Editing The Pen Addict 121/transcript (section)

== Cold Horizon ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' I bet that sold quite well as well for that reason. Because it was like a really interesting looking one. It looks good on a shelf. Exactly.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Yeah. Yeah. Well, and, you know, I see this and I wonder.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' So one of the things that they played around with was sizes in the last one with the arts and sciences, right? Mm-hmm. With that kind of larger size book. And that appealed to some people and whatnot. I actually happened to be in an antique store last week. And this antique store actually had kind of a whole bunch of different brands of actual, you know, field note type notebooks. But not like, I mean, like the old, like the kind that these are based off of. You know, these are based on kind of the old memo books that, like, you used to get from seed companies or insurance companies or things like that. That were kind of freebies along with, like, little paper desk calendars and pens, right? These are kind of these novelty freebie items that you would get for when you did business with somebody in the industry. And I picked up a couple because out of all of them that were there, most of them were a much smaller size than these are. And I actually, I'll put a link into our Skype thing if I can figure out how to do it in the new Skype because I don't like it very much. But I did take a shot on Instagram holding them in my hand. And, I mean, they're tiny. And I would be interested to see, like, them do kind of a smaller size edition, something that's about the size of maybe a, you know, maybe a little bit larger than a business card, for instance. Or, you know, play around with the sizes just like they did with the real ones back in the day.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, I could certainly see that being a possibility down the line. Like, there's a, Moleskine makes a size called the Volant, which is smaller. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, like, a little bit bigger than business card size. So, there's a few other companies that do that size as well, which I think is pretty neat. It's useful.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Yeah, and I think it'd be interesting to see. I just don't know how much more they can continue to do with colors and paper types and things like that. It might be interesting for them to kind of play off of that size thing again, but going the other direction.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, I like this one because it was back to basics in the style, but they still managed to make it a conversation piece by how they decided to deliver it. And, yeah, I thought they did a good job with this edition. All right, Mr. Roan, we need to get into some of your details. But, first, Myke has some real work to do. What you got for us, Myke?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I want to talk about our sponsor for this week's episode, and that is the fine folks over at lynda.com. Lynda is an easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. You can instantly stream thousands of courses created by experts on software, web development, graphic design, and so much more. Lynda.com works directly with industry experts and software companies to make sure that they're providing informative, awesome training in a timely fashion. So, sometimes this can be on the same day that new versions of software or products are released or as quick as humanly possible. All of their courses are produced with fantastic production values. They are at the highest quality. These are not like videos that you're going to find on YouTube of someone with their iPhone 4 recording their MacBook keyboard and screen. You know, these are people in awesome studios. They have all the right equipment, and they do things with just a real professional look and feel about them. Lynda.com has awesome tools. So, when you're watching your videos, you can get access to searchable transcripts. So, maybe somebody said something that you wanted to go back and check in a video you watched two weeks ago. You can search, you know, editing or something like that, and it can take you to that point. And you can click at any point in the transcript, and it will take you to that point in the video. They have playlists that you can set up and even certificates of course completion, which you can publish to your LinkedIn page if that's something that you want to do. Whether you're a beginner or advanced learner, Lynda.com has courses for all experience levels. You can also learn whilst you're on the go with the Lynda.com apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. And they have just one low monthly price of $25 to get unlimited access to over 100,000 video tutorials on topics such as maybe you want to learn development, like sort of app development, maybe you want to make an iOS app. Maybe you want to get into audio and music productions. Maybe you want to make some music tracks on your computer or you want to make a podcast of your own. They've got stuff there. Maybe you want to get into web design. Maybe you want to get into photography, marketing, business stuff. They've got courses on everything. I've checked out a bunch of Lynda stuff myself, especially some on Logic, which is what I use to edit these shows. And there's more that I've sort of saved in a playlist that you can set up that I've set up myself and Lynda to go in and watch Zoom about compression and stuff like that to get an even better understanding to make these shows sound even better. And I love it. Lynda is a great way for – it fits the way I want to learn, basically. I am a visual learner and I like to go along with people whilst they're teaching me something. So one thing that I've loved is I can watch the videos on my iPad and I can be sort of playing along in Logic on my MacBook as I'm watching them do it. And some of the Logic tutorials that I've watched allow you to download the project files that the people are actually working with so you can play along completely with what you're seeing on the screen. I have an awesome deal for you with Lynda.com. We've worked with them to get this for you. So you can get access to all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days if you visit Lynda.com slash PenAddict and sign up right now. That's Lynda.com slash PenAddict. Thank you so much to Lynda.com for their support of The PenAddict and all of RelayFM.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Awesome. Thank you, Lynda. Yeah. All right. So we've got a pen blog of the week this week that's not a traditional pen blog, but it's actually a blog that I can't believe I've never talked about before because I follow it religiously. That is Mr. Chad Doan's Doan paper feed. Oh, yeah. He has an offshoot Tumblr where he just collects inspirational pictures. Some of it's stationary-based, bag-based, but a lot of it's got art, architecture, things like that.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' His visual... Trucks or cars. He likes automobiles a lot.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, lots of old Porsches and land cruisers and things like that. So his visual aesthetic really speaks to me. I'm really into all the stuff that he finds and posts on this. So I'll follow this religiously. And also, he'll sneak in every now and then some new product stuff that he's working on, like his latest Topo Designs Doan paper mountain briefcase version 2.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' So handsome, huh?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Which is just all kinds of hotness. I have the version 1. I use it every day for work. It's one of my favorite bags that I've ever purchased.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Someone I follow online went ahead and bought one.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, so Joe Lebo. Yes, Joe. I know he bought one. So he sent me some pictures of when he loaded it up, but I haven't actually had to talk to him, like, now that he's using it, how is it? But I know he was real excited when he got it. But it's a great-looking bag. I mean, Topo and Chad Doan collaboration is just like a no-brainer for me. If I did not have one already, I'd be buying this one because it's just perfect. I love what he does. With these collaborations. And obviously, I'm a huge fan of Doan paper itself. So check out the Doan paper feed, and you can see lots of cool stuff. And then you can get some sneak previews of things he's working on for Doan paper. So be sure to check it out.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Yeah. Patrick Roan here endorses Doan. Definitely. Because not only is it great stuff, but he's a super, super nice guy. I love supporting, like, genuinely great people. You know, people who are just making something that they love and doing it because they think others will love it too. And is just super, super sweet. Really great guy.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. He's a legitimately good guy. Just like you said. I echo all of those sentiments. All right. So, Patrick, I was reading the internet as I do. I've heard of it. Yeah. You've been on the internet. Once or twice. And, like, a few months ago, I came across this blog called The Cramped. What the heck is that? And it had this byline of this guy named Patrick Roan. And I was like, whoa, I know that guy. Hey, I know that guy too. He has a what? The Cramped? What is that? Yeah. So, congratulations. All kidding aside, I was super excited, and I think a lot of people were, to see this project come alive. You had been giving me the heads up for a while that this was coming. So, tell us about The Cramped, how it came to be, what you're trying to accomplish there, and why it's so awesome.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Well, okay. I don't know why it's so awesome. I think it's awesome. But I don't know. I never really know why other people think the things I do are awesome. You know, I'm a writer, and so I'm not allowed to think that anyone else gives a crap about what I'm doing.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' So, basically, I guess my inspiration was, number one, I've always been a pen and paper guy. I've been a pen and paper guy for a long time. And I've really appreciated, obviously, the work that you've done. And, you know, the work that Anna at Well Appointed Desk has done. And then, you know, other recent people I've been following, like the Modern Stationaire and Myke Dudek with the Clicky Post and, you know, Andy Welfie with his pencil obsession. And, yeah, I've been, you know, following this stuff for a while. And while, you know, I love a good pen review like the next guy, and I like a good, you know, I like to see new notebooks and new papers reviewed and things like that. And you're going to have to forgive if you hear my daughter singing in the background. She's off to piano lessons, so she's getting ready. I felt I could add something to the conversation. I never really want to start anything unless I feel like I can add a unique voice to it. It's kind of like with Minimal Mac. The last thing the world needed was another kind of Mac blog, another Apple blog, another technology blog. I didn't want to do that. What I wanted to do was I wanted to talk about technology from a realist and practical perspective, from an idea and a standpoint that I didn't feel was being well represented online. I approached the cramp the same way. I wanted the cramp to be more about what it's like to actually use the tools, and not just from a review perspective, but I want to see people using this stuff. I want to see notebooks after they're brand new. I want to see pens after they've been, you know, the nib's been bent a little bit. I want to see the stuff having been used. I wanted to celebrate the fact that these tools are meant for that.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' I don't know. I guess to me, it's like with the field notes, right? The field notes are less interesting to me when they're new than when I have one that I just scanned in that was being held together by clear postal tape, and I had to stick another staple into a section that had worn away. You know what I mean? That was as much a part of the life of that notebook and adding to its greatness and its character and its meaning as anything else that field notes themselves delivered. Does that make sense?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I couldn't agree with that more, and I say that because I didn't used to be that way. And I'm talking like in the very near term, like when the past year, no more than two, I would like, everything's pristine. Don't mess anything up. Don't ding this, dent this, bend this, break this at all. And now I'm like, you know, passing around my Nakaya pins at the Foddershack Fall Festival, and I don't care if someone drops them. It would not faze me the slightest. Yeah. And that's like a huge mental change in me. I don't know how that happened, but it is. I mean, it's just I want to destroy my field notes, not keep them wrapped up in a package, you know? So, yeah, I totally agree with that.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' And so the cramped I try to approach things from that perspective, I also try to encourage those people who either have been frustrated with using pen and paper, have never really seen the point of it, you know, in the age of the iPhone and the iPad and the iThis and the iThat.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' I wanted to help those people out and help them see the joy and pleasure using analog tools can bring. And so you also will see lots of links kind of celebrating that, you know, to, you know, kind of handwriting making a renaissance, why it's so much more beneficial from a memory perspective and from a cognitive perspective, why it's important that we don't lose it, why good handwriting is still very, very important, important, but not so important that not having it should keep you from doing so. And I especially wanted to reach out to lefties, believe it or not. I'm not a lefty, but I felt like if there was one thing that seemed to be missing from a lot of fountain pen reviews, it was, it was like, okay, how does this work for a lefty? Mm-hmm. And so you also will find, uh, on The Cramped, probably the greatest collection on any pen blog of articles, you know, essays specifically written for the left-handed writer and how to make your, your, your writing experience a better one.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Well, not just that, but your, your guest posts and your contributors just in general do, like, really, really good work. Like, you know, we had... Oh my gosh, I'm so lucky. We had Mr. John Robert Lennon on the show. Yes. He's wonderful. He's, he's written for you, and obviously, you know, I, I love Harry Marks, and he's been, um, you know, working with you on this.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Yep, and, and, uh, Myke Rohde has, uh, has contributed, um, you know, who not only is a, is a good friend, but I was a huge fan of for the longest time before we even became friends. Um, and, uh, I mean, you know, Anna has written stuff, um, and, I mean, that's the other thing, too. So many of my other sites have kind of been my singular voice, and I've been kind of protective of that, um, for a number of reasons. Uh, most of them, uh, my own, uh, inflated ego. Um, but, with this one, I really wanted to reach out to, to people, especially, like, I'm not lefty. I can't write about, you know, about how to, you know, tips and tricks for using a fountain pen for the left-handed. I have nothing to say there. So I didn't, I kind of have forced myself into positions where I have to reach out to people and say, hey, I would love to have you write this. And, and put it on the cramped and bring people, uh, people's attention to your fine work as well in doing so. Right, right. So, yeah. Speaking of which, um, I'm waiting for a guest post from you. I need to work on that. Anything you want. I don't, yeah, I don't care what it is.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, I like doing the, not what I do on the pen addict stuff, um, when I do things for other people. So I will put together some ideas and, uh, I will, I will get right on that because I would love to do that for sure. I would love to have you.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' So, Myke too, but Myke doesn't write. But if he just wants to record. But if he wants to record something for us, you know. That would actually be kind of funny. I don't record either.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, you're too busy.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' You just podcast. You're too busy creating podcast networks. Yep. Yep. So, yeah. So that's, that's basically the thing about the cramped is I try to be a, a, a, a contributing, um, voice in the pen and paper blogging world. Not a, not an echo. Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. And for people who listen to this show and don't follow the cramped, you need to fix that immediately. Um, cause it's, it's a really, I mean, it's Patrick Rohn. I mean, what else do I need to say? Jeez.

'''Patrick Rhone:''' Well, and also, I should, I should also say it appeals on many levels because I also am trying to focus not just on pen and paper, but also, you know, typewriters. Yeah. Whenever the opportunity presents itself. I posted a video about a lovely, um, secret bookshop in New York City that unfortunately Harry informed me minutes after I posted it that, uh, they're actually getting evicted and shutting down. So, um, you know, but, you know, so reading is another theme that you will see popping up a lot on the cramped, um, things like that. It's, it's just basically, if it's analog and it involves the written word, it belongs there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's perfect. That's perfect. So one of the, one of the main reasons aside from the cramped I wanted to have you on is we wanted to talk about paper and which paper we're using, you know, what's, uh, what's been really, uh, piquing our interest. And in the event of not running this show too, too long today, I'm going to boil this down into one thing. Mm-hmm. And then I'm going to give you the floor. Okay. And it's one type of paper that you and I are fans of. So lovely. And a lot of people are fans of. I think I'm getting like, like giddy just thinking about it.