Oldest message in a bottle found on Western Australia beach – BBC News
The note in the bottle, which was dated 12 June 1886, was jettisoned from the German ship Paula, as part of an experiment into ocean and shipping routes by the German Naval Observatory.
If you want to send a message that lasts, use paper.
The Grocery List Sketched by Michelangelo — Atlas Obscura
The survival of this list is remarkable, too. Only around 600 of Michelangelo’s sketches still exist. 1518 marked the year that Michelangelo burned many of his early drawings, and 46 years later, he ordered many of his papers to be torched in anticipation of his death.
In case you were looking for some notebook inspiration today.
In the 1920s German manufacturer Eugene Dietzgen Co. designed and produced this brilliant drawing tool, the 932S Excello, for draftsmen.
Check out the video in the post for an explanation and example of how it works. Really cool. (via David Nunez)
J.D. Roth, Get Rich Slowly | Cool Tools
“I am a writer, and I do most of my writing on a computer like most writers do nowadays, and that’s not very exciting. Everyone has their favorite computers. But I also do a surprising amount of writing by hand, and I have my own favorite cheap notebooks. I use a couple of the models from a company called National Brand, and basically there’s this legal supply store here in Portland, and I go down there and I stock up on these notebooks. They’re a little more expensive than Mead spiral notebooks, but they’re also a heavier quality paper. And then I buy Dixon Ticonderoga pencil and BIC Cristal ballpoint pens. I buy them by the case from Amazon. … So those are kind of unsexy tools, but they’re very much tools that I use every day.”
J.D. Roth sings the praises of cheap in a recent Cool Tools podcast.
Children struggle to hold pencils due to too much tech, doctors say | Society | The Guardian
“Children are not coming into school with the hand strength and dexterity they had 10 years ago,” said Sally Payne, the head paediatric occupational therapist at the Heart of England foundation NHS Trust. “Children coming into school are being given a pencil but are increasingly not be able to hold it because they don’t have the fundamental movement skills.”
Tragic.
Notebook Turducken — Austin Kleon
I posted this image on Instagram, quickly, mindlessly, simply because the stack caught my eye as I passed the kitchen table and I thought it was a pleasing image. (A commenter cleverly titled it “Notebook Turducken.”)
Love it.
Typeface based on the calligraphy from the Lithuanian declaration of indepedence / Boing Boing
Signato is a handsome, readable script typeface based upon the Lithuanian declaration of independence.
That is a gorgeous font.
Eye Candy: Happy Valentine’s Day (Our Privileg!) – The Well-Appointed Desk
A very late Valentine’s greeting from The Well-Appointed Desk tapped out on our brand new typewriter. Its a Privileg 270T and its our privilege to tap out our message on this beauty!
Wow, that is one beautiful typewriter! Color me jealous, Ana.
Midori Traveler’s Notebook, an invaluable tool from Japan / Boing Boing
My hotel overlooked Shibuya Crossing, so I crossed out seeing it by wandering the area on the evening before my day off. The next morning, I wandered the Imperial Palace grounds with friends and then headed down the block to visit the National Museum of Modern Art. All of it was a feint to get me to a nearby subway line. My mission was to ride 30 minutes, to Meguro. I was venturing out in search of the Midori Traveler’s Factory.
The best mechanical pencil ever invented (IMHO) is only $3.07 on Amazon right now. I’ve mentioned it before elsewhere. I already have a few, otherwise, I’d click that Buy It Now with nary a split second pause…
Why are you still reading this? Go!
