Here, in one page, is my assessment of the Dot Grid pocket notebooks from Word. Notebooks:
Here are a few more notes I took before summarizing, if you want some more details:
Here are the hyperlinks:
Word. Notebooks // Word. Dot Grid
And now… images follow–click or tap to enlarge. (All the images above are of text written in Word. notebooks themselves.)
Thanks to the friendly folks at Word. Notebooks for the review samples, given to me with no expectation as to the content of my review.
I wasn’t kidding about trying to write by hand more in 2016. To that end, I bring you my first handwritten review. Below I evaluate another Field Notes leather cover, this one the Slim Cover from Inkleaf.
And because my handwriting doesn’t hyperlink, after the images of my written review, I add the hyperlinks… and lots of pictures.
Hyperlinks:
Inkleaf’s Story // The Field Notes Slim Cover // Inkleaf’s home page
Images Follow–click or tap to enlarge:
Day One is easily the best app for keeping a journal or life log–if you’re going to do it in a 1s and 0s environment, rather than on paper.
In this post I briefly review Day One. I’ll leave for another time the question of whether journaling by hand or by phone/tablet/computer is preferable. Okay, actually… I’ll answer that now: better to do it by hand, because… reasons. But Day One has photo capability, so it has served as a nice digital repository for me to chronicle my kids’ growing up, without having to post it on Facebook, etc.
Day One offers sync via iCloud, Dropbox, or their own sync service, so you can keep everything together on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
I really like the layout, which allows you (much like in this blog, for example), to combine headings, text, and photos. Check out this sample entry on Day One for Mac:
You can even add an entry right from the menu bar, so that you can write down that brilliant insight before you forget it.
Your entries could be text, a (single) photo with text, location-based entries (that also pull in the weather automatically), meeting notes, day debriefs, etc. Each entry is automatically time-stamped. The possibilities are pretty robust, and folks use Day One in lots of different ways. The tags feature especially enables this, as you could use the built-in tagging system to sort by “journal,” “family,” “song lyrics,” “insights,” “questions,” and more.
My first question is–to the extent I use Day One as a sort of photo-journal (especially of the family), will having my info in a proprietary format some day cause issues? That’s always a possibility with software (score one for physical journals and photo albums), but Day One allows for PDF export, so you don’t really have to worry here.
You can also set a reminder so that Day One reminds you each day to write:
It looks and works really well on iPhone and iPad too.
If you want to try the app and really put it to use, Shawn Blanc has written a pretty thorough ebook: Day One in Depth.
You can find Day One for iOS here; the OS X app is here.
Also… if you want to wait a few days… Day One 2 releases this Thursday. I haven’t used the new app, but beta users seem to love it. You can check out what’s new in the FAQs here.
Thanks to the makers of Day One for the review copy of the app on Mac, given to me for this review but with no expectation as to its content.
In my quest to write by hand more regularly, I’ve learned two things:
One such company is ColsenKeane, a creator of custom leather goods. Their founder, Scott Hofert, believes in manufacturing high-quality goods that will last for a long time:
In our modern society, it’s next to impossible to find long-haul products. Passion-infused items crafted with fanatical detail. At ColsenKeane, we believe our leather pieces are creating form, function AND narrative.
I’m grateful to ColsenKeane for sending me a Field Notes Cover so I can bring you this review. The color is “Brown Crazy Horse.”
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You can tell these folks take delight in their work, a trait I appreciate. Here is what the packaging looked like:
It was so well presented, I almost didn’t want to open it, but I ripped into it quickly enough.
It came with two Field Notes inserts. This is one of the salient features of this leather cover–it’s specifically intended for two notebooks.
Just because you can insert two notebooks doesn’t mean you have to. This is one of those how full do you like your wallet? questions. Avid notebook users will probably have more than one memo book, each for a different purpose. So I like the decision to set up the cover to be able to accommodate two notebooks.
There is an option for three-letter monogramming:
The elastic place marker is not something I would have known I’d appreciate, but I do:
Everything is held together by elastic. The leather, of course, will last for ages–the elastic may not. So far I’ve had no issues with mine, but ColsenKeane does sell replacement elastic (or you can get your own), if need be. Elastic and leather feel like a funny combination, but ColsenKeane has done a nice job of putting everything together.
Let me show you in pictures–you basically just slide the open notebook into one of the elastic pieces, and it fits pretty securely.
The elastic closure to keep the notebook closed is probably not utterly essential, but it has a good job to do, especially if you’re putting the notebook cover in your pocket.
The leather cover works great for other non-Field Notes notebooks, too, especially if they’re 3.5″x5.5″:
The little Baron Fig Apprentice notebooks are 5 inches (not 5.5) high, so they’re a little looser, but they actually work pretty well in this cover, too:
Or you could mix and match:
There is no pen holder, per se, but it’s easy enough to clip a pen to the cover.
ColsenKeane’s Field Notes cover is really well constructed. Two thumbs up for that. Of course, you don’t need a leather cover for your pocket notebooks. Pocket notebooks do just fine in your pocket without leather covering them.
But the Field Notes cover looks really cool and smells and feels good, so I’ll keep using it, as long into 2016 (and beyond?) as my analogue kick continues. It is an awesome piece of workmanship, and enhances the writing experience, giving me another Pavlovian motivation to be on paper more and at the screen less.
More info about the leather cover is here.
Many thanks to the fine folks at Colsen Keane for the notebook cover for review! Learn more about the company here.
More than half my writing by hand these days happens with an implement from Kaweco in Germany. They are brand new to me, but Kaweco has been making writing instruments since 1883.
I’m especially eager to share my impressions of their outstanding LILIPUT fountain pen, but I’m saving that post for later. Here I briefly assess their SKETCH UP pencil.
The SKETCH UP is a heavy beast. You will feel manly or womanly every time you pick it up to sketch. Its octagonal barrel somehow adds to its impressiveness. You simply cannot ignore its heft.
Having used pretty much only No. 2 pencils my whole life–with mechanical pencils constituting my sole upgrade–the 5.6 mm lead felt mammoth, yet also softer and smoother than any other pencil I’ve used.
The SKETCH UP is not as long as your run-of-the-mill pencil, so it will fit into any pocket.
I am only slightly embarrassed to admit it took me a few tries to figure out the mechanism that feeds the lead through.
You have to push the button at the top of the barrel with one hand (to release the lead) and use another hand to adjust the lead to the desired length, before releasing the push button again. Then you’re all set to draw.
Writing and sketching with the SKETCH UP feels great. Shading is easy and smooth. It’s maybe heavy for writing a lot of words, but even for taking notes, it would do well. Sketching, however, is its primary intended purpose, and for that it is a workhorse.
And, get this: it’s got a built in point sharpener. The push button uncaps to sharpen your point.
You can check out Kaweco’s SKETCH UP line here. (This pencil is Item #10000946, and came with a nice tin gift box.) And if you are so inclined you can order the SKETCH UP via JetPens or Most Wanted Pens.
Many thanks to the fine folks at Kaweco for the pencil for review! Check them out here.
In college, when I was a prolific journaler, I filled up two or three wonderful lay-flat books with all sorts of feelings and existential insights/ramblings. My journal of choice featured semi-invisible lines, which were a guide to keep me writing straight, but subtle enough that I didn’t really notice once I looked at a filled-up page.
I noticed this fall that a Swedish company makes such a subtly-ruled notebook: Whitelines.
First, let me show you the outside of the orange A5 Hard Bound Cloth notebook:
The linen cloth gives the hardcover notebook an organic feel. The orange ribbon marker looks good, too. This is definitely a classy notebook.
What sets Whitelines apart from other notebooks is the… well… white lines it uses. Here’s what a page looks like:
The white lines look great on the colored 80g paper. You can tell from the page above that there’s a little bleed-through, though. This was using a Pilot G2 07 gel pen. An extra fine fountain pen fares better.
The branding is minimal, but I can’t think of another notebook I’ve used that had the company name on every page:
I have gotten used to this in time and don’t really notice it anymore.
Apart from the really nice experience of writing on white lines, this notebook lays flat really well, even when you’re writing on the first few pages on the left-hand side. Kudos to the makers for getting that right! The sewn binding is welcome, too. This means the notebook will last a long time.
I use the Whitelines notebook as my primary journal, since it has a classic look and feel. And because this particular book is orange, I will (probably) never lose it.
Want to give it a go? Whitelines has a variety of .pdf samples of their pages here, so you can print them out and try it.
You can see more Whitelines products here. The Hard Bound Cloth A5–available in both orange and grey–can be found here.
Many thanks to the fine folks at Whitelines for the notebook for review!
Here, in no particular order, are some ideas for how to memorize a verse or paragraph of text. I have Bible memory specifically in mind, but this could work for any text.
There are some advantages to memorizing in a corporate context. I suggest some options here. I suppose any of those could be co-opted into an individual setting, too.
You could:
I’d love to hear any additional ideas in the comments below.
Of my too many New Year’s resolutions, perhaps the most important one is to write at least eight minutes a day.
You might have noticed a lot more posts with the “writing” tag since the fall. Much of my writing recently has been by hand. Though, make no mistake, I still feel most agile and fluent with a keyboard.
So far I’m 4-for-4 with eight minutes a day! There’s plenty of 2016 left for me to change my mind, lose interest, give up, etc. But I have already found an eight-minute-a-day habit easier to keep up than other daily goals I’ve set for myself in the past.
Another resolution that hurts a lot more but takes just as little time: 50+ push-ups a day. I hope to work up to 100 by spring.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to write 8 minutes (or more) every day. At least three days a week I plan to write by hand. Less than 10 minutes seems doable, modest even, but also enough to build on itself. Yesterday, without really meaning to, I wrote for an hour. This morning was just 10 minutes.
I’ve got at least these two other notebooks to fill up, but for every-day writing I’ve been using a nice 5″x8″ softcover dot grid notebook from Northbooks. I know this is psychological, but that its softcover means I feel more free to just jot things down quickly than I would in a leather or even hardbound journal. So it’s been perfect for my 8 minutes.
It looks like this:
I love the size. It will fit into a large jeans pocket and is easy to stash in a satchel or purse. I really like the look and feel of it.
The cover logo is minimalistic. If you have a ruled notebook, you see lines instead of dots. A nice touch. You could easily title your notebook and write it on the cover.
And I’m a big fan of the dot grid pages:
These will also be sketch-friendly.
The acid-free paper is of high quality and made in the U.S.A. The paper is 50% post-consumer, smooth but not too smooth, and the perfect thickness. There is no significant bleed-through, even when using a fine fountain pen. I was impressed by this.
Northbooks’s product page touts a lay-flat binding:
Lays Flatter Than Most Notebooks: Binding is not attached to the external cover, so our notebook opens flatter than a typical glued binding. Makes for fuss-free writing/reading.
The binding is plenty secure, as is the cover:
But binding and cover are intentionally separate, as seen here:
This does, of course, mean flatter opening than a cover and binding that are glued together, but I still had to hold down one side of the notebook to be able to write in it. It does not lay flat on its own. (I’m not sure anyone would expect a softcover notebook this size to lay flat anyway.)
There’s plenty of room, even in this compact and portable notebook–96 pages (48 sheets)–for ideas, plans, to-do lists, art, and anything else.
You can learn more about the notebook here. One pays perhaps a higher price than expected for this notebook, but it is, of course, more expensive to make everything in the U.S. And this is a notebook that looks ready to stand the test of time. The 5-pack is significantly discounted, compared to buying a single one. You can see more Northbooks notebooks here.
Many thanks to the fine folks at Northbooks for the notebook for review! Check them out here.
As much as I like a good app for writing, I’ve become even more enamored lately of good paper, pens, and related writing gear.
You don’t know this, because I haven’t finished and posted the review, but I’ve been using some sweet fountain pens from Kaweco in Germany. Where shall I put these newfound friends?
In this lovely case from Saddleback Leather, of course:
It’s technically a “Soft Sunglass/Pen Case,” but it’s way too cool for me to not use for holding writing utensils, which I use every day. (I think one of the kids ran off with my last $5 pair of sunglasses.)
I’ve only reviewed a little bit of leather at Words on the Word, but the case is easily the most beautiful piece I’ve seen or held. Here’s what it looks like stocked:
It can easily fit three good-sized pens and three pencils, and still close comfortably.
The (removable) tie closure is awesome, too–you can wrap it around and thread it through the hole, or just wrap it around a few times to keep the case closed.
Here’s the view from the back:
And a look inside:
The Saddleback logo on the front is subtle and classy, certainly not a kind of branding that will bother the user.
And these folk live and breathe quality craftsmanship. Here’s a close-up of the stitching:
The case could easily fit in your back pocket, or go into the pouch of a messenger bag. It looks great right next to a notebook or journal, too.
I’ve been accused of smelling books before (but only because I smell every single new book I get). But this case I smell and softly press against my cheek to keep me warm and happy. It might be my favorite single piece of gear I’ve reviewed so far.
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Saddleback was also kind to set me up with some cord wraps, an item I honestly thought was cool but superfluous… until I started using them every day to wrap my actually-long-enough iPhone charger cord:
There is a 100-year warrantee on these bad boys. Here’s the image from Saddleback of the three sizes you’d get in a set of three:
I’m using them for charging cords of three different sizes at the moment.
Saddleback’s site is here, with a ton of products that will make you want to convert to an all-leather lifestyle. You can purchase the above pen/sunglasses case here, and the cord wraps here.
Many thanks to the wonderful people at Saddleback Leather for the case and cords for review! I’m really grateful they sent them, though that did not influence the objectivity of the review.
Words on the Word 