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Wiser Web Wednesday

/ Pete Denison / 2 Comments

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

The Clicky Post
A question often asked by those deeply enthusiastic about any particular passion involving the accumulation of ‘things’ – in the case of Mike Dudek, pens. Whether you have too many, are seeking too many, or simply can’t tell. The answer? For you and you alone:
Liking Pens: Hobby or Obsession?

Shawn Blanc
There are an infinite number of possible links from the September 9 Apple event, of which I will offer just two. The first, an even keeled account with some thoughtful commentary from Shawn Blanc:
On Apple’s New iPhone and Watch

Reckoner Podcast
Secondly, three Aussies providing local context on the announcements by Apple last week. Although significant, I am glad others don’t see the inclusion of NFC and Apple Pay as something crazy amazing (that said, I certainly see the potential for added security). These guys are also probably the only reason my weekly Monday morning commute does not seem quite like a ride to the gates of hell:
Episode 60 | U2 Hacked my iPhone

The Newsprint
Of course there is always ink. Josh at The Newsprint tests out that perennial favourite blue – Pilot’s Iroshizuku Kon-Peki:
Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Field Notes Brand
The Fall Colors Limited Edition is now available to all and sundry, and I will be hitting the checkout button soon enough. The Night Sky interior paper has always been a favourite of mine, and with a random selection of external colours unknown to the buyer – I am sure to receive a pleasant surprise come delivery day:
Field Notes Colors: Unexposed Edition

Pen Paper Ink Letter
Heath reviews the TWSBI 580AL – in my humble opinion, a fantastic looking pen. Now that the Pelikan M205 is in my collection, this is likely next on the list:
TWSBI Diamond 580AL Fountain Pen Review

Kickstarter
The fairly well-known Bullet Journal system now hits Kickstarter. If you are unfamiliar with the system itself, check out the video – then back it:
Bullet Journal: Journaling at the Speed of Life

Montblanc
The Montblanc ScreenWriter stylus is an attractive crossover between analogue and digital. Particularly as the stylus tip can be replaced by rollerball or fineliner refills, giving you a pretty good (if pricey at $605 USD) conventional pen:
StarWalker Extreme Steel ScreenWriter

The Pancake Epidemic
A really enjoyable 15 minute documentary on a visit to origin by Brandon Davenport in another instalment of the Caffeination series. Here we see the J. Hill Mill along with 5th generation coffee producer Aida Battle, Cup of Excellence winner, as she shows us around the farm in the shadow of the Santa Ana volcano:
Caffeination: El Salvador

Wiser Web Wednesday

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

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

NoteMaker
Although the Melbourne Writers Festival has now come and gone, some interesting insights into the art itself from one of Australia’s best, Nick Earls. Discussion turns to the new novel Analogue Men, and Nick’s penchant for Moleskine notebooks and a good pencil:
Interview with Analogue Man, Writer and Endless Story Starter Nick Earls

Brett Terpstra
Taken some notes as a plain text list and wished it were a mind map? Develop them further by way of a handy script for converting indented Markdown or plain text to a mind map application of your choice. I also love the integration with popclip, a handy Mac application I use heavily for one click copy and paste (which itself now has 126 different extensions):
Converting Markdown to a mind map

The Weekend Edition
In some decidedly local news, Brisbane is set to see the launch (October 1 this year) of the worlds first NEXT Hotel, on the site of the old Lennon’s on the Queen St Mall. Should we be excited? Maybe, maybe not, however sounds as though there is a nice little bit of tech thrown into the mix:

…guests can download the NEXT Hotel Smart App, using it to adjust lighting, room temperature, music and television channels without needing to leave their super comfy bed.

A perfect place to stay (awake) after the next Strauss coffee cupping evening:
World’s first NEXT Hotel launches in Brisbane

A Penchant for Paper
Although I certainly don’t need an excuse, here are 10 reasons to use pen and paper and get writing by hand. Sketching always seems such a noble and therapeutic undertaking, however it is such a pity I have the exact opposite to a ‘dab hand’, for such an activity:
10 Ways To Use Your Pens and Write By Hand More Often

The Clicky Post
Although perhaps not an everyday colour, the Iroshizuku Yama-budo (Crimson Glory Vine) ink looks fantastic in this Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator. A great review by Mike Dudek, and as usual, great photography to match:
Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator Fountain Pen – M Nib

Pens! Paper! Pencils!
Speaking of fantastic looking inks, there aren’t too many more striking than the subject of this post by Ian Hedley. If you like your orange with a good measure of substance, check out the link, or alternatively search for “deep orange ink” in Ian’s fantastic new pen blog search engine, Pennaquod:
Diamine Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange ink review

Finer Things in Tech
David Chartier with an elegant piece on…well, the inelegant state of inter app communication and integration courtesy of the walled gardens currently in existence:

But even on OS X, where apps have always had ways to work together, I had to manually copy and paste the title and body of this piece from the Evernote, erm, note where I scribbled my initial ideas into Write. Like an animal. As much as I am a fan of Evernote, it’s a tedious, hindering experience that makes me curious about alternatives.

This is hopefully all about to change with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite – not long to wait now:
iOS, Mac App Extensions offer some hope for walled gardens

Austin Kleon
Not commandments per se, though a list of ten nonetheless. Manifesto?, Declaration? Creed? Call it what you will, though Notes to self was the author’s choice. My picks – numbers 1 and 10:
Notes to self

Wiser Web Wednesday

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

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

A little more digital than analogue this week, perhaps I’ve caught September fever…

The Newsprint
I wrote some of my thoughts on the iOS note taking app Vesper a little while ago, however here’s a better review with some beautiful photos to match:
Vesper

The Sweet Setup
I found this tip to be quite helpful if you have a desire to get rid if those pesky contact suggestions showing up in Messages – particularly those you have already deleted from your Contacts:
Quick Tip: Clear unwanted contacts from Messages

Macstories
Dispatch is my iPhone email app of choice at the moment, and though I don’t use many of the app integrations, the few I do certainly are handy. Federico Viticci outlines some new features added in the recent 2.1 update:
Dispatch 2.1 Adds “Export as PDF”, Bulk Edit, More App Integrations

While at Macstories, well worth a look is the updated guide to iOS automation using Launch Center Pro. Sure, I don’t use even half of the actions, though for reference, nothing beats this guide by Alex Guyot, or @The_Axx to his Twitter peeps:
Automating iOS: A Comprehensive and Updated Guide to Launch Center Pro

Scribomechanica
A pen and pencil blog I have recently come across, and having received my own Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen (which I m loving) from Jet Pens in the mail last week, a timely review:
Pilot Metropolitan M nib Fountain Pen Review

Relay FM
The triumphant return of Myke Hurley’s voice to the podcasting airwaves. Whilst many of the faithful have eagerly awaited this new joint venture by Hurley and Steven Hackett, if you are considering delving into the fascinating and entertaining world of podcasts yourself, this is the place to start.

With topics ranging from Apple to pens and paper, Relay FM brings together some of the most influential — and unique — voices on the Internet together to create powerful content, each and every week.

Being a bit of a pen nerd, my favourite of course is The Pen Addict, though my subscription runs the gamut of every show on the network. Browse the shows and have a listen – you won’t be sorry.
Relay FM

Wiser Web Wednesday

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

Wiser Web Wednesday – a weekly link to posts of interest from around the web by those wiser than myself:

Craft
With my Rhodia Ice 80th Anniversary Notebooks on their way, a timely interview with Scott Druce, Co-founder of Notemaker, one of Australia’s premier on-line stationery stores, from which my order has been shipped:
Craft Cubed Interview – Notemaker

Baristafail
An introspective piece from Josh Russell of Brisbane Specialty Roaster Cup Coffee, now 5 years on. I can happily say I have the opportunity to enjoy superb coffee roasted by Cup on a daily basis, for which I am eternally grateful. What else am I grateful for? Sentiment such as this:

Good coffee is putting people before the product. The product is then made better because of this.

I’ve met Josh a few times, and do not know him well, though I would put money on him achieving and sustaining the three personal goals he lists at the end of the post. A stand up local guy done good:
Long Term Goals

The Weekend Edition
Whether or not the events alluded to in this article about the merger of Cup Coffee (refer Cup link in Baristafail above for more information) and Coffee Supreme in any way relate to the sentiment above is not my business. In any event, as a keen consumer of coffee in Brisbane, I look forward to any step in the evolution of the industry as a whole (if it must change so be it, though I’ve always loved the Cup branding):
Cup Coffee Roasters pairs up with Coffee Supreme

Asian Efficiency
Although I find mind mapping incredibly useful, I probably don’t use the technique as much as I should. The guys at AE have posted a great article on a specific use of the technique to condense and consolidate information:
Mind Mapping for Condensing Material

Pennaquod
Over the past 6 months I have been furiously Pinboarding pen, paper and ink reviews for the time I may need to refer back before a future purchase. Perhaps Ian Hedley has now saved me the trouble, recently launching this “penblog search engine”, which aims to avoid the many ad listings which confront any product search these days, with pens and paper no different. There are some great sites already signed up, and I’m sure many more to follow. What a fantastic idea (and already in my favourites bar of course):
Pennaquod: The pen blog searcher

Pens! Paper! Pencils!
I must admit I clicked the Twitter link to this review yesterday from Ian with a little trepidation, as I had purchased a bottle of De Atramentis Permanent Blue a few hours before seeing it. As the link was loading my thoughts were of course – oh no, what if this is really bad?. Thankfully it seems to be a decent ink, and I do like the colour. By the way, if you need a few (hundred) other opinions, type this ink into the search engine at Pennaquod and have at it:
De Atramentis Document Ink Blue ink review

Jet Pens
I’ve been working my way through a trio of Pilot G–2’s recently, seeing if I can find a sweet spot out of the 0.38mm, 0.5mm or 0.7mm. It’s looking like the 0.5mm, however the G–2 is not my first choice for a cheap everyday pen (at the time they were the only locally available brand in three sizes). One I have not tried as yet is the Zebra Sarasa, which is high on my list. No doubt I will have a quick flick through the following guide prior to any purchase:
Zebra Sarasa: A Comprehensive Guide

Pen Paper Ink Letter
I’ve often thought I must test or at least seek out some nice brown ink. Perhaps due to a subconscious desire to combine my love off coffee and pens, though more likely simply because there are some great brown inks out there. Heath from PPIL has been hard at work looking at some recently, and, as you will see in the accompanying images to each post, some inks are brown (perhaps with a hint of red), and some, well…, aren’t. Thankfully inks are not bought on name alone:
Fountain Pen Ink Review: Waterman Absolute Brown
Fountain Pen Ink Review: Noodler’s Burma Road Brown

The Typist
Reviewing my app purchases for any business related expenses at tax time just about drives me crazy, so I cannot even imagine the amount of effort that went into this post. As I read the article this made me cringe:

To my surprise, there was no easy way to export all iTunes & App Store purchases to a spreadsheet. So yes, I’ve gone through 90 e-mail receipts that contained 126 purchases, adding the above metadata to each individual purchase.

Of particular interest is the overall amount spent on Apps over a four year period, and just how many remain on the device. A fascinating article and definitely one worth reading:
Four Years in Apple’s Ecosystem: An Expenses Report

Wiser Web Wednesday

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

Wiser Web Wednesday – a weekly link to posts of interest from around the web:

The Brooks Review
In his own typical style, Ben Brooks takes the reviewing by numbers system apart, using an article from The Verge as an example. There are many reasons reviews can be questionable, this being yet another:
Why Reviewing by Numbers is a Bullshit Practice and Needs to Stop

Pentorium
I’ve yet to try out Tomoe River paper, and what better way to do just that than with a great looking notebook. As stated in the review, this is exclusive to online store JustWrite and currently available in A5 or A6 with blank pages only (dot grid would be lovely):
Tomoe River Handcrafted Notebooks from JustWrite

Pen Paper Ink Letter
Heath from PPIL outlines a fountain pen and paper starter set with quite a few goodies for $100. I always enjoy these types of posts not only to see if there are any products out there for me to try, but also whether I would recommend the same or similar items if asked:
The PPIL Fountain Pen and Paper Starter Set

The Pen Addict
This is one from the dim, dark past, posted by Brad back in June 2012, outlining a reader submitted Hi-Tec C refill hack into a Retro 51. Why am I poking around in the archives? Well, next up in my Field Notes rotation is the Expedition Edition and as many of you know, to deal with the Yupo synthetic paper, a decent ballpoint is required. Rather than open my wallet, I opened my drawer and found a couple of unused 0.7mm Uni Jetstreams, the refills of which are now snugly hacked into my Retro 51 and Kaweco Classic Sport pens, and performing very well indeed. Now all I need is an actual expedition, upon which to take my new carry:
Hacking a Pilot Hi-Tec-C Refill into a Retro 51

The Gentleman Stationer
No doubt I will try the Kon-Peki myself at some point in my journey through Blue-Black to Blue ink spectrum, however to date have not done so. My most recent purchase being the Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, which is on the darker end, though indeed a beautiful ink. Until then, I will happily read about others experiences, and keep asking, is that too light for me?:
Ink Review: Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Inktronics
Of course there is no need to limit things to blue, black or somewhere in between, as I love a good red ink as much as the next penperson. From the image at the beginning of this post, it’s now clear to me that Darth’s light saber is indeed derived of Diamine Ink:
Inktronics Reviews Diamine Red Dragon Fountain Pen Ink

Modern Stationer
Why else do we read reviews, other than for thoughtful, objective views and perhaps some guidance on where to look for our next purchase. When things don’t always go to plan, with enough information (in contrast to The Brooks Review link above) we can all still decide for ourselves. Doug’s review of the Kaweco AL Sport ticks all of these boxes and more. The pen community delivers yet again:
Kaweco AL Sport Review

The Atlantic
Certainly not a short read this one. Here The Atlantic profiles Blue Bottle Coffee and its efforts in scaling production of a specialty iced coffee of sorts. Living in Australia I have obviously not tasted this product, however post this link as I find such endeavours quite interesting. Larger scale production of something like specialty coffee always carries the dangers of a proportional shift away from the original beverage as the magnitude of the scale increases. Perhaps things will be different this time:
The Future of Iced Coffee

Coffee Contrarian
A response to the above article, from Kevin Knox, who describes himself as a “semi-retired veteran of the coffee and tea trade”. The closing paragraph of which probably sums up his thoughts:

At the very least, I shouldn’t be the only one with an industry background pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes – or rather, that there’s (almost) no coffee in this “coffee.”

Probably worth reading both articles, and perhaps a few more before making up your own mind. In the end, it will no doubt be the consumer who decides. In the context of sales figures, whether it actually is “specialty coffee” or not (whilst important to some) will most likely end up irrelevant:
“The Future of Iced Coffee” leaves me cold