Though Wiser Web Wednesday is now retired, from time to time I thought I’d share some things I find of interest. After using quite a few third-party read-later services over the past couple of years, I must admit to embracing and enjoying the ubiquity and simplicity of Safari’s Reading List feature.

 

Five Senses
One aspect of home espresso brewing which cannot be emphasised enough is even grind distribution within the filter basket prior to tamping. While there are commercial products available of considerable merit to assist with this endeavour, the team at Five Senses demonstrate how it can also be done effectively without costing a cent:
Level Up – Even Espresso Distribution

 

Where is Scott Rao?
The terms “espresso roast” or “filter roast” are often displayed on retail coffee bags, as well as referred to in discussions about roast levels for different forms of brewing. Scott Rao weighs in with perhaps a more pertinent question and a slightly different way of thinking:

To me, the difference in roasting for black vs. white coffee is significant; the difference in roasting for filter vs. espresso is modest. That delicate, lightly roasted Yirgacheffe that tastes sublime as a straight espresso may drown in a cappuccino.

Roasting for Espresso vs. Filter

 

The RescueTime Blog
Belle Beth Cooper writes one of my favourite personal blogs, in which you will find some impressive analogue-based organisation outlined in regular updates.

Writing here on The RescueTime Blog, some handy pointers in relation to taking effective notes.

For starters, don’t use a laptop to take notes, no matter where you are

How to take more effective notes

 

The Pelikan’s Perch
I’ve written previously about the cheery Pelikano in my collection, and remember being impressed by the nib performance at the particular price point.

Some news from Joshua at The Pelikan’s Perch of an update for the line, now to include the Pelikano “Up”:

Gone is the plastic of the current P480 and, in its place, the Up will feature an aluminum cap and body along with a metal clip.

Reading the post, it certainly does nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for this particular low-cost line of Pelikans:
News: The Pelikano Up

 

Alt. Haven
Junee lists some pens sporting stainless steel nibs which are worthy of any collection. I’ve considered the relative merits of stainless steel and gold nibs in a previous post myself, and maintain the same opinion today as I held back then. That is, with many great steel nibs around, I’d consider gold provides a different writing experience, though not necessarily a better one on all counts.

I’d also add my Faber Castell Ambition and Kaweco Ice Sport to Junee’s list:
Stainless steel nibs for everyone

 

Macstories
In looking at various clipboard managers on both iOS and macOS, I’m yet to nail down a preferred option. Gathering links such as those on this page are often a decent test as far as utility and output options are concerned, with iOS based reading a big part of sourcing those links. That being the case, Copied seems fairly compelling, and syncs across to my Mac:
iPad Diaries: Clipboard Management with Copied and Workflow

 

The Sweet Setup
As I’ve mentioned above though, utilising Safari’s Reading List for saving articles also finds me capturing and editing these links whilst on my Mac, bringing Alfred’s clipboard manager into play.

Perhaps in the end I’ll use a little of both:
How to use Alfred as a clipboard manager

 

Macdrifter
Append Clipboard with Alfred for Mac

 

MacStories
Whilst I acknowledge I am being a little facetious — okay, perhaps more than a little in pointing this out, I do find it amusing in this post PC world, iPad users have pushed the cutting edge far enough to finally be able to capture notes by handwriting them:
iPad Diaries: Apple Pencil, Notability, and the Joy of Note-Taking

 

Matt Gemmell
No need to say it. Yes, I get the additional power these apps on the iPad provide, yet it does nothing to stifle the chuckle as I read them:
Using the iPad for: Taking notes and planning