Pencil pocketability

From Ask Metafilter:

Is there a Pencil equivalent to the Space Pen?

I love my Fisher Space Pen but I’m finding I need a mechanical pencil with me more and more often and I was hoping there would be a small pencil and can manage the where and tear of a pocket. Anybody have any recommendations?

The Graf von Faber-Castell Twisting Pencil looks pretty good, but there’s no way I’d put that kind of money into a pencil. The closest thing I can find is the Zebra Mini Pencil which appears to be pretty good but the body looks a little thin and maybe not the easiest to hold.

Check out the answers: Is there a Pencil equivalent to the Space Pen? Fair warning, though – if you’re a pencil geek, you’re likely to find some things you’ll want to immediately add to your wishlist.

An Ode to the Moleskine Pocket Cahier

Merlin Mann has called these slim paper-covered booklets “the Honda Accord of Moleskines.” But these versatile, slender Moles just might be the ultimate capture device.

For those doing GTD, the use for the 64-page pocket sized Cahier is readily apparent – the size and format of the book make it ideal for capturing notes, lists, to do items and contact information on the go. The last 16 of those 64 pages are even perforated for easy rippin’ and dippin’ tearing and sharing of your own must-share jots. If you currently use a hipster PDA for these tasks but you’re unsatisfied with the format for whatever reason, a slim Cahier is available for casual encounters in the Buff (try not to stare) or a more classy rendezvous in basic Moleskine black. The well known and loved pocket has been a bit bastardized to keep the bulk to a minimum – instead of the full pocket, you only get a small flap on the inside of the back cover. Treat it tenderly if you don’t want your unmentionable receipts flapping in the wind.

What’s the point? These Moleskines lack the impressive page counts of their fatter yet still pocket-sized cousins and may seem less durable because they lack the hard cover. The answer? Simplicity. Most people misunderstand the Cahier because they expect it to be something it’s not – a full-blown durable journal and keepsake-quality book. If you look at it for what it IS, a classed-up sheaf of tiny, high quality loose leaf scrap paper with the brand-name cache of Evian water and Montblanc pens, it’s a damn sane way to take down personal notes on the side while you’re expanding on broader business plans in a larger notebook.

Index cards are great, but let’s just face it – they make you look like a crazy person. The Moleskine Cahier is fountain pen friendly, classy, and conveniently fits in your pockets without dragging your pants down your hips (face the facts – you have to carry a lot more crap than just your notebook). It’s flexible, discreet, and it will begin to wear right about the time you’ve reached the last page anyway.

Factor in the fact that these books come in convenient packages of three, and you’ve got yourself a winning portable companion to your journaling system as well as a powerful GTD tool.

New pencil community on Livejournal

I’ve just started a community called Pencil Crazy over on Livejournal. If there are any pencil enthusiasts or collectors that still hang out on LJ, please join and post a picture or two of your collection.

Ever since joining the American Pencil Collectors Society (thanks to Angela for that geekerific Valentine’s Day gift I’d been wanting!) I’m beginning to wonder if most pencil collectors are in the 55+ age range, since that seems to be the target audience for the APSC publication. I know there must be some young professionals out there who completely geek out over an amazing instrument like the Rotring 600 or the Ohto Super Promecha just like I do, but they’re probably all in the pencil collector closet.

No one should be ashamed – office supply fetishes are so in.

Twitter Fiction at PigPog

The guys over at PigPog have a nice writeup of Twitter Fiction today. Be sure and check it out!

Twitter Fiction

Announcing my latest project, twitterfiction.com. Twitter Fiction is a simple use for Twitter – just send your fictional masterpiece of 140 characters or less to twitterfiction@gmail.com and it will be posted to twitter.com/twitterfiction.

Add twitterfiction to your friends list to read the latest and greatest works of microfiction.

Zodiac “down to the Eagle pencils”

Zodiac author Robert Graysmith talks about the faithful (re)creation of the movie’s set, right down to his favorite brand of pencils:

“He re-created, on a block-long set, the Chronicle of 1969,” Graysmith says. “It literally took my breath away. . . . I open a drawer and it’s a phone directory for all the reporters. There’s an actual Chronicle (directory), all the extensions are correct. Nobody’s going to see in that drawer. They have Eagle pencils like I used to use, they have grease pencils, the phones worked, the pneumatic tubes worked, and across the ceiling they have this lighting pattern that was sort of unique that I had forgotten about and certainly probably doesn’t show in the film. It was exact. And I asked Brad Fischer, one of the producers, “Well, who would know, Brad?’ And he said, “David Fincher would.’ “

- Source: Asbury Park Press Online

Office Supply warfare

This never fails to make me laugh:

My favorite is the Post It Trumpeteer.

Pocket Moleskine vs. Levenger shirt pocket briefcase

The ultimate productivity showdown

Despite my long standing pocket Moleskine fan status and usage, I’d longingly read many a review and quite a few raves about the Levenger shirt pocket briefcase, an overpriced index card holder that promises to usher you into a new social status along with the ultimate in productivity. When I found that particular item on sale at Levenger for $29.95 just before Christmas, I decided to pick one up as an early Christmas present to myself.

Now, three months later and having test driven both systems for task tracking, note jotting and writing, I present the ultimate productivity showdown.

Size matters

Pocketability is one of the obvious criteria here. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never really been happy with the size of either of these tools. I live in Texas, where you need a jacket or an overcoat approximately twice a year. I also work in an office, and cargo pants aren’t exactly business casual. This almost always necessitates that I carry my paper of choice in my front pants pocket, along with my Blackberry, keys, Leatherman Micra, and pen. Real estate is an issue.

While both claim to fit easily in a pocket, the pocket Moleskine definitely wins in this category. Measuring 3.5″W x 5.5″H versus the pocket briefcase’s 3¾”W x 6″H, the Moleskine’s compact form and snappy elastic strap create the most pocketable package. Both feel great in your hand if you prefer carrying around your notetaking bundle. However, if you want to shove it in a front pants pocket, you’re likely to be more uncomfortable with the pocket briefcase. The extra length makes a huge difference.

Winner: Pocket Moleskine

Creating your mobile workspace

When you’re carrying a tool designed to let you be creative, get work done, and spread out your thoughts and ideas on a cafe table or while walking, it’s important that that tool lets you completely create a mobile workspace. The Levenger pocket briefcase stands out in this category. They call it a briefcase for a reason – the open writing area, the secure internal middle pocket and the outer pocket allow you to sort, store, and organize your cards. There’s always one available for quick writing, and you can stow receipts, business cards and other scraps inside.

The pocket Moleskine does, of course, feature the famous rear pocket. However, the Moleskine pocket is flimsy, and real use will quickly wear it out to the point of requiring repair. Anything you store in it will significantly affect the size and shape of the book. The pocket briefcase is softer and has more room (actually a bonus in this area) so it’s more forgiving of “stuffing.”

In terms of creating a truly mobile workspace, the pocket briefcase is the best bet. The sortability and reorganization capability beat out the linear format of the pocket Moleskine.

Winner: Levenger Pocket Briefcase

Tools for writers

I write. Work-related articles, blog posts, emails, fiction, poetry. Whatever tool I use has to be great for jotting down everything from phone numbers, addresses and grocery lists as well as story ideas, article outlines and even entire pieces of flash fiction. This is one place where I had trouble picking a clear winner. The Moleskine is great for keeping a running list of random ideas that you can always go back to later for inspiration. The pocket briefcase would start to get too full if you kept every card in your stack where you jotted down a story idea. However, a fine point pen and a few “inspiration” cards that you go back to time and again might fix that problem.

Outlining a story is much more satisfying with index cards. Laying out plots and subplots, rearranging and stacking them can really help get ideas flowing.

Winner: Tie

Collaboration

Lots of times a mobile workspace means collaborating with others. It can even mean giving a kid something to do while you’re waiting for the movie to start, handing off a jotted-down URL to a friend, or giving others cards to work with. With a Moleskine, you usually wouldn’t want to tear out pages (they’re not perforated or easily torn). In order to collaborate with others, you’d have to pass off your whole book (of ideas, personal thoughts, lists, work-related items) to someone else, which I’m not always comfortable doing.

Winner: Levenger Pocket Briefcase

Conclusion

For my needs, the Levenger Pocket Briefcase is the best tool for the job. Moleskine still rules the land for paper-based planners, journaling, and writing longer articles or fiction (if you do your writing longhand).

Twitter to be featured at SXSW

New favorite app Twitter is set for success at this year’s SXSW Interactive:

Twitter has been selected as a finalist for the SXSW Web Awards. The judges think we “revolutionize the power of publishing.” We hope we win! There’s also a People’s Choice category and we’re allowed to ask folks to vote for us. If you have a couple minutes you can help us take home the prize!

Vote here: https://secure.sxsw.com/peoples_choice/

Speaking of SXSW, the conference organizers were kind enough to work with us to do something they’ve never done before. They’re letting Twitter take over the hallways. Everyone knows that the hallways at conferences are always brimming with action and this year Twitter is going to reflect some of that action back out with a couple big plasma monitors showing Twitter updates.

If you haven’t messed with Twitter, you should. It’s deceptively simple and addicting fun.

Parker Sonnet

The Parker Sonnet is made by the Parker Pen Company, which has a long and varied history. This is by far the finest ballpoint I’ve ever owned, including the nice glide of the Namiki Ageless. The Sonnet also has the advantage of a classic, black and silver matte look. This is the perfect ballpoint for meetings, desk jotting and interviews. It’s understated but an incredibly smooth writer.