Free Notebooks?

It's almost a pick-up line to someone like me.

I have been looking for a good notebook for a very long time. I have gone through a number of different designs from the fairly cheap to the expensive. One of the more common notebooks used today is the Moleskine. It's not a bad notebook but it has two fatal flaws: A) it's two and sometimes three times as expensive as the others out there and B) it's not 'exactly' what I need when I'm looking for a notebook. Depending on the model, it is either too skinny or two narrow or doesn't have enough pages to make it worth the expense.

One of the sites that I follow is a blog that reviews Moleskine alternatives, is a blog called "Black Cover".

Black cover is a great site that gives practical reviews of almost a dozen different varieties of notebooks out on the market. For those out there, like me, this helps us in the quest for the right notebook for the right job.

I'd recommend Black Cover to anyone who is looking for a selection of notebooks to choose from.

-Tom

Franken-built

Well, with the death and mysterious resurrection of my desktop, it was only fitting -considering the halloween season - that we end up having to create a new machine from scratch.

So with pieces from Josh's old desktop and most of my desktop we have been building a replacement most of the evening. With my motherboard, processor, memory and the like - we installed it all on Josh's frame with my old DvD Rom and Josh's DvD Rom as well.

Then we took Josh's old hard drive (which was still running Windows xp when his motherboard died a year ago) and installed it as a slave.

What does this mean?

Sometime tomorrow - I think - I'll have a clean install to corrupt all over again with an additional 120 gig hard drive for extra storage for all of the series I keep downloading plus two dvd roms to burn the stuff too.

Who knows - I might ask Mike to put Ubunto (A version of Linix) on the system rather than windows. See what happens.

Maybe I'll be turned into some uber Leet, white-hat something.

or... not.

I still think in Analog.

-Tom

Zombie Computers

Well, oddly enough the desktop has come back from the dead.

Last night, after I had already pronounced the desktop as dead, I reached over and punched the power button once more out of sheer habit. I needed to look something up and the laptop was in the other room and as soon as I hit the power button I realized "Duh, it's dead."

Well, this time - rather than it turning on for a few moments to start it's power-up process and then die when it 'accessed' either of the two CD/dvd roms - it actually fired up.

I'm not sure whether or not a faulty cd / dvd rom would cause it to fail to boot, though I did try disconnecting both to see if that would remove whatever the problem was before I declared it dead on Sunday.

So as of right now, it's up and working. However, I'm not going to try and jinx it by restarting the system until I have more info.

In somewhat related news, Bryian the technomancer and part-time chinese herbalist, sent me a link to a mini-laptop that Walmart is putting out. I am a huge fan of the mini-laptop concept. The very title of my blog is a "Digital Notebook". It's something that I've been toying with for ... more than a decade. My notebook is almost a symbolic representation of myself. Wherever you see me, there is my notebook - in one form or another. The problem that I have had is that the notebook eventually runs out. I would rather have a notebook that I could keep typing on and the like.

With the new Dell Mini-9 and the Everex 7" Cloudbook, I'm getting closer and closer to achieving a "digital notebook".

-Tom

It's dead Jim.

It's official.

My desktop is dead.

This morning I found out that the desktop computer will not turn on. Once you turn on the power, it starts to fire up but even before the monitor would display the first image, it dies.

I'm sure that means something so I'm trying to look up what it might be but for now it's dead.

Thank the heavens that I still have my laptop or else I would be disconnected.

fffear.

Later.

-Tom

New Gear

Not that I have it yet, but I'm seriously considering it.

Not since my friend Bryian gave me (yes, gave me) an NEC 780 mini-laptop a few years ago have I come across anything that seems like it could replace or augment my notebook.

This mini notebook is only 9 inches by 7 which is smaller than some of my analog notebooks that I've used over the years.

It's the Dell Inspirion Mini 9.

At only 350-450, this would be the perfect "WORKING" laptop that's an actual laptop and not a portable computer. It's designed for people who need to word process and hit the net but stay mobile.

This might have to happen.

-Tom

A pen can save your life, no really.

My grandfather had mentioned a favorite fountain pen to me the other day when he saw me writing in my journal with my Pelikano. He told me a story of his mother buying him a fountain pen before he went off to war and how it never failed him even when he carried it with him to Spain, Africa, Germany, etc., during the War.

A few days later, he mentioned that he found it again in his desk and asked if I wanted it. An antique, vintage, war-era fountain pen that has been in the family for a few generations and was used to write letters back to my grandmother when he and she were dating?

To say that I wanted to snatch the pen like a pack of dingos in a maternity ward... would be the most polite way of describing my eagerness.

So I got it and held it tight and immediately began to search what it was.

From Penspotters:

The Parker Vacumatic is one of the most avidly collected of all vintage pens. They're fairly numerous (and more new-old-stock examples seem to crawl out from under rocks every day), and they range in price (and desirability) from the smaller, later models up to larger 1930s models, or those with special finishes or other unusual features (like the gold-fill metal caps on some later models). Collecting Vacs is an ideal avocation for those who like to impose order on chaos, since you can spend decades tracking down one of each color, style, and model name produced (and there'd probably be a couple more lurking out there in the bushes that you hadn't counted on).

In about 1938, Parker introduced a “Split Arrow” clip with the name PARKER written vertically. (The pen shown here is actually from the 1940s.) Shortly afterward, some Vacumatics appeared with this clip modified slightly by the addition of a star at its top.

The pen has a refillable reservoir inside that's filled by a pump at the base of the cap.

As with any old pen, I assumed that any Vac that survived the War will require some restoration. According to all the websites I've been able to find, his is emphatically NOT a job for a first-time do-it-yourselfer. The diaphragm replacement is not straightforward and requires a special "vac tool" for wrenching out the filler unit


Though I really wanted to dunk the nib into some ink to see if I could get it to write for me, I'm looking around to see if there are some tips for cleaning it. The nib is bent a little but that just gives it character. According to my grand dad, that's the only thing that's wrong with the pen - he dropped it on the floor of the destroyer he was serving on when they got hit by something. When he reached to get it, something flew over his head and "damn near killed him".

Karma pen- thy name is Parker Vacumatic.

-Me

The Jack Sack

I found this site today and had to share. This is almost a follow-up to my original post: "The Bag that saved the world."

I already threw a link up under 'Journals'.

-T

Another Bibliophile

miguelrius - Journal Diary - Back / Flap
Originally uploaded by DigitalAlan.

I found this while searching through Flickr this morning before class. When I saw it I almost thought that someone had found one of my old books and threw a picture of it up on the web. And then I realized...

My people are out there!
Yeap, they're out there frequenting notebook bars and secretly watching notebook websites. Before ya know it they'll have to tell their S.O. that they're carrying a notebook with them.

I wonder if we'll have to put up small stickers of a notebook on the windows of buisnesses to show that 'Notebook People' welcome here.

Maybe a Notebook Pride Parade?

-T.

New Icon?

A little sketch, some photoshop and a Pilgrim's Crook.


Sorta has a bit of the Riddler in the design, but not too bad if I do say so. I added the crescent moon in the top version to suggest that Quests do not end when the sun sets.

The second image is more of a logo - if I were to put out journals or bags or something for those people who are bibliophiles or wanting to go on trips, pilgrimages, quests and the like.



This third version is an elaboration of the 'Logo' concept. Pilgrim Gear... sort of the nomadic treker wandering around the world or their own city.

Notebooks, satchels, even walking sticks (crooks?) , pocket knives, flash lights, anything that the modern pilgrim might need for their travels. This is all highly improbable, but it would be cool if I could turn the idea into an actual project.

Hrm. I wonder if I could get some notebooks with the logo printed on them.
-Tom

The Bag that saved the world

From Ebay

Yes, for the fans of 24 out there - I've found the bag that Jack carries.

If any character has proven me correct in the philosophy that bags are for what ya find along the way - it's Jack.

Though not a huge fan of the series myself, I know that a few of my friends would kill for one of the bags and for only 14.00 bucks, I might get one myself.

This bag features:

Sleek, washable cotton canvas.
Roomy interior w/ three separate compartments
Brass hardware
Comfortable, adjustable shoulder strap, 2" wide
Measures 15"W x 11"H x 6"D
Covered by our money-back guarantee

Gear: Waterproof Notebook

From: Military.Com

RITE IN THE RAIN® TACTICAL MEMO BOOKSEnsure that your important field notes, reminders, hiking journal survive the elements! Waterproof non-disintegrating paper is housed in this 3.5" x 6" bound notebook. Equipped with 60 sheets (120 pages) imprinted with Universal Grid ¼" pattern. Use with pencil or the RIR All-Weather click pen. Useful measurement references printed on covers.

SPECS:• Bound with Field-Flex covers• Pages and binding glue guaranteed to stand up to the elements • 3.5" x 6" pages• Universal grid pattern: Ruled ¼" horizontal lines and ¼" Vertical dotted lines• 60 sheets; 120 pages• Cover and sheets are the same color• Wt: 8 oz.• Made in USA

$5.99 each.

Bag

From Ebags,

I stumbled upon this site a while back and thought that I'd finally throw something on my blog about it.

As anyone who knows me can testify, I've a thing for bags.

"A bag is not for what you bring with you, but for what you find along the way."

An "adventuring" bag is almost always with me when I go anywhere. It has a little bit of everything needed for almost anything as seen in this post. The bag I'm currently using came from American Eagle Outfitters, much to my friend's surprise who swear that it's military surplus. It's ok but not exactly what I need so I'm continually in search of something to accompany me on my own Quests.

Over the years I've even designed a few and asked Emeleth to make them for me.

The woman can sew anything.

This is my first "adventuring" bag that I created as a means to hold all of my Monk Gear (tm). It was based off of Frodo's bag from LOTR: FOTR. It's almost duffle-sized and holds all of my robes and all the stuff that goes along with them when I want to go Monking About (tm *pending)

So,

When I found a whole site that sells nothing more than bags - I had to go digging.

Now if I can only find a site that sells telescoping walking sticks

Hrm...

From Ebags, Material:	600D Cordura
Size:	14" x 12" x 5"
Linear inches:	31"
Capacity:	840 cu. in.
Warranty:	Lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship

More Gear

Speaking of gear...
The last post about my field bag got me thinking about one of the "bad places" I go to on the internet. I consider ThinkGeek.com a "bad place" in much the same way I consider Amazon.com and John Neal bad.

I could spend way too much money there if I had it to spend.

From: www.ThinkGeek.Com


Don't go adventuring without it.
The ToolLogic Firesteel Knife features a razor sharp blade and emergency signal whistle plus a premium magnesium alloy fire starter. The Swedish made Firesteel combined with a special notch on the blade delivers an intense shower of sparks at nearly 3000º. It will even spark when wet! At just 2.7 oz it's perfect for a wide range of uses and it deserves a place in your backpack or emergency survival kit.

Price:

$29.99 Link

Brilliant Thinking, Brilliant Flashlight

While other LED flashlights are little more than LED technology force-fit into conventional products, the X5 is the result of an unrestricted flow of innovative engineering. Nothing is compromised or superfluous. Every choice- in optics, electronics, materials, thermal and power management, durability and usability- has been driven by performance criteria. Here lies the reason behind X5's unique visual statement.

Price:

$39.99 Link

Also,

Since I'm a book-person, (can someone come out of the book-closet?) I have explored many options to face my addiction and come across a cheap supply of good, small, sketch books.

LEATHER ETC. Permanent Bound Sketch Book

These permanent bound, hardcover sketch books contain 160 pages of 80 lb., acid free neutral pH, bright white paper. Each book also features a pencil loop sewn onto the inside edge of the back cover.

Leather Etc. Permanent Bound Sketch Books are available with black or red covers. Red bound books come with a black contrast loop that also acts as an elastic closure.

Price: $3.14 Link

You've all wanted to know

The rumors have been circulated for many years. "What does Tom carry in his bag?" The simplest answer was usually "Whatever's needed", and on many occasion it has proven to be just that.

Well, when I was digging in my field bag lately, I decided to see what was actually in there (because sometimes I forget what ends up within the thing) and grab a picture. I do believe, however, that similar to trying to take a picture of a black hole, this is just the contents of the bag at this time.

Contents:

1. Digital Camera (inside case)
2. Folding hair brush
3. Razor
4. Scotch Tape
5. Pill case
6. Nurses Sheers
7. Ipod and case
8. Notebooks (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary)
9. Sewing Kit and scissors
10. Cigarette Lighter
11. Waterproof Match Case
12. Map Magnifying lense
13. Toothpaste
14. 512 Mg Flash Drive
15. Cord 50'
16. Hot spark kit
17. Flat roll of Duct tape
18. Shake-light
19. Pens, Pencils and Highliters
20. Glue stick
21. Ruler
22. Screw driver
23. Cloth ruler
24. Cough Drops
25. Drink mix
26. White Chalk (because ya just never know)
27. Dice bag (because ya just never know)
28. Backup Spare, reserve pair of sunglasses
29. Clip knife
30. Nec Mobile Pro (Portable Text-Portal)


And this would be considered a "light" load for adventuring and Bigfoot hunting.