Articles On Information

Matcha

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRYFxCLgM-dkGjuR6QeXcmuG0Q3nnMoz9JJrOcTuKJ44VqSgtXvuDMrxhpreBvVOQ88XplBnM87jSgQJCrXFsTUXWTBZIUqwq2_2Fcz6olSndTyly0OcdygmsG-XllvV1IQjaN5N5qYw/s1600/IMG_5454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRYFxCLgM-dkGjuR6QeXcmuG0Q3nnMoz9JJrOcTuKJ44VqSgtXvuDMrxhpreBvVOQ88XplBnM87jSgQJCrXFsTUXWTBZIUqwq2_2Fcz6olSndTyly0OcdygmsG-XllvV1IQjaN5N5qYw/s320/IMG_5454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Our friends at U.S. Customs and Border Protection were nice enough to release a Japanese origin package addressed to me. What could it be? Jeans? Razor blades? Headphones? A new batch of pens? Erasers that resemble ramen? No. The package came from <a href="http://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/" target="_blank">Ippodo Tea</a>. Their brochure says that "Ippodo Tea Co. is a Kyoto-based purveyor of premium Japanese green tea - matcha, gyokuro, sencha, and bancha - cultivated in the lush fields of Kyoto. It was founded almost three centuries ago by a merchant named Ihei Watanabe who moved from Omi province (now Shiga prefecture) to Kyoto and opened a shop called Omiya on Teramachi Street in 1717. In 1846, Prince Yamashina bestowed upon the shop the name Ippodo, literally meaning "establishment that preserves one (tea)," in the hope that the high quality of the shop's tea would always be maintained." Well well well, a little full of themselves are they?</div><div><br />Anyhow, I bought two 20-gram cans of matcha: Wakamatsu-no-mukashi (extra-premium quality); and Horai-no-mukashi (premium quality). I recently got into matcha as a natural progression of my interest in green tea, which will be the topic of a future post for sure. It took me a long time to gather the "courage" to try matcha because my research (lots of it) led me to believe that matcha is too expensive, a real hassle to prepare, and foul tasting. I was wrong. You see, part of matcha's allure lies in its natural vibrant green color and characteristic aroma and <i>umami</i>. In the middle of the Edo period, Uji tea masters developed the modern method of producing sencha, which is characterized by its clear, golden yellow color, refined mellow fragrance and refreshing flavor. In the latter half of the Edo period, they devised a method for producing gyokuro, known for its characteristic fragrance and <i>umami</i>. These techniques, all of which were developed in Uji, have been passed down to the present day, and now form the basis and tradition of virtually all modern-day Japanese green tea production methods. (OK, I plagiarized the last four sentences from Ippodo's brochure. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?)</div><div><br /></div><div>It should be mentioned that I am an absolute matcha noob. I've only had two other cans of matcha before these two. I'm still experimenting and trying to find the sweet spot of quality versus cost. Based on price alone, both of these should be "better" than the previous two I've tried. We'll see.</div>

Matcha

Our friends at U.S. Customs and Border Protection were nice enough to release a Japanese origin package addressed to me. What could it be? J...

6:00 AM

Keyboard Facelift

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xc3dvQf4NonD91qvZEA931KIk1DFbX73BWknLaWB4vCTKXonkvX9p-W0KNsJmcXaXQrw_AOnXbvhG0Q4WoChpAI_WoLQn9XypWfMbivlozLmRp9gFRX9aZKElUqBhntR9lG2CTZGAAs/s1600/IMG_5439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xc3dvQf4NonD91qvZEA931KIk1DFbX73BWknLaWB4vCTKXonkvX9p-W0KNsJmcXaXQrw_AOnXbvhG0Q4WoChpAI_WoLQn9XypWfMbivlozLmRp9gFRX9aZKElUqBhntR9lG2CTZGAAs/s200/IMG_5439.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table>I managed to find some time to install the keycaps mentioned <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/08/key-caps.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I had to close my office door to muffle the sound of the clattering keycaps and to keep my geekdom secure. I won't bore you with the details or provide any "how to" tips. Rather, I'll let you see for yourself. The standard Filco Tenkeyless keyboard with Cherry blue switches is great, although the basic black keycaps are a little drab. Every now and then I'll get all worked up and deem myself ready for a big change in life . . .<br /><br />For example, I might decide to swap out the stock escape key for something with a little more flair:<br /><br /><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j0AeazP8znVYbZ5EyRzXEXaQfUnCOCT0XXWV0JW4DEz8e6Lg277znN-qCoPt5cu23srMYm4r5jx0DCA9QmX7OOf7QNCpqh828t0XVrmOa-JTCdH7CT_u6LActzfZIGAKlQKTzsQM2WI/s1600/IMG_5440.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j0AeazP8znVYbZ5EyRzXEXaQfUnCOCT0XXWV0JW4DEz8e6Lg277znN-qCoPt5cu23srMYm4r5jx0DCA9QmX7OOf7QNCpqh828t0XVrmOa-JTCdH7CT_u6LActzfZIGAKlQKTzsQM2WI/s200/IMG_5440.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />Boom! Add a fancy escape key and reinvigorate your life! I usually keep that skull on the keyboard for only a few days before I remove it, polish it with a new microfiber cloth, and return it to a safe deposit box. Swapping out the escape key now and then is no big deal. Installing an entire set of keycaps, however, can take awhile. So I took a half-day off, rolled up my sleeves, and tackled this immense project the other day. Step one: remove the stock keycaps.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTwb7sNG7l2Xa3-Zpr9XhTrLkOfOtRi6SufjlDNumF0xggoTw_Y7k8hD5Nf_Z9ck4iskQsoBXL5fntR47gdd33b1kvRFKK8FzdCZRkfA9TpfMKuQvU5_fbXHSn7FTAUT-TQznkaiK52c/s1600/IMG_5444.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTwb7sNG7l2Xa3-Zpr9XhTrLkOfOtRi6SufjlDNumF0xggoTw_Y7k8hD5Nf_Z9ck4iskQsoBXL5fntR47gdd33b1kvRFKK8FzdCZRkfA9TpfMKuQvU5_fbXHSn7FTAUT-TQznkaiK52c/s200/IMG_5444.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />Step one is actually 87 little steps. Step two: install 87 new keycaps, step back, and feast your eyes on THIS:<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VtT4JcjJy4yZBYD0rz0my2oCQNuJfCGtGBulJIp8qtC7bzj_S1vjNjtUx6CGyyF7D7XYjEOKy8KrhYZ_P_q0dNpSn_gxhlutI14t__V1sYzBiaSW9lnyzrQrqwqtZHlN4a1-0-A4Xig/s1600/IMG_5445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VtT4JcjJy4yZBYD0rz0my2oCQNuJfCGtGBulJIp8qtC7bzj_S1vjNjtUx6CGyyF7D7XYjEOKy8KrhYZ_P_q0dNpSn_gxhlutI14t__V1sYzBiaSW9lnyzrQrqwqtZHlN4a1-0-A4Xig/s200/IMG_5445.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTv1ZjK7sGk_StvFoc8J1C9L7-TVvYwSV4oR_Ix0dQ-SVhvdcritTQoAm6ePqTNxzb3PW0LjDmguXa1GVA7de27t-jG2pMfUtJ9aHooGV9K13DRrXlvp7jOLUjDup9dEwCOBIcW_43Co/s1600/IMG_5446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTv1ZjK7sGk_StvFoc8J1C9L7-TVvYwSV4oR_Ix0dQ-SVhvdcritTQoAm6ePqTNxzb3PW0LjDmguXa1GVA7de27t-jG2pMfUtJ9aHooGV9K13DRrXlvp7jOLUjDup9dEwCOBIcW_43Co/s200/IMG_5446.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I really like this look, but will probably change it after I grow tired of it or when another colorway grabs my attention.</div>

Keyboard Facelift

Before I managed to find some time to install the keycaps mentioned here . I had to close my office door to muffle the sound of the clatter...

7:24 AM

Pen Lineup: Part 2

I recently acquired another batch of pens, and will be test writing with them over the next week or three. This has developed into a bad habit/sickness, like a lingering cough that won't go away. Anyway, this quick post is just a sneak peek to show off the package of goodness that came from JetPens.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RXlxvH8hzszjfwcmLwys5Bd78E8ozVbGLvyUZ8Ng62odmQ4RKAXbhYYn-itgEZIa9YbBUvLQejRWwGzZwCQXBjguwHoeI4IljJRK4HTxQIcvpH1QRhqElfW6k4Gz9EuQ29aZLJiVfzI/s1600/IMG_5433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RXlxvH8hzszjfwcmLwys5Bd78E8ozVbGLvyUZ8Ng62odmQ4RKAXbhYYn-itgEZIa9YbBUvLQejRWwGzZwCQXBjguwHoeI4IljJRK4HTxQIcvpH1QRhqElfW6k4Gz9EuQ29aZLJiVfzI/s320/IMG_5433.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />From left to right: Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in blue); Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in red); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in blue); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in red); Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Two-Color multipen body (with 0.5 mm blue and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); Pentel Sliccies Two-Color multipen body (with 0.4 mm blue-black and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); and Platinum Preppy fountain pen!<br /><br />This is just a teaser post. I'll get to these instruments soon enough. I'm REALLY interested in trying out the multipens and the fountain pen.<br /><br />PS - have I mentioned that the Japanese simply rule the world of pens?

Pen Lineup: Part 2

I recently acquired another batch of pens, and will be test writing with them over the next week or three. This has developed into a bad hab...

5:12 PM

Key Caps

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBTFTWiDY6EHi8pAQ4k5Es_ueMoIaqmjfalqZjhD2AdCxY1K4T6lsRfa1W83wTabMEgHDkx07rGxuB9hxr4JvV3fSlbK6VQKY7onRKRnSNWs-7oAfmhK3b2c6O9SX9y5NPuSAPzckOqo/s1600/IMG_5432.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/AVvXsEjbBTFTWiDY6EHi8pAQ4k5Es_ueMoIaqmjfalqZjhD2AdCxY1K4T6lsRfa1W83wTabMEgHDkx07rGxuB9hxr4JvV3fSlbK6VQKY7onRKRnSNWs-7oAfmhK3b2c6O9SX9y5NPuSAPzckOqo/s200/IMG_5432.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I just received these in the mail today, so they are literally the acquisition of the day. These are doubleshot OEM profile Cherry MX switch compatible ABS key caps with reverse colored modifiers. If you understood the last sentence, then congratulations (I think) for being a mechanical keyboard geek! Good job. For the remaining 99.78% of the population, you may consider these key caps to be just another feather in my XXL size cap of ridiculousness.<br /><br />Computer keyboards. Everyone has one these days: on a laptop; at work; on a phone; on a video game device; and so on. Computer staring desk monkeys often type on a computer keyboard all day long and think nothing of it. While doing just that one day, I stumbled across a blog or message board thread topic related to "what's the best keyboard" and was surprised to discover that mechanical keyboards are still made and collected with vigor (by the way, mechanical keyboards use "mechanical" switches or actuators to register the keystrokes, in contrast to the technologies that are used in many common, mass-produced, OEM keyboards).<br /><div><br /></div><div>The thread that caught my eye mentioned unfamiliar terminology such as "Cherry switches" and "clicky blues" and "Filco" . . . huh wut? After spending a few dozen hours reading up on the topic, I realized that one of my first (and best) computer keyboards was indeed mechanical: an IBM model M. This got me interested in a modern mechanical keyboard, which in turn resulted in more research and discovery of websites like <a href="http://geekhack.org/" target="_blank">Geek Hack</a> and <a href="http://deskthority.net/" target="_blank">Deskthority</a>, both of which concentrate on mechanical keyboards. Who would have known? Blue versus brown versus red switches? Filco versus Ducky versus Das brands? Full size versus tenkeyless versus compact layouts? Replacement key caps with customized colorways? Click Clack skull key caps that sell on the geek market for a hundred dollars? For ONE key cap! Amazing.</div><div><br /></div><div>My mechanical keyboard trajectory went like this: (1) acquired a full sized keyboard from <a href="http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/" target="_blank">WASD Keyboards</a>, with Cherry brown switches and a fully customized key cap layout and color scheme (which is the major selling point of WASD Keyboards); (2) bought additional key caps from WASD Keyboards because my first layout looked like ass; (3) continued buying novelty and other replacement key caps for grins and giggles; (4) went to Fry's Electronics to check out other mechanical keyboards having different switches (Cherry black, Cherry red, Cherry blue, Alps); (5) "borrowed" a Razer Blackwidow keyboard from Fry's to see whether or not I could live with Cherry blue clicky switches; (6) decided YES, I could live with blue switches; (7) got a full set of white side-printed replacement key caps for my WASD keyboard; (8) decided to acquire a tenkeyless keyboard (i.e., one that does not have the ten-key number pad cluster on the right side) with Cherry blue switches; (9) finally got a Filco tenkeyless with blues after waiting for Amazon to be restocked; (10) sold my WASD keyboard to a keyboard noob; and (11) just received the red and white set of awesomeness shown in the picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, the above-described trajectory was rather expensive. Why would anyone spend more than ten bucks on a computer keyboard? Who cares about KEYBOARDS? Those are good questions, and every mechanical keyboard user will have his or her own set of valid, silly, and misunderstood answers. Personally, I wanted something that would be enjoyable to use and nice to look at because I use the computer all day when I'm in the office. The fact that my typing speed and accuracy have improved is a nice bonus. I mean, if you are going to do something or use a device for 40+ hours a week, why not try to get the most out of that activity and/or try to eek out a little pleasure and enjoyment while suffering through the day to day banality of your job? OK, OK, I admit that there is also some "cool factor" and "geek appeal" at play here, but really, mechanical keyboards just work better than the crap that most people fiddle with on a daily basis. Try one.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Key Caps

I just received these in the mail today, so they are literally the acquisition of the day. These are doubleshot OEM profile Cherry MX switch...

8:45 PM

Headphones & IEMs

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkd73PYZPZPz-Gqqjb0h6lR4_zqOA0vQxhRWZi9n04b4cVgbCcuSUI9vxecQDZ0JFjIH_vumwycqDs-Y3MpQ_Fcmo1b7yCp6_mvCmtXeCrgHk-jYwJshu-yWquXQ1rrCjzoDY1pOSeT4/s1600/IMG_5402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkd73PYZPZPz-Gqqjb0h6lR4_zqOA0vQxhRWZi9n04b4cVgbCcuSUI9vxecQDZ0JFjIH_vumwycqDs-Y3MpQ_Fcmo1b7yCp6_mvCmtXeCrgHk-jYwJshu-yWquXQ1rrCjzoDY1pOSeT4/s200/IMG_5402.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>I was going to continue writing about pens, but that might get boring for my loyal reader (hi Mom). Rather than write about one topic at a time, I've decided to introduce other ridiculous things that interest me and/or things that I've spent too much time and money on, such as headphones. Headphone acquisition disorder hit me early and hard, but I got it out of my system awhile ago. Or so I thought. I was feeling pretty good with my rig at the office, my two sets of headphones, and my one set of IEMs (in-ear monitors) until a couple of weeks ago when I convinced myself that I NEEDED another set of IEMs for use at the gym. Of course, analysis paralysis immediately set in, and I spent more than a few hours reading online reviews and recommendations for something ideal. I ultimately decided on the MEElectronics M21 you see in this picture. This isn't intended to be a review of the M21. Besides, I haven't listened to them enough because I'm still in the process of burning them in (headphone geeks will know what that means). Instead, I'll use this as an opportunity to explain the headphone thing.<br /><br />What: Headphones and related audio gear.<br /><br />When: I've had junk headphones since I was a kid, and I've had all of the junk headphones and earbuds that come with music players (yes, I'm old enough to remember Sony Walkman cassette players and the junk audio transducers that came with them). As a grown-up, I've had some better-than-junk headphones, but none of that garbage really counts. I believe my headphone journey started about five or six years ago, and it hasn't stopped.<br /><br />Why: This is easy. Music enjoyment. I love listening to music, I love the sonic experience, and I love hearing as much detail as possible. I don't consider myself an audiophile, nor am I an audio equipment snob. I simply wanted a "good" set of IEMs to replace the stock ones that came with my portable music player. Eventually, I set up a decent audio rig at my desk and wanted a good set of headphones for the office (I listen to music almost constantly while working). Why all of this hassle? To maximize enjoyment and to hear as much detail as possible.<br /><br />How: I am pretty sure that <a href="http://www.head-fi.org/" target="_blank">Head-Fi</a> was around way back when. I don't know how I found that site, but I spent countless hours reading about headphones and IEMs, making a wish list, and scanning through the different review and comment threads about the different products on my list (this may have been the onset of analysis paralysis; I ought to be more spontaneous and just make impulsive buys). After reading a 200+ page thread about them, I finally decided to buy the Atrio earphones by Future Sonics. One thing led to another, I discovered some headphone-specific retail sites, learned about headphone amps, DACs, and digital music technologies, and I was off and running.<br /><br />After acquiring the Atrios, which I still have and use all the time, the headphone upgrade-buy-sell path went kinda like this: Grado SR-80 headphones; Grado SR-225 headphones; Etymotic MC5 earphones; Beyerdynamic DT-880 (600 Ohm version); Sony MDR-ZX700 headphones; Sennheiser HD650 headphones; and last but not least, the MEElectronics M21 earphones shown in the picture. I eventually sold the two Grados, but I really miss the SR-225 set. I returned the Ety MC5 earphones immediately because I didn't like their sound profile. I sold the DT-880 headphones, too. I kept the MDR-ZX700 headphones for use at home because they are closed headphones, which is nice to help muffle the screaming kids, video games, and annoying neighbors. The HD650 headphones are featured in my office rig, and I have no immediate plans to move them just yet.<br /><br />Holy crap I have a problem. That said, I haven't gone down the path of super-expensive headphones (e.g., Sennheiser HD800, Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, or Audeze LCD-3) because I do have my limits and a realistic budget. This is a key consideration . . . you can get extremely good sound these days without breaking the bank, and the super high end headphones typically require super high end source equipment to make them shine, which only adds to the monetary pain. Note that the MEElectronics M21 earphones were less than $20.00, and by all reports they are well worth the cost.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQT7tu555-A0zQVJLCnjcwaYRLbmlS5cc5osV6QxnEglh8Y14z9SR2-F9UTnhyXjTJmpm6ay2_fJrvH9QwKuiShbahFeeYZTpybm6UYNldvh-iKjRggW4EYkbJcwKBVOaw4plr0qIgsYw/s1600/IMG_5403.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/AVvXsEjQT7tu555-A0zQVJLCnjcwaYRLbmlS5cc5osV6QxnEglh8Y14z9SR2-F9UTnhyXjTJmpm6ay2_fJrvH9QwKuiShbahFeeYZTpybm6UYNldvh-iKjRggW4EYkbJcwKBVOaw4plr0qIgsYw/s200/IMG_5403.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>PS - I have a pro tip for anyone who is sick of tangled earphone cables. After you are done listening, wrap them up in a figure eight pattern (see picture to the right) before stashing them in their case, your pocket, your bra, or wherever. When you whip them out again, the cable will self-deploy quickly and easily without getting tangled or caught on itself. Try it.