This is Yet Another Blog, by me, Tom Gidden. I write sporadically about geeky tech things, and more recently about fountain pens and inks. My day job is coding and telling other developers I'd do it differently and that they need to document their code better.
Flex and the Art Of Line Variation
WARNING: Unedited brain dump follows. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Exploring Lyapunov Space
A look at a previously-unexplored multidimensional extension of a mathematical fractal system.
Flex Thoughts
Yes, I have an FNF 2-channel ebonite feed in my 743 FA, which improves ink supply considerably. I ordered the feed the same day I ordered the pen.
Pure Pens' blacks
Well, I couldn’t really ignore Pure Pens’ release of two new inks, after avidly buying all of their collection since they started producing their own inks. Especially after commenting that...
Diamine Exclusives
Okay, first, a confession. I’ve gone off fountain pens.
MOO.com notebooks and card samples
Just a quick few tests, here.
Kresto® Kolor ULTRA
In my earlier Paraphernalia post I mentioned “Reduran Spezial hand cleanser”, which I hadn’t tried. I found it at a reasonable price on eBay UK and ordered it on Saturday....
Paraphernalia
Here’s a summary of some tools and supplies I’ve found useful for cleaning and maintaining fountain pens. It’s clearly not exhaustive, but I think it covers what most casual enthusiasts...
Pure Pens Celtic and English Inks
I can’t say they were the first fountain pen inks I bought, but the Pure Pens Celtic collection were the first ones I actually made a considered choice to buy....
The Inky Menagerie
I’m a relative newcomer to the hobby of fountain pens, so my first year has been spent feeling out what I like, what I don’t like, and so on. Many...
Jinhao Flexperiment
A simple modification to a standard Jinhao (cheap) fountain pen nib to give it a bit of flex.
Conklin Nozac, Ohio Blue (M)
My one real buyer’s remorse for fountain pens is the Conklin Duraflex Limited Edition with OmniFlex™ nib I bought second-hand in June 2018. As I’ve mentioned I’ve spent most of...
Parker Vacumatic Standard, Burgundy Pearl, c.1934
My second vintage pen, a 1934 Parker Vacumatic in what was advertised as “Burgundy Pearl”. I’m not sure if this is accurate, whether the colour has changed over time, or...
Mabie-Todd Swan SF2, "T.R. Allerton", c.1931
My first vintage pen, an American Mabie-Todd Swan, 1930/1931, #2 nib (SF2) gold-filled, lever mechanism; with matching pencil.
Conklin OmniFlex nib
This is a reply to an innocent Facebook question about whether the Conklin OmniFlex™ nib is “worth it”. I’ve replied to this question before with my opinion, but I finally...
Pure Pens Beddgelert & Castell Coch mini-review
Two more inks for Pure Pens’ Celtic Collection. Note: this post was taken from my initial reactions on Instagram, so it’s a bit scatty.
Pure Pens English Collection mini-review
Righty-ho… a very quick Pure Pens “English Collection” mini-review, just because no-one else seems to have done one yet. My apologies for the messy samples: this was really just for...
The GidTech Where-U-At 2000™
I was asked recently if it was possible to track a group of users via their mobile phone locations, and plot them on a public web page. One of our...
Miscellaneous Drawings
About once every few years, I remember that I don’t completely suck at drawing. I forget that I get angry at myself for drawings that don’t look like what they’re...
A Rational Model of Task Priority
TL;DR: for tasks, assess each of Urgency, Importance and Easiness subjectively, in isolation; and then determine the logical Priority from there by calculating Priority = Easiness × Importance × Urgency....
Investigating iPad keyboard lag
Whenever I go to type a URL on my iPad Pro, there’s a good chance it’ll start lurching. I type a key, two keys, ten, and it’ll just sit there...
The GidTech Page-Turn-O-Matic 4000™
With chronic back pain and a few major orthopaedic surgeries, I’ve been left with the unfortunate result of not being able to sit and read a book for very long...
R.I.P, my heating pad
Ode to a trusty personal appliance; c.1980-2016.
A few of my IoT home hacks
To start with, I’ll explain my situation. I’ve got a bad back. A really bad back. I’ve had three operations on it now, back when I was a teenager, then...
Kickstarter's “Successful” Failed Projects
This is a Facebook post I wrote back in 2014, in reaction to Kickstarter changing their terms of use, with regards to failed projects. I’ve updated and clarified in a...