Jotter - History Of An Icon

One of the blind spots in the knowledge base contained between my ears is pen history. I'm up to speed on the modern pen market, but anything earlier than the 1980's I'm digging for information and hitting up my pen friends. Information isn't always easy to come by, so getting to check out a great reference book like Jotter - History of an Icon is a treat. My thanks to Pen Addict reader Todd for letting me borrow this amazing book.

What you will find within the 330 pages of this book is the story of the Parker Jotter, from its creation, through its heyday, to its current status up to 2010. The pictures alone are worth the price of admission, showing rare and unique images of the Jotter that I had no idea even existed. The Jotter was completely ingrained into society in the late 50's and 60's and it is cool to see the crazy designs and uses the Parker company came up with. You weren't Don Draper unless you left a branded Jotter behind for your customers.

The only downside of this book is it is tough to come by. There look to be a couple of sources here and here if you want to try and hunt one down. It will run you around $70, which is more than fair considering how well done it is. I enjoyed my time with it and when I start my pen library it will be on the short list for sure.

Pilot Elite 95S Fountain Pen Giveaway

How awesome was your Fountain Pen Day? Mine was pretty great, but then again, nearly every day is fountain pen day at my house. I am happy to be able to make someone else's fountain pen day a great one too. The winner of the Pilot Elite 95S is:

Congrats Jimmy! You have one week to get in touch. I hope your plane lands soon!

Three Questions With Tony Sculimbrene from Everyday Commentary

If you want to know anything and everything about every day carry gear then Tony at Everyday Commentary is your guy. The depth and breadth of Tony’s knowledge are unparalleled, and his reviews are well researched and thorough. My thanks to Tony for answering Three Questions.

1. What role do analog tools such as pens, pencils, and paper play in your day to day life?

As a trial lawyer and public defender, I am constantly taking notes. Pen and paper do things, for me, that digital could never do. After 10 years of trials, probably hundreds at this point, I have a pretty efficient note taking system for legal notes. It basically lets me run a verbatim transcript AND do analysis for cross examination at the same time. I could never, ever do that with a computer and not just because the loud typing would drive everyone crazy. The speed and mutability of the written note, at least in my business, still vastly outpaces the typed word (even if you can type fast, its still not verbatim).

The other reason why pen and paper are indispensible for me is because they have a zero fail rate.  When you are taking notes that could be the difference between freedom and prison, you can’t wait for a computer to boot up or worry about a software issue. With a pad of paper and a few pens (tucked into a NockCo Lookout ;) I don’t have to worry about a technical glitch. I can do the tech presentation thing, but I found that handwritten notes are better aids for talking with people about very complex idea. The Powerpoint becomes a crutch while notes are just little guideposts. Its no exaggeration to say that I take 20 pages of handwritten notes on an average day and at trial that number goes way up. I could not do without pen and paper. For me it is probably iPhone (with Lexis on it), then pen and paper as far as tools for work.  

2. What are your favorite products you are currently using?

My son and I have had a good time making swords and Shredder claws on my band saw (a Grizzly G0555). Here is some of the handiwork:

I also really like my Steve Karroll SES custom folder:

But I think the thing I use the most right now is probably my Prometheus Alpha pen (seen here with the Prometheus Beta QR and the Dragonfly II in Nishijin Glass Fiber handles):

3. What post are you the most proud of on your blog?

I am really stunned at how smart my readers are so pretty much every review I learn something new. For example, on the review of the Thrunite T10T I learned about a new start up flashlight company that makes the L3 Illumination L10C. As it turns out that light is much better than the more expensive T10T and I would have never found it, but for super smart readers. 

That said, the thing I am most proud of is the blog’s annual Wounded Warriors Project giveaway. It is a really great cause, we raise quite a bit of money, and I have an outlet for review samples. I keep exactly zero review samples (if I like something, I will buy it from the blog at retail), but I have quite a few coming in and they accumulate. It would be tremendously tempting to keep, sell or trade them, but by giving them away it helps keep the blog honest. So the equation is pretty elegant — help returning vets, keep the blog honest, and give cool stuff to awesome readers. I have run the giveaway three years in a row and it is pretty easy to enter and the prices are quite nice. Read the rules and enter here.