Did you read the book?

The main takeaway of it is that slowly and pervasively we have been manipulated into handing over our focus. The techniques have been sophisticated and subtle.

If I were to convince you that it was worthwhile to hand over your life savings to me and then it was pointed out to you that you had been manipulated in to doing so, would you not take the view that the money had been stolen from you?

Similarly, for some, telling them to go cold-turkey on tech and social is not massively dissimilar to telling a smoker to just quit smoking, or a alcoholic to just stop drinking. Our brains have been conditioned to want the dopamine fix that our vices give us and it is a strong motivator. Just stopping is not that simple.

But to respond to one comment "we, as as society, are also in charge of gaining our attention back", that is actually what the book leads to. In the realization that singularly the deck is stacked against us to fight this as much as we may try. It is hard to succeed and easy to fail. But as an organized group or body with the power and/or ability to collectively resist the methods of big tech, to legislate against the situation we are in now where the public are the commodity and the advertisers are the real client to social media companies, to make us the real clients who are catered too, then we stand a better chance.

I recommend the article author's book Stolen Focus. An interesting read. Not so much a self-help book providing solutions to the problem (such as Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism or Deep Work books) but an analysis of the problem and in some ways vindication for us, the masses, who are being constantly manipulated by tech companies that spend billions on psychological methods to keep us hooked and brainwashed.

One of the most impactful parts of the book, for me anyway, points out that while we assume smart speakers and phone assistants are listening into our private conversations to provide the data necessary for Google and their likes to miraculously provide ads for things we may have talked about offline with a family member or spouse (a scary prospect in itself) the reality is even more scarier. They don't need to listen (although if they can I bet they will), they already know us better than we know ourselves to the point that they know what we are likely to think about before we even know it ourselves and so provide the right ad at just the right time giving the creepy sensation that they were somehow listening to us.

The book has made me much more privacy conscious. Tech is unavoidable but don't put all your eggs in one basket. Spread your tech needs and subsequently your data across multiple different companies that have better track records for privacy. Make it harder for any one company to connect the dots and be able to know you better than you know yourself!

HP Premium 32lb paper is widely regarded as the best fountain pen friendly printer paper. $15 for 500 sheets. It is really thick (120gsm).

Midori MD pads with one of their covers work well and aren't too expensive. Available in A5 and A6 if I recall. Otherwise as already mentioned I like the 90gsm Rhodia or Clairefontaine notebooks. The 80gsm Rhodia paper (found in a lot of their pads) always feels like the backside of the paper has less coating on it and not as enjoyable.

Sailor Pro Gear Slim Midnight Sky (Gunmetal Trim) F with DeAtramentis Document Black

I don't know where you are based, but if in the USA be aware that Sailor pens have a dramatic markup over the home and other foreign markets. I generally advocate buying local but both my Sailors have come from abroad and saved me a lot of money. Actually I probably wouldn't have brought them at all if paying US prices. My Pro Gear Imperial Black came form Amazon Japan for $200. The same pen is $470 plus tax in the US! My Cult Pens exclusive Gunmetal PGS Midnight Sky was $180. Regular PGS run around $220 and that is without the plating on the Cult Pens edition

Buying from abroad has its risks and drawbacks but when using a reputable seller it can save you $$$. The Gentleman Stationer discusses the situation here in his re-review of the Imperial Black. https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2019/2/2/battle-scars-revisiting-the-sailor-pro-gear-imperial-black-after-five-years

Also be aware that the 21k nib, while having very little flex, is actually quite soft and easily sprung or bent if roughly handled.

Did you keep your Visconti Bronze Age? That is one of the few pens left on my wish list but I know their nib QC is abysmal and if/when I have the funds I know I will have a hard time paying their prices for a pen that I'd probably have to send straight off to a nibmeister.

An interesting read that confirms many of my thoughts regarding the rise of negativity and hopelessness in the modern world. It explains much of what I feel well. Thanks for sharing.

As much as I can although due to moving they are all currently all packed away.

Normally, I use them in Bullet Journal which is an organizational tool rather than a way to unpack my feelings. I've toyed with traditional journalling but I just don't feel my life is interesting enough to write about. Otherwise, odd notes for work and home life and I have brought some books to learn and practice my penmanship. I also try to write the odd letter around the festive season to some of my older relatives that still appreciate real letters.

Not a parent and can't help much but I do understand you pain.

I've moved every few years for the last 15 years and just downsized a two-bed to a one-bed apartment. The result...there is too much stuff in it. As I was packing I felt the same resentment and hate towards all the things that just kept filling up more and more boxes. As much as I don't like it, I've tried to hang onto that hate and it is fuel for the process now as I'm working to reduce my junk to fit a smaller space.

The process is hard, as selling in person or online is surprisingly hard work (I'm introverted and time poor right now). I'm only doing it for the big-ticket items to spare my sanity. The rest is being donated or as a last resort trashed. It is painful to see the money that was sunk into those items literally being thrown or given away and to consider the unnecessary waste but I'm using the experience as a learning moment and as hard as it is I'm being sure to fully experience the pain of fiscal loss and poor environmental stewardship on my part. It will help make me even more thoughtful before future purchases.

I live in the U.S. and rent prices are climbing at an unsustainable rate with frankly unscrupulous behavior by some (corporate) landlords to squeeze every last cent form you. Combine that with other cost-of-living increases and it seems we are headed into an era of having to move frequently just to be able to afford a roof over our heads. It is motivation for me to live lightly to make the increasingly frequent event as painless as possible.

In some cases it isn't the pen that is at fault. If a cartridge or converter has a bad seal where it attaches to the feed it will allow air to enter the system uncontrollably and so the pen will leak. Re-seating and if necessary replacing a stretched or damaged cartridge or converter can resolve this.

It is unfortunate that duplication is fragmenting the Lemmy membership. There was already a community for this at https://lemmy.ml/c/digitalnomad that has been around a few weeks.

Until I started working form home we had a "Free Table" at work. Same idea as you are talking about in your apartment complex. I've no idea who set it up as it was there when I joined, but I gave away and received a number of items from that table. If you have a workplace that can accommodate it perhaps you can set one up there yourself?

In terms of bottles of ink, just three.

Waterman Serenity Blue - I brought this to be my baseline ink for new pens and nibs. The community seemed to view this ink as one of the few that will work in all pens regardless of their temperament so it seemed like a good option when starting out with a new pen for comparison against my others. Then I found out it is highly acidic. I think it eroded the plating along the edge of the slit on my matte black Pilot Vanishing Point and as two of my Sailors have an ion plated finish on the nib I have stopped using it.

Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho - I brought this one simply because I I love the Iroshizuku line and liked the sample of Ina-Ho. They announced they were discontinuing it and I didn't want to find I couldn't get it in the future so I brought it - just in case. It is still sealed in its box! 😂

De Atramentis Document Black - I wanted a permanent ink for my bullet journal. I didn't want my year's calendar being wiped out by a spilled glass of water and this received good reviews and I liked the sample.

Otherwise I have a bit of a sample obsession. I mush have at least a hundred or more samples. Including the complete line of Iroshizuku inks, most of the De Atramentis Document inks, most of the Faber-Castel inks and large selections of Herbin and Diamine. Too many samples if I'm honest.

I feel my return to using fountain pens was a little over the top and moved faster than I could actually appreciate them. I started back into fountain pens in 2020 so I partially blame the pandemic for being over focused on a new hobby. This over the top progression included ink sample and notepad/paper purchasing. I was jumping from one pen/ink to another without forcing myself to spend the time to really get to know them. Ultimately, on top of other things I kind of burnt out on what felt like unnecessary stress of picking a pen and ink constantly and never feeling happy with it so wanting to swap to one of my others. It all ended up being packed away and I have just been using my Sailor Imperial Black multi-function ball point (the sacrilege of it!!!). Only just now am I getting ready to open the boxes again.

I hope to write a post about my experience at some point as an attempt to warn others about getting sucked in too quickly and missing the enjoyment of the experience of getting to know a new pen. I felt that the old fountain pen community kind of encouraged over consumption. I wish I had taken more time to explore my pens and inks.

Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age. I really like the look of that pen but I will admit to some serious reservations regarding their nib QC. I don't expect to pay out that much for a pen and then have to send it to a nibmeister to get it to write properly. It is all dreaming anyway. No way I can spend that on a pen any time soon and I've more than enough of my own pens to rediscover.

If cats are more your thing I've seen a lot of FP posts with these (or something similar) https://www.amazon.com/ATHAND-Cute-Gifts-Enchating-Accessories/dp/B0BTY3RZJX/ref=sr_1_5]

I've not known a converter causing issues such as drying out. I'm a bit confused about how you are fixing it? Do you mean you screw the converter a little to lower the piston and that gets it going again? That is a common fix for a dried up pen.

Have you tried different inks? It might be the ink is just not compatible with the pen.

As already mentioned you can get converters (Faber Castell makes one) with agitators in them to help prevent the ink from staying at the wrong end of the converter but most of the converters I own are fine without them.

I would try getting a sample of a well known reliable ink such as Waterman Serenity Blue and seeing if the pen behaves well using it. Also try flushing your pen with some mild soapy water or pen flush, maybe even allowing it to soak for a few hours. You may have dried up ink or some oils from manufacturing in the feed that are impeding flow.

Sometimes it is just a problem with the pen/cap design due to a poor seal. I had a wooden Conklin All American Golden Walnut and it would stop writing if left for more than a few hours. The cap had no liner in it and the raw wood just sucked all the moisture from the nib and dried it out. Ultimately despite liking the pen I just sold it due to frustration.

Thanks for explaining. Yeah. That is a weird way of showing subscription and doesn't encourage people to join if a instance looks dead. One of the growing pains I'm sure will shake itself out.

#2 or #1

I've yet to try this method and have some questions.

Was this a full size towel? Did you do both shirts in one burrito or separately? Finally, how many shirts do you think you could have done before the towel was too wet to be useful?

I'm trying to get an idea on how much laundry you could wash and dry in one hit with a standard supply of hotel towels? I wonder how reliable this method is if you are relying on a travel towel.

I like that stand. Love brass and copper stuff with a vintage feel. Thanks for sharing.