New Venture: Fountain pens at Bottle and Plume!
It’s been quiet on the Tutorialinux YouTube channel and blog for the past few years, and that’s because I’ve been busy with other things (family, work, new hobbies, etc.). One of those new things is a new fountain pen store called Bottle and Plume, where I sell fountain pens, inks, and paper, along with fountain pen ink mystery sample boxes.
I know, I know – Digital Dave is going analog in his old age. You’re probably right.
Why am I doing this? I’ve always been a proponent of writing by hand, especially for learning new things (like Linux), and grew up writing with fountain pens in school. But for most of my adult life, I used ballpoints or pencils. Around 2019, I bought a Lamy Safari fountain pen (which I don’t actually recommend for beginners anymore!) and proceeded to fall in love with fountain pens.
What makes a $20 (or $200!) fountain pen different from a $0.20 BIC ballpoint? Lots of things!
- fountain pens got rid of the hand pain and cramping I felt during prolonged writing with ballpoints.
- they require almost no pressure to use and FEEL AMAZING – they’re literally swimming/gliding across the paper on a microscopic layer of ink, and it’s an absolutely lovely sensation.
- they’re beautiful
All in all, they elevate the writing experience from something important-but-boring to something important-and-absolutely beautiful.
If you’ve never used a fountain pen (or if it’s been a while), I highly recommend these fountain pen starter kits for beginners: they include everything you need to get started and they won’t break the bank.
Anyway, I just thought that was worth an update. Cheers!