Articles On Information

Leuchtturm1917 Pocket Notebook

My pen acquisition disorder (PAD) is settling down somewhat these days. I've collected a bunch of gel pens to use at the office, and I've discovered the awesomeness of fountain pens. So what's next? First, finding something interesting to write about. Second, finding some decent paper to write on. I discover interesting things to write about every day, so item one is easy (e.g., "Some moron cut me off on the way to work today" or "I wore black socks today" or "I made bad coffee today"). Item two presents more of a challenge, requires more thought, and takes more time.<br /><br />So . . . this post relates to some decent paper that I've been using recently. The paper is found inside a Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook (pocket size).<br /><br />The Leuchtturm webpage for the pocket notebook is <a href="http://www.leuchtturm1917.com/en/content/pocket-notebook" target="_blank">here</a>, and a couple of online reviews can be found <a href="http://wellappointeddesk.com/2012/01/30/leuchtturm-1917-review/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://officesupplygeek.com/notebook-review/book-style-binding/leuchtturm1917-ruled-notebook-review/" target="_blank">here</a>. My abbreviated review is as follows: I like the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook more than the Moleskine pocket notebook, the Leuchtturm 1917 paper plays reasonably well with fountain pens, and they are less expensive than Rhodia notebooks (which many pen lunatics feel are the best in class). I like the fact that the pages are numbered, and I like the idea of having a table of contents at the beginning of the notebook. I may have to try a Rhodia notebook next for comparison, but I suspect that the Rhodia can't beat the "bang for the buck" value of the Leuchtturm 1917.<br /><br />Is there even a point to be made here? If hard pressed, I guess my point would be to encourage notebook users to try a Leuchtturm 1917 instead of a Moleskine.<br /><br />I wrote a test page in my notebook, made a really poor scan of it, and then used my amateur image processing skills to further ruin the jpeg file. Keep that in mind when you view this washed-out, white-imbalanced, and unrealistic color rendition:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW57-UFfyMKBIqC-oqdThEK7DrecEkuSeI4QOxln0baL2xuYdsWu_mBiG9M_buJYqbJyDmPGEZteH3b8LuF9M0BVjhQOGfvj4rHQyVxay1YP6ubc-fwtIKGvzEnh-37UdEj-UrPbnz7w/s1600/20130118_Leuchtturm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW57-UFfyMKBIqC-oqdThEK7DrecEkuSeI4QOxln0baL2xuYdsWu_mBiG9M_buJYqbJyDmPGEZteH3b8LuF9M0BVjhQOGfvj4rHQyVxay1YP6ubc-fwtIKGvzEnh-37UdEj-UrPbnz7w/s320/20130118_Leuchtturm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>

Leuchtturm1917 Pocket Notebook

My pen acquisition disorder (PAD) is settling down somewhat these days. I've collected a bunch of gel pens to use at the office, and I...

8:51 AM

Clear Key Caps

I made a pact with myself after I installed my <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/11/and-yet-another-keyboard-facelift.html" target="_blank">last set of key caps</a> on my Filco keyboard. I vowed to scale back on the key cap purchases and simply use and enjoy my mechanical keyboard. Some time during this self-imposed No Buy period, I browsed my way over to the <a href="http://keycapsdirect.com/" target="_blank">Signature Plastics website</a>, and saw something that made me immediately lift the ban. Transparent key caps. Game on.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsD5wdxXb4ZSU8pa5KMe3tovmfmf1ls28NeTK9F2f3wOlOtfm2CzXK13KNdMdUWxMKbCIVvC1zbFlEPuHqrsAKiaMwkBy_AfxGIFaM9zJFfBECrRFGZ2rt7c3TC7B3aPeyatp24XtC0M/s1600/IMG_5826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsD5wdxXb4ZSU8pa5KMe3tovmfmf1ls28NeTK9F2f3wOlOtfm2CzXK13KNdMdUWxMKbCIVvC1zbFlEPuHqrsAKiaMwkBy_AfxGIFaM9zJFfBECrRFGZ2rt7c3TC7B3aPeyatp24XtC0M/s200/IMG_5826.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I would love to have a keyboard full of clear key caps, but I'm not one of those keyboard uber-dorks who has all the keys memorized. For this reason (and for practical economic reasons), I decided to outfit only a portion of my keyboard with these icy looking key caps.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqNuutjXPxVKvefR2AW55J5-57Xvg0J1TJYVjRz07SxBtRBSdpdexOZi8RzcCiQsm26uxNBKfy7CosCIwRgCKMZocLehgtAWQ1cfztu8uqdOL-tdoYkV_Eawqvh6LOyD89mZDmI9VdKE/s1600/IMG_5829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqNuutjXPxVKvefR2AW55J5-57Xvg0J1TJYVjRz07SxBtRBSdpdexOZi8RzcCiQsm26uxNBKfy7CosCIwRgCKMZocLehgtAWQ1cfztu8uqdOL-tdoYkV_Eawqvh6LOyD89mZDmI9VdKE/s200/IMG_5829.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As shown in the above picture, I replaced the entire top row and the cluster of "navigation" keys on the right side of the keyboard (I have all of these keys memorized, and I rarely use the escape and function keys anyway). I really like the overall look of the keyboard now, and the transparent key caps really make the board look unique.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDJKRXninsyKOAdPJcGz0-6A7N35P7lZmwwBbhUjnviGa32M3ThRb1ADA7my_YJzYV4w-PYO2PmxVkAgui4xdb_cyn5ggZdNAHKDgg-pXriI4l5uNaWQei-Idu66NYWpspZaMT-XfLN8/s1600/IMG_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDJKRXninsyKOAdPJcGz0-6A7N35P7lZmwwBbhUjnviGa32M3ThRb1ADA7my_YJzYV4w-PYO2PmxVkAgui4xdb_cyn5ggZdNAHKDgg-pXriI4l5uNaWQei-Idu66NYWpspZaMT-XfLN8/s200/IMG_5830.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The key caps themselves are uncolored, i.e., they are not off-yellow, smoked, or merely translucent. They do have a little texture on the upper surface, which makes them look frosted when looking top-down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjA2XDgP2iM-Ls9JE4zOUOTwblkQzQxUDrTUg88hRkAIztAnrbPsYXI2-lMCnvZvQwN6S3IU_nPi4RJn8TRnJeLlX6UEg1nAglNzbw2qgi_07vDvR7CM5Voo9pXPDLxaitQd-Lc09bsQ/s1600/IMG_5831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjA2XDgP2iM-Ls9JE4zOUOTwblkQzQxUDrTUg88hRkAIztAnrbPsYXI2-lMCnvZvQwN6S3IU_nPi4RJn8TRnJeLlX6UEg1nAglNzbw2qgi_07vDvR7CM5Voo9pXPDLxaitQd-Lc09bsQ/s200/IMG_5831.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The blue stems of the mechanical switches are visible through the transparent key caps (yes, my keyboard has Cherry blue switches). More eye candy for me = good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jcvbl-HkBUQUhF-lqEVo5nlCGMVNmxO5dVzH400WFLQEkz0gbl_5UWHgt71EZ5LtkZHOz_nxxc3X4SeS64LTJnYr89u6rKh71RQGIU95rncME_PgTjUUkGyQiL9l0TV0YMLjms7ze0A/s1600/IMG_5832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jcvbl-HkBUQUhF-lqEVo5nlCGMVNmxO5dVzH400WFLQEkz0gbl_5UWHgt71EZ5LtkZHOz_nxxc3X4SeS64LTJnYr89u6rKh71RQGIU95rncME_PgTjUUkGyQiL9l0TV0YMLjms7ze0A/s200/IMG_5832.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't plan on updating this layout anytime soon. Yeah, sure. That's what I said the last time, and the time before that.</div></div>

Clear Key Caps

I made a pact with myself after I installed my last set of key caps on my Filco keyboard. I vowed to scale back on the key cap purchases an...

6:40 PM

Office Pen Quest is Over (For Now)

Pen Acquisition Disorder swept over me while I was trying to find good general purpose pens for daily use at the office. I tried a bunch of gel pens, some ballpoint pens, and even the famous "Mont Blanc refill in a G-2 pen" hack. I tried capped pens, retractable pens, multipens, etc.<br /><br />After trying many different brands, colors, sizes, and styles, I decided that I prefer the retractable Pentel EnerGel pens the best. I like the 0.5 mm needletip version, which is offered in blue, black, and red (the three standard colors used at the office). However (there is always a "however"), I'm not a fan of the fat barrel and gaudy design of the retractable EnerGel pens that are commonly available in the United States. Although the alternative design of the retractable EnerGel pens are easier on the eyes, they still suffer from fat-barrel-itis. Fortunately, I've found that the refills used in the retractable EnerGel pens also fit and work in at least three other pen bodies: Pilot G-Knock; Pilot G-2; and Uniball Signo DX RT. I wrote about the latter in <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/10/pen-hack-uni-ball-signo-rt-pentel.html" target="_blank">this post</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI6XED-ZyrwWyozuzZE2RPXS8M_Rzxl-_w-_SqlZe-P3me1-D2IpATdiprf-ChrFIInrLQ5rW5n5QVhPu0ZOHw-IVzTtjKjmwBUXUDA7kuJjvB9BDTdnq65g6sdXpq-obIZrCIwcE1_c/s1600/IMG_5761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI6XED-ZyrwWyozuzZE2RPXS8M_Rzxl-_w-_SqlZe-P3me1-D2IpATdiprf-ChrFIInrLQ5rW5n5QVhPu0ZOHw-IVzTtjKjmwBUXUDA7kuJjvB9BDTdnq65g6sdXpq-obIZrCIwcE1_c/s200/IMG_5761.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Options!</td></tr></tbody></table>The above picture shows four pens that all work with the EnerGel 0.5 mm refills (LRN5 is the product code for these). From top to bottom: the ugly Pentel EnerGel retractable; the better looking but still undesirable Pentel EnerGel retractable; Pilot G-Knock; and Uniball Signo DX RT.<br /><br />I bought the red "alternative" EnerGel retractable in a delusional moment when I thought that perhaps maybe possibly the barrel might be narrower than the barrel of the blue "standard ugly" EnerGel retractable. I don't own (and didn't want to buy) a caliper, but the two barrels look and feel about the same to me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo26BTCu9ylBuQOD8e4yziTlTgq4ZjoNFVG0jJ-3hCtOBvnHhcJ4i5wufAitQu3fyEz305edkdgFQGtYVw1ogehc9qyFp7YO2aCs3bK8YznhtF87dRip_9gViinPqFAjV_GKH3OAJlkPo/s1600/IMG_5763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo26BTCu9ylBuQOD8e4yziTlTgq4ZjoNFVG0jJ-3hCtOBvnHhcJ4i5wufAitQu3fyEz305edkdgFQGtYVw1ogehc9qyFp7YO2aCs3bK8YznhtF87dRip_9gViinPqFAjV_GKH3OAJlkPo/s200/IMG_5763.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />The Signo DX RT body looks pretty cool and it fits the needle tip of the EnerGel refill perfectly with no play or wobbling. The G-Knock body merely looks OK, but I like the grip section better than the grip of the Signo DX RT body. Although not shown here, the EnerGel refill also fits the standard Pilot G-2 pen body. I like the grip of the G-Knock body better than the grip of the G-2, too. Functionality and ergonomics won out here, and I chose the G-Knock body as my preferred EnerGel refill receptacle.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLo924trly_aqdvL-SVdgR8oPyFapQIa7a-lIi2bqkXzBEu_Lrodt_RdT3VtDRj47GQpZjVAA4LfJGoESl-jlPp7nl9pJkvglgLTWiGR14D2Xn_r2DHQFTVRnuyp7cBxpLHmgJha6cxo/s1600/IMG_5762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLo924trly_aqdvL-SVdgR8oPyFapQIa7a-lIi2bqkXzBEu_Lrodt_RdT3VtDRj47GQpZjVAA4LfJGoESl-jlPp7nl9pJkvglgLTWiGR14D2Xn_r2DHQFTVRnuyp7cBxpLHmgJha6cxo/s200/IMG_5762.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner On The Right</td></tr></tbody></table>So . . . I now have black, red, and blue Pilot G-Knock bodies, all loaded up with EnerGel 0.5 mm refills. I think this is a great combo for me, and I'll be able to order the Pentel LRN5 refills as needed. This combo will be my new standard office pen until something displaces it.

Office Pen Quest is Over (For Now)

Pen Acquisition Disorder swept over me while I was trying to find good general purpose pens for daily use at the office. I tried a bunch of ...

4:18 PM

Rage Comic Fun! Spot On. Exactly.

Rage Comic Fun! Spot On. Exactly.

My good friend has more creativity in his pinky fingernail than I will ever have. I was pleasantly surprised this morning when he sent me th...

1:38 PM

3Sixteen+ 721BSP Jeans

Black is the new black. Headbangers have always rocked the black. Punk rockers wear black leather, black All-Stars, and black makeup. Metallica's "commercial breakthrough" album? The black one. (OK, put the Metallica fan club pitchforks down, I know that their black album is considered to be a sellout album, and I personally prefer And Justice for All, Master of Puppets, and Ride the Lightning better, but this post ain't about Metallica's back catalog and, besides, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, and My Friend of Misery are pretty epic songs from the black album; admit it).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU14jOeSwGauOtBwj-xunYX15MhgyDRxnZDa8fwq97-HYQn54Jjk4m8FFL8kPW4MgdbLmym7eqMS4V0nx7fUuMejr75ygkXzCWaV9cGiDSkLIYpqib8v45p2PLsW1vrzR2Bsm8qJz1mY/s1600/IMG_5521.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU14jOeSwGauOtBwj-xunYX15MhgyDRxnZDa8fwq97-HYQn54Jjk4m8FFL8kPW4MgdbLmym7eqMS4V0nx7fUuMejr75ygkXzCWaV9cGiDSkLIYpqib8v45p2PLsW1vrzR2Bsm8qJz1mY/s200/IMG_5521.01.jpg" width="200" /></a>Back to black: last year I acquired a pair of raw black denim jeans. More specifically, I bought a pair of the 721BSP jeans, made in Japan by the brand 3Sixteen+ (which happens to be based in the United States, go figure). These jeans are made from super heavy material . . . 18 ounce denim to be exact. I believe that 18 ounces refers to the weight of one yard of the raw material, but that fact in and of itself is meaningless unless you know the width of the material. Whatever. So, I'm told that this black denim material is also unsanforized, unsinged, uncalendared, low viscosity sulfur dyed, and low tension slack weaved. I know that "unsanforized" is roughly equivalent to "shrink-to-fit", but I'm too lazy to look up any of those other terms. I do know that the 721BSP jeans were very black when new, and that they have held their color quite well since I purchased them. As Nigel Tufnel (lead guitarist for Spinal Tap) said: "There's something about this that's so black, it's like how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black." Exactly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQyqk_G8ftd3xJCe10gLUR0qlj8IYCipij1VUEoe5ARBFN9Q9Y35S8c5JVoaEbjR2PfSfQ1MRQ8ITaNeMpu_YibYS_0YZXvJx9zQAqvtqlUZMHORVy8dlQ39hfkiU3qdYhshzjT7MlRg/s1600/IMG_5522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQyqk_G8ftd3xJCe10gLUR0qlj8IYCipij1VUEoe5ARBFN9Q9Y35S8c5JVoaEbjR2PfSfQ1MRQ8ITaNeMpu_YibYS_0YZXvJx9zQAqvtqlUZMHORVy8dlQ39hfkiU3qdYhshzjT7MlRg/s200/IMG_5522.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />These jeans have some interesting details that most people won't notice: gray stitching (see the picture above); six belt loops instead of the traditional five; leather patch without stitching on the vertical edges (which allows a belt to be passed under the patch); black stealth colored donut hardware for the button fly; and red + sparkly gold thread used in the selvedge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN4lOvmv7F8vQvSfxrRdd7A7rWLUolC2Monb3n8XWrNWa0JjyIWBG1COpFC7rKYZjzbHPOpClvVVUnOKZbOmTwQA-mrthqmTWL2hjZ_XZFesN8yQF4GU0I1b1GlPMP0nIPsE8QYyt3AA/s1600/IMG_5523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN4lOvmv7F8vQvSfxrRdd7A7rWLUolC2Monb3n8XWrNWa0JjyIWBG1COpFC7rKYZjzbHPOpClvVVUnOKZbOmTwQA-mrthqmTWL2hjZ_XZFesN8yQF4GU0I1b1GlPMP0nIPsE8QYyt3AA/s200/IMG_5523.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />The selvedge detail is intriguing. Although I don't usually cuff my jeans, I think you are supposed to roll them up to show off the awesome selvedge seams. Note that there is also a little piece of the same selvedge material in the coin pocket material. Nice touch.<br /><br />Anyway, these jeans are very comfortable even though they are made from heavyweight denim. Although marketed as a slim fit, they are roomy enough in the "top block" (a new term I've recently learned) and are not too skinny in the legs. I probably should have gotten a size 30 instead of 31, but oh well.<br /><br />I haven't worn these long enough or in enough extreme conditions to develop any interesting fading patterns or contrasting characteristics. I may follow up with some additional pictures if and when there is something interesting to show.