Editing The Pen Addict 216/transcript (section)

== Gadget Blog ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' So the only thing that's filling me with some kind of optimism here is it's already been posted to The Verge, like the single biggest gadget blog in technology today. And they've only got to $11,000.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So my hope would be that it's not going to bubble the way the Scribble did. Because the Scribble made a lot of money, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, a couple hundred thousand. Yeah. Before they got pulled.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I get it, yeah. So Cronzy could have done that if Cronzy was first.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So now Cronzy has to fight the Scribble press.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Which is 100% negative, so.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And it's us.

'''Ana Reinert:''' I'd just like to see, you know, somebody raise $200,000 to donate real pens to kids in schools who need pens and materials to learn. Like, I just don't, I just feel like this is, I appreciate people making an effort to improve technology and try to create something unique. But I feel like this is a place where right now in the marketplace, there really isn't a need for this kind of tool.

'''Ana Reinert:''' And it's. Frankly, it's because it would never actually be that good. And, yeah, and I completely agree. And it's like, for asking for so much money for something that really technologically isn't, it's not suited for what you need it to do to fit in, you know, the size that you need it. Yeah. Like, could we not do something better with that kind of money and the kind of effort people are putting behind this? You know, to get people writing, children writing, like, drawing. Exactly. Like, please, can we do something else with $200,000?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That would be nice. That would be nice. So, anyway. So, unfortunately, we'll probably have to talk about this again at some point. It always seems to work out that way when I don't want to talk about this junk. But, you know, I, it's, it's a little bit interesting just to see the train wreck. Like, but not that much that I really want to talk about it all the time just because I'm just kind of over it. Kind of like where we are with the scribble. But it's, it's, it's the cockroach of the pen world, man. This thing is just never going to die. It'll, it'll survive the Armageddon. And, you know, the first thing that'll pop back up is, hey, do you want to buy a pen that has put 60 million colors in your pocket? So.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I mean, sure. Why wouldn't you? Yeah. This is the problem.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, I'm going to get 16 million colors at the Washington, D.C. Fountain Pen Super Show, Michael. Because that's what we're, that's what we're here to talk about. And all the colors I'm going to put in my pocket at that show. So, that's what I want to talk about the rest of this show. What do you think?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think that's great. Why don't you tee up the Washington, D.C. Pen Super Show? And then we can go into a little bit more detail in a moment about what each day is going to be like for anybody that's going to be attending.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, it's here. It's technically doesn't start till Friday. But it's most, a lot of people travel in on Thursday to get a head start. And there's some things going on. So, it's the biggest fountain pen show in the world. The self-proclaimed, I don't know that's an auditable statement. But it's the self-proclaimed world's largest fountain pen show. And it's going to be awesome. And Anna and I are going to be there working for Venice Pens with Father Kyle. And we're going to be joined by Mr. Kerry Fountain Pen Day, hopefully adjacent to us in the room, in the atrium slash sauna. That is the atrium. But if you've never been to this show, it's really quite amazing. And it's worth the trip. And it's worth the travels. And even if I wasn't working or doing anything, I would try to go to this show. Just because it's so cool. You get to meet so many people that you talk to online. You get to see so many things that maybe even your local pen show doesn't have. So I wanted to get Anna on to at least talk about that and talk about what the weekend has in store for us. So let's do that right after we talk about our good friends from Squarespace.

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'''Brad Dowdy:''' Awesome. All right, Ana. So what is your perception of this show? Hearing us talk about it, seeing that, you know, I'm super experienced now. I've been one entire year, right? So apparently, you know, I've got like a ton of experience with this show. But never having been, what are your thoughts going to the world's largest fountain pen show?

'''Ana Reinert:''' Um, I'm going to be working really hard.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's pretty much, that's very accurate.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Yeah, people keep asking me like, you're, you're going like at work. They're like, you're going on vacation. And I'm like, well, by vacation, I'm going to go shill ink for four days. So it's my own interpretation of vacation.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But it's actually a good vacation, even though like, we will be.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's a workcation.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yes. Friday and Saturday, Ana and I are just going to be working our tails off. There's like, it's kind of crazy that way. But there is some calmness. Like Thursday is a great day to come in. Because you can kind of get, you just kind of get the feel and just the hanging out. And there's so many people there already on Thursday. You'll see all kinds of vendors with stuff out on their tables on Thursday.

'''Ana Reinert:''' I probably won't get to the hotel until probably right as everybody's sort of closing up. Because I don't get in until about, my flight doesn't land until about 3.30. So I probably won't actually get to the hotel until about 5.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah.

'''Ana Reinert:''' So everybody will be kind of closing up shop by about that point. But I'll be just in time for happy hour.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's exactly right. And that's what will be awesome about Thursday. You can just come and mingle, you know, by the time I get, I don't land until 2 o'clock. So I'm not really that much ahead of you. So everyone will be kind of packing up.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Are you flying into Reagan or into? Dulles. Dulles. Yeah, I'm flying into Reagan. So I'm freaking Lisa out because I'm like, I'm taking public transport. She's like super nervous for me. And I'm like, it's fine. It's two trains. I'm a city kid by birth. So I'll work it out.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You can handle it. Speaking of Lisa, her and our working compatriots, Cassie and Father Kyle are apparently in the car driving today. And we're going to try to listen in to us. So hey, everybody. Hope to see you safe and sound there tomorrow afternoon. So it'll be fun. I'm really looking forward to it. It's, I still don't think even as much work as I put into the Atlanta Pen Show. I don't think I've ever been as exhausted as I was with DC last year. Like I was destroyed like every night, but I also closed down the bar every night there. So, you know, going to bed at 1 a.m. and getting back up at 7 to start working at 8. You know, I kind of did it to myself. So you may not see me closing down the bar every night this weekend. Oh, Father Kyle's in. Are you listening? So somehow they've managed the chat room on the drive. So there's somewhere in Middle Tennessee, supposedly today.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So don't chat and drive.

'''Ana Reinert:''' He's not driving. Maybe not right now anyway. Yeah. Well, Middle Tennessee, I went to UT Knoxville. So wave on the way.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. And I was in, I was in Franklin over the weekend. So they are, they are making their way. So that's going to be awesome. I can't wait to get there. It's besides Atlanta. This is definitely the most fun I've had at a Pen Show just because of the people. Like everyone makes the time to go to DC. So any vendor that you were hoping to ever see at a Pen Show, they're going to be there. You know, for the most part. And any of your friends online, a lot of them are going to be there. So it's, it's just a legitimately cool show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I barely left the hotel other than to eat. Like it's super convenient. Like all the food places are like right outside the door. So they just, it's, it's a good location, even though it's, you know, theoretically not in DC, right? It's not technically, I should say. It's in Tyson's Corner, Maryland, but it's a good event. And, you know, I just, I can't wait to get there. Like, I'm really, really excited. I know how much work it's going to be. I know how tired I'm going to be. I know much, how much I have to do, but that's cool. That's like, I'm up for that. Right. You know, that's why I'm going. I'm up for doing that. And it's, it's just great to see.