Smart habits, lifehacks, hobbies and motivations
Imagine staring into the treetops, binoculars raised, expecting to see a bird, but you see nothing. It’s not a vague feeling of absence, but a specific, conscious recognition that something should be there and isn’t. This oddly powerful moment, when your brain registers the absence of something, g—is more than just disappointment. It is a …
Continue reading “The Power of Zero: How Nothing Shapes the Mind”
The setup is simple. We have the QWERTY keyboard and a big screen in front of us. There is a mouse and a secondary screen on the right side of the body. If we are lucky there is a third pivoted screen on our left, and the notebook under it. Now what? Why the obvious …
I am considering a new business. For a couple of weeks, I have been working with friends and family members trying to reimagine one of the most common and wildly used items: a pen. This is a creativity exercise with a very real expected output. Join me on my quest for the perfect pen. Knives, …
Is there such a thing as an ideal size and shape? Probably not, not even for a pen. However, there may be an ideal shape for a purpose. For me, a pen is more than just a pen. It is a productivity device, a quintessential tool of a knowledge worker before computers. The tradeoffs easily explained …
Small, medium, or large pens? Which are better? There are pens in every size. Which should one choose? In this discussion, I favor the bigger options, but I will try to stay fair. Big or heavy? What is the optimal weight of a pen? The number is somewhere between 10 and 50 grams. Anything lighter …
If you have a fountain pen, you are trying to find the perfect ink for that pen. If you have many pens, you mix and match. This is a sort of art, chemistry, and something else… Why should you do it and how to do it properly? Three colors everyone needs If you have a …
One of the most rewarding experiences I had with my kids was practicing calligraphy together. The activity is good training for motoric skills, creativity, memory. And it is also not very expensive but very rewarding. Disclaimer I will be honest. It has very little to do with actual professional calligraphy. We do not care if …
So, suppose you want to learn more beautiful writing. Now what? Do you take several calligraphy courses, or simply practice with a font? Are you buying a fountain pen or a dip pen? Is the new hobby worthy of your investment? This and more in the head-to-head comparison… Why even learn calligraphy? We need to …
Continue reading “Calligraphy tools: dip pen vs fountain pen”
A pen is more than just a tool, it is a vehicle of enlightenment. This is not a smart branding of a pen manufacturer, it is ancient wisdom common for many cultures. Just like a sword is a continuation of the warrior’s will, a pen is a continuation of the philosopher’s soul. Can this idea …
One of the points in having a premium pen is proudly displaying it on your work desk. Pen holders can have additional functions, for example as a paperweight. Why do we really need pen holders and how well do they protect our pens? Pen in the drawer Let us start with the alternative. While a …