Review: Hi-Tec-C Coleto

I think I may have too many pens.

Which are my favorites? Hmm, possibly the Coletos. Although the Sliccis are a given.

What do you want me to review next?

In the meantime, a Coleto review.

Pen: Hi-Tec-C Coleto (4 stars for being a great pen, but not enough ink for an every day pen)
WTF?: This is a pen system: you buy color cartridges and throw them into a pen body you buy separately. You can customize your own multipen combo, and carry the extra colors around to save space.
Where?: JetPens.com
Compare to: Any other multi pen, and the regular Hi-Tec-C line

Here we can clearly see the Coletos teasing us with their many colors. A flowing rainbow greats the user at first spread, with much more to come.


Moving downward, we have a good shot of their inks. As you can see, some of these pens have been used more than others. Naughty, naughty pens. They need to learn how to share. Are you done with the teasing? Let us move on.

The Coletos are now in full presentation of their features. Plastic ends showcase their natural colors, for easy comparison before use. In the middle, a conservative reservoir of ink is ready and willing to be spread over your favorite paper. At the other end, well constructed tips sit and wait to be pressed against a receptive surface.

All, in all, the Coletos are possibly the supreme example of multi pen technology. Featuring the Hi-Tec-C tips that act like the gateway drug of pens (everyone ends up with Sliccis in the end), and users have a choice in tip sizes. The major problem, which I'm certain cannot be avoided, is that these pens run out FAST. Seriously. Writing one page in a large sized Moleskine uses nearly a 1/2 inch of ink. Therefore, Coletos should be restricted in use. The other problem I have is with the bodies of these pens. The engineering is amazing, but there are so many little parts to play with! I make so much noise with this pen when I use it...

So, at $2 a cartridge, these pens are an okay value. You can get a 10 cartridge set for $15, which is a better value. The Coletos are certainly a staple for any decent pen collection, but not good for writing manuscripts or class notes due to how fast the ink is used. I use these for studying my notes, proofreading, and underlining books when I read. The pen body is super comfortable, but you will only get maybe 10-15 pages of writing in a large size Moleskine per cartridge.

Buy if...

...you like the idea of being able to carry many pens with very little space.
...you like the Hi-Tec-C tips.
...you need the flexibility of carrying many colors.
...you need a great pen for writing short notes or stickie notes.

Don't buy if...

...you want to use for extended writing periods.
...you hate the Hi-Tec-C tips.
...you are a chronic fidgeter, or chew on your pens (could also be a Buy if...)

Review: Yen Plus-V01I01

Title: Yen +(plus) August 2008 (4 stars, a good buy!)
Publisher: Yen Press
WTF?: A new monthly manga anthology
Compare to: Shounen Jump, Shoujo Beat

On a routine trip to the bookstore I spotted a new contender in the anime magazine lineup: Yen Plus, a new monthly manga anthology from Yen Press. Yen Plus promises to feature new titles and artists to gain a fan base before releasing a full graphic novel, as well as English and Korean authors.

The structure of Yen Plus is a creative solution to the problem of reading traditions of English (l->r), Korean (l->r), and Japanese(l<-r). A nice info page explaining the problem greets the reader where the two sides meet in the middle. Overall, the advantage of Yen Plus is the broad representation of genres. There will be titles you love, some that you may find fun to read, and others that you read because you paid for it. This may be a big turn-off to some, but chances are they wouldn't even consider buying an anthology to begin with. I doubt there are any two people who could agree on the perfect 10 manga line up. On the plus, it really forces you to expand what you would normally read through. I honestly would never have given some of these titles a second thought had I seen the in a store.

I also really enjoy the little details. Instead of replacing the SFX, they put the romaji and translations next to it. I LOVE THIS, and I don't need to explain why. The whole thing feels well put together. Still, of course, a first issue, but it shows a lot of promise to come.

Why did I pick this up? Soul Eater. "Did you really pay $8.99 for 40ish pages of [Soul Eater] manga?" Ummm....ya. Kind of.

I went ahead and picked it up because I knew I liked Soul Eater, and I had seen a little bit of Nabari no Ō and enjoyed it. The other titles? Looked good. Other major plus: Since it is the first ever issue, I can start all the titles fresh. No catching up required.

My hesitation for Shounen Jump/Shoujo Beat is that I only ever want to read one or two titles per issue, and some of them are so far into serialization that I wouldn't understand any of the content. My reactions to Shounen Jump titles range from "Not. A. Freaking. Chance." to "seriously?". Now, I don't mind this, because I am in fact not a shounen, but Shoujo Beat can be just as disappointing.

I bet you're sick of reading this, so I'll just get into the reviews. I'm going to look at them from the perspective that I have: never read most before, and no idea where these things are going. I won't provide summaries, because you can easily wiki those or check the official sites.

Titles I love:

Soul Eater: I love this series for many reasons. Having read Soul Eater scanlations and seeing the anime subs, I can't wait to see more and I am happy to purchase an official copy. Since the first volume isn't schedule to come out until OVER A YEAR FROM NOW WTFBBQ!!!!, I'm settling with this. //grumble// I love this first chapter because it establishes all the key relationships immediately. The fanservice is...not as bad as others, and can be overlooked.

Nabari no Ou: Seems to deviate a little from the anime, but still really caught my eye. I've only seen a few eps, but I really like what I see so far. Again, it establishes a basic plot and the key relationships right away so I'm left intrigued but not hanging.

Titles that make me curious:

Bamboo Blade: The opening is a little slower than I hoped, and the establishing plot events a little too improbable. However, I'm looking forward to see where it goes.

Nightschool: This initial chapter didn't establish enough to my taste, but something about it has caught my eye. This is a title I'm going to watch for next issue. I'll know more next month, I think. I can say is that I want to like it and I have high hopes.

Pig Bride: This one is rolling in the weird end. I think I hate the main male character, but we'll see. This is one of those "Make it work" titles: My opinion could really go either way depending on how they handle the next chapter...

Sarasah: One of my biggest pet peeve's with anime are the girls who are obsessed with a boy who doesn't return their affection, and go a little nutty about it. Can't stand it. In any way. This first chapter made me think "Ehhh...no" until the last page. Now I want to read the next chapter like I look forward to the newest update to FailBlog.

Jack Frost: Meet main character. See her head get cut off. Now have wonderful commentary from the head through the rest of the chapter! Okay, you got my attention. Now blow me away next month.

The ones I'll read only because I paid for the thing:

Maximum Ride: I think I'm supposed to recognize this story. I do recognize James Patterson's name...but that's about it. Like Nightschool, I was left was left interested, but in this case unexcited. Everything about it is beautiful, and the full color spread was a great touch. So far, I think the story is just not quite the kind that gets my juices flowing.

Higurashi When They Cry: This chapter read like the opening 5 minutes of a boring detective game. Really really not what interests me. Then again, I have no interest in mysteries or suspense. I'll flip through it next month.

Sumomo, Momomo: No. Just stop there, oh god it's still going, please...ya. I'm so done with this. Basically the chapter goes: "Oh my! I'm a female so I'm not powerful enough to protect my people. The only solution is to have (married, of course) sex with the most powerful man I can find!". Pig Bride left me cold towards the main character, but this one just pissed me off. I'll give it a second chance but I hold out no hope for liking it.

One Fine Day: I'm not negative towards this one, it was kind of funny, but it left me thinking "Why is this here....?" Animals? Cute. Cookies? Nummy. The art? Hilarious and wonderful. Cats, dogs, and mice having escapades in the city? I can roll with it. Plot? //crickets// Ummmmm, I'll look at it next week...but this may be a title I just skim.

Buy if...

...you don't quite fit into SJ/SB well.
...you want to start into an anthology from the beginning.
...you enjoy a wide variety of stories.
...you want to support a new choice on the market.
...you want to read original English and Korean titles.
...you love Soul Eater and can't wait until next October.

Don't buy if...

...you are INCREDIBLY picky about what manga you read.
...you don't like to experiment.
...SJ/SB are the most amazingest things ever created.
...you will only drop money on Naruto.

I give it 4 stars because I'm not in love with two of their choices for this series. I plan to buy a full subscription to this title. At $50 for a year subscription, which is $4~ for each 400+page volume, I'm absolutely in.

The things we carry with us

Think back to when you first moved out of your family's home. How many of your family traditions did you carry with you?

What specifically made me interested in this is my tendency to watch the news that my family always did. They always watched the Today Show in the morning as everyone got ready, the NBC nightly news after work, and CBS Sunday Morning. Now that I'm working a 9-5 and I'm actually up early enough to watch morning programming, I found myself searching through the tivo for NBC.

Why?

Because it felt like home.

What made you feel like home when you first moved out?

Review: Pentel Slicci 03

Pentel Slicci 03 (4 stars)
Compare to: Hi-Tec-C, Signo Bit .18/.28/.38.

The Pentel Slicci is a pen that generates a lot of buzz. Some declare it to be the best pen ever made, while others say that the body is too small to be useful.

Personally? I agree with both sides. The body is quite thin compared to others, which makes extended writing uncomfortable. On the other hand, it writes better than any other pen I've used. In the meantime, other users have found ways to work around the problem.

Nearly every other small diameter pens, specifically the Hi-Tec-C .03, eats into the paper terribly and screws with your writing pace. The Slicci shows no signs of this, unless you hold it at a strange angle. Don't get me wrong, the Slicci will still leave quite an indentation on your paper, but will not dig giant holes as you write. I don't think I'll be using this pen for class notes, but it is perfect for writing in cards and personal notes.

The colors are vibrant and stand out on the page, and there are plenty to choose from. The body design may be too thin for some, but visually stands out against all the other pens out there. These are pens that I would bring to a job interview, or some place important where I may need to write things.

Don't use this pen: for taking really quick class notes.
Use this pen: on your fine stationery, specifically on thick cardstock.

THE GIANT MOLESKINE

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you.....THE GIANT MOLESKINE!

Measuring in at a glorious 7.5x9.75, this beast is the king of the moleskine world. It is pictured dwarfing a small 'pocket' sized moleskine weekly planner, an iPod nano, and a Piticolon pen.

When I first saw the giant moleskine in Paper Boy I didn't recognize as a true moleskine. But indeed , my friends, it is.

Running it through the standard test of using every pen I own on it, I can say that it is a standard moleskine, only GIANT.

Currently my bias is that I have never seen another moleskine like this in any store, therefore I love it. Do I need any other reason?

There is nothing much more to say about these notebooks. They are traditional softcover moleskines, available in the beige (pictured) or black, with the usual plain (pictured), ruled, or squared pages. The paper is the same as any other, and is a joy to rub your hands on (ya, I'm just that weird).

Some may say they are too big, some may say they are just right. I say keep 'em coming.

Review: Paper Boy

Paper Boy (5 stars)
1351 West Belont
Chicago, IL 60657
http://www.unclefunchicago.com/pboy.html

Paper Boy's website says "we just sell paper" and that is no lie. Every corner, nook, and cranny is covered in paper of some sort. Every time I go in I uncover something new and amazing.

Paper Boy is the type of store that will make you inventory every item stocked to keep in mind for every project to come. Believe me: they will be the first on your shopping list for journaling, invitations, cards, and gifts. I used to think I knew what to look for in a paper store, but after visiting I realized that my standards were sorely lacking. The main criteria? Stocking the giant Moleskine. Let me repeat that: THE GIANT MOLESKINE.

Paper Boy features a full selection of notebooks, address books, cards, and cute stationary. Now, I've been in a lot of stationary stores, and I've seen a lot of the boring light pastel sheets of plain and lifeless note paper. Ya ya, good for formal occasions, but what about the younger crowd? In stock is a large collection of some of the cutest and quirkiest stationary and note paper you can imagine; most of which will make you want to start writing notes just so you have an excuse to use it. There is also one of the largest postcard sections I've ever seen.

Unfortunately their pen selection is very limited, but I was so enthralled with the paper that I didn't even notice.

Scattered about the gluttony of paper are super fun and funky gifts. The best part? CHEAP! This is the place where you go for that friend who has everything. Go in with a strange request: come out with a unique and special gift.

Paper Boy is a must visit in Chicago.

Material Goods

Do we realize just how much we buy in a day? I tend to put receipts in my pockets and car which always ends up causing a pile-up of paper. Every now and again I wade through the wads of paper to see my consumer trail.

How many times have you fished out a receipt only to find that you have no recollection of that purchase? Sometimes it can be scary to look back at the things that we buy. Take a look into a cluttered room. At some point, someone bought each and every item that surrounds you. Do you remember it? Can you trace the lifetime of that product?

These life stories can be quite funny when you take a look at second or third hand items. I love picking up an old book and thinking about the hands that touched it before mine.