Life Is Too Short To Carry an Ugly Pen

A few weeks ago I had never even heard of the company Retro 1951, or the Tornado pen. Now I own two of them. I’m probably going to buy at least one more. I’ve talked about my pen problem before, but it is getting worse. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole. My name is Deric, I am a penaholic.

I’m not sure what I love best about the Retro 1951. It comes in an awesome box. You open the box to reveal an awesome metal canister. You pull that apart to see your shiny new Tornado safely enveloped in a velvet pouch. The pen is the best constructed pen I have ever felt. It is all metal and the weight is perfect. It is a retractable pen, but they don’t mess with any of that click-y stuff. Nope. There is a metal gnurled knob at the top that you turn to bring forth the ink.

I mentioned I have two of them now. I got a classic stainless first. It looks amazing. They recently came out with the Stealth. It is an all blacked-out pen with a powder coated barrel. I couldn’t resist. I got it last week. They are easily the best feeling pens I have ever used. You can get the stainless for less than $20, which isn't bad at all for what you get. The Stealth was a little more than that, but not much.

The only thing I am not totally in love with on the Tornado is the ink. The ink is great, but it is liquid ink roller ball. I'm not a huge fan of liquid ink pens. It tends to bleed through the page onto the other side. There are some applications where I enjoy using it, but for most writing I want a ball point ink. Parker and Schmidt each have really great ball point refills that fit the Retro 51 Tornado perfectly.

I've already planned out my next Tornado purchase. There is a new "Lincoln" model that is pretty sweet. Before I know it I am going to be a collector. If you like pens, you will like the Tornado.

retro51.com

Siri Only Obeys Samuel L. Jackson

➡ One Foot Tsunami: Over-Promise and Under-Deliver
A great post that looks at the new Siri ads.

HOW SIRI INTERPRETS IT WHEN I SAY “REMIND ME TO PUT THE GAZPACHO ON ICE IN AN HOUR”:

• Put the spot show on ice
• Put the spots on Icenhour
• Put tickets botulinum2"

The most recent run of iPhone adds featuring Siri seem are some of the worst Apple has ever put out there. They rub me the wrong way. They don't make me proud that I own the product. They actually slightly embarrass me. Don't even get me started on the Zoey Deschenel one.

I rarely use Siri. When I've tried, she has given me less than stellar results. Apparantly if you are a movie star she obeys your commends flawlessly... or does she?

The 4 inch iPhone Rumors

9 to 5 Mac: 4 inch iPhone Rumors

I'm a big fan of seeing a larger screen iPhone coming out this fall. I'm not a fan of it staying the exact same width and just making it taller. That won't make it any easier or more comfortable to type on. But all the rumors seem to be pointing to that as the path Apple is taking. Rumors are just rumors. We won't know until they announce it.

Click the floppy to save into the manila folder

Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen

I usually don't visit any website with "Zen" in the title, but this is a pretty good article about outdated iconography that is still hanging around our computer interfaces. We still use the image of a floppy disk to indicate we want to save a file. I understand where Mr. Hanselman is coming from, but there is something to be said for uniformity of design. If you see a floppy disk, you generally know what it means. There are kids who use computers all the time that have never seen an actual physical floppy disk. They know what that square looking thing does, even though they may not know what it is.

Seriously, short of a doctor's office or the DMV when are we coming in contact with clipboards? And why is the clipboard the icon for Paste? Why not Copy? Or "fill out form?

I resent this. I use a clipboard every day. To me clipboards are totally current... and awesome! I will continue to use a clipboard far into the future. I don't care if it is a computer icon or not. It is a sign of a hard-working individual that needs a flat surface on which to write.

The obligatory "good game"

One of the strangest parts of childhood sports was that moment when you had to form a line and shake hands with the other team after a loss. I almost always lost. You'd have to go through and touch hands in a feigned "high five". It was the most disingenuous things I've ever engaged in. Organized apathy. good game. good game. good game.... No eye contact. No emotion. If you lost you didn't want to look like you cared. If you won... well, I don't really know what that felt like.

All across America we are lining kids up to take part in this ritual. Why? I guess it makes us feel like we are teaching them how to be good sports. "Go tell this other kid good game. You don't have to mean it, or even pretend like you mean it." Excellent. Now you are a good sport. You are prepared for life.