The Latest News From the Wonderful World of Pens, Pencils and Stationery & also Anything Interesting that Grabbed our Attention.

This is the place to find out what the latest news is from the wonderful world of pens pencils and stationery. It’s also where we will include anything interesting that grabs our attention such as did you know that the head of Mi6 signs documents with the letter C in green ink and is associated with what is fondly known as the loony brigade. Or how far will a ballpoint pen write? and which ones write the furthest. You would be amazed to find out the crazy things people do with sharpies.

There is also the answer to questions such as can I get ink poisoning from a pen? or lead poisoning from a pencil? Speaking of poison do you know where the phrase the poison pen comes from? We all know that the Brits are a little bit quirky, but do you know why they call a ball pen a biro? Or have you seen the hilarious Bic Crystal pen reviews on Amazon? Which are rivaled in hilarity by the spoof ads for Bic’s complete and utter marketing disaster the Bic for Her range of pens?

Other things that may be of interest that you can find in this category are what you write and the way you write it. Have you ever wondered about what your handwriting says about you? or when you are writing your signature does neatness count? With tablets and smartphones taking over the world is handwriting now obsolete?

Engineers Explain How Click Pens Work

By Tony Bridges Leave a Comment | Last Updated March 1, 2020

This was a bit surprising: A YouTube video in which an engineering professor explains how a retractable pen works became a bit of a viral hit.

The simple 4:43 video from Bill Hammack – “engineerguy” on YouTube – had been viewed more than 370K times when I last checked, about a month after it was posted.

In the video, Hammack uses a Parker Jotter and some 3D modeling graphics to describe the interplay between plunger, cam, and spring that extends and retracts the ink cartridge and produces that distinctive clicking noise. [Read more…]

Bic Pen Ads Take Another Misstep

By Tony Bridges Leave a Comment | Last Updated March 28, 2020

I feel bad for the people who have to make Bic pen ads.

They just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to women.

Remember the “Bic For Her” campaign a few years ago? The French pen brand launched a version of the classic Cristal with pastel colors and a thinner barrel it said was supposed to fit a woman’s hand. [Read more…]

Keeping Chinese Calligraphy Alive

By Tony Bridges Leave a Comment | Last Updated April 1, 2020

When we think of the loss of handwriting as a common skill, we tend to think of it in terms of English handwriting.

But the Chinese are experiencing a similar issue with regards to traditional Chinese calligraphy. And now, as fewer and fewer people learn the painstaking handwriting craft, a core group of traditionalists are working to keep calligraphy alive. [Read more…]

Social Media Loves Calligraphy

By Midnight Indigo Leave a Comment | Last Updated April 1, 2020

A funny little bit of irony at work here: Apparently calligraphy is hot on social media sites like Instagram and Tumblr.

First, there was an article by Business Insider about how calligraphy gets a lot of attention on Tumblr. The article cites the “in a brush” Tumblr and the 13K+ notes on one widely seen example of hand-lettering. [Read more…]

A Whole Bunch Of Google Pens

By Tony Bridges Leave a Comment | Last Updated February 28, 2020

At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I like Google.

Chrome, Google Earth, Android, those funny little driverless cars. I even liked the movie “The Internship,” even though it was just a two-hour commercial for Google.

They make good stuff. [Read more…]