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Paper is the real 'killer app'

bbc.com

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Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#131

Post by ThomPete »

I call this the tangibility factor.

When I worked at MetaDesign back in the late nineties and early zeros we had something called RedBooks.

RedBooks were most of the work we had done for a specific client printed out in tabloid size bound into a spiral back book and put on a large shelf system.

We also had a matriculate digital folder system with projects, searchable and the same pages as PDF plus much more accessible from your computer.

Guess which one we used the most?

With the RedBooks it was very easy to pull out the book and look through it for inspiration, talk about how we did this or that and so on and with the book we only put in the things that where somehow relevant.

The computer folders on the other hand had everything because, yeah well why not. But what they had in quantity it lacked in human relatable tangibility.

Computers are great when the amount of information become so waste that it's impossible to manually search through it all or if you need to share a lot of your things with other people.

It turns out that for all the great things computers can help us do it still haven't solved tangibility.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#132

Post by cableshaft »

criddell wrote: post #39

So, what's your favorite notebook and pen combination? I ordered a bunch of pens from Jet Pens a year ago and my favorite also ended up being one of the cheapest - the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. My favorite notebook used to be an engineering notebook. It had a grid on one side of the page and college-ruled lines on the other and had a spiral bound spine. Not sure if I have a favorite any more. I do use a lot of index cards.

I liked used a Pilot Dr. Grip for awhile, liked the feel and ink color, but it would sometimes decide not to write. I eventually got so annoyed I said, "Fine, I'll get a pen that can write anywhere!" and bought a couple of Fisher Bullet Space pens, and while the ink isn't quite as black, it writes when the other pen would refuse to, so I use those now.

For notebooks, I need something that opens flat and stays flat, so I need a binder. I found these Blue Sky notebooks at Walgreens and really like the look and feel of them: https://www.bluesky.com/blue-sky-trade-black-5-75-x-8-5-note...

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#133

Post by graeme »

KIFulgore wrote: post #124

I recently re-subscribed to a real-life, old-fashioned newspaper. I like the digital edition, but prefer the paper version. The resolution is amazing and you can't beat the loading times, and I never run into browser incompatibility issues. There are still too many ads, but they don't pop up and dance.

Same. I got the financial times weekly. It's refreshing to read real, well-funded journalism.

And I find I can skim it with much leas distraction. Most pages have several articles, and it takes very little effort to scan headlines to see which ones to read.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#134

Post by CodeSheikh »

Might be a bit off-topic, but here it goes. This article gave me reassurance how I resisted using e-readers and stuck to the notion of using an actual book. Waste of paper? Yes. But then we are wasting papers in many other ways as well (another debate). Plus books hardly get recycled and they often get passed on (used bookstores). Also, my another issue with Kindle-esque books or even buying paperbacks from Amazon is that now I always rely on reviews before purchasing my new book. I remember when I was young and in school, I would just go and browse through books in my school library and pick whatever interests me.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#135

Post by BeetleB »

CodeSheikh wrote: post #134

Might be a bit off-topic, but here it goes. This article gave me reassurance how I resisted using e-readers and stuck to the notion of using an actual book. Waste of paper? Yes. But then we are wasting papers in many other ways as well (another debate). Plus books hardly get recycled and they often get passed on (used bookstores). Also, my another issue with Kindle-esque books or even buying paperbacks from Amazon is…

As someone who grew up on paper books, but at one time bought an e-reader, my 2 cents:

Ereaders will likely never be as good as the best paper books. However, they can be better than many printed books. I've owned printed books with poor bindings, poor typesettings, poor quality paper. The ereader was definitely better than those.

On the whole spectrum of quality of published (paper) books, I would rank my ereader to be right smack in the middle.

Then there's the obvious: Ereaders are much more practical on a plane, etc. My first one was 5 inches (which is small - would not recommend). It fit in my jacket pocket. Any time I was stuck somewhere (e.g. mechanic waiting for my car), it was quite convenient to take it out and read on it.

Finally, years ago I had nasty tendonitis in my arms. Holding a heavy hardbound book and reading was painful. The ereader was my constant companion through those months of pain.

Obviously, I still read printed books, but to me, on the whole, the two are roughly equal.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#136

Post by tossaway322 »

FroshKiller wrote: post #76
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a HP salesman telling me filing cabinet sales went through the roof as laser printers became more popular, he said the paperless office was as likely as the paperless toilet. However I think that has turned around in recent years, worldwide paper production volumes are decreasing.

The paperless toilet is the norm in some places, you know.

Some places like men's stall 3 in the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport Gym in the Village, Houston, Texas!8-((

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#137

Post by BeetleB »

criddell wrote: post #63
mrob wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Favorite pen: Lamy Safari fountain pen with EF nib, and Noodler's Black ink. I've been using this for many years and it's always reliable. The grip is comfortable and the construction feels solid (it's survived being dropped a few times with no real damage). It's reasonably priced and meant as a practical tool, not a fashion statement like some fountain pens. And Noodler's Black ink is waterproof and will write on th…

I have a Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. It's a nice pen but I don't use it for a few reasons. First, the ink evaporates very quickly. Secondly, the ink is always uniformly dark. I like that I can vary the heaviness of lines by varying the force I use as I write. Third, they are messier.

Interesting: I own the same pen, but do not have the issues you listed. Mine is a Medium, but light inks remain light (i.e. the flow is not thick).

If you meant that you want the thickness of the ink to vary with angle, then yes - most modern fountain pens are designed that way. However, they do also make the "italic" type ones.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#138

Post by 24gttghh »

adtac wrote: post #129
vog wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only issue is that Ctrl+F doesn't work properly on paper, neither within a single newspaper, not across last year's newspapers.

I think I got a solution - every article is accompanied by a QR code that you can scan to open a searchable version of the exact same text. Just a couple of seconds away and you don't lose the papery-feel either.

Why not ditch the QR code and have an app that takes a photo of text and lets you perform ctrl+f on the image?

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#139

Post by alphadevx »

graeme wrote: post #133
KIFulgore wrote: post #124

I recently re-subscribed to a real-life, old-fashioned newspaper. I like the digital edition, but prefer the paper version. The resolution is amazing and you can't beat the loading times, and I never run into browser incompatibility issues. There are still too many ads, but they don't pop up and dance.

Same. I got the financial times weekly. It's refreshing to read real, well-funded journalism. And I find I can skim it with much leas distraction. Most pages have several articles, and it takes very little effort to scan headlines to see which ones to read.

I done the same last year, only with a subscription to the paper version of the Economist.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#140

Post by wakkaflokka »

PetitPrince wrote: post #113

I use an erasable notebook [1] for my scribbling. I find it quite good for sketching a quick diagram /prototyping, short-term todos, mindmapping and brainstorming. I don't think it's good for long term journaling (a proper notebook would be better). Having an erasable pen solves my problem of making tons of stupid spelling mistakes, being guilty of wasting paper and losing them in a giant pile of worthless annotation…

Fascinating, I might have to get one. Do these smear when you close the book? Does it have a similar feel and aesthetic to paper?
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