Bbc Article About Rising Fountain Pen Sales

[Brianetta]

Look, we're trendy.

 

Why are fountain pen sales rising? - BBC News

 

(-:

[Chrissy]

Interesting reading. Thank you for the link

[Notebookish]

Great read. I feel like I switched to fountain pens for practical reasons that are rarely mentioned in these kinds of articles: hand pain relief (which keeps me married to FPs whether I like it or not), and cost effectiveness (which, while possible in theory, I'm not sure has been maintained, because although I have used the same primary black FP for over two and a half years, I have had to replace damaged nibs twice at about $30 a pop).

Edited May 22, 2012 by Notebookish

[Jimothy]

Interesting article, but some of the reader's comments show a complete lack of understanding. C'est la vie.

[psychdude]

The comments are hilarious. One person blamed obese-people for the rise of fountain pen sales, multiple people worried over the dangers of a stranger next to you with such a sharp object in their breast pocket, and an even greater number wailing about the waste of public resources by the BBC to do a magazine piece on something as outdated as a fountain pen (which isn't actually a fountain, don't you know, it is merely a cartridge pen. No one uses pumps to fill a pen any more).

 

While I'll admit readily that specific knowledge of something many view as obsolete is, indeed, uncommon, the readiness of people to wax ineloquent about that which they know so little baffles me. Something for which we can thank the anonymity of technology. Best guess is that were there a need to post a reply via mailman, hand written and signed, a lot of people simply wouldn't bother with a snooty, unintelligent, uninformed, and/or rude reply. Someone might see them for what they know themselves to be.

 

Just saying

[Jimothy]

... the readiness of people to wax ineloquent about that which they know so little ...

 

 

What a fantastic line. I wish I'd thought it up

[robofkent]

I saw it too......

[UncleJoe420]

Did like the poster who quoted Viv Stanshall!

[alvarez57]

And they still think they know and don't......

 

Fountain pens have no mystique for me for I grew with them. Yes, when I was younger, a fountain pen at school (Schaeffer "demo") would make me different, apart from the rest. Nowadays it's more the fact that using a fountain pen will not hurt my fingers nor wrist.

 

Psychedude, I will have to agree with you.Which reminds me of a saying in Spanish which roughly translates to "ignorance is daring".

La ignorancia es atrevida...

Edited May 24, 2012 by alvarez57

[alvarado]

Look, we're trendy.

 

Why are fountain pen sales rising? - BBC News

 

(-:

thanks for sharing the link, i like the phrase 'declaration with intent'

[Scrawler]

Interesting article, but some of the reader's comments show a complete lack of understanding. C'est la vie.

 

67.

MGary

22nd May 2012 - 13:01

 

It's better to use your energy on things which are better aligned with modern technology than on fountain pen writing. Children should be discouraged from using this pen.

[Messmer]

Think I understand it is on the raise... I have dyspraxia. For me, it is FP or use of a keyboard. I mean, don't ask me to write for long with a Bic crystal. I can't.

 

Also, I think we should impose in school the use of fountain pen for children. I mean, it should be on the program: Keyboard skill and FP skill. Just by the waste they make on junk pen, the idea sell it self.

[welch]

Interesting article, but some of the reader's comments show a complete lack of understanding. C'est la vie.

 

67.

MGary

22nd May 2012 - 13:01

 

It's better to use your energy on things which are better aligned with modern technology than on fountain pen writing. Children should be discouraged from using this pen.

 

Amusing. I'm "better aligned with modern technology" than MGary. I've worked through about a dozen "paradigm shifts" in the computer industry, and I use a fountain pen.

[Scrawler]

Interesting article, but some of the reader's comments show a complete lack of understanding. C'est la vie.

 

67.

MGary

22nd May 2012 - 13:01

 

It's better to use your energy on things which are better aligned with modern technology than on fountain pen writing. Children should be discouraged from using this pen.

 

Amusing. I'm "better aligned with modern technology" than MGary. I've worked through about a dozen "paradigm shifts" in the computer industry, and I use a fountain pen.

I design the software that runs our world with a multitude of fountain pens. All of my conceptualization, initial sketches, logic layout and notes as I am working are done with fountain pens. I just cannot get the range of colours I need, to keep separate components and flows, distinguishable in my diagrams, any other way. And at this stage of the game, I will not either. Think of me next time you draw money from an ATM, or fill your car with petrol from a BP or Shell outlet. Fountain pens in my hand were instrumental in making such things migrate from the imagination to the real world. If you are ever hospitalized in several north American states or provinces, or make a health insurance claim in Germany, remember that a pile of fountain pens on my desk were used to automate many parts of your of your care.

[Phormio]

I enjoyed the article and I do enjoy writing notes as they are more personal and reflect my flair more than typing.

 

It's just unfortunate that I don't get to write more with my pens

 

P

[inky7712]

That's interesting. I've just started collecting a couple months ago, and didn't even know fountain pens were still manufactured until 4 months ago. I wonder if most people in the states even know FPs still exist.

[ishameek]

its a score for team fpn

[JosephJames]

Interesting article and some of the comments made me laugh.

 

I have to wonder, though, why the pen manufacturers of today would not market to the eco-friendly crowd? How many hard core organic folks reach for a cheap throwaway ballpoint when they want to write something? They probably never give it a thought.

[Pelikan_FP]

I never had the privilege of using fountain pens growing up. I only intermittently saw some in the hands of some of my favorite mentors through my training. I finally took the plunge about a year ago on impulse and I will never go back to a ballpoint by preference.

 

The experience of writing with a fountain pen is incomparable with writing with the ballpoints; it is so effortless and beautiful with the colors of the rainbow of ink to boot to add that personal touch. I am glad that I have to write as much as I do in my work. I'm sure if more people were able to experience this, there would be even more people using fountain pens on a regular basis.

[CaptainGroovy]

I have seen a couple of articles in the Washington Post in the past year or so about the rise of popularity of fountain pens as well