The Brooks Review
If there was one sentence that probably sums up my experience with OnmiFocus, this would be it:

I found an app that doesn’t make me feel like I am filling in forms when I want to create a simple task.

For me personally, this is a classic case of “it’s not you — it’s me”. As most who have used it will tell you, Omnifocus is a great app, and I (happily) spent a considerable amount of money to get set up across my Mac and iOS devices.

After two years of intermittently thinking “there must be a better way to do this that I haven’t found yet”, it was time be open to other options.

There is probably a more lengthy post about this, however needless to say, 2Do suits my way of thinking, working, and tracking tasks. Here Ben Brooks outlines the reasons behind his move:
Moving to 2Do

 

Tim Nahumck
Further to last week’s Macdrifter link regarding Drafts app for iOS, a nice reminder about the app’s capability to handle “Action Sets” of similar actions — a sort of sub menu if you will .

When you have finally created the Action Sets you want, and if you run them frequently, consider making an Action Key for your Enhanced Keyboard row. If you assign an Action Set to a Key, you will be able to bring up the Action Set menu quickly for manipulation.

The more you know the more you can do:
Using Action Sets in Drafts

 

John Scullen
Here John outlines the use of the Solarized colour palette with some OmniGraffle stencils.

Far more attractive diagrams await:
Create stunning diagrams with these free OmniGraffle stencils

 

The Daily App
The final in a three-part (links to one and two in the post) series by Graham Spencer, looking at the happenings behind the scenes in the first two months of his “The Daily App” site, which, incidentally, features all sorts of apps (Mac, iOS, Apple Watch and TV) in a brief one-a-day format.

There may be many apps featured you either have or are aware of, although eventually one might come along that will be a real find. It couldn’t be simpler to follow along on Twitter or Facebook (RSS and email subscription options as well).

Back to the reason for the link. In this particular post, Graham shares his workflow for collecting apps, planning and posting the featured apps to the site.

Interesting if you are into that sort of thing (raises hand):
Two Months of The Daily App: Behind The Scenes

 

MindNode News
An announcement from the developer of MindNode, which now offers task support:

Mind Maps are a great way to kick off a new project and Tasks are often a major part of this workflow. MindNode now offers native Tasks support. You can turn any child node into a task and check off completed tasks directly on the canvas.

It appears the app will also support export of your tasks to Apple’s Reminders app, and keep the completion state in sync. Given MindNode is my mind mapping app of choice, this is certainly a handy addition:
Tasks in MindNode

---

Follow @petedenison