The Amish Space

In the spirit of talking about analog tools, Patrick Rhone posted on his blog about creating an electronics-free zone.

Then, this has me thinking even further, what if one were to create an electronics free zone in their home or office? A desk, a small space, a room, or even a whole floor of the home where electronic technology was not allowed?

I don’t think my house is big enough to create an electronics free zone. Though I think the idea is fine, I think the execution becomes problematic. Ultimately it isn’t important to quarantine off a section of the house. What is important is the idea that we don’t have to be engaged with technology at all times.

As I wrote before, sometimes it is nice to just sit down with a fountain pen and a pad of paper. There is a freedom in the analog that cannot be duplicated by the digital. There is a sense of intimacy with words scrawled on a page in your own handwriting that cannot be matched by helvetica or arial. There is a connection to the moment of writing on paper that is difficult to describe.

➔patrickrhone / journal » Idea: The Amish Space (No Electronics Allowed)

My Analog Tools

I love technology. I love gadgets. But I still loving using analog pen and paper. I’ve always loved pens, but in the last year they have started to become an obsession. I’d been a reader of The Pen Addict for quite a while, but last year Mr. Dowdy started a podcast on the 70 Decibels Network with Myke. For some reason this new medium got me to open up my wallet and vastly expand my pen collection.

Paper

Though it may be considered hipster, or pretentious, I’m a fan of the Moleskine journals. I use the extra large lined books for my personal journal. I like the look and the size, but mostly I love the feel of the paper. It is a bit thin, but if you use the right pen and ink they work great.

For work notes I use a Rhodia dot pad. Rhodia has extremely high quality paper that feels like butter to write on. The dot grid is perfect for work notes and diagrams. I haven’t found anywhere to buy them around me so I have to order them online, but it is worth it.

I’ve also started using Field Notes in the last few months. It is nice to always have a pocket notebook to capture a random thought, and Field Notes makes great ones. I haven’t even filled up one notebook yet, but I am working on it.

Pens

Early in 2012 I discovered the micro-tip gel pen. I immediately became a fan of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. This revelation prompted me to participate in my first Kickstarter campaign and get the P1 Premier Pen. Overall it was a great experience and I am happy with the finished product. I used it a lot, but I didn’t stop there…

I heard about the Retro 51 Tornado on the pen addict podcast and now I own 4 of them. It is one of my favorite pen barrels of all time. I was even able to hack a Hi-Tec-C ink refill into the Tornado barrel. I love carrying around the Tornado for everyday use. The quality is amazing, and the price is very reasonable.

In the summer I bought my first fountain pen. I’d been intimidated by them for a long time, but I decided it was time to try it out. I first bought a Sailor Highace Neo on a recommendation from @dowdyism himself. It was a completely different feeling pen than I was used to, but I came to enjoy the light scratch of the extremely fine nib. Writing with a “normal” pen started to feel slippery.

In the last couple months I have added two more fountain pens to my arsenal. I now have the Lamy Safari and the Lamy AL-Star, both in an extra-fine nib. I bought converters for both of them and a couple bottles of Noodler’s Ink. I haven’t used any other pens since I got these setup. The Lamys feel so nice, and with the Noodler’s ink it makes for an awesome combo. I have one loaded up with bulletproof black ink and one with bad blue herron. I’m sure the magic will wear off and I will go back to my other pens, but right now I am consumed by the Lamy fountain pens.

I write on the computer a lot, but it is really nice to bust out a pen and paper and write the old-fashioned way. I’m trying to make a point to do more of that this year. The main reason being that I feel pressure to actually use all these pens and inks that I bought.