The Pen, Mightier (2011) | Hacker News Reader

The Pen, Mightier (2011)

themillions.com

57 pointsscour28 comments

My life would have taken a different and probably less computer-centered path if I hadn't found the act of writing physically uncomfortable. From the day I learned to write all the way through to the present, it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes for my hand to begin aching. How fascinating it would be to be one of those people who can put pen to page for hours at a time, or buzz out notes in real-time then look down without being repulsed at the form of their handwriting.

Fwiw...I had no hand problems and excellent handwriting. People used to ask me to transcribe their notes for handouts. And after about age 20, I almost completely abandoned it in favor of keyboards. All to say, your life might not have been any different

A couple of thoughts:

- I met a clerk at a bakery I frequented (for business, not pleasure) who made a tight fist with a pen whenever she wrote down an order. How do you hold a pen or pencil? I think the ideal is to hold it as lightly as possible with your thumb, fore- and middle fingers.

- A fountain pen has the least amount of friction of any writing instrument; I learned to write with one in grade school, and managed to forget it later. But I recently picked up a cheap Zebra V-301 for USD$5 and am trying it again.

Same for me. I bought a Lamy Safari fountain pen with a triangular grip that sort of forces me to hold it the “right” way, and it was transformative. What, handwriting can be pain-free? And I don’t have to consciously remember to adjust my grip because it pushes me that way? Miracles!

More info here: https://www.themanual.com/culture/different-types-of-pencil-...

My hand wants to use the lateral tripod grip by default, leading to me gripping the pen too hard and my hand hurting. The Safari gets me to use the dynamic tripod grip which is vastly more comfortable. They’re both considered “mature” grips, but one is much better for writing lots of text in one sitting.

My grip has always been the dynamic tripod. Never helped.

Got it. I’m glad I can choose to write short bits of text when I want to, and can use a keyboard for anything nontrivial. Handwriting is easier for me now and yet I’d vastly prefer to type.

Years ago in a discussion (here, I think) on fountain pens people were complaining about their hands cramping up when writing. Someone suggested the following: Put the pen between your index and middle fingers.

The idea is that the lengths of the fingers provide passive support for the pen on both sides. By restricting the range of motion of the pen sideways, you don't have to exert as much force to control the pen to write.

I tried it and it's great --- I haven't done it any other way since.

I've learned lots of things reading HN but this might have been the best.

> Put the pen between your index and middle fingers.

I'm genuinely curious, how else could you hold a pen?

Doing it the "standard" way (at least the way we were taught in school) the pen rests between your thumb and index finger. In both cases, you "pinch" the end of the pen with thumb, index finger, and middle finger. But holding it the standard way, the length of the pen is largely unsupported (and so support has to be provided by "pinching" harder), whereas holding the pen between the middle and index finger provides passive support. From your question, did you always hold a pen between middle and index finger?

For those of you in the Chicagoland area, the Pen Show is happening this weekend: https://www.chicagopenshow.com/

I have a similar “origin story” with the Precise V5. I remember how so much better it was than the ballpoints I had used before. Still use it today.

That being said, I miss the old color scheme of these pens. In my day, the V7s were vividly color matched to the ink, whereas the V5s were a lighter shade of the same hue. The black V5 had a gray body, the blue one had a sky-blue body.

This reinforced my opinion of V7 users as babies with their crayons, while us V5 users were sophisticated and elegant.

My math homework somehow seemed more exacting because of that spindly little nub laser-focused on the work at hand.

I remember using a V5 for a couple years, I think in the early 1990s, as a cheap alternative to a fountain pen. That was when gel pens were still rather stiff and globby, not much better than ballpoints. I'm completely a gel user now.

V5 was always my favorite, but the v7 consistently stands up to my ham handed abuse without ruining the ball. They will leak if flown with or washed, and because of a few dramatic ruptures I have been experimenting with the uniball vision fine with excellent results.

Helpful companion if you want to learn more about the Pilot pen featured in the article: https://unsharpen.com/pilot-precise-and-hi-tecpoint-pen-guid...

"Pens are often considered a fetish item of neurotics with disposable income"

I don't have tremendous disposable income but pens are a pretty minor indulgence, which might excuse making them into a fetish item, writing pointlessly elaborate reviews of them (https://jakeseliger.com/2009/04/05/product-review-pens/), and so forth. Overall, I've come to like the Pigma Micron PN ("plastic nib") pens, which writes smoothly and from any angle—including above my head, which is handy for someone who likes to lie down and read.

I've carried around fountain pens, but they are too expensive if (when) lost, and too finicky.

Yeah, I think I can dispose of the ~$16 for a pack of 12 these are currently going for. Which, when you consider how many things go into the manufacture of one of these, all the little parts, assembly, is practically a miracle.

I don't do a lot of writing, that said I use fountain pens when sketching out ideas / designs - paper is preferred to sketching / whiteboard programs. I've found the pen that works for me is a $30 Lamy fountain pen - it works better for me than ballpoints, etc.

Zebra V-301 fountain pens go for about USD$5 and I think they make disposable ones for less.

Question for the crowd that likes handwriting: did you transition to a writing tablet?

The day I bought a Remarkable 1 instead of lugging around notebooks has been a revelation for me. Now moved on to a boox 3c (with colors!) after a few years on a remarkable 2 in between.

i carry a small field notes[1] book in a slim leather sleeve that also serves as my wallet, and i tuck a pen[2] in the fold. i change out the notebook every few months when it's full.

i value how compact this is, and i value never needing to charge any batteries. i also value being able to rip out a piece of paper and hand it to someone or place it somewhere.

in the first few pages of a new notebook, i often find myself wishing i had access to the old notebook (sometimes i carry both for a period).

i would consider switching if the form factor were small enough and the battery life were long enough. i would appreciate having full access to my archive, and the ability to backup/post-process the data. i would still miss having the ability to rip out a piece of paper. i'm honestly not sure where i'd land on the final decision.

1: https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/original-kraft

2: rOtring 600 w/ fisher space refills

At one point I bought a bunch of pens from jetpens because I wanted to find “the best pen” (for me at least). I bought like 10 different kinds, some of which were I think exclusive to Japanese markets, some ballpoints, some gel rollers, etc. based on what people recommended online. Ultimately I think the Uniball Signo DX in 0.5mm and the Pilot Hi-Tec C in 0.4mm were my favorites, they felt really smooth and precise, though the quality of paper matters a lot (Rhodia is really good). The Pilot G2 is still my go to because it’s easy to find in stores and not too expensive.

"No, no no no, no, that's—'The Pen is Mightier.'"

White space is very important. ;)

My middle school brain came here for this joke.

Dammit. I was beaten to it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zm7NR4-FFw

This rhymes with the obsession of programmers and bespoke mechanical keyboards.

There's a lot of overlap, too. Also with fancy headphones: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalheadpens/

(2011)

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