The jury has finally chosen the ten notebooks that will be exhibited on public display on myDetour Berlin. The first one is the one considered the best of all by the jury, and its author will be invited to Berlin to attend inauguration of the Detour exhibition there.
Marie Compagnon
mariecompagnon.canalblog.com
Sketchbook - pocket
This week's cool find is from our friends at Jet Pens:
The Huger is dubbed such because of its ample carrying capacity and multi pocket design. The case is actually two pencil cases in one - the smaller case securely attaches on to the outside of the larger one to allow easy access to frequently used writing instruments. Unzip the larger case to reveal 2 large and 2 small pockets, perfect for organizing your tools. Case can easily carry 20+ items. 
Shown: Kokuyo Huger Mega Pencil Case - Dark Blue
More pencil case goodness here.
So I love my Circa planner. Love it to death. When I get the urge to rearrange it, I can do so very easily thanks to my collection of Circa covers, discs, and DIYP pages. In other words, I need absolutely nothing planner-related.
So why is it, when I have what really is the perfect setup for me, I browse the planner section of every store I go to that has them? Even the pharmacy carries some of those Franklin OneNote planners, and I flip through them every time I go there even though I've seen them a million times. I just like holding and touching planners. They're inspirational. They're oddly comforting. And they're just plain cool.
So am I the only one who does this? Or am I a complete freak?
"This red Moleskine notebook sleeve is a slick way to protect your precious volumes from wear. This fused plastic sleeve fits one standard (5.25 x 8.25) moleskine notebook or 3 (5.25 x 8.25) Cahier notebooks. I use these sleeves to keep my Cahiers from getting torn in my bag. Made from 100% recycled bags.."
Kasten
[Tip from her friend, Mike Dunn]
An update from our friend Ray Gorum:
I've got some great photos from the opening up on my new + improved website thanks to Kyle + Baharak. The art filled the large space but the double sketchbook might have stole the show.
Note: a reminder for those of you hoping to catch the show before what remains is shipped back to NYC, last two days as follows:
THURSDAY from 4-8 pm and
SATURDAY noon-6 pm.
Good news is that there's plenty of street parking in front of the gallery. If in the area in the evening, be sure to check out Morphosis' Federal Building across the street as James Turrell has installed a tantalizing light installation.
ART ENGINE 1035 Mission (6th + 7th) San Francisco, CA
I spent this afternoon reading through my journal. Wow, I forget to inject and misspell a lot of words. My journal makes me laugh and brood over my own thoughts. Every page I shake my head and giggle that I actually wrote those sentences down. The occasional page I find a passage that I am quite found of. I find writing in the journal to be more of a release from suitable thoughts. I rant to myself about health, emotions, photography projects, art, self-proclaimed philosophies and squandering time away.
Keeping a journal makes me feel good, a boast to my ego for keeping a practice. Observance of my surroundings is also a main topic for self-discussion in the journal. I find myself making fun of people that I wound not normally discuss with someone in conversation. (i.e.) if you see me writing next to you in a coffee shop or in a doctor’s office waiting room I am probably making fun of you.
Last thing, for the past couple of weeks I have been writing with a pen (actually THE PEN of all time) the Pilot Precise V5RT…its awe-inspiring super sharp fine point rolling ball tip. That pen and a moleskin journal and you will feel like Bach or Picasso, at least I do.
John Craig
Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones, used to write and rewrite poems in college so she could memorize them. She writes,
In college I was in love with literature. I mean wild about it. I typed poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins over and over again so I could memorize them. I read John Milton, Shelley, Keats aloud and swooned on my narrow bed in the dormitory.
I copy bits and pieces of my favorite writers prose down in my journals, tucked between entries of daily life and my own imagination. I keep various quotes and story snippets from writers I admire among my index cards. While I write them down, as the pen makes scratching marks across my pages, I look at the language: how it runs off my pen (or mind's tongue), how long the sentences are, and what words were used. I like to think that it helps me dissect language down into uncovering what makes them work and "so great."
Have you ever attempted to imitate your favorite writer's prose? How well did that go? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
Daniel Johns from Silverchair with his little black book that he writes his lyrics and ideas for songs in.
Photo: Edwina Pickles.
Read the full story by Andrew Murfett at The Age/Australia
[Thanks to Perry M. and Stephen Shelley]
groc says:
y'all seen this?
O moon, do not keep her says:
Kind of seems like a waste of money somehow... For notebooks, Moleskines are fairly expensive.
Posted 26 hours ago.
cellospiller says:
In digital photography, there is a kind of people that are always trying to emulate film by using computers. I think this is the same kind of people... they probably never quite got the idea...The money should not be a problem: You can buy quite a few moleskines for the price of one of those phones.
Join the discussion at Moleskinerie/FLICKR
Related link and photo: "How To Turn an iPhone into a Moleskine Book"
By Charlie Sorrel @ WIRED
[Thanks for the multiple, opinionated tips!]
Stephanie (Biffybeans) has posted her latest pen musings:
Out of the box - it's small. Smaller than I expected but it fits the hand quite well. Very light. Too lazy and eager to flush it, I filled it with Noodler's black right away.
This pen came from Pam Braun, so it is NOT a Binder Mod. This is a fine nib, and it's very thin.
For Comparison: Lamy 2K EF DIamine Imperial Blue
9556 Esterbrook 9556 (Fine) Diamine Imperial Purple
Lamy Safari EF Noodler's Aircorp Blue Black
Lamy 1.1 stub Noodler's Black
Lamy custom Cursice Italic .07? (Pendemonium grind)
Lamy Safari M Noodler's Black
I would not consider this to be "butter" smooth - bit it IS smooth.
Will probably be even smoother with a different ink. Iyts smoother than
the Esterbrook non, which is very stiff.
I'm not generally fond of gold trim, but on this pen it's not very obtrusive, and it makes it look...rich.
All rights reserved
Picture of my Moleskine taken in the evening Gil's restaurant located in Stari Grad, Dubrovnik. Stari Grad or simply Grad , means "Old City" in Croatian is an ancient fortress that began construction in the 13th Century.
My Moleskine taken in Lapad, Dubrovnik. This picture is taken with Gruz, the port city of Dubrovnik at the background.
From Ivan Ang
© 2003-2008 IA All Rights Reserved.
Planning and Productivity is the art of telling yourself what to do, when to do it and --to some degree-- how to do it, in shorthand. Furthermore the readiness, willingness, and ability to follow those directions is as important as the ability to give them. (Duh.)
Note to self: refer to organizer early and often.
Second note to self: the fact that something is not captured in the organizer does not mean it does not need to be done. (Double duh.)
I christened my new Circa compact system today so I'm feeling a little philosophical. I picked up a zipper folio for it so that should motivate me to make it work.
~Cath
Does anyone have a system they particularly like, or just some general tips they've picked up along the way, for managing a to-do list for multiple projects? I've tried keeping it all in one running list, but it's a pain to reference the project in every to-do and link dependent to-do's within the same project. So then I tried a separate to-do list for each project in my planner, but that makes it hard to judge how much overall project work I have at any given time. Argh! Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Mike Oliveri sent screen caps from the latest episode of Ultimate Fighter (season 7, episode 11). The camera caught fighter Tim Credeur writing in his journal, which appears to be a Moleskine.
Related links:
The Ultimate Fighter (show)
Tim Credeur profile
Filmmaker Rick Montalvo is looking for fellow Moleskine users in the SF area:
At any one given time I carry 3-4 Moleskines:
Soft Cover plain
Soft cover squared
Soft cover weekly planner + notes
and the Storyboard....because I am a digital filmmaker. Which leads me to my request:
Do you use a Moleskine notebook? Of course you do, that's why you are
on this thread. Do you have any unique stories, adventures, romances,
or even funny anecdotes that come with these popular notebooks? Picasso
and Hemingway did.
If you live in the San Francisco area then I want to feature you in my latest pocket documentary series!!
What is a "pocket documentary"? It's a smaller web-version of a
documentary but with a more visually rich story telling aspect. Or at
least that what I would define it as.
Join the discussion at Moleskinerie/FLICKR
Image: © ABF
Instructables.com bills itself as the world's biggest show and tell. To be sure, a lot of the how-to's lean a little to the ugly side of kludgey, but they really tap into the true DIY spirit. And there's certainly no lack of step-by-step articles for notebook hacks and Hipster PDA variants.
For example, take a look at one that uses our D*I*Y Planner hPDA kit:
http://www.instructables.com/id/My-Hipster-PDA/
Also note the related items at right, and explore from there. You too can have a Moleskine cover made out of a circuit board, suitable for impressing geek friends, scratching the table-top, or --when your loofah is nowhere to be found-- sloughing off dry skin.
Last year I wrote a post detailing ways to use collage as a tool for motivation.
Today, while perusing the RSS feeds, I stumbled upon this site, Polyvore. Apparently, this site allows you to collect images from all over the site and mix and match them into your own collages. You can then share these collages with anyone. Rolling over and clicking on any of the images in the collage, takes you back to the original site where you can buy it.
I have yet to try this app (wanted to share this with you all first); but in my quick perusal of the site I did see that they teach you how to use their editor. The potential to use this tool as a powerful and visual way to create motivation collages that can then be shared with others is amazing. I can see many kids also using this as a way to create wish-lists for holidays or any occasion.
I would like to see how many planners you have tried and used through the years, even if you didn't stick with one for very long. Please include the sizes also. I have had a Daytimer, Planner Pad, FC classic and compact. I did not stay with compact even through the trying stage because it was just too small. FC took it back and let me have the classic with a smile. Customer service was great for that. Years ago I just had a loose leaf very small black notebook.
From now on, things will be a bit different here on DIYPlanner.com ...and in a good way. I'll be detailing some of the proposed site changes in the next little while, especially as we tackle the technical parts. First off, though, one of the biggies: a change in our front-page content.
Lo, in the beginning, DIYPlanner.com was conceived of as an online 'zine style site, with an emphasis on original articles to differentiate itself from the plethora of "me-too" productivity blogs popping up like lemmings in the tundra. After all, when everybody is pointing to somebody else, there are few with anything to say; in fact, if you followed all the threads, most just went back eventually to 43Folders.
This decision meant that everything our writers produced had to be formalised to the point of being suitable for "real" print publication, mostly tied to their own subject expertise, whether that was templates, productivity, creativity or humour --think columns. This was a good idea at the time: we developed a lot of great original content, made a name for ourselves, and attracted a fair degree of mainstream media attention.
The problem is, three years later, this approach has a tendency to wear writers down, especially when they cover the same topics. Plus, it's no longer needed: we're established, the talent of our contributors requires no further proof, and --frankly-- it prevents us from saying a lot of the things we'd like to say. For example, if one of the team purchases a cool new notebook, that person shouldn't have to carefully construct a long and detailed review of the product.
So, change number one: although we'll still ring in with full-size articles, all the team members will now tackle things like product first impressions, mini how-to's, short reviews, links to other sites (with commentary) and other day-to-day happenings as short blog-style posts. And our writers should feel more free to handle whatever subjects they want, as long as it fits within the purview of the site.
Second, there's a lot of great discussions happening in the forums, but sometimes these quickly "fall off the grid" as new ones pop up. So we'll be promoting select forum topics to the front page on a regular basis to give more people more occasions to jump into the fray.
And the last one for now: we'll be contacting certain site members whom we feel have contributed a lot to the site, asking if they'll be interested in becoming regular front-page posters now that that the weight of the onerous "professional article" no longer looms dark overhead. However, if you're fairly new here or just like flying under the radar, and think you have something to contribute, please contact myself or Innowen; we'd love to hear your ideas.
I'll be writing about more changes soon, but what do you folks think of the above? Any other suggestions?
That’s right, the wanderer has returned! Some of you may be wondering: where have I been? What have I been doing? Actually, I’ve been heavily involved in a number of projects. I investigated a number of web-based money-making opportunities which utilized all of my multi-media and artistic skills. But porn doesn't have dental.
For a while, I was working on an idea for an invention. Actually, it’s an improvement on an existing product, the GPS.
The GPS, or global positioning system, uses state of the art technology to interface a unit in your vehicle with an advanced global satellite network so that, at the touch of a button, you can receive helpful updates instantly:
“Satelite reception lost. Please try again later.”
Clearly the system has problems, so I set out to improve it. My version is called the Existential GPS. A normal GPS tells you where to go, like this:
”Turn left in 50 meters on Pine Street.”
My new Existential GPS does more. Rather than simply telling you where to go, it asks you whether you are going to the right place, like so:
”Are you going in the right direction in your life?
"Are you making the sort of progress you should be?"
"Turn left in 50 meters, if you feel it's worth it.”
"Are you as lost as you appear to be?"
"There is no exit."
Surprisingly I was unable to secure development funding for the Existential GPS. So many people have no imagination. :(
I moved on to a screenplay project I’ve been playing with for a while. It’s an everyman sort of story, a hero’s journey. It’s about an average man who is given a new shot at life when he receives bionic nipples. The idea came to me in a flash one day, right out of the blue, if you can believe it. It's best not to argue with where such things come from, but just to work with them when they do.
I haven’t worked out all the plot details yet, but I think that perhaps they’ll be able to transmit radio waves. Hmm... maybe I can work the Existential GPS into the script. Product placement never hurts.
But now I’m back and writing once again for DIYPlanner! Yea! I know, the excitement overwhelms you.
Until next time, keep your pen on the page, and your life on the right path.
Steve Sharam
For more of my cogitations on life, check out my newly re-minted blog www.whenrealityknocks.com
Eclectic stuff I like to read. . . This is the highlights of my RSS feeds; please click on a story to visit the original blog! I created this summary to share with family and friends that don't have RSS and for quick reads while away from home and my full RSS feeds. Thanks
- (Subscribe to this page via RSS!)