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

 

Handground
Taking my workplace as a microcosm of society (a tenuous example at best), it would seem many AeroPress converts begin with a French Press or “plunger”.

Worth the change? I say yes, however perhaps this comparison may provide a little more clarity if you are on the fence:
The Ultimate Brew Down: AeroPress vs. French Press

 

SF Gate
Doom and gloom seems to await every exploration into our future at times, and climate change and the effects of same are often at the heart.

Agriculture, and of course coffee, is squarely in the firing line — particularly the larger growing areas in South and Central America which have a large influence on international supply. At the current rate, by 2050, we will see a significant decline in coffee production if climate change trends continue:

Internationally, that decline is estimated to be 50 percent, resulting in a spike in prices and a drop in production.

Food for thought:
Research: Coffee bean shortage predicted due to climate change

 

Pendora’s Box
As I write this I am staring at the very same pen sitting on my desk, calling to be inked and given a run.

The OMAS Ogiva Alba series came in violet, green and orange. I chose the orange pen. The pen colours are inspired from the lights of the Aurora Borealis (Alba in Italian).

It’s certainly a beautiful pen in the flesh:
Pen Review: OMAS Ogiva Alba Orange

 

The Finer Point
A nicely balanced view by Jenny on the limited edition nature of some stationery items, and the excitement and pull of “getting in” on such a purchase.

I am not writing off the limited edition and nor am I saying I won’t buy a limited edition item in the future. What I am concluding is that I will not be buying these items without fully considering them first. In the past I have fallen for the lure of the limited edition without considering if I would actually use the products I was buying and I have found that my enjoyment of stationery items comes in the use, not in the acquisition.

I’d have to agree, and also add: not only is there a certain pressure in maintaining the “collection” once you start, this is only heightened by everyone else posting their new Field Notes, limited edition inks, pens and the like.

We’re all different, though personally, I’d rather reorder another notebook when I’m coming to the end of the current one than have a stack sitting unused on my shelf. Same result, just different timing. Do I ever miss out? Of course — on something that looks a little different. Strangely, a limited edition notebook does the same thing as a standard one — go figure.

If you love the lure of the limited edition? I say go for it — and yes, I enjoy seeing those Instagram posts and early reviews.

It just won’t be me racing you to the front of the queue:
The Lure of the Limited Edition

 

The Pencilcase Blog
My Nock Co. cases have always done the job with transporting and storing my pens, as the Kickstarter campaign coincided with a reinvigoration of both my interest in pens and the size of my collection (and of course the fact they are great cases).

A great review here by Dries after a pretty decent trial period on a six pen leather case:

About eight months later, and I’m still using the Dreamtouch case daily to protect and transport my ‘finer’ pens!

I’ve tended to avoid the finer leather type cases as they are a little bulky for my tastes. That said, this one by Visconti is an attractive option:
Visconti Dreamtouch 6 Pen Hardcase Review

 

Justin Jackson
No doubt many of us have been a little obsessed with our site designs at times, and when it comes down to it, the following probably sum up what we should be most concerned with:

We’ve become obsessed with fancy designs, responsive layouts, and scripts that do magical things.

But the most powerful tool on the web is still words.

True enough, however a lagging, unresponsive site might affect your rate of returning traffic I’d expect:
Words

 

Colin Walker
Although Ulysses is quite capable of, and recommended by many as the total solution for all text, including short notes – I remain a diehard Drafts user for the smaller stuff.

Being text editors that excel when using Markdown, Drafts and Ulysses might seem to be very similar — there is a good amount of overlap between them — but they take different approaches to similar problems

I guess it all comes down to the right tools for your jobs:
Drafts and Ulysses: a (very) quick comparison

 

Tools and Toys
Josh Ginter reviews the Knomo Envelope Sleeve which is an attractive protective and carrying option for both the 11” MacBook Air and newer MacBook.

I’ve had this leather sleeve for five years, and although that’s not five years of extended use, that’s still five years of bumps. You can hardly see any scars on the Knomo’s face.

A great looking option if you are in the market. Also I’d like to add to the Knomo suggestion box that a navy or blue leather model would be a great option as well:
A Review of the Knomo Envelope Sleeve for MacBook and 11″ MacBook Air

 

The Newsprint
Reading the above Tools & Toys review by Josh reminded me of this recent piece on his own site about the new MacBook.

With so many recommendations going around about moving to the iPad Pro, this was a refreshing, and quite objective view on moving in the other direction — even for a firm lover of the iPad Pro, as Josh states in opening the post.

I enjoyed this one:
The MacBook (2016)

 

Great Drams
Practice, practice, and yes…more practice. It’s really the only way.

Taking notes can also help at this point. Don’t read any tasting notes until after you’ve done your own tasting. Then, when your finished, you can compare and see how your own nose measures up against the greats!

There are no shortcuts worth taking in this endeavour:
How to Develop Your Whisky Taste Buds

 

Scotch Whisky
An edge over competitors or merely semantics? Either way, a rise in “single estate” distilleries apparently may lead whisky down the same path as coffee.

The same confusion exists over single origin coffee and single estate. Unless you’re a hipster or coffee buff you probably won’t know the difference, which is why some Scotch whisky producers’ recent adoption of the latter term could be a dangerous move.

I malt elsewhere — do I still qualify?

One might argue that malting is the first step in the whisky production process and if it’s conducted elsewhere then how can a distillery claim to be single estate?

Are we as consumers confused: wow that tastes great – its single what? Oh right…umm…ok – did I mention that it really tastes great? — or is it the industry?:
Confusion over ‘single estate’ whisky

 

Fortune
Change the world? Maybe, maybe not.

Every 10 minutes, all the transactions conducted are verified, cleared, and stored in a block that is linked to the preceding block, creating a chain. Each block must refer to the preceding block to be valid. This structure permanently time-stamps and stores exchanges of value, preventing anyone from altering the ledger. If you wanted to steal a Bitcoin, you’d have to rewrite the coin’s entire history on the blockchain in broad daylight. That’s practically impossible

Surely I’m not the only one who feels uncomfortable when the concepts of hacking and the words “practically impossible” are in the same train of thought:
Here’s Why Blockchains Will Change the World

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