BBC News – India’s street typists heading for a final full-stop.

“A decade ago I would have had no time to sit and chat. My fingers would have been tapping away all day,” he says.

“All you would have heard was the sound of the typewriter. Now there is only silence.”

How sad.

Soon There Will be no More Cursive Writers to Buy Fountain Pens | Still Advocating.

But it suddenly hit me that, if my grandchildren can’t write in cursive, will they also be unable to read it? Will they never be able to read the notes written by their grandparents, or even by me? Will the stash of WWII letters my parents wrote to each other will be gibberish to them? If they do original research that involves pre-21st century documents, will they need an interpreter for the handwritten ones?

The loss of cursive knowledge is a serious problem I feel. While my six-year-old daughter is familiar with it, and it was part of her learning in the Montessori pre-school she attended, it will likely be a distant memory to her in short time. For me, I have not written in cursive with any regularity since elementary school (30+ years) when it was required. That said, this short article has given me pause to make sure that my daughter can, at least, read cursive. If for no other reason than it may be a lost skill that few others have.

Link via Edison Pen Company

Why the Smart Reading Device of the Future May Be … Paper | Science | WIRED.

When I need to read deeply—when I want to lose myself in a story or an intellectual journey, when focus and comprehension are paramount—I still turn to paper. Something just feels fundamentally richer about reading on it. And researchers are starting to think there’s something to this feeling.

Yep. I find this to be true for myself as well. What is interesting, and what the writer mentions and researcher corroborate in this story, is that I find I can read things that take less immersion either on screen or on paper. When deep engagement is required, it has to be paper for me.

Later in the piece he writes:

Maybe it’s time to start thinking of paper and screens another way: not as an old technology and its inevitable replacement, but as different and complementary interfaces, each stimulating particular modes of thinking.

I could not agree more.

The Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter — Shawn Blanc.

This Royal typewriter belonged to my grandfather. He learned to type on it 70 years ago. I wonder if he had to hunt and peck at the keys as I do now.

It is an interesting device. Fascinating and interesting and frustrating and wonderful, all in its own ways. How often do writers today pine for a distraction-free writing tool, one which gives you nothing but your thoughts, a blank page, and the means to put your words onto that page. This typewriter is the very embodiment of what so many wish for today.

An oldie but goodie from Shawn. It is often true that what many of us look for in our modern devices is a recreation of what we had long before them.

Patrick Rhone – Writer | Three things to read, watch, and use.

A good pen. Actually, consider two. One good one that you can enjoy using every day. And, one really good one that you use for special occasions. Like signing a bonus check, birthday card, or writing a letter to an old friend. I have far too many in both categories so I won’t recommend a specific one here. I will say that I keep a Uniball Signo 207 Micro on me at nearly all times. It’s a good pen that is inexpensive that I don’t mind losing and replacing.

I was recently invited to contribute to Mike Dariano’s Three Things To Read, Watch, and Use series at 27goodthings.com. The quote above is appropriate for here.

Cotton Bureau – Sketchnote Icons T-Shirt by Mike Rohde

This official sketchnote t-shirt design features the four icons from my Sketchnote Handbook & Workbook covers: Hear, See, Think and Draw in bright aqua and white ink over a black tri-blend shirt. If you’re a sketchnoter or just play one on TV, this is the t-shirt for you.

Handsome.