For many years I have been a fan of the standard No. 2 (or HB in the UK) pencil as they always felt comfortable to hold and when you need a few moments contemplation, spend some time with a sharpener. I have love quality pencils like Faber-Castell and Rhodia but I am equally at home with the office version from Staples.
They also appeal to my trying to be more eco-friendly because apart from the lead or more correctly the graphite centre, this is one writing instrument that is fully recyclable. There is however, one problem. However hard you try, you will always end up with a stubby piece of pencil that is too uncomfortable to use but still has many pages of use left in it. I then have the dilemma to either carry on using the pencil until its hurt my hand or recycle what would otherwise be a perfectly useable pencil
I then remembered that many years ago when doing a summer job, there was a guy who used to put his stubs into narrow metal tubes in order that he could continue using the pencil. A search online then revealed the answer to the dilemma – the pencil extender!
These handy tools were originally used by artists who wanted to get the maximum use from their expensive pastel or watercolour pencils but are now widely available for all pencil aficionados. Simply insert your pencil into one of these handy tools and its then it is possible to continue using the pencil down to the last 2-3 cms. The open end of each extender has a metal ring that ensures that the pencil is held securely.
Generally retailing at around £2, not only are they functional, they can be quite elegant too. I purchase two, one with a marble effect and the other with a smooth wood effect. Now I do not have any qualms when I recycle the stub as I know that the pencil is beyond use.
Pilot pens have created an application that lets you “Write by Hand on the Computer”. You use the app to turn your handwriting into a digital font; this can then be used to send personalised “handwritten emails”.
Watch the Pilot Handwriting Demo Video
It all looks very impressive but is it any good? I logged in towww.pilothandwriting.comto give it a try The first thing I had to do was create an account at Pilot Handwriting .Com; this was very quick and easy. I hate have to fill out lots of personal information that is not required and probably only gathered for the benefit of a marketing department to harass me later.
After watching the video I was confronted with the next screen which had no instructions but I figured that I probably had to click on the printer icon.
This I did and printed off the template. Then I filled out the template using my Pilot Capless fountain pen filled with Sailor black ink (for the inkophiles among our readers).
Once the template was filled out there was a choice of using a web camera, scanner or a jpeg to upload the image. Since I did not have a web camera or scanner handy I decided to use a digital camera and upload a jpeg.
The first attempt failed as I had cropped to just outside the black border and there was a message on screen saying that it could not recognise the whole of the template. I undid the crop and put more space around the image which then uploaded without any problems.
Now for the big test did it work I clicked write by hand and copied and pasted this blog post into the screen. Much to my amazement the copy and paste worked. I then emailed it to myself to see what I would receive. I think that i was expecting the handwriting to be in the body of the email, instead it was as an attached jpeg.
Click Image to Enlarge
Once I got over the initial disappointment the result is actually very good. Even if Pilot could not resist adding an image of a Pilot Frixion pen.
I don’t think that it is something I will personally use on a regular basis. But I can see why Pilot Handwriting .Com is becoming very popular.
Has anybody else tried it, or are you thinking of using it? As always we would love to hear from you.
A pen and a notepad are the two things that every car glove box should contain
and most don’t.
It is not something people give much thought too with all the other distractions in today’s hectic world.
Three reasons to carry a pen and notebook in the car?
1 If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a [...]
From 9th August 2010 until 3rd October 2010, Pilot are giving away a free iPhone with 24 month contract every week. For entry and terms please visit:
http://www.pilotpen.co.uk/iphone/
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