paper notes in a digital world

Putting Pen to Paper Anew

The Washington Post is catching the feel of the paper breeze. In an article titled, Putting Pen To Paper Anew, the Post looks at the back-to-paper Moleskine phenomenon.

That urge -- to take command over a tidy, small expanse of paper, to quickly write in your own hand -- has turned the smartly marketed literary throwback into one of the odder trends of the instant-information age. Moleskine use has erupted in Washington and elsewhere, driven in part by a subculture of tech-savvy people otherwise electronically gadgeted to the hilt.

They bond online about Moleskines, often sharing their need for order. "I know some of you, like me, are multiple-Moleskine nerds," wrote one, setting off a chain of 118 responses. "It's sad, but this is how God's made us." He offered a way to keep them all straight: label the spines with an icon for each Moleskine style.

Great stuff! Read the rest from the Washington Post here.

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Handwriting and Learning

The Theorist from Fade Theory sent me an email alerting me to a fascinating article from Inside Higher Ed. The basis of the article is that, in the classroom, handwritten work is often the best work. Judge for yourself:

Amelia, a university sophomore, scores a 60 on her first academic paper. On her second she scores a 60 again. On her third paper, she pulls up to an 80 — mostly due to extensive rewrites. Yet on her midterm and final, she received an astounding 90 and 85. Not only was her paragraph structure and use of quotations significantly better, but her ability to sequence ideas and support claims had taken a leap. Even her mechanics (grammar, sentence structure and punctuation) had improved.

I’d like to say that these two high scores came at the end of the semester; this would prove what an effective instructor I was. Instead, they came at odd times — the first A came just after the second paper (which scored a D). The solid B paper did come at the end of the semester. The difference was in how the papers were produced. Both the 90 and 85 papers were handwritten in-class timed essays that constituted the midterm and final. The much lower scores were for computer-generated papers that she produced out of class. These, of course, could be rewritten over and over before the due dates.

I’d like to say that Amelia’s experience is an anomaly. But I can’t. In fact, this semester, 8 of my 20 sophomore English composition students scored significantly better on in-class essays written by hand in a timed situation. Some jumped more than a full grade level. In my three freshman composition classes, almost 20 of 60 students excelled when allowed to write in class rather than compose typed papers on their own time. In fact, at a large community college in California where I taught for six years, I frequently saw 10 to 25 percent of my developmental- and freshman-level writers do significantly better when asked to compose in-class with a topic given just before a two-hour writing period.

Read the rest of, "The Surprising Process of Writing," at InsideHigherEd.com.

This is interesting stuff and raises a lot of questions. Is it simply the slower pace and deliberate writing that paper and pen demands? The comments at the end of the article make for good reading as well. It's a very thought provoking piece. Thanks, Theorist!

The Man Behind The Palomino Pencil

Many of us have only recently been introduced to a great new pencil called the Palomino, a product of California Republic Stationers. The pencils are sold at the The Pencil World Creativity Store on eBay, which is run by Charles P. Berolzheimer II. Who is this man? One thing we know is that there is no question that Charles Berolzheimer has a true love for pencils. Yes, love. Need proof? Try this.....

By day, Charles Berolzheimer is President of the California Cedar Products Company, a company founded by his grandfather in 1919. CalCedar is now the world's leading manufacturer of pencil slats. While looking for a more responsible use of the sawdust from their mills, the company developed a product they may best be known for: the Duraflame log. Today, California Cedar Products is a large company of some 575 employees with several divisions and annual sales, according to Hoover's Online, in the 35 million dollars a year range. So, you're thinking, why is the president of this company selling things on eBay?

Love. A true love for the pencil.

Charles P. Berolzheimer II is known by other lovers of pencils as, "Woodchuck." And Woodchuck is pencil lover extrordinaire. To attempt to explain just how much pencils mean to Berolzheimer would be difficult. After all, pencils and pencilmaking are in his blood. Literally. Part of the family business is now a personal quest for the perfect pencil. Enter the Palomino. It may not be perfect, but it's darn close. The pencil has received rave reviews from Pencil Revolution and is quickly becoming a topic of choice among those of us who love all things pen, paper and pencil. Make no mistake, only a true lover of pencils could have conceived and produced such an incredible instrument of wood and graphite. Graceful. Beautiful. The Palomino is a pencil lover's dream.

President of California Cedar Products, California Republic Stationers - and now - selling his beloved pencils from an eBay store, Charles P. "Woodchuck" Berolzheimer II is an inspiration to those of us who walk in a deep sleep through jobs we only tolerate. His zeal for pencils doesn't stop with CalCedar, California Republic Stationers or the eBay store.....

Charles has a blog called Timberlines. It's a labor of love detailing his personal musings on pencils, forest management, his company and, "the artistic and written creativity enabled by the wood-cased pencil."

Charles, "Woodchuck", maintains a Squidoo lens appropriately called Pencil World. A must-visit at Squidoo.

California Cedar Products even has a coveted domain in the industry: www.pencils.com where they maintain The Pencil Pages.

And yes, that eBay store: The Pencil World Creativity Store. It's now open for business and Charles will sell you his beloved pencils. After you make your pencil purchase, don't be surprised when the emails you receive make it clear that you're doing business with the Pencil Man himself.

Now when you walk into the store and see the stacks of Duraflame logs, you know at least part of, the rest of the story.

Long live the Palomino!

Long Live Paper! A Lifehacker Special

D. Keith Robinson is a writer, designer, artist, publisher and associate editor of Gawker Media's best site (in my opinion), Lifehacker. He has written a Lifehacker Special Report titled, "Getting To Done: Long Live Paper!"  It's a nice piece. Robinson comes down firmly on the side of paper for productivity.

"Sometimes you’ve got to go with what works. More and more I find that when it comes to productivity and Getting Things Done, I’m leaning on paper-based solutions. Who needs Web 2.0 when you’ve got the most flexible, scalable and reliable solutions around—pencil and paper?"

That's the way I see it and Paper Notes In A Digital World couldn't have said it any better.

"Paper is the only way to brainstorm and get those ideas going. Some pencils and pens, a notebook (or Moleskine) for sketching, construction paper for cutting, constructing and drawing up big ideas and a bunch of post it notes are the perfect tools for getting creative. The possibilities are almost limitless."

Again, Robinson hits the nail in the head. This is a must-read from Lifehacker.

Love that paper!

The Gift Of A Letter

I had a lot of good reaction to my recent post about handwritten notes. I thought I would expand that a bit to the good old-fashioned letter.

Alexandra Stoddard wrote a book in 1991, that continues to be recommended and read titled, "Gift Of A Letter." I have had this book for several years and have re-read it once or twice. It's an excellent look at the lost art of letter writing.

There aren't a lot of books that look at letter writing from a modern-day cultural perspective and Alexandra Stoddard does a good job of suggesting ways of bringing us back to a simpler, and more personal time.

Interestingly, Stoddard is most often thought of as a "writer for women" but I found the book (as is often the case) gender neutral. It's all about marketing.

The publisher's description does a nice job of summing up this book of 144 pages:   

This enchanting book is dedicated to one of the most intimate and touching of human experiences -- the letter. With charm, grace, and enthusiasm, Alexandra Stoddard describes the art and the pleasure of writing letters and the surprising joy it can bring to writer and recipient alike. A letter that takes only a few minutes to write may be treasured for years. Its contents are a true expression of heart, mind, and spirit. Brimming with anecdotes and ways to bring letters into your life, Gift of a Letter inspires and satisfies.

I can highly recommend this book as a good addition to your library if you have an interest in all things paper. Note that you can pick this book up used at Amazon Marketplace for as little as a penny plus $3.49 shipping. So, this book can be delivered to your door for three and a half bucks. You can't go wrong.

Quick Handwritten Notes

What great advice it was when an old boss of mine told me years ago how important it was to write lots of handwritten notes; thank-you and congratulatory notes, birthday cards, or just a note to say hello. I invested in some small personal notecards from a stationer and have taken his advice for years. It only takes a minute and handwritten notes are appreciated, as so few are written anymore. I get great satisfaction from taking a few minutes and writing to friends and colleagues as those before us did - with pen and paper.

I have posted a picture of what one of my current notecards look like. (You can always click on any of my pictures to zoom-in.) You might laugh when I tell you where they came from. Cranes? William Arthur? No, far from it...these came from discount catalog supplier Walter Drake. A set of 50 folded notecards, sized  5 3/8 x 4 1/8" are $7.49 and 100 are only $13.98.  100% cotton? Archival quality? Well, no, but many people have complimented me on my, "nice stationery." Honestly, I recommend these for those who want to give it a try before committing to nice (and expensive) notecards, like those from Crane & Co. I use these Drake cards on many occasions and find them very satisfying for most all my needs.

It was great advice when it was given to me and I find it still can make a big impression. With the prices I just quoted above from the Drake catalog, expense really isn't an issue. You can even get started with blank cards from the office supply store. I can guarantee you this, If you decide to take the plunge and drop a few notes, you'll get a good feeling just from participating in an activity almost as old as the ages.

Back-To-Paper Article In SF Chronicle

Getting Back To The Paper Chase

Another article in the MSM about getting back to paper.

A Pencil Story

You know you're really excited about analog when you can read with excitement, as I did, an article about a pencil. The Pencil Revolution closes the year with a guest post by Michael Leddy with a nice piece on the 100th birthday of the Faber-Castell 9000, a green pencil with a long history wonderfully brought to life by Leddy of Orange Crate Art.

How could you not love an article that begins with such pangs for simpler times?

My love of "supplies" -- pencils, pens, notebooks -- goes back to Saturday morning trips with my father and brother to Alan's Stationers in Brooklyn. My dad was (and is) a meticulous artist, and his affection for tools and materials was something I picked up on very early. I remember my own early "supplies" very well -- a series of miniature Carter's dip pens, which came packaged with miniature bottles of ink; a Scripto mechanical pencil; dozens of Venus coloring pencils; and a gray "T-Ball Jotter" (I never thought of it as a Parker) with thick, fragrant blue ink.

As I've gotten older, the fascination of "supplies" has fused with my deep affection for the artifacts of what I like to call "the dowdy world" -- modern American life before it was refigured (or disfigured) by certain forms of technology. My affection for supplies has become, of necessity, an affection for what is largely past. As I'm writing these words, I'm looking at a Mongol ad from the 1950s, framed on the wall to my right:

Your Best Buy's
MONGOL
2,162 words
for
one cent

In the dowdy world, people took their pencils seriously.

Read the rest and enjoy. Nice piece from Michael Leddy.

Six Days and Counting

How many of you are counting down the days until you can crack open that brand new 2006 Moleskine Daily Planner?
It's been hard staring at this shiny new  Moleskine for over a month now.

SIX DAYS TO GO!

The Revolution Has Begun

More and more people are beginning to realize that technology holds only part of the answer to our future. A lot of the future will mean returning to our past.

Since this blog is new, I give myself permission to reach back a month or so for this excellent post by Douglas Johnston of DIY Planner in a guest column for Dave Gray's Communication Nation.

Dave has mentioned the back-to-paper revolution here, and he's right. Strangely enough, it's mainly a revolt of tech lovers against their favourite toys, junkies eschewing their drug of choice. It's painful, it's heart-wrenching, it flies in the face of our own self-identities, and it makes all our high-tech podium-thumping and evangelising suddenly look hollow.

Trading away the handhelds, tablet PCs and online productivity tools for pens, planners, cards and Moleskines is a leap of faith, like toppling a regime in the hope that the next one will somehow be more benevolent, more attuned to your needs, and offer greater opportunities. It may not, and you may find yourself before the firing line, remembering with fondness the evils of yesterday.

I'm overstating the case, of course, and the metaphor too. But to a techie, the sudden wild thrust into the world of analog is a revolution, both exhilirating and frightening. It's the thrill of learning new skills and gear and approaches, but it's also the abandonment of many addictive tools you know so well. But why bother?

The rest - and it's worth the read - is here:
Why techies are leading the back-to-paper movement