Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Paper is the real 'killer app'

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 346 posts

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#311

Post by jasonthevillain »

doikor wrote: post #257

Is there something wrong with me when I'm the opposite? I can't even read my own handwriting all that well :( I just write everything in notepad (or vim/emacs) and store the plain text files on my server (and take some backups)

Nope. They're different tools. They do different things.

I find paper keeps me sane in a hyper-multi-tasked distraction heavy over-Slacked world. What made it work was an idea I borrowed from Bullet Journal -- every task needs gets finished, copied to the current timeframe, or deliberately abandoned.

You could easily do this in a text file or notetaking app, I just spend so much time staring at screens that it's refreshing to have a tool that isn't one.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#312

Post by [deleted] »

angry-hacker wrote: post #310
e2e4 wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried iPad Pro; but went back to using frixion (erasable) pens: http://frixion.jp/lineup/ my favourite being the 4-color (w/ variety of colors to choose from) with very fine line 0.5 mm: http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... p.s. could be combined with even finer line 0.38 mm from this pen costing ~ $1.5 : http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... For more official…

Why specifically this brand? Is it special, and is the difference between an avg random pen big?

[deleted]

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#313

Post by appleiigs »

noahjcz wrote: post #211
cableshaft wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After almost a decade of not bothering with them, six months ago I signed back up for physical magazine subscriptions again. I decided I like having the physical artifact around sometimes. There's even a niche magazine (Vitamag) where I'm one of only about 100 people that pay for it through Patreon, that they actually print our names on a page of each book. That's a pretty cool feeling.

In one of the "fake news" threads here, someone suggested The Economist as a good weekly recap. I got a subscription for my wife for Christmas (she wasn't thrilled, but it's growing on her). We've both been enjoying having the physical magazines around, as we can pick one up and read a good 5 minute story with coffee or before bed. Some articles have a clear moneyed establishment slant, but there's a lot of quality r…

Maybe your wife would like The Economist's sister publication called "1843". Less serious, but well written too.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#314

Post by raleighm »

FreezerburnV wrote: post #25
skrebbel wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I warmly recommend a mechanical pencil with a relatively soft lead and a little eraser on the back. If you write softly with soft lead, erasing is very little effort.

The Frixion line of pens is also useful for this. They might be somewhat limited as to what you can get outside of Japan, but a site like Jet Pens should be able to fix any deficiencies. (Eg: didn't know that they made highlighters with Frixion ink until a recent trip to Japan, where they have these pens literally everywhere)

These pens are amazing.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#315

Post by dotancohen »

nomel wrote: post #229
throwaway26960 wrote: post #184

The advantage of paper is that you can be more creative and use slow thinking[1]. Just take a look at Newton's[2] or DaVinci's[3] notebooks, how would they think so freely on a computer? Sure for a work task list, a computer is fine, but I find a computer too limiting on my creativity for myself. Added bonus: no ads, bugs, or distractions. People that create apps create them to make money, not because they make you m…

For me, the benefit comes from two limitations: - The slow and physical aspect allows you to think about and consider the idea, as you're writing it. - The negative reinforcement, for that slow consideration, caused by from the permanence of your mistakes or a tired hand. But, I don't think paper has to be involved. I see it as an indication of a lack of good stylus input in most devices. I now use a large iPad Pro,…

> But, I don't think paper has to be involved. I see it > as an indication of a lack of good stylus input in > most devices.

That was going to be my reply to your first comment. I'm still using a Note 3 with its Wacom stylus, and I cannot ever imagine switching to a phone that requires a capacitive stylus.

Pro tip: The absolute best stylus that I've found for capacitive screens is a fresh, stiff cucumber. The water in the cucumber is detected by the screen just like your finger. Carrots work well too, but they are heavier for any given size.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#316

Post by plttn »

angry-hacker wrote: post #310
e2e4 wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried iPad Pro; but went back to using frixion (erasable) pens: http://frixion.jp/lineup/ my favourite being the 4-color (w/ variety of colors to choose from) with very fine line 0.5 mm: http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... p.s. could be combined with even finer line 0.38 mm from this pen costing ~ $1.5 : http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... For more official…

Why specifically this brand? Is it special, and is the difference between an avg random pen big?

You'd be surprised. Pilot G2 is a great writing pen, and I'm personally a fan of Uniballs.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#317

Post by tass »

angry-hacker wrote: post #310
e2e4 wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried iPad Pro; but went back to using frixion (erasable) pens: http://frixion.jp/lineup/ my favourite being the 4-color (w/ variety of colors to choose from) with very fine line 0.5 mm: http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... p.s. could be combined with even finer line 0.38 mm from this pen costing ~ $1.5 : http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... For more official…

Why specifically this brand? Is it special, and is the difference between an avg random pen big?

Frixion pens are erasable.

The ink turns invisible when heated. The pen has a rubbery tip on top which acts as an eraser when rubbed on the ink.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#318

Post by fmoralesc »

e2e4 wrote: post #305
nomel wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, the benefit comes from two limitations: - The slow and physical aspect allows you to think about and consider the idea, as you're writing it. - The negative reinforcement, for that slow consideration, caused by from the permanence of your mistakes or a tired hand. But, I don't think paper has to be involved. I see it as an indication of a lack of good stylus input in most devices. I now use a large iPad Pro,…

I've tried iPad Pro; but went back to using frixion (erasable) pens: http://frixion.jp/lineup/ my favourite being the 4-color (w/ variety of colors to choose from) with very fine line 0.5 mm: http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... p.s. could be combined with even finer line 0.38 mm from this pen costing ~ $1.5 : http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/ballpen/gel_ink/frixionb... For more official…

0.5/0.38 a very fine line? I'm using Staedtler pigment liners which are 0.05. The downside is that my handwriting has become positively tiny...

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#319

Post by zapu »

PetitPrince wrote: post #298
zapu wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any other unexpected caveats there? Like, I don't know, do your fingers get dirty because of small particles of the ink that didn't stick, which add up over time (think whiteboard markers but on smaller scale)? Because this really looks too good to be true, at least for me. Maybe I should order and see myself...

* The correctable pens (fine point) can dry up pretty if uncapped. I had some case where my pen where partly dried and would randomly not write. In some case I had the feeling that a particular area of the notebook wouldn't let me write where in fact it was only a dry pen. You can "undry" the pen - see [1] - but the process is not as smooth and elegant as the video would suggest. I think it's less a problem with medi…

Thank you very much for the answer!

So the pens that Whynote sells are just branded Staedtler 305, is that right? Not having to ship the pens from abroad and being able to buy them locally would sell the product for me.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#320

Post by keithpeter »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #88

Great article. One of the brightest tech colleagues I ever worked with used a moleskin notebook, always kept it with him. I bought a moleskin notebook for myself, but then my granddaughter started drawing in it, and I wanted to leave it as she left it. After reading this article I am going to buy another. I have always used yellow pads to brainstorm for new projects, but I later toss my notes and drawings. Using perm…

Respectful alternative suggestion: buy a simple artist's sketchbook from your local art materials shop. In the UK, these would be less than half the cost of the Moleskin and have thicker paper (sharpie proof) and hard board covers with sown signatures. Granddaughter could selectively illuminate chosen pages :-)
Post reply on HN