The Gold Standard

The Art of Manliness talks about pocket notebooks and their deep-rooted tradition in many walks of life. Ignoring the current "Cult of Moleskine" fad, keeping a pocket notebook has always been an essential part of the productive, artistic and intellectual mind. Speaking of notebooks, much ado has been made of the Webbie 3.0. Karen and the folks of Exaclair, the distributors of Rhodia, have done an excellent job of getting the word out on the internet by putting their great products into hands of pen & paper fans and bloggers alike. Check out Webbie reviews on "Whatever," Peaceable Writer, and Pocket Blonde to name a few. Take a look at these reviews:

• Lady Dandelion gets a hold of a Pelikan m205 duo highlighter fountain pen before any of us did in the US. Beautiful photography and some great examples of handwriting to aspire you.
• The Pen Addict takes an in-depth look at the Lamy AL-Star Aluminum rollerball, with an exploded view of pen parts.
• I spotted this neat "Embassy" pen on Uncrate. As if the black, anodized aluminum wasn't alluring enough, the pen uses a Fisher pressurized refill (SPR4) and writes in every direction in any condition. If you check out the manufacturer's website for the pen, you'll see a video demonstration that will reveal a hidden talent of this "convertible" pen.