In feature

Finding a Google Reader Substitute

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment

Google Reader screenshot

After whining and moaning and crying a little, I went ahead and tried just about every Google Reader substitute I could find. While there is no perfect solution yet that bridges across mobile and web options that all syncs together, I have found my temporary workaround. I do most of my RSS reading on my computer these days so I needed to solve for that first and I’ve found The Old Reader to be the most Google-Reader-esque experience. It did take about a week for my content to be uploaded to their site as they were flooded with new users after the Google announcement but it was kind of worth the wait.

the Old Reader Screenshot

Its currently only available in a web browser version but I can access the content on any machine with a web browser so its a decent solution at the present. I did like that so many other apps were integrating Google’s Reader feeds into their interface like Flipboard, Reeder and others so what will really determine the best replacement is which service becomes the de facto in other apps and services.

Its interface is simple and totally utilitarian and most like Google Reader. As a result, it had the least learning curve and shortest path to just getting back to reading. Have you found a good substitute for Google Reader yet?

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In link

Link Love: Vintage Pens and Pen Addict Love

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Screen shot 2013-04-05 at 12.38.02 PM
(photo via Flickr, by Everyday Correspondence)

The big news this week is that Moleskine launched their IPO. Several of the links below are as a result of all the attention Moleskine is getting this week.

There is an assortment of goodies from Brad Dowdy over at Pen Addict including his Tools and Toys Guide to Fountain Pens which I’m willing to debate with him. There’s also a mix of new and vintage fountain pen reviews. Finishing up the Link Love this week are a couple ink reviews, some digital goodies and tips on writing a good thank you note. Enjoy!

Pens and Ink

Paper

Digital

(image from Casa Brutus, via Present + Correct)
(image from Casa Brutus, via Present + Correct)
In photo

Paperclip Hooks

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment

keep-it-together-wall-hook

I never know where I’m going to find some little bit of office-y inspiration. Today, it came – from all places – the children’s home decor shop, Land of Nod in the form of metal paper-clip-shaped hooks. What a perfect place to hang up your laptop tote or your Mr. Roger’s cardigan — doesn’t everyone have one of those?

(Available in red, pink, silver and yellow for $8.95 each from Land of Nod)

In photo

The Dainty Squid’s Closet/Office

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Dainty Squid Clost Workspace

Over the years, I’ve seen some unique workspaces but this is one of the best yet. The well-known blogger The Dainty Squid shares her home office/workspace with her closet. You read that correctly. Not to say that she works in a closet but that her office is also her wardrobe. If I had a rainbow of dresses, shoes and handbags, I might want to stare at them while working as well.

(via The Dainty Squid)

In feature

Uni-Ball Signo DX in Pantone-Color-of-the-Year Emerald Green

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Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38 jade

By now, I’m sure you realize I have a thing for green. And the fact that this year’s Color of the Year according to Pantone is emerald green is a very happy thing for me. So when I spied the Uni-Ball Signo DX in Emerald, I had to give it a try.

Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38 jade
I meant to write EMERALD, not JADE but I goofed!

The emerald Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 is available from JetPens for $2.50 along with over a dozen other colors and in 0.28mm and 0.5mm as well.

What do you think? Is this THE pen of the year? I certainly think it should be in the running!

In feature

Pilot Juice 0.5 Pen Review

Author AnaPosted on 8 Comments

Pilot Juice 0.5 pens

As promised on Friday, I am reviewing the new-to-me Pilot Juice 0.5 gel pens. The pens look like a lot of the Japanese gel pens on the market but I thought I’d give them a try. What I didn’t realize until I started writing this, is that the inks in the Juice are water-resistant and fade-resistant. Well, that’s a notable difference!

The bodies of the pens are clear plastic with a silicone grip area that coordinates with the ink color and matches the retractable clicker. The clip on the pens are spring loaded so that they can easily be clipped to a thick notebook cover or binder.

I purchased a blue-black 0.5 and a leaf green 0.5 (I couldn’t help myself!).

Pilot Juice 0.5 pens close-up

The tips look like a standard rollerball mechanism. This close-up reveals the very subtle dot pattern on the silicone grips.

Pilot Juice 0.5 pens writing sample

In writing tests, the pens wrote well. Smooth, with no clumping or skipping.The blue-black is more of a navy blue to me but a good color anyway. Just a brighter more vivid blue than the other blue-black gel ink I’ve used. I included a sample of the Uni-Ball Style Fit Blue-Black for comparison which is more of a grayed-out blue.

The leaf green ink was much lighter than I thought it would be and it photographed even lighter. It is somewhat legible on the paper but not at all legible in the photo. It was the darker of the two yellow-green colors available in the Juice line but its still not the perfect green.

After I photographed everything I did test the pens for water-resistance and they do resist water which makes them suitable for signing documents and addressing envelopes.

Each color is available for $1.65 each and are currently only available in the 0.5 size. The pens can be unscrewed and a new refill put in but currently only red, blue and black refils are available.

(This pen was tested on the Miquelrius medium flexible 300 grid paper book purchased from B+N.)