Cross Townsend Titanium Ball Point

I have always had a fascination with any tool that would make a mark on paper or canvas: pencils, chalk, crayons, pens, brushes, charcoal, anything. When I was nine years old I determined that I would be an artist and began practicing through all the various tools and media for hours every day - I was obsessed. So, my interest in writing instruments came very early. My first fountain pen (non-disposable) was a Pelikan 120 broad nib made for artists. In my teens and twenties I used Rapidograph technical drawing pens for detailed pen and ink drawings. Sometime in my thirties, my wife's grandfather sent me a birthday check of $25 and I found myself at the local stationer shopping for pens. I purchased a red torpedo-shaped Reddington rollerball to use in my new executive position, after seeing my superiors using their Mont Blancs, the price of which was and is outside of my budget. Not long after that, my good friend Bruce introduced me to his new Cross Townsend Titanium Ball Point Pen. This introduced me to a quality of writing instrument that seized me by the lapels and has hold of me ever since. The rest of the story of this great pen must be told: the color, the weight and the quality of writing from this pen led me to purchse one of my own. However, not long after that Bruce lost his while riding his bike. Knowing how much he valued that pen, I decided to give him mine. That was more than seven years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of having lunch with him and his wife Helen and he informed me that he had a present for me. In fact he had been holding onto this present for the last seven years. I couldn't imagine what it would be and then he handed me a Cross pen box, informing me that he and the men from our former church's men's group had purchased that for me as an ordination gift. What a great gift and it writes just as well as I remembered.

Ink Quality

One of the complimentary joys of using a fountain pen is using bottled ink from which to fill the pen. Sure, it is messy, time consuming and frustrating - my fingers always get stained. Today, a drop of black ink even fell into our light beige carpet. Shhh . . . Don't tell my wife! And that is all worth it, if your pen produces the kind of rich line and dark black or deep blue (or whatever color you like) that you expect from a fine pen. All of that is background to my first woeful experience with my Libelle Epic F.P. After the cartridge that was packed with the pen was used up, I installed the converter and filled it with Shaeffer "Skrip" black ink, which a sales person had assured me was quality ink. It worked okay on a yellow legal pad but when I used it in my moleskin journal the ink was grey, rather than black, and it bled badly. Initially, I was disappointed with my new pen until I realized my other pens wrote well on the moleskin paper. So, purchased a bottle of Waterman black ink and filled the Libelle F.P. and it worked great - nice smooth rich black lines - the way it is supposed to be.

Lamy Fine Point Fountain Pen

I promise that I am not getting "kick backs" from fountain pen manufacturers or distributors.

But folks, this is too good to ignore. Goldspot has this Lamy "Studio" fountain pen on sale at an incredible price - in all colors (black, blue & stainless) and nib sizes (ball point, too). I am tempted to buy another one.

While it might not look very interesting in the photo due to the German minimalist modern design (Bauhaus influence, maybe?) - it handles and writes wonderfully. Not too heavy. Not too light. The ink always flows when needed. Some "nicer" pens I have, constantly have to be primed before use, which is very frustrating - not so with this pen. I have the fine nib, so a converter full lasts a long time between re-fills. Best of all, the nib writes very smoothly - almost as smooth as my gold-nibbed Namiki Vanishing Point. I don't know about the other colors, but the black Lamy fountain pen has a very comfortable matte finish that keeps it from slipping in your fingers. The clip actually holds the pen in your shirt pocket. (I have dinged up a couple of heavier pens with loose clips when I bent over to pet my dog - ouch!) All around, at that sale price this is by far the best fountain pen for the money that I have seen. Even at list price the Lamy "Studio" fountain pen is worth it.

Libelle Epic Fountain Pen

Do you find yourself anxious at the end of the day because you realize you have not had time to write with one of your fountain pens? Of course not. Only a fountain pen collecting Luddite would have such a thought. I have such thoughts.

The Libelle pen pictured above is just the pen to elicit that passion for pen and paper intercourse. A photograph cannot due justice to the rich multi-layered swirls in the barrel. The pen is just the right weight and is very comfortable to write with. The medium nib seemed a little too scratchy at first but with use on a heavier smooth paper, such as a moleskin journal, it writes beautifully. Besides having a fascination with fountain pens, I also enjoy studying dragonflies. So, it is an amusing coincidence that Libelle's logo on the cap is a dragonfly repeated around the rim. "Libelle" is Latin for "dragonfly". The fountain pen takes a cartridge or can fill via converter.

I purchased this pen from Goldspot.com. The price was discounted and the pen was shipped right away. Sadly, for you folks who may not have this model, Libelle has discontinued it.

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Twenty-fifth Day: Morning Prayer

Psalm 119:33-40

He

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.

Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.

Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.

Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.

Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.

Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!


Quoted from the English Standard Version

Technopoly

Book Review

Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, by Neil Postman, Vintage Books, 1993

Thesis: “Technopoly deprives us of the social, political, historical, metaphysical, logical, or spiritual bases for knowing what is beyond belief.” Technopoly’s power emanates from the assumption that all technological advances are to be desired and therefore faith in symbols is counterproductive.

Evaluation: Postman, a sociologist, identified “Technopoly” in anthropomorphic terms, as an unfettered movement – a strongman of sorts – who is engulfing America’s better values, such as religious narratives, and replacing them with an inhumane and mechanistic dystopia. Americans welcome this with an unchallenged lust for technology even at the expense of our culture, heritage and faith. Science is the new alchemy and scientists her priests. Postman’s prophetic analysis from 1992 of Technology’s monopoly over human affairs is obviously more evident today than it was 15 years ago. In fact, the influence of the computer and the Internet are more pervasive and consuming than even that which Postman proposed. Even so, Postman offers an optimistic ethic that would lead to freedom from Technopoly, were we to heed his advice and become “loving resistance fighters” who manage technology rather than those who are managed by technology.

Helpful Insights: “Technopoly” is what Christians would recognize as a “Power” from Colossians 2.15. This particular Power has become especially potent in the United States, because we fail to recognize it and we do not even think to question its influence. Rather than just offer a critique, Postman offers a curriculum that would reunite students with the core narratives of Western culture. Not as a means to elevate Western Civilization above other cultures but as the narrative symbol which relates to the citizens of the United States. This narrative would enable students to become alert humans who know how to reason and question and apply moral standards to their roles as citizens. This approach to education is viewed as antithetical to the minimalist and statistical grind of the Technopoly machine. While Postman is not promoting a particular religion (though his affection for Judaism is evident), he is convinced that society cannot achieve a sense of purpose without such a core narrative to give people meaning. Technopoly cannot provide a core narrative because its end is only to sustain itself, which consumes and does not inspire.

Response: My perception of the public school system in the U.S. is that it is so broken and ideologically corrupt that it cannot be repaired. However, I believe that Postman’s emphasis on the integration of history and the ideals of past cultures, artists, philosophers and musicians into the standard school curriculum is the only viable corrective to our failing public school system, and thereby our failing culture.

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