Time For Rentry

Sean Gourley, a good friend of mine, once told me that the best approach to information is not that different from fast food: if it takes longer to eat than it takes to create, then it is not worth it. I was reminded of that during my recent break from writing and abstaining (as much as possible) from social media.

Instead, I spent most of my time reading longer form journalism (mostly magazine articles,” finishing my bloated reading list on Pocket (soon to be replaced by Readwise), and finishing some of the books that were not getting enough attention. And in between all that, I used the old-fashioned pen and paper — yet I am a fountain pen guy — to organize my thoughts, work on some ideas and start to put together an editorial calendar.

There has been enough academic research that reminds us that writing is a good way to boost critical thinking. It is also well documented that writing in a long hand is good for giving dimensionality and texture to writing. “Writing with a pen is like playing,” science fiction writer Neil Gaiman (and a fellow fountain pen enthusiast) once said in an interview.

“A lot of senses are activated by pressing the pen on paper, seeing the letters you write, and hearing the sound you make while writing,” Audrey van der Meer of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, said when sharing her research on writing and memories. “These sensory experiences create contact between different parts of the brain and open the brain up for learning. We both learn better and remember better.” (Full study here.)

For me, it allows me to slow down and allow new lines of questioning and reasoning to slowly emerge out of the shadows. This is a remarkably different process when typing on a computer — I love my machines — but I really find that the sheer speed with which I type is glorious, but it does propel you into finish-line-oriented thinking. Of course, the act of writing allows me to use some of my favorite fountain pens. There is no better way to put a smile on your face that seeing your ideas rendered onto paper in a luscious terracotta color or your article taking form in a vibrant turquoise so reminiscent of the summer itself.

Talking about fountain pens, it has been a year since a dear friend passed away. We used to often talk about fountain pens and discuss what new ink we were going to buy — he liked his blue blacks, and I like my light blues and blurples. Every time I see a new ink, I almost pick up the phone to text him. And then reality takes hold. Almost a third of August is gone, and soon it will be the arrival of autumn.

Time always keeps moving.

During this break, I have finally finished aggregating all my work into one domain — my photos, essays, and interviews were already hosted here. And now I have subsumed my recommendations blog – OMakase as well. You won’t see the latest postings unless you want to — that is, you are either a subscriber of the OMakase newsletter or go directly to the subdomain. I have a new and fresh approach for this recommendations-oriented blog.

And before I sign off, here are three articles from my “reader” list that are worth a few minutes of your time.

1. The Agony of atomic genius: The New Atlantis has a great essay on Robert Oppenheimer, who is back in the news thanks to a critically acclaimed and successful new movie. I saw the movie, and I liked it — especially the cinematography and direction. The story often pressed up against facts, but seeing it on the big screen was quite a delight.
2. The greatest scam ever written: A great yarn about a copywriter turned psychic who bilked poor souls out of $200 million.
3. Beirut, at Sunset: An incredible story of the tragedy of the massive explosion that rocked the port city.
   

August 10, 2023. San Francisco