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In the age of digital data storage and keyboards, these writing tools do not get the attention and celebration they deserve. There are tools so unique that rea

In the age of digital data storage and keyboards, these writing tools do not get the attention and celebration they deserve. There are tools so unique that really changes how you think and how you write. Some of these tools are so timeless and they are irreplaceable. When you acquire one of these tools, and appreciate all the craftsmanship and engineering went into these things, and notice how all blends and becomes invisible, you realize that that simple thing is not that simple in the end. I'm very grateful that the great papers, pens and all these supplies are still made, albeit in smaller varieties and numbers since the demand is lower than before. But, nothing replaces a silent thinking session on a good paper with good set of writing utensils. No notifications, no indirections, nothing. Just directly projecting your thoughts to a medium which has no batteries, encryption, etc. Very personal, and much more productive.

luqtas 2y ago
one literally can raise the same points about a running text-editor and a keyboard with 'Silent Mode/Do Not Disturb' activated, except the timeless argument as we don't have even 200 years of electronic computers... have you ever tried to be productive by sharing letters in a mailling list when brainstorming ideas? /s and don't come up with research comparing the 2 with biases like participants not even knowing how to touch-type or that variable not even being mentioned
- WalterBright 2y ago
  Taking notes with a keyboard does not work for me.
- bayindirh 2y ago
  OK. I'll come with another research, the one I'm doing on myself for more than 30 years. See, I'm both typing and writing for more than 30 years, and I started doing both almost the same time, so there's no inherent bias there. Here's what I found. - I can type around 75 WPM in a good day, yet writing on paper always brings out clearer ideas. - I write my blog posts in iA writer, fullscreen and in DnD mode, yet drilling some ideas on paper is still necessary for reflection. - I have encrypted diary on my personal computer, yet I always prefer to carry a good notebook with a good pen, and find that I can write more sincerely and drill into myself better during reflection sessions. - I can design programs in my head, brainstorm with mind maps, or draw architecture diagrams with relatively high speeds, yet designing on paper always results in better architectures, less bugs, and better performance. - I can skirmish in real time like an old IRC person (because I am), or fire salvos of posts with different amount of flame included (because I lived through newsgroups), yet I prefer elaborating ideas on paper or in silence before writing them, because seeing what I want to say, and scribbling them with a good pen always brings different perspectives. What I found by working on myself is ironically parallel to the research you denounce. Writing is different than typing and is a deeper experience with more connection to self. Having a small notebook around boosts my productivity 5x, while reducing planning overhead and mental load incurred by it to almost zero, and this is while I have a tool which I plan my next three weeks with great detail. So, maybe you should try writing, and while you're at it, you can even find a pen friend which spends a couple of hours to write you a nice and sincere letter, and you'll do the same and understand why some of us like writing and everything related to that. Who knows?
  - luqtas 2y ago
    i remember burning a pile, like 15 cm thick, of paper notes once. i still have another one but i didn't parsed to the computer yet you don't know how sacred to me is my scratch (temporary) file on Emacs or my org documents or Gimp files with stuff like studies of games platform level design (quite easy to screenshot views and highlight stuff i want to comment) or digital collages material for me there isn't anything closer than having a coffee after weeks/months without having one, Android running Emacs on Termux in my pocket and going for a walk with or without a science podcast playing... ironically the last thing i did on paper was the tinker of specific apps layers layouts on my keyboard (now i use an online keyboard editor alongside a text document)
    - bayindirh 2y ago
      When I finish a notebook, I scan it, file it and recycle the paper. I can understand the value of a good digital data storage. At the end of the day, I keep public and private personal knowledge bases for myself. However, I don't like to spread my information over many applications, and currently shrinking everything into a couple of tools. See, decades of computer use creates a lot of clutter. On the other hand, I don't like to keep notes under the sun on a screen which needs a shade, and powered by a battery which might die any second. We're also different in noise regard. While I like to read and listen a lot, I much prefer silent walks since it allows what's beneath to surface. This will be a bit personal, but you seem like a bit tense. Maybe you should slow down a bit, and listen what your inner voice says to you. I have a hunch that there's something you should see and give a good listen.
- gosub100 2y ago
  It's not the same. Hand writing allows infinitely more possibilities for annotations and illustration.
ehnto 2y ago
Not related to your main point, but I am happy to see we are in somewhat of a resurgence of innovation in keyboards. There are some innovative new designs, entirely novel approaches to key inputs, and personalisation and craftsmanship has never been more impressive or achievable.
- Analemma_ 2y ago
  I agree. Getting a split keyboard with tenting so my wrists can be in a neutral position made my low-grade RSI vanish completely, and the trend toward increased programmability with macros and layers has been a wonderful thing for my productivity. The Cherry patents expiring mean switches have been getting better and better too. And while I myself am happy with the UHK I bought, it's also great to see that it's now easier than ever to design and build your own keyboard in whatever shape you want: there are YouTube tutorials and PCB companies for it that practically hold your hand from start to finish. Right now is the golden age of keyboards.
  - bayindirh 2y ago
    Yes, even if you don't go full custom, now you can get pretty good keyboards with light key action and good switches. I have a couple of mechanical keyboards, but my workhorse keyboard is a Logitech MX Keys Mini, which has scissor switches, and while it's not crisp as a good mechanical, it's a great keyboard which you can type all day without any problems. Considering it has lighting, hall and ambient sensors, you can charge it every couple of months and type all day long. I also don't fancy multi-layer layouts, but I use text expanders for boilerplate, and that's good enough for me, for now.
KPGv2 2y ago
Agreed. I recently started bookbinding as a hobby, and it's given me such an appreciation for well-constructed books. There are some amazingly talented people still honing this craft and even publishing research about new ways of doing things!

luqtas 2y ago

one literally can raise the same points about a running text-editor and a keyboard with 'Silent Mode/Do Not Disturb' activated, except the timeless argument as we don't have even 200 years of electronic computers... have you ever tried to be productive by sharing letters in a mailling list when brainstorming ideas? /s and don't come up with research comparing the 2 with biases like participants not even knowing how to touch-type or that variable not even being mentioned

WalterBright 2y ago
Taking notes with a keyboard does not work for me.
bayindirh 2y ago
OK. I'll come with another research, the one I'm doing on myself for more than 30 years. See, I'm both typing and writing for more than 30 years, and I started doing both almost the same time, so there's no inherent bias there. Here's what I found. - I can type around 75 WPM in a good day, yet writing on paper always brings out clearer ideas. - I write my blog posts in iA writer, fullscreen and in DnD mode, yet drilling some ideas on paper is still necessary for reflection. - I have encrypted diary on my personal computer, yet I always prefer to carry a good notebook with a good pen, and find that I can write more sincerely and drill into myself better during reflection sessions. - I can design programs in my head, brainstorm with mind maps, or draw architecture diagrams with relatively high speeds, yet designing on paper always results in better architectures, less bugs, and better performance. - I can skirmish in real time like an old IRC person (because I am), or fire salvos of posts with different amount of flame included (because I lived through newsgroups), yet I prefer elaborating ideas on paper or in silence before writing them, because seeing what I want to say, and scribbling them with a good pen always brings different perspectives. What I found by working on myself is ironically parallel to the research you denounce. Writing is different than typing and is a deeper experience with more connection to self. Having a small notebook around boosts my productivity 5x, while reducing planning overhead and mental load incurred by it to almost zero, and this is while I have a tool which I plan my next three weeks with great detail. So, maybe you should try writing, and while you're at it, you can even find a pen friend which spends a couple of hours to write you a nice and sincere letter, and you'll do the same and understand why some of us like writing and everything related to that. Who knows?
- luqtas 2y ago
  i remember burning a pile, like 15 cm thick, of paper notes once. i still have another one but i didn't parsed to the computer yet you don't know how sacred to me is my scratch (temporary) file on Emacs or my org documents or Gimp files with stuff like studies of games platform level design (quite easy to screenshot views and highlight stuff i want to comment) or digital collages material for me there isn't anything closer than having a coffee after weeks/months without having one, Android running Emacs on Termux in my pocket and going for a walk with or without a science podcast playing... ironically the last thing i did on paper was the tinker of specific apps layers layouts on my keyboard (now i use an online keyboard editor alongside a text document)
  - bayindirh 2y ago
    When I finish a notebook, I scan it, file it and recycle the paper. I can understand the value of a good digital data storage. At the end of the day, I keep public and private personal knowledge bases for myself. However, I don't like to spread my information over many applications, and currently shrinking everything into a couple of tools. See, decades of computer use creates a lot of clutter. On the other hand, I don't like to keep notes under the sun on a screen which needs a shade, and powered by a battery which might die any second. We're also different in noise regard. While I like to read and listen a lot, I much prefer silent walks since it allows what's beneath to surface. This will be a bit personal, but you seem like a bit tense. Maybe you should slow down a bit, and listen what your inner voice says to you. I have a hunch that there's something you should see and give a good listen.
gosub100 2y ago
It's not the same. Hand writing allows infinitely more possibilities for annotations and illustration.

ehnto 2y ago

Not related to your main point, but I am happy to see we are in somewhat of a resurgence of innovation in keyboards. There are some innovative new designs, entirely novel approaches to key inputs, and personalisation and craftsmanship has never been more impressive or achievable.

Analemma_ 2y ago
I agree. Getting a split keyboard with tenting so my wrists can be in a neutral position made my low-grade RSI vanish completely, and the trend toward increased programmability with macros and layers has been a wonderful thing for my productivity. The Cherry patents expiring mean switches have been getting better and better too. And while I myself am happy with the UHK I bought, it's also great to see that it's now easier than ever to design and build your own keyboard in whatever shape you want: there are YouTube tutorials and PCB companies for it that practically hold your hand from start to finish. Right now is the golden age of keyboards.
- bayindirh 2y ago
  Yes, even if you don't go full custom, now you can get pretty good keyboards with light key action and good switches. I have a couple of mechanical keyboards, but my workhorse keyboard is a Logitech MX Keys Mini, which has scissor switches, and while it's not crisp as a good mechanical, it's a great keyboard which you can type all day without any problems. Considering it has lighting, hall and ambient sensors, you can charge it every couple of months and type all day long. I also don't fancy multi-layer layouts, but I use text expanders for boilerplate, and that's good enough for me, for now.

KPGv2 2y ago

Agreed. I recently started bookbinding as a hobby, and it's given me such an appreciation for well-constructed books. There are some amazingly talented people still honing this craft and even publishing research about new ways of doing things!