Yikes! We have practically an identical get-up, except I prefer plain or lined to grids. 
Another good pen is the Copic 0.3 black. It’s a little expensive, but both the nib and inkwell can be replaced for the cost of a Micron.
I use a Pilot Birdie fountain pen with my small Moleskines. It is just the right size to fit along the longer side of the notebook, held in place by one of those red elastic bands* of which a free supply is to be found on any pavement in any town or city of the United Kingdom…
Sadly, I don’t think the Pilot is available any more.
H
*Helpfully discarded by the employees of the Royal Mail…
Apple is doing what a successful business will do. Making money.
Simply put, right now the iphone is all the rage. Everyone wants one. Reminds me of the walkman when it came out. Because the demand is so high right now of course Apple is focusing most of its attention towards the iPhone and its development. Because in the long run it will right now generate the most profits. This is because of consumer demand.
Lets face it. People are stupid. Once we come to grips with that its easier to cope with.
At the world’s fair in the 60’s the next big technological achievement was to be the video phone. In science fiction movies since then people always communicated hands free and with video. That is where everything was headed.
So lets summarize why everyone is “stupid”.
Simple.
The most advanced “phone” is primarily used for typing out letters in a “text” form and then sending it digitally.
Think Fax 2.0
Phones advanced from pecking out letters on a numeric pad, to having qwerty keypads to now having touch screen keypads. That is their “great feature” that many people look for. A good texting device.
The humor? We are using a PHONE as nothing more than a miniature typewriter/fax machine instead of dialing 10 numbers and TALKING hands free.
Our greatest advancement in communication was to go backwards 30 years.
To think. Maybe in another 15 years people will be amazed with a device that allows you to dial 10 numbers and actually talk to someone rather than having to “thumb” out a message in great detail.
Well, to be fair, there is a substantial difference between a text message and real-time voice communication. The former is relatively without time demand whereas the latter is highly time-sensitive. So much as a pause in communication can signifying meaning which in many cases can be misinterpreted as hesitation or an unwillingness to tell the truth. A pause in textual communication is rarely considered notable.
The text message is also much lower “profile”. You can discretely send and receive short bits of information without broadcasting at least one half of that information to everyone around you, or even with the skilled, others knowing you are communicating at all.
Secondly, voice communication is very brain-intensive. It requires much more attention to parse and respond. Text communication can be read in a flash and then dumped to low priority while the individual continues doing what they were doing prior, while composing a response before typing it in.
I don’t think its right to say that optimally everyone should be communicating with hands-free voice, let alone video where a whole new phalanx of communication wiring must be brought to into the active mental calculation: reciprocal body language.
Text communication occupies a valuable, and prior to the cell phone explosion, impossible alternate method of low-bandwidth yet instantaneous communication. Rather than a regression, I see it is a pretty big new formation not only for technology, but humanity.
As with flying cars, the old science fiction predictions of ubiquitous video telephony was simply just wrong; it’s a narrow solution to a problem with greater depth.
Ever notice how in science fiction novels with video phones, the first thing everyone does is turn the video channel off? Video phones assume that everyone wants to be seen on camera, with no notice, whenever the phone happens to ring. Does that description fit anyone you know?
Meanwhile, the advantage of text communication – email, text messaging, blogging – is that it’s asynchronous. If someone sends me an email, I can think it over at my leisure, and respond appropriately. I can control when (and if) my day is interrupted. And doing so is considered normal and polite, where routinely ignoring your phone is considered eccentric at best.
Katherine
In China, that is an understatement. Not only is it eccentric not to answer your phone immediately … and many, many people have two or even three of the damn things … there are many professors at the university who will always answer their phone if it rings in the middle of a lecture they are giving … but texting has risen to new heights … of danger*.
It is now common to see drivers texting while driving. My Chinese “daughter” appalled me the other week. She has an iPhone; iPhones/iTouches allow you to enter Chinese by handwriting recognition. She was round at my place, we were enjoying a conversation and a message came through, so she responded immediately … normal here, and I have had to learn to put up with continued interruptions from her phone while we are together … she’s a journalist and it goes non-stop. I commented on how fast she was able to enter characters with handwriting recognition. She said:
“Yes, it’s very fast, but when I’m driving I have to use pinyin (roman transcription used as one entry method) and that’s so slow!”
Mark
- An American friend told me that either the laws on phoning while driving are less draconian than in the UK, or that they are more honoured in the breach. In the UK, my wife tells me, you can now face a heavy fine and points on your licence for eating something like an apple while at the wheel, leave alone being anywhere near a mobile phone.
Now that’s as good an exchange as anything Federer and Roddick came up with. New balls please.
Ah well Vic. There comes a time in every man’s life when… but I’m sure this is something that you’re already familiar with, occupying as you do that lofty perch under the table at The Red Lion 
From my lofty perch, I can state categorically, that you wont get it done on the NHS. Youll have to go private. No point getting new [i]balls[/i], if its gonna costs you an arm and a leg.
[size=50]Bartender!! Same again please.[/size]
You know a deal more about delivering a decisive service exchange than you’re letting on, don’t you?
I really dont know what the deuce youre aiming at there, love. 
Simply waiting for you to start serving the mixed doubles young Vic. A gin and tonic will do for starters.
M`sieur Le Bete,
Why do you not angle your shot for The Grand Slam?
1 1/2 oz Swedish punsch
3/4 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
Bon Chance Mon Brave
Le D 
All a bit too Gaul for my taste old son, I’ll stick with the Bombay Sapphire and fizz thank you. Now tidy up that accent and stop all this ‘ounces’ nonsense. You’re not fooling anyone with those fancy airs and graces. You’re a Stockport lad; pints and fractions thereof are the order of the day. Ounces - bah! Tha’s utter 'umbug!
Y tries t raise ygame,n wot `appens: nowt but bloody soddin line call after linecall, from a Celtic umpire!!
[size=50]Barman!! Same again!![/size]
Haven’t you been kicked enough?
I come from a long line of masochistic three legged pirate dogs. 