30 May 2007

Nerd culture: Quest for the ultimate pocket protector

Nerd culture: Quest for the ultimate pocket protector


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There's not much to nerd culture, really. Pocket protectors, high-water cuffs, high SAT scores, the attitude.
I do a lot of writing, and if you see me in public, chances are that I'll be wearing my Nerd Pack (pocket protector), complete with five writing instruments. I really do feel naked without it.
I believe that writing instruments have a strong effect on the style and legibility of handwriting, so over the years I've always had a serious tool fetish for pens and pencils. I've refined my choices over decades, and here are my current favorites.

Slot 1: Main pen
Faber-Castell technical pen with #1 (0.35mm) drawing cone. Completely unavailable in the USA; I was fortunate to get a supply from a friend in Austria. The American version, the Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph, is greatly inferior; it's hard to start, it tends to clog, and the ink reservoir is way too small.
The only really critical ingredient is the ink: Pelikan FountIndia. A friend of mine who uses this ink to make biological specimen labels says it is indelible even after several decades of immersion in alcohol. This system writes on any kind of paper, even through skin oils, and makes for a very clean line. This ink is not easy to find. I had to order mine specially through an art supply store.
When traveling, altitude changes tend to make any technical pen leak. On trips I generally leave the Castell at home in favor of a Pilot VBall Grip Extra Fine in black. It's not perfect, as it tends to skip sometimes on paper that has been in contact with skin oils. Short of wearing cotton gloves when writing, how can one avoid this problem?

Slot 2: Pencil
Faber-Castell TK-Fine Vario L 0.5mm automatic pencil. Although this is a bit pricey at nearly $20, I love it—it's a fine instrument. Good feel, holds a ton of lead, and although the eraser is not that large, it's easy to crank out and in and comes in a two-inch refill. Has a hard/soft control that enables or disables a spring to prevent lead breakage under pressure. Thanks to my colleague Alan Contreras for recommending this. Available from Levenger.com.
I used to favor a terrific, cost-effective American product, the Scripto P200 automatic pencil. These were cheap (under $2 single quantity, cheaper by the dozen) and also had a huge eraser with nothing covering it, and a spring to prevent lead breakage. They also had a 0.5mm cleaning wire inside which was very handy for clearing jams. Unfortunately, Scripto seems to have gone away.
I'm also hooked on Staedtler-Mars Plastic erasers (526 50), and the Pentel Clic Eraser ZE-21. They are the only thing I've used that erases really thoroughly on National engineering pads. However, generally my pencil's built-in eraser can handle minor corrections, so I tend to keep one of each wherever I do a lot of design work, rather than carrying them around all the time---who wants to carry all that junk around?

Slot 3: Backup pen
I need a backup pen because (a) fountain pens are cantankerous, (b) they won't work on multi-part forms, and (c) the ink can bleed through some kinds of paper. My current favorite for this slot is the Pilot G-2 gel 0.5mm in blue (which also gives me another color choice over the basic black ink). This gives a nice fine line.

Slot 4: Correction pen
The main function of this pen is marking corrections, especially on program listings. I want red because it's hard to miss, and also traditional for marking homework. Currently a 0.7mm Sarasa gel pen.

Slot 5: Sharpie
In black. Writes on anything---glass, film, CDs, bathroom walls, food wrap, plastic bags. Good for making posters or leaving notes where a smaller line might get ignored. Utterly indispensable. Even though I might use it only two or three times a month, at those times nothing else will do.

The pocket protector itself
Since I first put this page up, several people have written me asking where I get my pocket protectors. The ones I'm using now are cheap and vinyl and I have to change them out every month or three because they wear out or develop holes. I usually reinforce the bottom with a rectangle about 1" x 3" cut from a plastic soda bottle, because the mechanical pencil's metal sleeve tends to punch through it otherwise.
Friends are working on experimental prototypes, one using leather, another thinking about titanium.
Any decent office supply store should carry this item. Here's the information from the ones my local office supply store has:
46502 Clear
Baumgarten's
Atlanta, GA 30324
Web: http://www.baumgartens.com
e-mail: 46502@baumgartens.com
Questions, comments?... Call 800-247-5547
Obligatory disclaimer: I have no financial interest in any of the companies named above. I just like their stuff.
***************************
We're not sure who wrote this?..but we like! Alot..Hehehe. BNN FAM

Ps. We also strongly suggest you ignore all of the above, all you need is a PEN, PENCIL and AFRO PIK. As demonstrated in our diagram above.

29 May 2007

Time to waste..

When i read the headline below i stupidly thought i would put this concept to the test....48hrs later, after watching the entire first season of HEROES back to back...I discovered 'quirky fantasies' do in fact 'hook geeks'!

**************************************************************************

Networks push quirky fantasies to hook the geeks


The BBC is believed to have paid at least £400,000 an episode for exclusive rights to the second series of Heroes, about a group of ordinary people who discover they have special powers, before the first airs on BBC2 next month.



Fantasy's in, comedy's out. That was the message last week, when the US networks announced their autumn schedules. Even though the previous season saw every network try and fail to manufacture their own 24, this year they were all pushing quirky fantasies intended to hook the geeks who flocked to NBC's hit, Heroes. Amid the morass of teen Grim Reapers (CW's Reaper), computer-brained slacker masterspies (NBC's Chuck), vampire cops (CBS's Moonlight), immortal cops (Fox's New Amsterdam) and do-gooding time travellers (NBC's Journeyman), the consensus points to three shows attracting at least initial interest. NBC's Bionic Woman reboot starring Michelle Ryan and Fox's sort-of Terminator prequel Sarah Connor Chronicles with Lena Headey both benefit from being brand names with built-in followings but, with their joint mixtures of tough chicks and robotics, also run the risk of cancelling each other out.

ABC's Pushing Daisies - about a magical baker who can briefly raise the dead with a touch of his finger - has accrued ecstatic advance word. Science fiction aficionados aside, the most hotly pursued audience is women, specifically women who still mourn the loss of Sex & The City and crave further doses of Grey's Anatomy. For the former, there's NBC's Candace Bushnell-created Lipstick Jungle and ABC's Darren Star-penned Cashmere Mafia which aren't in any way the same show. For Grey's addicts, there's the spin-off Private Practice, which follows Dr Addison to a new life of sexual embarrassment in Los Angeles. Private Practice is the closest thing this season has to a guaranteed hit but it wasn't the show that elicited the most heated response. That would be Cavemen, a sitcom based on a popular car insurance commercial that places cave dwellers in contemporary settings. While betting men predict cancellation before the first commercial break, don't be surprised, if next year, fantasy's out and prehistoric is in.

Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Saturday May 26, 2007
The Guardian

28 May 2007

Wow.......Dreams

A rare chance to take a look at our myspace inbox..Genius NERD like message from: "La mexica" (they call her)

Wow.......

....it's been a while since I last passed by your page!

I had a dream about the Black Nerds Network & thought I would share it with you....lol...!

BNN had an old Victorian building like an old school. The room we were in had the old tall, sash windows. The walls in the 'L' shaped room were brick, painted a brilliant white & the light in the room was beautifully, naturally bright.
All round the walls were heavy bookcases & we were all sat at round tables sipping tea quietly reading.

You, or the image you have on your profile, were stood at the pulpit in the room, quietly reading to yourself also!

We were all listening to Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson while the rain was beating down on the widow pane.

LOL....was this just a dream or a premonition? I had to go out & buy Gil Scott-Heron, Pieces of a Man 'cos I still can't get that dream out of my head!

Peace blessed love & unity X

Ps. We were listening to ' Pieces of a Man' as we read the message....HONEST!!(HEROES).


26 May 2007

Heart HIP HOP

BNN never get bored of Mos, Talib or Common!!!!!!

Talib kweli

listen



common

The Corner

Mos def

Ghetto rock



Mos, Talib and Common

Respiration

21 May 2007

Nerd likes...

BNN likes, Click on the Pics.

Hitspaper

Links from the Far East..

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Miles Donovan

Founder of the Peep show collective..

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Meathaus

Nice Mags..

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Asher d Vs Stig

Stig kills Asher D..

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Ginger beards

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Red Universe

Weird and interactive..

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Dangerdoom

BEATZ..

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Hemmingway design

Nice...

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16 May 2007

Tour de NERD

Hey you NERDS!!!!

Sorry for the long delay in releasing our NERD GEAR and WEBSITE. You would not
believe the problems we have encountered!

Anyways thats our problem not yours and as NERDS we love problems to
solve.Hehehe

So in the meantime to keep you Loyal and BEAUTIFUL NERDS at bay we have a NERD
tour for your eyes to feast.

Please click on the photo or link below

www.blacknerdsnetwork/tour.com

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RE-SPECS BNN FAMILY

Ps. if you have signed up to info@blacknerdsnetwork.com you have already read/seen this(good init).