notebookism

In search of the perfect notebook

Blogger Guy John Collick's account of his quest for a perfect notebook is detailed in this nice post.

"When I worked for Scotland Yard in the 1980s I had a Filofax, which was pretty standard for people living in London at the time. I took it with me to Japan and used it for all my notes and planning until it fell to bits, at which point I bought another. I still have it now, faded and battered, though I mainly use it for my notes on the memory systems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans..."

Filofax, Moleskine, Ciak, Cartesio and Midori are mentioned.  

Most of us may go through dozens of brands til we settle for a favorite or two. Some want uniformity; others see their choices as markers along a journey, unique and memorable. 

LINK

Micro journaling - analog Twitting?

An interesting suggestion at Creativity Prompt about micro journaling for those "who likes to record everyday life but feels overwhelmed about it.."

Or you could get one of those Japanese, accordion-type notebooks to collect the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life.

LINK 

Survey: "What's Your Favorite Notebook?"

Our favorite stop, Lifehacker asks: "What's Your Favorite Notebook?"

"We want to hear about your favorite notebook no matter how the size or price. Sound off in the comments with your favorite notebook—including a link for other readers to shop for it would be most helpful—and what makes it your favorite. The quality of the paper? The perfect pocket-size of the pages? The price? Whatever makes your notebook your go-to place for analog notes we want to hear about it...."

Let your voice be heard ...and preferences be known!

Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors is a quaint stationery shop in Charlottesville, VA started by Amy Garder in '02. Now at a larger location, they now offer a range of  carefully-chosen items.

"Our sincere belief in clean outstanding design, fashionably organized desks and artisan printing methods for all personal correspondence keeps us growing into the future."

LINK (via Doane Paper)

Thanks to the following for linking to us:

Pen Addict, An Open Sketchbook, The Tools  Artists Use, Field Notes

Web Find: Small Pens for Backpacking

Brian's Backpacking & Hiking Blog is chock-full of tips for those who love the outdoors. A recent post on small pens for note-taking on the road caught our interest:

"Recently I've started looking at options for carrying a small ballpoint or gel/roller pen instead of my small pencil.  I prefer the feel of writing with a pen than with a pencil and with the advancements in water-proof and fade-proof inks I am much more comfortable using an ink pen - I've lost whole note pads that were written with ink pens by getting them accidentally wet - bad experience.  The trouble is, pens are generally much bigger/longer than my cut down pencil and can't be shortened quite as easily...."

LINK

(Thanks Johnny!)

Inspiration: Maira Kalman

At Design Sponge:

Maira Kalman's illustrations are as honest and idiosyncratically witty as they are wildly imaginative. Not only are her books delicious to look at it, her words draw on the well of emotions within us all. Reading a Maira Kalman book, visiting her phenomenal visual blog for the New York Times or stumbling upon one of her illustrations is like walking into a page of someone’s diary or scrapbook.

LINK

Related, her new book: "And the pursuit of Happiness"

Inspiration: Trainyard

The creator of trainyard, one of the best-selling games on the iPhone share the beginnings of his venture:

"One day, while sitting on the train as during my daily commute, the concept for a game involving trains filled with paint came into my head. I did a bunch of paper planning, and eventually coded up a quick Flash prototype nicknamed “PaintTrain”. It was awesome. I set to work making puzzles every day during my commute for the next few months, still thinking I was making a Flash game...."

LINK

(Thanks Johnny!)

Rhodia Drive

Meandered through the familiar alleys of Notebookland and checked out our old friend, Rhodia Drive.

Recent posts include the dotWebbie,  the notebook with a rather puzzling name, a vendor in Kent, UK where one can procure your supply of notebooks and a stray piece on the shekere, making for the usual eclectic mix. 

Always interesting, Rhodia Drive where The Orange One rules.

LINK

Thanks to the following for linking to Notebookism in the past few days. The list is by no means complete so feel free to introduce your blog as well.

Maryanne Moll

tvoybloknot

Biffybeans

Rants of the Archer

webchickworks

The Pocket Notebooks of 20 Famous Men

The Art Manliness has been especially nice to notebooks these days. Here's the latest, as the website takes a "....look at how 20 famous men used their pocket notebooks. The list is hardly comprehensive; the practice was so widespread among eminent men that it would likely be easier to compile a list of famous men who did not use them, than did. And the choices are a bit eccentric; men who were famous for their interesting and numerous notebooks are well-represented but also included are a few from the past and present..."

LINK

(Thanks to Gale Ebie)

Minor Notebook Obssesion

 

Tyler C Hellard at Lo-Fi Hi-Fi Me has a confession to make:

"There are literally hundreds of note taking apps for the iPhone currently available. A few of them are really good, too. They offer an array of features, including voice notes, photo notes, wireless syncing, to-do lists, calendar integration and a million other things somebody somewhere has a need for. I’ve tried six of them, unsuccessfully, preferring instead to stick with an old fashioned paper and pen approach...."

LINK