Articles On Information

EDC Pens

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpPB_NS40B6Mcdg915B-jXxEyBl0K5y7HafN5PBm3iPuRp0fBaib8uTZoNtMku9pJ6AVKRQOJ7fc9J2ZCEtGF77qsAPAmESfYmmT9IrnUh092yhcixFjK7WhjrprBub4Wk3FSSrStb-k/s1600/IMG_5396.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/AVvXsEjlpPB_NS40B6Mcdg915B-jXxEyBl0K5y7HafN5PBm3iPuRp0fBaib8uTZoNtMku9pJ6AVKRQOJ7fc9J2ZCEtGF77qsAPAmESfYmmT9IrnUh092yhcixFjK7WhjrprBub4Wk3FSSrStb-k/s200/IMG_5396.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>If you look carefully in the stack o' pens shown in this <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/08/pens.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, you might see the four compact little pens in the picture to the right.  I bought these pens (coincidentally, all of them are Zebra brand pens) in an attempt to find a decent EDC item to keep with me in my pocket, on my keychain, etc.<br /><br />Yeah, yeah, I know about the super popular Inka keychain pen, but have some reservations about it (after spending a few days reading online reviews of it, as though it's a luxury vehicle or a major appliance).  Instead, I opted for the following, shown left to right in the picture:  Zebra F-301 Compact ballpoint; Zebra Minna Mini ballpoint; Zebra SL-F1 Mini ballpoint; and Zebra Penpod ballpoint.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The F-301 Compact is based on the regular F-301, which is good for a ballpoint.  It has a lanyard hole to accommodate keychain carry, but I think it's too long to keep with my keys in my pocket.  When closed, the cap is very secure, but when posted on the end it is really wobbly and shaky.  When the cap is posted, the pen is virtually a full sized pen.  This makes it comfortable to write with, but an EDC pen for me will typically be used only for quick notes and reminders. All of these factors put the F-301 Compact in last place for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Minna is super thin and compact, and I like the design even though it's a little feminine. It might be tough to see in the picture, but there is a very cool Japanese style graphic in a clear window section of the barrel.  The body is very thin, and most of the pen fits inside the cap when closed. I like how the ends are rounded and the thin body makes this easy to keep in my jeans coin pocket.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll take the SL-F1 Mini for the win here.  This pen is weighty (I believe it has a metal construction), compact, and sleek.  The gray color is nice, and it does come in other colorways.  The pen telescopes to reveal the tip and to extend the body.  The extended length is somewhat short, but still OK to write with for a quick note or two.  When closed, it fits perfectly in my jeans coin pocket.  Moreover, pen has a deep carry clip configuration, which I like better than the shallower clip found on the Minna.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Penpod is a good option if you really want to carry something on your keychain.  I don't, and the girth and deployment mechanism of the Penpod make it less than perfect for pocket carry.  The pen itself is spring loaded and a quick twist releases it from the cap, which stays on the keyring.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I wasted a few dollars and a whole lot of online research time to realize that the Zebra SL-F1 is nearly perfect for my needs.  It usually lives in my jeans coin pocket (or in some other pocket when I'm not wearing jeans) and it's so small that I don't even notice it.</div>

EDC Pens

If you look carefully in the stack o' pens shown in this previous post , you might see the four compact little pens in the picture to t...

7:11 AM

The Process (Continued)

I already explained the overall acquisition process <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-acquisition-process-flow.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but wanted to supplement the process a little. The original flow chart does not adequately illustrate the fact that I tend to become somewhat knowledgeable in a number of typically meaningless or strange areas, but fall very short of becoming an expert or power user in any one of those areas. I will devote a lot of time and effort to get up to speed and familiar with some random and (to most people) ridiculous topic, such that I can truthfully say that I'm "interested" in the subject. I might become more involved with something to the point where it elevates to "hobby" status, but that doesn't occur very often. I suppose my goal is to discover interesting things (whether they are cool, trendy, geeky, or obscure) and get fairly educated about them to the point where I can spend a little bit of money on something that might brighten the usual day-to-day mundane work week. I guess I'm cheap and want to get the most bang for my buck. So, I'll develop at least a baseline understanding of a topic such that I can BUY and enjoy something without getting too obsessed or ridiculously committed.<br /><br />This behavior often results in loss of interest and boredom with a subject, sometimes followed by renewed interest, and so on. This explains why most of my posts thus far relate to pens. Really? Pens? Well, yeah, because pens are the current hot topic here at The Daily Acquisition. I'll get over the pen phase soon enough and will turn to something else.

The Process (Continued)

I already explained the overall acquisition process here , but wanted to supplement the process a little. The original flow chart does not a...

9:09 AM

Valet Tray

This is a perfect example of the acquisition snowball effect. I've recently become slightly interested in the <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/08/edc-every-day-carry.html" target="_blank">EDC concept</a>, which basically means that you ought to carry as much usually-needless crap on your person to be prepared for those unusual situations where you actually need that crap. So, instead of merely carrying a wallet, keys, a few coins, and a phone on a daily basis, my EDC haul now includes an assortment of gear. I used to stash EVERYTHING on a little keychain shelf in the hallway. Life was simple back then (OK, just a few months ago, but whatever). Simple. Well, I outgrew that little shelf and didn't like seeing all of my EDC items randomly strewn on the counter top, my dresser, my nightstand, etc.  Problem solved with a quick visit to Amazon (have I mentioned that Amazon Prime is the Devil?), where I found this here "Ryan 10" Valet Tray" for a more than reasonable $17.95.<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/AVvXsEjDjtByyuUax2IjXAAe41IsIr4VKjAtC0CrgOueyuGyHTpWXsIv_b_T_x3isiBYZta5gP8aVGrsVECNiEp3cVdRUIK7VsDoPz4hCj2_xDU6hD6a2NhfkMI9j0_wUcmP3_aDYeB1E5Cz4QE/s1600/IMG_5436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjtByyuUax2IjXAAe41IsIr4VKjAtC0CrgOueyuGyHTpWXsIv_b_T_x3isiBYZta5gP8aVGrsVECNiEp3cVdRUIK7VsDoPz4hCj2_xDU6hD6a2NhfkMI9j0_wUcmP3_aDYeB1E5Cz4QE/s320/IMG_5436.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Ryan</td></tr></tbody></table>OK, "valet tray" is just a manly way of saying <cough cough> "jewelry box" for man gear; I get it. Note that I was actually about to pull the trigger on a more ridiculous tray that was closer to $50.00, but in a moment of strength and power overcame my usual compulsive purchasing behavior and "settled" for the less expensive and more practical item you see in the picture.<br /><br />As you can see, my friend Ryan has a few stash pockets, one larger pocket with a lid, and a coin compartment that looks like a micro skateboarding halfpipe. The curved profile makes it easier to swipe your coins outta there - brilliant! Now everyone is happy, and each EDC item has its own little home away from me.

Valet Tray

This is a perfect example of the acquisition snowball effect. I've recently become slightly interested in the EDC concept , which basica...

7:23 AM

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>