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

 

The Clicky Post
If you’re around the pen community long enough, you will see the inevitable (or so it seems) progression from wherever people start — to fountain pens. Perhaps even more inevitably, you feel you should be doing the same. Mike knows the feeling, and has written a fantastic post here — and judging by the comments, it struck a chord with many.

Lets say you are one of those people that really doesn’t like fountain pens. Sort of feels like you’re the odd one out or that you have to pretend to like them around the cool kids in order to fit in…

What also concerns me from time to time is how easy it could be to form the impression that to fit in, you need to spend a decent amount of money, and keep spending it.

Of course that isn’t true, yet can be an unintended and entirely innocent consequence of collective enthusiasm (like the point raised in Mike’s post above) — particularly in this age of social media:
Fad or Function? Using what you enjoy…and makes sense

 

Jake Weidmann Artist and Master Penman
You know things are pretty special when even the shipping process is in itself what I’d call a work of art.

Each certificate of edition bears the authentic JW gold seal; each one individually pressed with our customized embosser. This turn-of-the-century iron cast lion head embosser belonged to an old library on the east coast before it came into our possession. We customized the die to match our vision for the brand and we love the way it’s unified everything we do within the business.

Amazing work — and Works, for that matter if you care to browse a little through the site:
From the Studio

 

The Gentleman Stationer
One of my favourite notebooks of the past couple of years has been Baron Fig’s Confidant (mine was the Three-Legged Juggler edition). Exactly as Joe mentions here, I too was a regular Moleskine Cahier user until an increased use of fountain pens put an end to that.

Baron Fig uses some of my favorite all-purpose notebook paper. This isn’t Tomoe River paper, however, so if you’re looking for a notebook that will let you run wild with your widest and wettest fountain pen nibs, look elsewhere.

I include that quote simply to emphasise there is a limit to the paper in Baron Fig’s products as far as fountain pens go, however the threshold is a lot higher than you might think for an “all-purpose” notebook. Essentially all of my everyday writers performed perfectly, and I’m looking forward to placing an order once I power through a few more pages of what I am currently using:
Baron Fig Vanguard: A New Direction, and A Good One

 

The Frugal Fountain Pen
A problem Pilot Prera can be a frustrating thing — and understandably so.

I’ve had a Prera for over a year now and have not had any issues — perhaps just the luck of the draw:
My Problem Pilot Prera

 

The Sweet Setup
There is nothing wrong with an intermittent reminder to any or all who might listen, regarding either passwords and/or back ups.

This is the former:
The best password manager (and why you need one)

 

Finer Things in Tech
David Chartier takes a swipe (not just to reply) at iMessage, highlighting where it is lacking compared with other third-party messaging platforms.

Despite those impressive numbers, I strongly believe that, as the iPhone was five years ahead of the industry, iMessage and Messages have been roughly five years behind their competition

All I can really do is mostly nod along, as I see my kids Messenger and Snapchat their way through life with their friends.

Some valid points here:
What’s wrong with iMessage?

 

Ulysses Blog
Author Kevin Tumlinson discusses some advice for writers on all things writing, and the business of being an author.

I have no active memory of the first time I encountered this advice, but I know what I felt at the time: Pure dread. I hated that advice. It made me sick to my stomach. It made me angry, too, because what I wanted to hear was something along the lines of ‘send the right query letter to a publisher and you’ll get a contract and a big fat check, and you can take the next two years to write the book.’

His advice to aspiring authors on writing isn’t new, however is heard often enough to assume it probably works:
Being an Author Means Being in Business

---

Follow @petedenison