Pen To Be Extinct In A Decade?

[Witsius]

Yeah, does anyone remember the "paperless office?"

[MHBru]

The pen & ink will be in use after the earth has been laid waste by nuclear war, accident, or global warming.

Ahh... pens will be the post apocalyptic currency! "Psst, do you have anything to write with?"

[AAAndrew]

Ahh... pens will be the post apocalyptic currency! "Psst, do you have anything to write with?"

 

Actually, it will be steel dip pens. Can be used with home-made ink. Or maybe quills, just requires a big bird? Reed pens?

 

The simpler the technology the better. I just got some quills and will be trying my hand at making post-apocalyptic currency soon.

[Patricius]

Mr Nadella may well be accurate if we cut away the hyperbole (i.e. if we reduce the statement to ''letters in ink will no longer be common''), but if he is, I think it is a tragedy.

 

I can prove him wrong, if God spares me, and I hope that He will spare you all to spite him. It is not the poor soul's fault but he has a most annoying rictus of a smile.

Edited April 29, 2017 by Patricius

[Moonshae]

Letters handwritten in ink are already uncommon. Ask the average person who isn't on FPN, "When was the last time you wrote someone a letter by hand?" You'll get a blank stare, or maybe, "Do holiday cards count?"

 

But if the market were going to be dead in a decade, manufacturers wouldn't be wasting time offering limited editions, new designs, etc.

[rwilsonedn]

 

Actually, it will be steel dip pens. Can be used with home-made ink. Or maybe quills, just requires a big bird? Reed pens?

 

The simpler the technology the better. I just got some quills and will be trying my hand at making post-apocalyptic currency soon.

 

At current rate, we may have seen off all the big birds before we trigger a full-on apocalypse. You might want to practice making pens from post-industrial plastic residue.

ron

[rwilsonedn]

Letters handwritten in ink are already uncommon. Ask the average person who isn't on FPN, "When was the last time you wrote someone a letter by hand?" You'll get a blank stare, or maybe, "Do holiday cards count?"

 

But if the market were going to be dead in a decade, manufacturers wouldn't be wasting time offering limited editions, new designs, etc.

 

If the market were going to be gone in a decade, wouldn't that make everything a limited edition now? (Sorry, thinking like a marketing guy ...)

ron

[AL01]

According the Microsoft CEO the pen will be extinct in a decade. What do you think? I am sure none of you feel this way, right. Or will the pen outlast Microsoft?

 

You can read the article here:

http://www.cnet.com/news/microsofts-ceo-expects-pen-to-be-extinct-in-a-decade/

 

 

He he... A pen can last for generations. A computer will last that long in VERY RARE circumstances. This I can say with experience. No worries.... Our bulletproof FPs will outlast !@$%^& Macrosaft.

[Tancred]

Why would anyone care?

 

Obviously because if you have a valuable pen collection you don't want it to become worthless.

 

In any case, he is wrong, because if the pen was going to disappear - especially the fountain pen - it would already have been doing so for some years. There is no sign of that at the moment.

 

Not long ago some people said that physical paper books were going to disappear because of the rise of e-books - that hasn't happened and if anything paper books are making a comeback.

I remember in the late 1970s all kinds of experts and futurologists were predicting the demise of the mechanical automatic watch; that also never happened and the industry is doing well as automatic watches are seen as more high end luxury items, much like fountain pens.

 

Nope. Pens and paper will continue to exist - maybe not in the most high tech offices but certainly in homes and schools.

[Tancred]

This Microsoft guy is just another overpaid, opinionated jerk who thinks that everything that's high tech is a 'must buy'. It's pure BS. Technology is usually outdated almost as soon as you buy it - get an Iphone or an Android Samsung and the next version is just a few months away, with more features, gizmos etc. These IT CEOs know that the only way they can keep making money is to come up with more unwanted and unnecessary technical stuff just to please the geeks who write articles for CNET etc.

 

When an object is perfect it does not need a new version every year - it just IS! A luxury fountain pen or a high quality automatic watch is a perfect object - superbly engineered and beautiful to look at. It never needs to be updated with new 'software' or have a newer, better, more high featured version because that is not what people who buy these objects want. Kids want toys that give them constant stimulation, while mature adults prefer what is more sophisticated, classic and elegant. For me, owning a great fountain pen gives me pleasure even when I don't use it - I could never say that when I use my smartphone, which is just a functional tool.

[Tancred]

Yeah, does anyone remember the "paperless office?"

 

Yes, and I work in one. I don't really need to write anything in my day to day work. But I still use pens for note taking at meetings - I *hate* using a laptop for that - and for personal note taking at home. And I still write the occasional hand written letter.

[dcwaites]

 

At current rate, we may have seen off all the big birds before we trigger a full-on apocalypse. You might want to practice making pens from post-industrial plastic residue.

ron

 

There are some notes somewhere on cutting a dip pen nib from a PET drink bottle.

[pajaro]

The pens will still exist. They might already be extinct as far as techno nerds are concerned.

[tgoto]

I don't think fountain pens will go away anytime soon.

Even if all ink companies stop making inks, someone here in FPN will come up with inks

 

I am surprised though that 1/3 of the people (in 20's) in my office did not know what fountain pens were when I gave a quick Monday presentation two weeks ago about pens

[CaaC]

I think FB with a italic nib.

[jar]

Let's start by quoting the caption under the picture of the CEO.

 

 

 

Satya Nadella sleep eight ours a day. How does he find the time?

 

Well, over one third of the way through the decade and pens still hang around.

 

The real prediction he should have made is that proof readers are already extinct.

[Sasha Royale]

The fountain pen has lasted longer than the computer "Assembler" and "Compiler". It will likely outlive the laptop, perhaps Microsoft.

 

In predicting the future, I am secure only in predicting that we are all going to be dead.

[Sasha Royale]

 

I still say he's ugly. Heck, I'm no prize, but I'm better lookin' than he is.

Neither your appearance, nor my appearance, is relevant. Nor is the color of the "pot" relevant.

My kitchen "kettle" is black, and he is UGLY !

[AL01]

This Microsoft guy is just another overpaid, opinionated jerk who thinks that everything that's high tech is a 'must buy'. It's pure BS. Technology is usually outdated almost as soon as you buy it - get an Iphone or an Android Samsung and the next version is just a few months away, with more features, gizmos etc. These IT CEOs know that the only way they can keep making money is to come up with more unwanted and unnecessary technical stuff just to please the geeks who write articles for CNET etc.

 

When an object is perfect it does not need a new version every year - it just IS! A luxury fountain pen or a high quality automatic watch is a perfect object - superbly engineered and beautiful to look at. It never needs to be updated with new 'software' or have a newer, better, more high featured version because that is not what people who buy these objects want. Kids want toys that give them constant stimulation, while mature adults prefer what is more sophisticated, classic and elegant. For me, owning a great fountain pen gives me pleasure even when I don't use it - I could never say that when I use my smartphone, which is just a functional tool.

 

Yea! A pen is more powerful than a sword. Can the same be said about technology?

[inkstainedruth]

I don't think fountain pens will go away anytime soon.

Even if all ink companies stop making inks, someone here in FPN will come up with inks

And in fact several people on here HAVE....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth