Can't decide between iPad Air or iPad mini with Retina Display?

Written on iPad mini, using Penultimate & oStylus DOT

If you're having trouble choosing between Apple's new iPads, ask yourself this:

What do you use the iPad for, and where?

If your primary tasks involve text; plus you watch some TV shows, movies, browse the web and chat with friends, the retina mini is probably the way to go. It's $100 less, has the A7, 326ppi display (highest density Apple offers on anything), and is super light and portable.

However, if your primary tasks are some sort of visual content creation, you should strongly consider the Air.

Numerous reviews point out the sad reality that Apple chose a cheaper, lower grade display technology with less color accuracy for the new mini. In addition, the clock speed is 100mhz slower and the iPad mini has less thermal headroom. This translates into lowered performance over time when running processor intensive apps; the Air can keep running at higher speeds for longer while generating less heat on critical components.

While speed may not be an issue for months, it will invariably matter sometime in the future. The Air will remain viable for longer, making it a better overall investment, even if you are planning on upgrading each year.

Neither new iPad has Touch ID, a feature I've come to love and one that makes usage much easier and more pleasant. I can let my device lock whenever the screen shuts off without having to swipe and type a password each time I turn it on. It's arguably even more beneficial for an iPad than iPhone due to the size of the screen and the keypad layout; you have to swipe and stretch farther to unlock the iPad, and the power button is farther from the home button.

It seems inevitable that next year's iPads will have Touch ID and faster processors, and the mini will likely have a screen on par with competitors' and the larger iPad. If you really want a great retina mini like I do, wait for that one.

Meanwhile, if you do a lot of drawing, design, 3D or photo work on the iPad, you'll likely appreciate both the 9.7" screen and the accurate color. Apple has done a pretty good job ensuring that their full-size screens are calibrated straight-away. The Air is significantly lighter than iPad 3/4 — and while 1/4lb heavier than the mini, it's the same thickness.

If you can, get to an Apple retailer and demo the tablets.

If you're creating art on the iPad and dead-set on the mini — thanks for reading this anyway! :-)

You won't likely be disappointed; the new mini is pretty cool. I love the iPad mini; although a big part of that is because the alternative for me was a somewhat sluggish, heavy tablet with a slow charging battery that overheats constantly. If the iPad 3 was lighter, faster and cooler (temperature), I probably wouldn't have looked twice at the mini. Now that I have one, it's tempting to never go back to the full-size... but I think it's the best choice.

Whatever you do, please, please... do not buy the iPad 2.

Bradtastic supports Blogsy

Penultimate Review 5.0 & iPad mini

After waiting for years, Penultimate (free, iPad) finally has zoom.

This change is huge: it makes Penultimate usable.

Above is some handwriting done on the iPad mini. I decided to try on my go-to tablet because it doesn't write as well as the full-size iPad, and if I were to incorporate Penultimate into normal, everyday usage, it'd likely be on my mini and not my iPad 3.

Simply, I use the iPad mini more. Penultimate is the kind of cloud-synced notes app that's used to capture quick thoughts and sketches, phone numbers and directions while on the phone. Prior to the version 5.0 update, Penultimate was too clunky and ugly to tolerate. I've always liked the Evernote integration, but it just wasn't important enough to put up with (and fight against) a crummy app.

Magnification has been on my want list since version 1. Now we have ZOOM and drift, a new feature that dynamically pans the zoomed-in frame while writing. It takes some practice; as evident in my first sentence on the image above, I was moving my stylus ahead while writing and added too much space between letters. Hopefully it's still legible for everyone else. -b

• If you're looking for a good note taking app for iPad, check it out. I can finally recommend it and call it #bradtasticapproved. Can't beat that price!
• If you're willing to spend some money, there are many great note-taking apps for iOS — I've reviewed several here on my blog.
• If you're looking for a text-based notes app, check out ThinkBook by bitolithic.

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I really hope that the new iPad mini with Retina Display is as good as it sounds, because even without one, the mini has been my favorite thing. Its diminutive frame and weight makes it a perfect tech companion for me. It's small enough to bring anywhere, light enough to use all day — yet large enough to really enjoy apps, games, movies, websites, ebooks, and typing out emails and blog entries. However, I think between the two new devices (iPad Air, iPad mini Retina), for an artist, the iPad Air is the more practical choice. I'll have to wait and see how the iPad Air and new mini handle pressure sensitive styluses like the Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus, but my guess is that the Air is slightly more accurate and sensitive to small, light pen strokes.

But if the new mini is as precise as my iPad 3 — it'll be a no-brainer.

Favicon design part 2 coming soon. I also want to share my recent illustration work, but I've been a little busy earning entries for the Borderlands 2 $100,000 Loot Hunt. Wish me luck!

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Notes Plus Review - iPad Handwriting Apps

An inkblog Bluetooth pressure sensitive capacitive touch stylus written response to a comment!

 

Yesterday October 17, 2013 was a pretty big day here in America — our lackluster government has resumed spending ten billion dollars per day and the default crisis has been averted postponed until mid-January.

But I also got a comment on my blog entry iPad mini note taking problems. I decided to write a reply in atypical, inkblogging fashion. Here's the comment by Jeremy.

What did you think of the Notes Plus IOS App? I've used quite a few low and high end stylus' with the app and have not been disappointed with the results. www.notesplusapp.com

Here's my handwritten 'ink' reply, with text transcript.

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! This is written in Notes Plus on my iPad3 (retina) w/ Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus. I've had the app for quite awhile, but never spent much time with it until recently. I really like the recent app enhancements and the close-up writing mode — its method for adjusting the writing box is probably the best I've used. [Note: referencing the app itself] I wish that it was either raster-based, or had cleaner line creation, more adjustability, more color options (or better colors), and finally, Bluetooth capacitive touch stylus support (for line thickness — pressure sensitivity). Jeremy, you've inspired me to work on a full Notes Plus review. Question: which stylus is your favorite, or what type of styli do you like, the soft tip, disc shaped [tip], Bluetooth, etc? Last, what iPad version are you using, and are you using iOS7? I prefer iOS6. I think that iOS7 slowed down my iPad mini substantially. I hope that you have a great weekend and I look forward to hearing from you!

It's difficult to simultaneously compose beautiful sentences and fiddle with legible handwriting, spacing and color, but it was an interesting exercise. I think that my quasi-cursive writing style looks pretty good; quality that I think would be impossible in either Penultimate or Bamboo Paper and probably many of the handwritten notes apps, with the exception of Noteshelf and Remarks.

The image at the top of this post was edited (just for fun) using Repix and Distressed FX — both apps downloaded free. I'm not very familiar with either yet, so I decided to combine the effects of each to gauge the results. Distressed FX is particularly cool; I think I'm going to use it more, likely in combination and conjunction with other apps such as Tangent and Over, for photos and designs.

If you're looking for a great app to use with a capacitive touch stylus and don't mind a vector-based app, check out Notes Plus. It has a great deal of features and a lot of options, but remains usable and straightforward.

Posted with Blogsy

Wacom Bamboo Paper Notebook review iPad mini

Inkblogging on iPad mini with Wacom Bamboo stylus.

Tried writing block print and cursive (ink blogging, note-taking) on the iPad mini again, although this time, I used Wacom Bamboo Paper - Notebook iOS app instead of Penultimate (Evernote). The resulting handwriting still looks fairly hideous; that said, it's much nicer than Penultimate. The Wacom app has pinch-zoom magnification, but using it is finicky; often when I try to pinch, I end up drawing a line on the screen instead. Hopefully Wacom can fix this.

As a note taking app, Wacom's Bamboo Paper - Notebook isn't too bad — especially for free.

It doesn't compare to the premium apps such as Noteshelf, but it is functional. On the full-size iPad (retina), it's actually pretty nice. The color palette, while limited, offers some nice options. Wacom obviously took time selecting attractive, complementary colors.

Despite originally being designed as an eponymous companion-app/marketing tool for Wacom's Bamboo capacitive touch stylus, 'Paper Notebook has gone through several major iterations and feature changes — the recent iOS7 update being the most substantial and significant. Wacom added new drawing tools, paper styles and notebook covers, as well as support for their new pressure sensitive (2048 levels) Bluetooth 4 device, the Intuos Creative Stylus for iPad..

The drawing tools and artist notebook set is available as the Creative Pack for $3.99, and everything is is offered at $0.99. In the image above, I used only the two standard free tools and free paper type.

I love the iPad mini; mostly because of its lightweight design and rounded edges (the iPad 3 has narrow edges, making it uncomfortable to hold without a nice case like ones made by Incipio), but I don't like drawing on it. In addition to the lack of retina display and slower processor, narrow margins on the left and right side of the screen makes it difficult to draw on-the-go in landscape mode because my palm ends up making contact the edge of the screen (doesn't happen to me when using the full-size iPad).

I also created some handwriting samples on my iPad 3 (Retina display) for comparison that I'll post later. I used the same two apps with very different results. The process of drawing and writing on my iPad and iPad mini side-by-side has confirmed that the iPad mini (first gen; I hope Apple releases a better, retina version soon) isn't a great visual artist's tool.

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Worth mentioning: great tools, great devs.

I've been very impressed with several apps and their respective developers, so I'm going to review and feature more sketching and notes apps in the near future. For now — if you haven't already, go get Concepts Smarter Sketching and Tayasui Sketches. Both apps are prime examples of freemium done right; ad-free, fully-functional and useful without any IAP, and the paid features are inexpensive, major enhancements to the base app. Function and feature-rich! Check them out and let me know what you think! (Tell the developers, too! Both respond quickly)

Note: If you like creating vector art using software like Adobe Illustrator, Inkpad by Taptrix is still free (normally $4.99)! Inkpad is the best vector tool I've seen for the iPad, and it's been updated for iOS7.

Have you tried Inkblogging from an iPad?

If you have, I'd love to see it and share it with people. If we can encourage more people to draw, the world would be a better place... and if more people used iPads for ink blogging and handwriting, we might be able to convince Apple to release a special active digitizer iPad! Just a thought.

Posted with Blogsy

Taking Notes on the iPad & iPhone!

Well — the groosoft sale that I'd mentioned was certainly short lived. Hopefully you picked up both amazing apps! If you didn't, that's a bummer, but let me explain why they might be worth your money.

If you're looking for text-only notes, check out my ThinkBook review.

Scrapnote Handwriting Scrapbook (iPad 2 & newer, $4.99)

Scrapnote is an amazing consolidation of productivity tools presented in an elegant package. It isn't the most visually stunning app, but it is powerful and straightforward — perfect for quick and dirty note-taking. Imagine Evernote, Skitch, Penultimate, Noteshelf, Pages and Adobe Reader features all in one app.

You say "scraping," I say "scrapping."

The main feature is its Scrap tool (a process misspelled as "scraping" in their materials). It's basically a clipper; take images, or even a stack of images, videos, text, (no audio, though) and insert them right onto editable pages. These objects can be drawn over and snap-aligned with guides (just like in Apple's Pages).

There are many practical note-taking uses for Scrapnote, but it can also be used as a presentation tool. Each notebook can be set as read-only — the app even comes with an example in the form of a detailed how-to guide. Scrapnote has several different handwriting tools (eraser, highlighter, pencil, pen) each with its own settings and properties, as well as a decent color palette (but no option to choose your own colors). Images can have custom borders (or not) and can be rotated and cropped (clipped, rather, as if set inside a frame) in-app, and text can be presented in various styles and fonts, with optional boxes and drop shadows.

There are some missing features. The major ones:

No zoom. It's a shame, because I could ditch my other handwriting notes apps if it had the ability to zoom into areas for more control. Well, almost, except...

No backup. This is so strange to me, because groosoft's $0.99 Jotter has iCloud sync. No backup makes this app somewhat limited in longevity, so hopefully they'll rectify that. iCloud and Dropbox backup would be preferred. Also...

No PDF export. Single pages can be emailed or sent to images, but the entire notebook cannot be easily presented together in a single file. Each page could be exported and backed up, but those documents would no longer be editable in-app.

Limited colors. The selection isn't bad or that small, it's just not ideal for me. This won't be an issue for everyone, and I'm sure someone out there prefers the simplicity of a set palette.

At the wonderful price of free, I couldn't complain much about these omissions, but for $4.99 — I expect more. If you're on the fence about this app, check out the "trial" version, Scrapnote Lite.

Jotter Handwriting Notebook (universal, $0.99)

I have no idea what "real tactile note app" means to groosoft, but I do know that the poor typesetting (look at "app" — "a pp") and misspelling scrapping (in Scrapnote) is indicative of oversight and carelessness... and that is concerning...

But for 99 cents, Jotter is pretty cool.

Especially as it's an iCloud-synced, universal app. Many of my favorite handwritten notes apps are iPad-only, limiting my ability to view and modify these notes on-the-go with my iPhone. The mobile-friendly feature makes it worthy of mention, and perhaps, a download.

Jotter has the same drawing tools and color palette as Scrapnote and has various background options (paper types) including lined/ruled, graphing paper, white, black, etc. — but the pages aren't arranged into notebooks, and images cannot be added into the documents.

However, you can use an image as a background.

For FREE, there's no debate about downloading Jotter. For a buck, it's still probably worth a try. There are other handwriting apps for iPhone, but most have similar issues and cost the same as or more than Jotter. The iCloud sync is a great bonus, and until Evernote makes Penultimate for iPhone (they really should), this is basically the only choice.

But still — no zoom. :-(

For iPhone handwritten notes, you could try Draw Pad Pro or Muji Notebook for iPhone — both offer zoom, and Draw Pad Pro is universal and has backup!

Draw Pad Pro is feature-rich and supported, but for some reason, it just doesn't feel right; it also isn't visually attractive, but there's something about the drawing tools and interface that doesn't work for me... so at $2.99, it's difficult for me to recommend (there are occasional discounts on it and it is free from time to time, however).

Muji Notebook is a text and handwriting notes app with a distinct Japanese esthetic and Japanese paper styles. So naturally, I like it (In general, I like Japanese design); but it is limited, and though there are iPad and iPhone versions, the two don't sync with one another. Muji is based on less is more; and with fewer color options, paper styles, and export options, it is a single-purpose tool with more style than substance — aimed at a niche audience. Still, the iPhone version ($3.99) is worth trying because the Muji zoom tool makes writing small, detailed notes a breeze. Developer/publisher Ryohin Keikaku offers trial versions: iPad Lite and iPhone Lite.

Final thoughts on note-taking tools for iOS

If I had to score these apps based on my needs, Scrapnote would earn 7/10 and Jotter a 3/5. Both are good, but need improvements to replace my go-to, everyday notes apps. If you've got a back-to-school iPad mini and automatic online backup isn't critical, Scrapnote is probably a worthwhile investment. If groosoft ever adds zoom and backup, Scrapnote would be an 8.5 or 9 out of 10.

If you have a favorite handwriting app for iOS that I haven't mentioned before, please let me know about it!

Also, if you're an app developer or publisher and would like an honest review and feedback, please get in touch. I'm easy to reach online! :-)

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I've written about the wondrous — yes, magical — iPad, time and time again. I had had concerns that the device was just an overgrown iPod touch, but those fears were quickly dismissed by just using the original iPad for about two minutes. Since that life-changing day, I've dedicated a significant portion of my life and blog to it, and have written before about note-taking on the iPad.

Also, I let the superfloo.us domain expire, but nothing else has changed. Same content, says Brad.

Posted with Blogsy

3 Best iPad Notes Apps

I forgot that I wrote this last month for Halloween. I guess the colors are appropriate for Thanksgiving, too. Anyway, the information is still valid.

The three best note taking apps for iPad

1. Noteshelf – Ramki
2. Remarks - Write notes and Annotate PDFs – Readdle
3. Infinite Sketchpad – AllTom

Noteshelf and Remarks are similar, but there are notable differences. Remarks uses some kind of vector line technology for its ink, while Noteshelf is raster. Both can export and notes in multiple formats (image and PDF) and both can backup to Evernote and Dropbox, albeit in different ways. Both Noteshelf and Remarks have a selection of paper types (grid, lined, dot grid, blank, etc) and zoom. Many users will likely choose one over the other, but there are distinct uses for both.

• Noteshelf can send individual pages and export them, and has pressure sensitivity support — Adonit Jot Touch, HEX3 Jaja and Pogo Connect. Noteshelf has extensive color and line shape options (pencil, pen and calligraphy lines) as well as highlighter colors.
• Remarks can automatically backup pages in a specific Dropbox notebook, a very handy feature. Documents can also be saved as annotated or flattened PDFs and opened in a myriad of other iOS apps, including Evernote, iBooks, Kindle reader, GoodReader and other backup services such as SkyDrive and Box.

If you're mostly drawing, sketching, and note taking by hand, pick Noteshelf. If you work with PDFs and want to insert images and audio recordings, choose Remarks.

Saving (perhaps) the best for last...

Infinite Sketchpad is a creative's dream canvas. This unique app is a must-have for sketchers, doodlers and planners; as its name implies, with Infinite Sketchpad, you can draw and write on a near infinite workspace with single-color vector pen tools. Incredibly simple, straightforward and intuitive, the incredible zoom levels, undo/redo, and lightning fast UI make Infinite Sketchpad the ultimate blank sheet for ideas. Files can be sent as images or published on the web as a scalable format that allows viewers to zoom in and out, exploring the document they would from the iPad itself.

If you do any kind of work on the iPad, consider these apps if you haven't already. These three are amongst the best notes and planning software for any platform, and should work wonderfully on the new iPad mini. Let me know if you have a different favorite note-taking tool!

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

Hand Stylus Part II

I thought I posted this a few days ago. Oops. Had some problems with my iPad crashing and some health problems, so I hadn't thought about the update. Today, I've been figuring out how to upload photos, attempting to fix my Says Brad gallery (here; haven't been able to fix it, however), and adding stuff to my dribbble page. Thinking about "going pro" at Dribbble but I'm not sure.

Note about Dribbble: dribbble requires images 400x300 or smaller; their website uploader will crop, but it won't scale images. My Paper sketches are natively 2048x1536, and I've been using PhotoForge2 to scale them to 400x300. That was working fine until today; PhotoForge2 just crashes after startup now.

About the Hand Stylus, 77/100

Anyway, above are a few of my new HAND stylus thoughts. It requires less pressure than the Adonit Jot Pro, but is less accurate and more difficult to use than the Adonit Jot Touch.

Above, I can see slight variations in handwriting across each stylus, but the differences are fairly small. The oStylus DOT, due to its thin shaft/handle, is harder to use while block writing. It's phenomenal for artwork and cursive, however.

I tried to use the Hand stylus to create my madewithpaper sketches, but I couldn't achieve decent results. I can't get the Hand to travel reliably and quick enough across the iPad surface to achieve the pencil and watercolor effects I use in my Paper art.

An interesting twist with HAND.

The Hand Stylus guys are based out of Alameda, and one of them read my earlier review and has offered to meet with me to test my stylus to see if it is functioning properly. If it works out, I'll share the results. They want to meet in Alameda. With my disability, mobility and timing is difficult so I'll see how it goes. It's a cool offer nevertheless.

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

Hand Stylus Review – First Impressions

I didn't write with it for long before I could feel my hand starting to cramp; the Hand stylus has some serious drawbacks that I hadn't read about anywhere, and I'm wondering now: what did the other reviewers do with it?

The HAND Stylus – far from being my favorite.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Hand capacitive touch stylus; numerous reviews praised its design and functionality, thousands were per-ordered and paid for via Kickstarter, and… it looks fantastic.

The Hand stylus comes in super sleek packaging: a stamped aluminum tray inside of an understated white paper box with foil logo. The printed materials sport slick graphics. HAND: Designed in USA. Made in China. Sigh. We can't Affordably manufacture things statewide anymore? Oh wait, maybe we can.

The Hand has a magnetic clip. A retractable 4mm tip called the world's smallest. I chose the glossy red. It looks amazing and precise. It isn't.

The Hand, the problems

The Hand stylus isn't bad. I love many of its features — I love the styling, the highly-technical, over-engineered bits like the rotating retractable nib. But sadly, these features don't save the stylus because the most important attribute, reliably writing and drawing, is off. With great handwriting and focus, the Hand can produce decent lines… just like other less-stylish (and more comfortable) styluses.

The tip feels too soft, too squishy. In order to reliably convey my intentions from stylus to capacitive touch screen, an uncomfortable amount of pressure must be applied from HAND to screen. The tip deforms just enough to give the capacitive touch screen the 6mm it looks for. HAND calls this the sweet spot. I find it uncomfortable and aggravating.

My hand is mightier than the Hand.

The Hand stylus is about as inaccurate and annoying as the Adonit Jot Pro. It's not terrible; it's better than the WACOM Bamboo and the plethora of $10-or-less options. (For non-pressure sensitive use) I still prefer oStylus DOT — although in addition to being more expensive, the DOT is also more fragile. For an equally durable, inexpensive option, I recommend the COSMONAUT, a stylus David Pogue likened to a Pringles can. He probably thinks he's clever and funny, but he's doing his minions a disservice.

Final thoughts on the HAND Stylus

If you like super-stylish, frustrating, unreliable devices (like AT&T phones), get the HAND. However, I think that the Hand is cramp.

I can be clever, too.

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

Touch Tablets & Muji Notebook Inkblogging

The iPad 2 really is a marvelous thing. Even though I can't sit at my desk for more than a few minutes (without tremendous pain), I can write, draw and read on a computer that feels as fast as any notebook or desktop I've used. However, recently — not so much — crazy back-and-forth, sunny-cloudy weather has been giving me migraines, keeping me down, eyes-closed.

Note: (Though it isn't unique to Squarespace) I really love Squarespace's scheduled post feature. When I'm feeling okay, I can write a few blog entries and let Squarespace automatically post them at preset times. That's what I've been doing... I think it's a worthy tip to pass along. (I remember using a similar feature with WordPress; Tumblr has it as well, and I'm pretty sure post major blogging tools/engines have the ability.)

iPad & Tablet Thoughts

iPad capacitive multi-touch is stellar for just about everything except art and design; without a pressure-sensitive digitizer (something like Wacom Penabled or N-Trig), variable line weight (thickness) can only be determined by speed. For artists, dual-input slate tablets are ideal, (active digitizer and capacitive touch) such as Windows 7 devices: ASUS Eee Slate EP121 (or B121) and the Samsung Series 7 tablet. I really want one; even with Windows 8 and the iPad 3 on the horizon.

Art makes me happy. I like creating; designing, doodling, sketching, illustrating, composing. I love mixed media; ink and watercolor, charcoal and paint, handwriting and blogging! Drawing helps my mood and writing helps my memory, and the iPad 2 is like my (virtually) unending, lightweight note/sketchbook. If sharing is caring, why not share what I care about?

To be continued — second part in three hours!

Note Taker HD & Adonit Jot Pro Stylus

Another inkblog post for your enjoyment. Took a while to finish; spent a few minutes here and there when I was feeling slightly better. Got my Jot a few days ago... thanks! Really cool.

I don't know about Note Taker HD however, as stated in the post. If I continue to ink, it will be with something else, I'm thinking, unless I drastically change my handwriting style or technique. It's much harder to ink on iPad versus WACOM Penabled Tablet PC.

Also, join me at Zurker!

Inkblogging from MUJI NOTE

Used my WACOM BAMBOO capacitive touch stylus for most of the inkblog entry. Experimented with a playful handwriting style. Added a cool dual-tip brush pen to my Amazon wish list as well. Please let me know if you like the look of this entry; I'll try to keep them relevant as well. I'll save the rambling for text.

In the process of consolidating my blogs while doing some housecleaning — literally and figuratively — online and offline. Stuff has a way of piling up, and with the nerve problems and myoclonus, cleaning and organizing is slow (and very painful). It reminds me of the tortoise and the hare.

iPad inkblog attempt, 2012

I really don't know how this will turn out. I miss inkblogging, however. If you like it, please let me know.

Something more than superfluous

I've been thinking a lot about blogging, writing in general,

Trying to figure out whether or not I want to continue publishing and sharing thoughts and feelings conveyed through words posted on a blog somewhere for friends and family to read and spammers to post inane sales-pitch ad comments on. I think I may have doomed myself, trying to be cute and clever, calling this blog not superfluous even when it is.

Now I don't know if I care enough to continue.

There are a few people, who's opinions mean enough to me to share my writing with — for everyone else, why bother? I've been working, in semi-secret, on an amazing thing; if it works, it'll be game-changing. Perhaps world-changing. What's this little blog in comparison?

Then again, I have some fun sharing thoughts, in general. I've been living in my own mind so much recently — and the nature of dreams, is that they're always more exciting to live in than hear about — some connection beyond the people I see in one reality or another is nice to have.

But who cares to read any of this, anyway? I know some people, for I have no clue what reason, follow my journals, even when I don't post. People are so lazy, in general... they'd rather be told what's up — they don't want to read. Reading is work.

Lost loves.

There's something lacking in our world of advanced technology. Some element of the human spirit has become jaded, some facets entirely deceased. Eloquence as an art, with words in any form, requires practice. People will go to the gym to exercise all muscles other than the most important one: the brain. Where is Gold's Gym for the thinkers? I don't mean MENSA, I mean, the every man (and woman). When did this happen?

I read old (I know, this is a relative term) writing of mine (three to five years old) and hardly recognized it as my own. It was pithy, and funny, and perhaps slightly arrogant, but still... I wished at that moment that I could know my current abilities exist beyond those handwritten words in my private journal.

Listen to FDR speak in old recordings. Read letters and communications from the American Revolution or pioneers headed to California for the gold rush. Read the love letters written by young adults fighting in the Civil War — do we (as a society) maintain one-tenth of that attention, energy and care?

The handwriting says it all.

Look at the average person's handwriting. The ability to write and speak well has been lost like Latin; we can see it in old texts and attempt to recreate it, but its true nature has been lost. Handwriting isn't taught anymore, probably because of keyboards. It's as if no one stopped to realize that QWERTY isn't always the most effective solution.

The point.

Perhaps I'll continue to just because someone should. I haven't had the energy and fire to blog passionately since LiveJournal days, and I doubt I'll get that back. But I haven't shared much recently, because whatever I write seems either: too good, or too unimportant, to post.

The Cult of the Amateur really messed me up. It made me want to hold everything back. I don't want to be a member of that cult, that club — whatever you want to call it. It's sickening, disgusting... thinking about it makes me miserable.

But I've been reading a lot, and looking at a lot of words on paper (or e-ink screens), retina display and LCD, and I guess I see the point. At least the point I want to make.

How annoying would it be if I didn't share that point, that insight right now? I guess you'll find out.

Until next time...

Inkblogging Again!

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[INK POST: “Inkblogging Again!” TEXT VERSION]

Note: This is still work-in-progress, meaning, I’m still figuring out the best way to present “inkblog entries” aka handwritten articles, saved as images. If you’re having issues of any kind — most specifically, if you cannot see an image above — please let me know ASAP! (Thanks!)

Bradtastic “Superfloo.us” — First Ink Attempt.

Much thanks to Sumocat for his help; perhaps I could even get the updated Live Writer to work with the inkblog plugin!

Well, Bradtastic is back in inkblogging action! I think that I’m going to setup a separate “journal” (at this site… don’t worry) for my inkposts, but I’m back!

Thanks for your patience and support! I ordered a few Canteo A5 notebooks and a Rhodia webnotebook, hopefully they’ll arrive in two weeks. I’ll write a review and share my findings here. Stay tuned — I have more artwork and Designwork to post, including another “Superfloo.us” logo design… this time, it’s high quality and Bradtasticool. Hope you like it — please let me know what you think, it only takes a minute to leave a comment. Once again, thanks! It’s good to be inking once again, with an updated style, too!

Bradtastic — Art, Design and Ink.

I want to expand this website, beyond this blog…

I’ve mentioned at Facebook and my Twitter (@bradtastic) that I’m trying to inkblog again, like I did at my first decent inkblog, bradchin.com. My progress was halted — incidentally after winning an Ink Blot Award — because my Tablet PC, bloated with viruses and junkware, stopped connecting to the Internet… and then stopped functioning altogether.

Work and recovery stood in the way of progress — but I never stopped writing. I never stopped dreaming about books and blogging — changing the world by changing one mind — contributing to the ever-growing collective…

With ink, I wanted to share what Montblanc calls the art of writing; with computers and typesetting so available, handwriting has become a dying art. People neglect it — it’s not being taught in schools, and it’s as if it’s just not that important. True — no one is openly graded on it, graphology is a pseudo-science, but I believe in its importance — the importance of the image of writing.

I look at classic documents of incalculable value — The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and Bill of Rights — I look at the penmanship displayed on these documents and think, “would these documents hold so much value if they were chicken-scratched?”

Of course, these documents will always be important — crappy handwriting wouldn’t change that — but I think that if they weren’t written so beautifully, with a combination of perfect word and perfect handwriting, we’d look today at reprints… rewritten or typed.

The blessing of the computer is a bane to handwriting.

The abundance and availability of free fonts and the ease of stealing fonts makes almost every computer user an amateur typesetter. Software such as Microsoft Word allows an untrained, unskilled user to create beautifully organized and set documents — legible documents.

It’s time to take a stand!

In defiance of this trend, I’d decided to share my art, illustrations, design and writing. I try to keep my personality vibrant and loud, but paradoxically, I prefer to keep much of my “art” private — including my handwriting styles — but shortly after I started inkblogging, I received positive feedback, genuine comments and interest.

I was contacted by other inkbloggers, enthusiastic and energetic. Their comments were positive, their words —
encouraging. I felt that I could represent the format in a strong way, drawing fresh eyes and attention to Tablet PCs and WACOM Penabled technologies. 

A new beginning.

Tablet PCs have generally been thought of as the business tools for doctors, contractors, engineers and the military… but this is changing. For consumers, “the pen” has been a nuisance; with Palm devices and PDAs, it’s just another piece to misplace or break. The iPhone has bridged the gap in a beautiful way; integrating multi-touch technology with incredible usability and consumer-friendliness.

New devices are looming. Apple might release a Tablet-type computer next year. Many netbook manufacturers are adding touch-screen technology to their lineups.

Handwriting, to make a comeback?

Devices like the Livescribe Pulse Pen make evident the convenience and occasional necessity of writing by hand. To “jot” something down — a phone number, address, take-out order — it’s much easier (and quicker) writing with a pen… especially compared to thumb-typing on a handheld or worse — stylus keyboard input.

The tech-world is changing, and I’m part of it. Perhaps I can inspire more people to enhance their lives. I’ve already done so with tools like HighriseHQ, BackpackIT and products like Moleskine notebooks and websites like jetpens.com.

Hopefully I can continue changing the game and setting trends. For more information on the  Bradtastic Approved© — check out bradloves.us/links or contact me or one of my associates. You can also just leave a comment or message at my guestbook.

Please let me know if you can help with inkblogging — you can also help by simply spreading the word, “Superfloo.us!”