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

 

Bloomberg Business
There are certainly some interesting concepts here. Clearly the environmental benefits are without question and it looks like a beautiful and smartspace to work.

For all of the technology and advancement on show, two things which stand out to me are:

Since workers at the Edge don’t have assigned desks, lockers serve as home base for the day… Employees are discouraged from keeping a single locker for days or weeks… to break people away from their fixed locations and rigid ways of thinking.

So, its 2500 workers sharing 1000 desks:

The concept is called hot desking, and it’s supposed to encourage new relationships, chance interactions, and, just as important, efficient use of space

Neither are new concepts, however upon speaking with colleagues in other companies, talk often turned to wasting up to half an hour or more a day finding a desk, setting things up, clearing it at the end of the day, and repeating the whole process day after day.

The open plan office? Chance interactions and discussion? Yes, just perfect — no need to try to sell me on that one. When I’m sitting trying to work out exactly which data was deleted from the pivot table in the shared excel spreadsheet and all I hear at high volume is how long its been since the Ben & Jerry’s van was giving out free samples down the street at lunch time?

Chance interactions, discussion, inadvertent collaboration. We’ll just leave it to you to somehow find a way to focus in the mayhem surrounding you. What do you mean? Of course that is what we expect you to do. We’ll promote the former by opening things up, over to you for the latter — can’t be that hard can it? (Apologies — mini rant now over)

Concepts are great, my point is simply there need to be significant resources on hand to make them work. That certainly appears to be the case here.
The Smartest Building in the World

 

David Hewson – Medium
I like this idea. A shorter, more thoughtful writing challenge to offset the crash and dash of NaNoWriMo (which does feel like trying to sprint a marathon). Twelve, 800 word pieces submitted each month over the course of a year:

…a good short story is to be cherished. It’s also bloody hard to write.

Once submitted at the end of each month it is locked. Perhaps a few details to be sorted out, however I’d certainly be interested:
After NaNoWriMo how about NaNoSloMo?

 

Nib & Ink
Matthew Morse takes a look at the Karas Kustoms EDK just released as a Massdrop exclusive. I do not own any of the Karas pens, and this one certainly appeals both in form and intended function.

I agree the P8126 refill is a winner, however funnily enough, I also have a bit of a “thing” for how far a refill extends at the tip of a pen. That said, I think the only thing I’ll really have to decide on is which finish combination:
First Look: Karas Kustoms EDK Retractable Pen

And why stop there:

Ed Jelley: Karas Kustoms EDK Everyday Carry Pen Review
Pens! Paper! Pencils!: Karas Kustoms EDK Pen Review
The Pen Addict: Karas Kustoms EDK Review
The Clicky Post: Karas Kustoms EDK Pen – Massdrop Exclusive

 

Pens! Paper! Pencils!
The sets of 3 mini Iroshizuku bottles on offer from various retailers simply present me with a conundrum. Reviews such as these certainly help my cause:
Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao Ink Review

 

Sprudge
I’ve never been there, and only see what you see in these images, however certain designs and layouts just grab me. This being one of those:
Verve West 3rd: The Latest Coffee Bar From Verve Los Angeles

 

DR Wakefield
As my natural coffee processing experiment rolls on, I am beginning to collate some information for an introductory post to kick things off. Outlining the various types of processing methods is obviously part of that:
The difference between semi-washed and fully-washed methods

 

The Guardian
I enjoy the application of nerdy concepts to some of my every day things, however could I humbly suggest before you consider adding a pinch of salt to coffee you consider overly bitter — perhaps take steps to avoid ending up with a bitter brew in the first place. It isn’t as difficult as you might think:
A chemistry teacher’s guide to the perfect cup of coffee

 

Lucky Peach
Speaking of nerdiness — away we go on another beverage I am somewhat fond of — in moderation of course. Those flavours in your whisky? To a large extent they depend on plant matter in the peat which is broken down when burned to dry and halt germination of the barley:

More lignin and you’ll get spicier, vanilla-ier, smokier flavors; more cellulose/hemicellulose and you’ll get more caramel-y, toasty flavors.

Cheers:
The Science of Scotch

 

Chambers Daily
Following up on last week’s link from Bradley Chambers about leaving Evernote, here he offers a few thoughts on what might fix the ailments. Not surprisingly, a greater focus on what made it successful in the first place permeates the list:
Fixing Evernote

 

Pax Coffea
This is a great viewpoint on taste descriptors in coffee. I often find I can detect certain flavours from a description, where I may not have been able to put words to the flavours myself. The power of suggestion? Perhaps, however with experience, I think it becomes more like Rule 1 in this post:

If you describe it, I better taste it

I’d also agree that this can often be the case:

People who feel alienated by tasting notes react in a variety of ways, many of which lead people away from great coffee rather than toward it

Very much enjoyed this post:
A Meditation on the Importance- and Danger- of Tasting Notes

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

 

Covered Podcast Blog
Covered is bi-weekly podcast about writers and their books.

In this post, creator and host Harry C. Marks reflects on what he has learned over the past year in producing what is easily one of my favourite podcasts.

There are six great points here, most relate to podcasting, however there is also one about reading and writing — Don’t Just Read What You Know. My attempts to get back into reading more over the past 12 months have been in no small way influenced by Covered, and for that reason, I am especially grateful.

A fantastic, tightly edited and superbly produced show — very much looking forward to Season 2:
One Year Later

 

TOW Centre For Digital Journalism
As I’m sure regular readers will know — the Lore podcast by Aaron Mahnke is another of my favourites. Following along on Twitter (and the iTunes charts) over the past 6 months or so, it has become clear that Lore’s popularity has trended upwards fairly sharply.

If you’ve listened to the show yourself, you’ll know there is nothing curious about Lore’s success, however in today’s podcast market, it is indeed rare:
The Curious Success of Lore: A Case Study

 

512 Pixels
Stephen Hackett with some good points to consider, if, like myself, you are moving from Evernote to the native Mac and iOS Notes apps (also check out the follow-up piece here).

Given the major overhaul of Notes which occurred with the introduction of iOS 9, I am hopeful of further improvements coming in the future. I can live with the UI, however it would indeed be great to have better sorting options and tagging.

Having never quite been 100% happy with Evernote, I am particularly enjoying the ability to efficiently send notes to the app from anywhere which has access to the share sheet, along with the ability to add what I am sending to a current note.

I am also hopeful (and somewhat optimistic) Apple will never repeatedly yell at me about features within the app which I had repeatedly declined (read the footnotes):
Notes on Notes.app

 

Chambers Daily
There is also this:

Evernote hasn’t added a feature in a long time that I cared about. It was a platform that was standing still for me. It was a platform that I was invested in with my time and my money, and I felt less and less confident about its future.

Not an insignificant move from someone who wrote Learning to Love Evernote a few short years ago:
Learning to Leave Evernote

 

Fountain Pen Economics
You know a post is going to be interesting when my name is mentioned in it. Ha!

In all seriousness, you know a post is going to be interesting when you think to yourself — wow, that hits the nail on the head about many of the reasons why I write this blog, but I had never really thought about in that way.

Another great post yet again from the pen community’s resident economist:
Blogging and Human Capital

 

Brewing Coffee Manually
Hat tip to Brian Renshaw for this one.

A list of terms worth scanning through if you are inclined to increase your coffee vocabulary. For example:

Cascara – Spanish for “husk,” cascara refers to a coffee tea that is made from the dried coffee fruit that is removed from the green coffee seed.

While you’re there, be sure to click on the Mugshots menu at the top of the page:
Manual Brewing Coffee Glossary

 

The Pen Habit
The publication of this great review by The Pen Habit coincides with my own post from a couple of days ago on the Pilot Prera. Whenever I read reviews on pens I have written about, I invariably tend to see all of the things I’ve left out of my own.

In considering that point though, experience and time in this game count for much, and I’m happy to tell you about what I like or don’t like — leaving some of the finer points for those more expert than myself, as is the case here.

By the way – I liked the Prera too:
Pen Review: Pilot Prera

 

Pens! Paper! Pencils!
More than simply another great review of a pretty attractive pen. With the reference to another review of the same pen (the link to which I highly recommend clicking), Ian highlights the variations in opinion which occur in something like pen reviews. I say this not as a negative — but something to be expected, and why there are always enough links to share around.

This one has a price tag which is a little more than I’d be prepared to pay:
Bespoke British Pens Conway-Stewart Winston Fountain Pen Review

 

Alt. Haven
This is a truly impressive looking pen. From the matte black finish, the 21K nib, right through to the name.

I mean, it even sounds impressive:
Review: Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black

 

Pax Coffea
Although seemingly obvious on its own:

The point of all this is that our perception of coffee and our description of coffee flavors is very dependent on the culture we learn about tasting in. Two tasters, tasting the very same thing, will use different language to describe it.

This is a fascinating read about why the blackcurrant and blackberry flavour descriptors exist in the UK and the US respectively, and what role White Pine trees have in all this:
Why Kenyan Coffee Tastes Different in the UK and the US – or How the Government Controls Your Flavor Descriptors

 

Matt Gemmell
I have written, rewritten and subsequently  scrapped links to, and short posts on what has been going on regarding this online “discussion” around app pricing and business models — well, that is what it should have been about, however quickly turned to people, not issues.

I strongly recommend reading this, and clicking the links contained therein for context. In the absence of linking to posts documenting the whole saga here, this is a considered piece which sums up much of my thinking as I looked on at developments over the past week or so.

Putting anything together even half as eloquent as the words in Matt’s piece being well and truly beyond me, you should definitely read the post. Me? I’m just enjoying Pocket Casts again:
Responsibility

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

 

Three Staples
I’ve also found the Delfonics Rollbahn notebooks great at handling all types of pens — fountain included, and some of the cover designs are fantastic, with this off white version no exception. I agree with Jinnie in not being overly fond of super large spirals – I find they often just get in the way:
Delfonics Rollbahn Textured Notebooks

 

Too Many Inks
What can I say – Brisbane pen nerds rule. The 14K gold Lamy nib is one of the smoothest I have in my collection, and it teams up pretty well with the Studio here as part of combination number gazillion in David’s rotation:
Lamy Studio Black, 14K Z50 Medium, inked with Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue

 

Anderson Pens
My pen learning continues, and thanks to great resource posts such as these, will never cease:
Beginners Guide to Nib Markings

 

The Finer Point
There is nothing better than the swollen pages of a well used journal, planner or notebook. Yet another positive review of the Hobonichi Techo and its Tomoe River goodness.

Myself? I don’t trust me to be consistent enough to do such a fine journal justice. Maybe one day:
10 months in with the Hobonichi Techo – final thoughts

 

The Pen Addict
Suffice to say the Tactile Turn Gist Kickstarter campaign has gone gangbusters and well and truly funded with 23 days still remaining. Indeed this is a great looking fountain pen, and although I tell myself I’m not in the buyers market at the moment, that’s quite a few days to maintain that position.

Brad takes an initial look and offers up some helpful advice in choosing from the many combinations available:
First Look: The Gist By Tactile Turn

 

Ed Jelley
Speaking of the Gist, Ed Jelley, the man behind the campaign photos also provides an initial review of sorts. Ed’s post has recently been updated to include some comparison shots for size reference.

Looking at the adjacent Lamy 2000 in Ed’s photos which I use unposted, I wonder if I’d get away with using the Gist the same way. Helpful comparisons:
Tactile Turn Gist Fountain Pen / Kickstarter Launch (Updated w/ Comparison)

 

Distiller
Having sampled offerings from Nant, Bakery Hill, and Sullivan’s Cove (along with a distillery tour many years ago), I can vouch for these offerings from Australian Whisky producers. With the reviewer noting it is “best taken on a warm summer’s day” — ’tis the season for some Starward malt I believe (well close enough):
Playing by Australian Rules

 

Sprudge
Currently about a third of the way through drying some coffee in my own little natural process experiment, I was interested to hear the thoughts of Timothy Hill, an expert in such matters.

They’re fermented. You’d be lying to yourself if you don’t think that there’s some fermentation happening and being incorporated into the coffee itself. The question is, how much of that is a problem?

I must admit there are quite a few variables at play which I won’t really be able measure or assess beyond how it turns out in the cup. The again, these unknowns are part of the allure in having a go and seeing how things turn out with my own small batch.

A very interesting read:
What Is Natural Coffee? Let’s Find Out From Counter Culture Coffee Expert Tim Hill

 

Perfect Daily Grind
Coincidentally, the man at the subject of the link above — this time on blends:

We don’t believe in hiding the information; great blends simply come from great coffees, not some secret recipe

My own attempts at blending have been a little hit and miss, so I’m looking forward to learning a little more in part two of this series:
Everything You Need to Know About Coffee Blends – Part 1

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

Today we’ll take the approach that somewhere in the world, it is indeed still Wednesday.

 

Adam Metelmann’s Tumblr
Sprinkled throughout a few previous posts and links, you will find references to this barista, from whom I have the honour of ordering my coffee each and every day as I sit and write much of what you read on these pages.

A consummate professional and master of his craft, I am always amazed when I ask a question around a technical aspect of coffee, at not only the extent of the information I receive, but Adam’s willingness and excitement to share it.

The first post appearing on Adam’s new Tumblr blog: Extractions, Expressions and Some Other Stuff to me, is one of the more exciting pieces of recent news. If you are at all interested in coffee, be sure to keep an eye on what is posted here — I guarantee you will learn something. The only thing bigger than the knowledge this man carries in his head is the heart and soul he puts into his industry and craft.

Anticipating great things to come:
The first post and hopefully not the last.

 

The Gentleman Stationer
Great choice for an EDC pen in my opinion, though I do not own a ballpoint version of the Lamy 2000 myself. Yes, we all love our fountain pens, however I generally don’t take them with me out to the shed or with a pocket notebook to the shops. For those times you’ll most likely find my Retro 51 or Kaweco Sport Classic (both currently sporting Schmidt P8126 refills) in my hand.

The one Joe features here is not your average Lamy 2000 either:
Lamy 2000 Ballpoint: My Go-To EDC Option

 

The Pelikan’s Perch
Although I have no doubt it works perfectly, I admit I too have always been a little ambivalent about the cartridge mechanism in the P series Pelikans. This is a great post from Joshua, as it also highlights the positives of a fairly standard, yet very reliable nib — and really, there is nothing inherently wrong with that:
Review: P200 Black (2014)

 

The Clicky Post
With the exception of a few recent images — every photo you see in these pages has been taken with an iPhone. Not because I wish to prove any sort of point — simply because I have never really been “into” photography, and therefore never really owned a camera that was any better. Although that has changed a little, I can still see the ease of using my iPhone as a big drawcard — plenty of tips here in Mike Dudek’s excellent post on taking macro photos wth this capable device.

Let’s see those nibs in all their glory people:
Macro photos on a budget: what you’ll need to shoot with your iPhone

 

The Pen Addict
I think there are two ways to approach things if you have an inkling towards getting into fountain pens.

You could read very carefully through a fantastic post such as this one — or simply read point 1., and then go for it — coming back for the remainder later. Either approach in my view is valid, but the most important thing? Just get in and try it — go on…you won’t look back:
The Beginner’s Guide to Fountain Pens (By a True Beginner)

 

Study Hacks – Cal Newport
I have never been great at planning a day in time blocks, generally looking at what is on my list and just hacking through it like some sort of animal. Somewhat pleasingly, the emphasis of this post is not so much a rigid plan, but at least a lack of drift.

The key, instead, is to make sure that I am intentional about what I do with my time, and don’t allow myself to drift along in a haze of reactive, inbox-driven busyness tempered with mindless surfing.

Always enjoy seeing how others work:
Deep Habits: Three Recent Daily Plans

 

The Guardian
An enjoyable read about the recent Coffee Masters event in New York. Great to see an Aussie come out on top, and in the typical fashion of a high-flying international barista:

Asked what he was going to do with the $5,000 prize money, he shrugged and said: “I guess I have to buy my ticket back to Australia.”

Inside the world of coffee obsessives: baristas compete at New York festival

 

Matt Gemmell
I have been reading with interest many of the opinions on ad blockers, and the subsequent blocking of such blockers. It is, and will continue to be, an interesting time in the life of the internet.

Ad-serving sites are being faced with a crisis entirely of their own making. They defined their own value — and their terms of engagement — right from the start.

I agree, and it reminds me in some ways of supposed self-regulated industries which invariably cross what many would consider a “reasonable” threshold in behaviour. Of course, who or what could step in and regulate the internet? Only consumer behaviour of course.

This is a great piece as usual from Matt on a somewhat hot topic, dealing with a deeper level of thinking on the subject, yet also explaining what is actually happening with these transactions — a lot more than the superficial “ads are annoying” level of understanding by what I’m sure is the view of many (meaning no disrespect — I simply believe most in the general internet community have not thought beyond this aspect).

I’d encourage just a little deeper understanding of the issues at hand:
Negotiations

 

Reckoner
Whether or not Apple’s revamped Notes app will satisfy my requirements in the long-term remains to be seen, however with each passing month, migrating the notes from my Evernote account seems like the right decision — for myself at least.

I just didn’t really ever gel with Evernote:
Evernote got troubles

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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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