Filofax or not.

I think you take the middle ground, Mick. Get a Newton MessagePad 2000:


It was the original full-powered, connectable PDA, has the best handwriting recognition ever, has a quality, "cold marble" feel, and would probably fit your existing Filofax leather cover.

In non-frivolous business terms, unbeaten to this day.

It reminds me of the old story about NASA spending $2m developing a pen that would write in zero gravity - the Russians used a pencil .

I've tried loads of PDA thingys, seduced by the idea of writing once, synchronising with Outlook etc but they are still too fiddly in practice and have to be managed - batteries, cables, deleting etc, so I have always gone back to pencil and a simple notepad.

In my view, PDAs are an excellent way to waste money and do very little (if anything) very well.

My own filofax is about 7 years old now (a nice slimline black leather one) and from a simply tactile perspective better than any PDA. If I want more memory, I can buy new paper at most good stationary shops and I never need to worry about the battery running out.

Your data is every bit as vulnerable on a PDA, whether it be to viruses or to mechanical failure.

Right there with you on fountain pens Mick, what do you use? My own, a Lamy 2000, sadly recently suffered a mechanical failure and I need to get it fixed, I'm currently using a waterman elite (I think that's the model).

quote:

Originally posted by Jez Quigley:
It reminds me of the old story about NASA spending $2m developing a pen that would write in zero gravity - the Russians used a pencil .

And a very nice and funny, if totally inaccurate, story it is too (or at least, misrepresented). The space pen first flew on '68 on Apollo 7, the many manned missions to before that used pencils. However, there are a great many disadvantages to the pencil (such as the issue of sharpening it) and a great many advantages to the ball pen (i.e. you could write, on, say, laminated pages), that nasa decided it would be better. Fischer actually developed it privately and on their own impulse.

regards,

Tam

quote:

there are a great many disadvantages to the pencil (such as the issue of sharpening it) and a great many advantages to the ball pen (i.e. you could write, on, say, laminated pages),

Christ they managed to get over crapping in space I would have thought they could have had a china graph type and a pencil sharpener in a poly bag.
What were they writing anyway? Their book deals?

Howard

Tam

I own approx 50 vintage fountain pens which I use in rotation. I am slowly selling them off because they only get used one week each year which is a waste.

Regards

Mick

Mick,

Can't quite match 50, though to be honest, even with the 3 I have, I find only ever using one most of the time.


regards,

Tam

Tam

Having hordes of pens is plain stupid. I got caught up in the collecting bug and had over 80 at one point in time.

Pens are to be used rather than being stored in a velvet lined briefcase.

I may may well dispose of the lot but just leave myself with 2 or 3.

Regards

Mick

Tam, thanks for the facts. I knew it was not totally true, but it makes the 'point' (tee hee) of pursuing advanced technology resulting in expense and complexity when simple, if less sexy, solutions are available. I come across it all the time in my work where managers want to install IT systems when usually a redesign of their processes/workflow is much more productive and vastly cheaper.

Jez,

In a lot of ways it's shame it isn't true, because it is a wonderful anecdote and it still makes me chuckle (because, it's extremely plausible for exactly the reasons you outline).


Mick

You're probably right. If you do drop just 2 or 3 I'd be interested to know which ones you keep.



regards,

Tam

Sounds like Our Michael needs a pen sieve to me, though owl feather quills are wonderful too, innit.

Fritz Von Advising his nibs as usual

Another opinion soon from over the pond?

Tam

The problem with disposing of pens is that the last one always becomes your favourite.

Regards

Mick.......currently using a 1937 Parker Dualfold.

Mick,

I can see that being a problem. I've always liked the look of Dualfold but I've never actually tried one.


regards,

Tam

Tam

The Dualfold was Parkers second most succesful pen, the 51 being the best ever seller.

I really like the Dualfold, so I bought 4 as well as the latest repro model, the Dualfold centenary which incidently was Maggie Thatchers favourite.

The best pens are without doubt those from the 1950's. The quality of the nibs from that period has never been equalled and the multicolured bodies are just plain sexy.

Regards

Mick

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Tam

The problem with disposing of pens is that the last one always becomes your favourite.

Regards

Mick.......currently using a 1937 Parker Dualfold.

I've found EVERY Parker I've ever used has had far too thick a nib... but then I've only tried the cheap(er) ones.

What's the current going rate for a Dualfold??

EW

I understand that Naim is doing a power supply upgrade for the Palm Pilot. Only $8500 US and it's called the HiFive. A SuperFive is in the works...

Sorry.

Interesting, this is similar to an "analog vs. digital" discussion. They both ultimately serve the same function but they go about it differently. And have different advantages and disadvantages.

There is a charm to simply writing down the data in a high quality planner with a decent pen. Practical, certain, personal.

And a certain geek-factor to trying to get the digital thing to understand if you are entering an "F" or a "7"... Makes you a slave to the medium in my opinion. I hate that aspect.

For me, I use a Palm and keep a backup both at work and home. Redundant backup of my schedule is way more than enough, I'd prefer if it was lost sometimes... And I rarely enter data in the Palm via the interface, I use my Outlook calendar to synchronize the two schedules.

Go with the Filofax, Mick.

David

I've got a Filofax. It's filed away in a drawer somewhere.

I tend to use the calender/extras facilities in my phone.

There's even a map of the Underground/conversion tables etc. in there.

quote:

Your data is every bit as vulnerable on a PDA, whether it be to viruses or to mechanical failure.

Strictly in respect of the data contained on the device, this is true and is a vulnerablility shared by every computer in the world including the ones in many modern phones, PVRs and the ECUs in modern cars. The statement does however miss the point about the value of data and the most important feature of computers, i.e. the ability to interact with other devices, to backup and fully restore your data to the same or alternative device, shrugging off loss, theft, viruses or mechanical failure.

As I've said if you're to use the device as a simple reminder pad to record low value data, a more elegant solution to back of envelope, hand, ciggy packet, then you're unlikely to be overly concerned with backups and are clearly better off saving the cash and using the pocket planner and pencil/space pen. I suspect that this will probably be the best choice for Mick. But where a PDA is being used as a business instrument, to collect or process valuable data then your backup schedule can get your data back within the hour. Speaking from some considerable experience the filo performs miserably in this regard.

Clearly horses for courses and all that

Not sure if it helps but my experience is that each approach has different pros and cons.

I started with a filofax which is just so easy to flick through to identify empty days, easy to scribble notes at the side of a day (must deal with task x this week kind of thing) that it makes a PDA look a royal pain in the a**. I even bought a 6-hole punch so I could pop into the filofax extra bits of info (train/flight timetables etc). Simple and intuitive.

However I moved onto a PDA first and now a smartphone (Orange SPV500).
Although entering data can be incredibly fiddly for me the advantages outweigh this. for a start there's the backup to the PC. By the time I moved over to a PDA if I'd lost the filofax it would have taken me months to reconstruct my address book, let alone my diary.

I was finding that the filofax needed a fair amount of maintenance too - each couple of years I'd rewrite the contacts list, put back into alphabetical order, update changed numbers, add on all the new info (email addresses, web sites etc). There's none of this on a PDA - you update it as you go along.

Another thing is that on my smartphone I've got about 5 years of history in the diary, which I'd never haul around in a filofax.

For me the killer though is the syncing facility. I put work and personal things into my diary on the smartphone, sync with the pc at home, my wife then syncs her pda to the same data and she can then see when I'm going to be working late, meeting my mates for a beer, etc.

the fnal big advantage now its all on a smartphone is having it with me all the time. I never carried my filofax of pda when out of the office - just too big. But did carry my mobile. Now with my smartphone I can check my diary, put in tasks/appointments, update contact details when sitting in the pub with a couple of mates.

hope this helps
Phil

Chaps

The new boss uses a Filofax so I am sticking with mine.

Regards

Mick

Good Gwief I've changed my mind, I'm goin down the pub, I'll start my diet next month, innit.



Fritz Von Parry-Dimes have to be earnt


Good Luck Jacky

P.S. It's an hour later here by the Naim clock !

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
The new boss uses a Filofax so I am sticking with mine.

.... wishing he drives like a lunatic !

Is she good looking ?

quote:

The new boss uses a Filofax so I am sticking with mine.

Extra brown nose points then.

Howard

Of course.