Top 5 Pen Articles on Goldspot Blog 2010 so far

Going along with our theme of looking back at the last six months, we've notably increased our posting every month to not only include product reviews and other company propagan-- er, I mean announcements, but other content such as articles on being a pen enthusiast and what pens mean to us individually and as a society. I know, real deep stuff, right? Well, folks, here are the articles that you've read (and hopefully enjoyed) the most so far this year:

1. How Does the Pen Addiction Start? - Usually anyone who is a lover of pens has been one from an early age. We go through how the addiction builds from a $1 Bic to a $500 MontBlanc. Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and comparisons to actual drug addiction.
2. Summer Pen Care - Whenever the mercury starts to rise in the steamy summer months, we always remember to water the plants, put on sunscreen and drink plenty of water, but what about your poor pens baking in that black crucible of a briefcase? We offer tips for your pens to stay cool (and usable) during the summer.
3. Pres Obama Uses 22 Pens to Sign Healthcare into Law - Whether you're on one side of the fence or the other on this debate, we all can agree that 22 pens is A LOT of pens to use for one signature. We delve into the reasoning behind this Washington tradition and even feature a video of the signing taking place.
4. Pens and the Age of Consumer Electronics - This is one of my favorites because of how I came about writing that post. I originally started by thinking about the newly announced iPad and how it was going to change the world of personal computing and communication in general. I was going to defend writing as a form of communication that will never cease to die...and then, I did a complete about face and ceded my argument to say, "you win, Steve Jobs, pen and paper is dead."
5. Getting Things Done with Pen and Paper - As a big fan of the GTD mindset, I couldn't help but relate pen & paper to this popular system of organization by explaining a bit about my own process of note taking and list-making.

We hope at, the very least, you can have some cheap entertainment while reading these posts. There are sure to be more articles like these in the future as long as you keep reading them.

Weekend Pen Spotlight

For starters, sometimes we just need to be pushed in order to get creative and write, draw, sculpt, etc. This post by Michael Nobbs will "light a fire" to get those creative juices flowing (plus, there is a Lamy Safari in the accompanying picture).

A few weeks ago, we were talking about Obama and his 22 pens to sign off on health care. This week, CBS News reports that the President reads 10 personal letters a day. How does he respond to so many comments, inquiries and complaints?

He had always preferred to write by hand, using a yellow legal pad to craft sections of his autobiography and his campaign speeches. Now he took out a black fountain pen and started to write in the top left corner.

"Jennifer," he began.

Obama had made a habit of keeping his responses short: one sentence that expressed gratitude for the letter, and one or two more that tended toward encouragement instead of advice. "Dream big dreams," he wrote to one teenager. "I'll try to do better for you next week," he wrote to a detractor.

Notebook Stories hosted this month's Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper. The Carnival is always a fun read and a great way to find new bloggers writing about being creative with pen & paper products. Many thanks to Nifty for hosting the Carnival and selecting Goldspot's Post on "How Pen Addiction Starts."

Inkyjournal reviews a vintage bottle of Pelikan 4001 blue-black fountain pen ink. I loved the desktop wallpaper photo so much that I'm now using it on my iMac at the office.

Letters & Journals is working hard on a new website to promote the release of their magazine of the same name. Jackie is looking for submissions to the magazine, article ideas, and any other suggestions to make the first issue a great read.

Lastly, Stephanie over at Rhodia Drive asks, "What would you do with lightning bug ink?" The obvious answer : write love notes to lightning bugs, leave it outside at night and see what happens! The new J. Herbin Phosphorescente ink will debut at the National Stationery Show this May at the Jacob Javits Center.

Have a brilliant weekend, everyone! We will be back with a few pen reviews this week, so be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed with your favorite reader.

Pres. Obama uses 22 Pens to Sign Healthcare into Law

Type a quick Google search for "Obama healthcare pens" and you will find several articles that talk about the odd Washington tradition in effect. The pens would be used in crafting the signature on a landmark bill, then they would be given out as gifts to the President's supporters as keepsakes. The Washington Post reports the following :

The White House didn't release details about the custom-made pens -- complete with the presidential seal and signature -- but aides to one recipient confirmed (on super-secret background) that they were black and manufactured by Cross, an American company. Obama used similar rolling-ball pens on his first day in office.

This sounds a lot like the pen that he used for his first bill signed as president, which we talked about over a year ago on this blog. They say it's custom made, but it looks like a Cross Townsend Black Lacquer with silver trim rollerball pen that has the Presidential Seal and the President's signature written on the barrel. True, it is custom-ized but not custom made. Another side note is that they mention Cross is an American company, which is true, but all Cross pens are made in China now. We owe China billions of dollars anyway, so what's a few pens between friends? In the era of AIG, corporate finger-wagging and decrying pork, a lot can be said of a President who buys 22 pens that retail for $130 a pop (not including engraving). A bit excessive or is it called for in this situation? The hope is that these pens are going to end up in the National Archives or a museum. They would commemorate the historical significance of this momentous law being passed. But what if, and I don't really want to get into a political argument here, the whole healthcare overhaul doesn't work? That's an awful lot of expensive pens that end up in a messy desk drawer.

The Inaugural Blog Post

A new year begins for us at Goldspot Pens and for all Americans as we watch the ushering in of a new Presidential Administration. This blog is our first foray into the realm of networking with the online community. The web had a major impact during November's elections and Mr. Obama had certainly utilized the internet to reach out to Americans in unprecedented fashion. Although our scale is certainly much more modest, our ambition is all the same. We want to join the discussion in progress on sites like Fountain Pen Network and blogs from retailers, manufacturers and fans.

Our first contribution was inspired by a question I received from an interested client who was curious as to which Cross pen President Obama was using to write is first executive orders. For a pen fanatic like me, the "celebrity" spotting of a pen always piques my interest. I decided to contact our Cross rep with the question and she was glad to divulge: The pen in question is a Cross Townsend black lacquer rollerball with rhodium-plated trim.

The style choice was a little plain, but elegant with a nice weight-in-hand. I immediately saw the irony in choosing a Cross pen, which are all manufactured in China, when I read about the new stimulus package and the "Buy American" clause that is being heavily debated. I can't be too over-critical on Mr. Obama, for most of the established pen manufacturers are located overseas in Europe and Asia anyway.

I do like the additional flair that was given on the pen's design by including the Presidential seal and what looks like Obama's signature on the barrel. The same client had replied to my first e-mail answer about the pen and asked if there was a replica or some commemorative version of this pen that would be available for sale to the public. I turned the question again to our representative, who said that Cross had nothing in the works. This is surprising lack of marketing prowess, as I would imagine that a limited edition of Cross Townsends with the Presidential seal would be a highly sought-after addition for many collectors. 

So, as our new President signs off on his first actions in office, we sign off as well.

This post was from the desk of Tom O.