6 ms·

I've found it works best with artisanal sharpened pencils http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com

dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago
Well, the Paypal button actually works! I wonder if someone ever placed an order though...
- fvdessen 9y ago
  IIRC it was a successful business at some point ...
- croon 9y ago
  There was a much lower price point originally, before he got sort of famous from the book, and subsequently a TV-show (Going Deep). The current price is basically to keep people from ordering, but still having it open if someone REALLY wants to get one.
  - jdironman 9y ago
    Honestly, what is getting me is that his book on sharpening pencils is actually 224 pages long. That seems awful long on such a simple subject!
    - croon 9y ago
      And yet he made a half hour show with episodes such as "how to bounce a ball", "how to dig a hole, "how to open a door", "how to take a nap", etc.
      - jdironman 9y ago
        Sounds like he must be a good talker to say the least. Charismatic or at the minimum entertaining.
        croon 9y ago
        It's definitely majority charisma and being funny, but a portion of the show is talking to experts in the relevant fields to discuss underlying aspects of each "simple concept" that one doesn't normally contemplate.
        bschwindHN 9y ago
        It's mostly satire, but of the best variety. He spoke at my university a few years ago, he definitely knows how to entertain a crowd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ
      - daniel-cussen 9y ago
        Cortázar wrote some stories like "how to climb stairs."
      - mamon 9y ago
        Or, my personal favourite: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77377.How_to_Shit_in_the_Woods https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77377.How_to_Shit_in_the...
        InitialLastName 9y ago
        That book is surprisingly nuanced, full of good advice like: - The best paired squatting methods, for when there's no good tree available (takes a lot of trust). - Advice to look below you before using a cliff.
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      I guess the joke is that sharpening pencils is what you do when you have writer's block, so if you really have writer's block, you write a whole book on sharpening pencils?
    - astura 9y ago
      There's only a few sentences on each page.
  - IncRnd 9y ago
    Wait! The price is meant to STOP people from ordering? I naturally assumed after watching the video of his artisanal pencil sharpening techniques that the prices implied exclusivity and a cut above the rest. I ran out to the dollar store lickety-split, purchased five dozen pencils, and put in orders for all 60 of them. Sure, it was a cool 30k, but you need your pencils sharpened properly for your entire family, maids, and baby-sitters. He really should update his order cart for people who want to get a dozen or more sharpened at a time. I would have ordered a full gross, but I had to run off and purchase a book for my second cousin's youngest son's friend who has a book report due. https://www.amazon.com/Trends-European-Television-Communication/dp/9287163030/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513607511&sr=1-11&keywords=television https://www.amazon.com/Trends-European-Television-Communicat...
  - fjsolwmv 9y ago
    I assume the price is set by the same logic as any other price: enough to make it worth his while to close the deal.
- Matt3o12_ 9y ago
  You can get the book for much less on amazon[1] though for a reasonable price (including a look inside). There is even a direct link to Amazon on his website. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612193269 https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contr...
  - osteele 9y ago
    The price on the web site is for the pencil, not the book.
rb808 9y ago
Lol. From the newyorker article “I’m sure there’s somebody in India who could sharpen your pencil for $8, but if you want authentic American craftsmanship … that’s how much quality costs these days.” https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/pencils-and-nothingness https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/pencils-and-noth...
TimTheTinker 9y ago
$500/pencil? Sounds similar to recent online money laundering schemes.
- sah2ed 9y ago
  Nope. That link has been posted around here since about 7 years ago! [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2453713 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2453713
  - TimTheTinker 9y ago
    I didn’t mean that I think this is anything bad, just that charging that much online for something not worth anywhere near the given price is generally questionable.
jlewallen 9y ago
Or just DIY with this: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452&p=68746 http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452...
- zeep 9y ago
  this is my favorite pencil sharpener because it has so many other uses and the blade is easy to change: https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-499-Change-Retractable-Utility/dp/B002ZZ6B10 https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-499-Change-Retractable-Uti...

dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago

Well, the Paypal button actually works! I wonder if someone ever placed an order though...

fvdessen 9y ago
IIRC it was a successful business at some point ...
croon 9y ago
There was a much lower price point originally, before he got sort of famous from the book, and subsequently a TV-show (Going Deep). The current price is basically to keep people from ordering, but still having it open if someone REALLY wants to get one.
- jdironman 9y ago
  Honestly, what is getting me is that his book on sharpening pencils is actually 224 pages long. That seems awful long on such a simple subject!
  - croon 9y ago
    And yet he made a half hour show with episodes such as "how to bounce a ball", "how to dig a hole, "how to open a door", "how to take a nap", etc.
    - jdironman 9y ago
      Sounds like he must be a good talker to say the least. Charismatic or at the minimum entertaining.
      - croon 9y ago
        It's definitely majority charisma and being funny, but a portion of the show is talking to experts in the relevant fields to discuss underlying aspects of each "simple concept" that one doesn't normally contemplate.
      - bschwindHN 9y ago
        It's mostly satire, but of the best variety. He spoke at my university a few years ago, he definitely knows how to entertain a crowd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ
    - daniel-cussen 9y ago
      Cortázar wrote some stories like "how to climb stairs."
    - mamon 9y ago
      Or, my personal favourite: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77377.How_to_Shit_in_the_Woods https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77377.How_to_Shit_in_the...
      - InitialLastName 9y ago
        That book is surprisingly nuanced, full of good advice like: - The best paired squatting methods, for when there's no good tree available (takes a lot of trust). - Advice to look below you before using a cliff.
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    I guess the joke is that sharpening pencils is what you do when you have writer's block, so if you really have writer's block, you write a whole book on sharpening pencils?
  - astura 9y ago
    There's only a few sentences on each page.
- IncRnd 9y ago
  Wait! The price is meant to STOP people from ordering? I naturally assumed after watching the video of his artisanal pencil sharpening techniques that the prices implied exclusivity and a cut above the rest. I ran out to the dollar store lickety-split, purchased five dozen pencils, and put in orders for all 60 of them. Sure, it was a cool 30k, but you need your pencils sharpened properly for your entire family, maids, and baby-sitters. He really should update his order cart for people who want to get a dozen or more sharpened at a time. I would have ordered a full gross, but I had to run off and purchase a book for my second cousin's youngest son's friend who has a book report due. https://www.amazon.com/Trends-European-Television-Communication/dp/9287163030/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513607511&sr=1-11&keywords=television https://www.amazon.com/Trends-European-Television-Communicat...
- fjsolwmv 9y ago
  I assume the price is set by the same logic as any other price: enough to make it worth his while to close the deal.
Matt3o12_ 9y ago
You can get the book for much less on amazon[1] though for a reasonable price (including a look inside). There is even a direct link to Amazon on his website. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612193269 https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contr...
- osteele 9y ago
  The price on the web site is for the pencil, not the book.

rb808 9y ago

Lol. From the newyorker article “I’m sure there’s somebody in India who could sharpen your pencil for $8, but if you want authentic American craftsmanship … that’s how much quality costs these days.” https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/pencils-and-nothingness https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/pencils-and-noth...

TimTheTinker 9y ago

$500/pencil? Sounds similar to recent online money laundering schemes.

sah2ed 9y ago
Nope. That link has been posted around here since about 7 years ago! [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2453713 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2453713
- TimTheTinker 9y ago
  I didn’t mean that I think this is anything bad, just that charging that much online for something not worth anywhere near the given price is generally questionable.

jlewallen 9y ago

Or just DIY with this: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452&p=68746 http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452...

zeep 9y ago
this is my favorite pencil sharpener because it has so many other uses and the blade is easy to change: https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-499-Change-Retractable-Utility/dp/B002ZZ6B10 https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-499-Change-Retractable-Uti...