The Acquisition Process Flow

The theme of this blog relates to my thought process for getting interested in stuff. I thought that a self-explanatory flow chart would make sense. When I preview this post, however, the image of the flow chart is blurry. It might be readable if you click on it; I'm not sure. So this might be a failed experiment.

Even though I said the flow chart is self-explanatory, let me explain. The process begins with a seed of curiosity, which may come from a friend, a news article, a real world experience, a TV commercial, another blog, an Internet forum, etc. For instance, my interest in Japanese denim jeans came from a post I read on Head-Fi of all places. The seed germinates into a round of preliminary research that determines whether or not I remain at least somewhat interested in the topic. If not, I'll just spend more time on Head-Fi, no worries. If so, the initial research becomes a whole lotta research, which typically makes me want to acquire one or more items (pens, ridiculously spendy jeans, headphones, whatever).

A normal person would just pull the trigger and buy something, especially if it's inexpensive like, say, a PEN that costs a buck fifty. Not me. I tend to get stuck in a loop of analysis paralysis during which additional research is performed before ultimately making a purchase. My theory is that informed consuming is the only way to go to prevent buyer's remorse and to ensure that you are getting the best possible product for whatever your budget might be. This sounds great in theory. In practice, however, it can become difficult for me to follow the "No" branch of the analysis paralysis decision box. Because I'm cheap. And because I know that I spend too much money on things that most people find stupid, compulsive, and/or excessive.

So there you have it. This is my process.

Update (about two hours after making this post): I am currently in the "Perform In-Depth Research" step regarding shaved ice machines. LOL, there goes my morning.

Headphones & IEMs

I was going to continue writing about pens, but that might get boring for my loyal reader (hi Mom). Rather than write about one topic at a time, I've decided to introduce other ridiculous things that interest me and/or things that I've spent too much time and money on, such as headphones. Headphone acquisition disorder hit me early and hard, but I got it out of my system awhile ago. Or so I thought. I was feeling pretty good with my rig at the office, my two sets of headphones, and my one set of IEMs (in-ear monitors) until a couple of weeks ago when I convinced myself that I NEEDED another set of IEMs for use at the gym. Of course, analysis paralysis immediately set in, and I spent more than a few hours reading online reviews and recommendations for something ideal. I ultimately decided on the MEElectronics M21 you see in this picture. This isn't intended to be a review of the M21. Besides, I haven't listened to them enough because I'm still in the process of burning them in (headphone geeks will know what that means). Instead, I'll use this as an opportunity to explain the headphone thing.

What: Headphones and related audio gear.

When: I've had junk headphones since I was a kid, and I've had all of the junk headphones and earbuds that come with music players (yes, I'm old enough to remember Sony Walkman cassette players and the junk audio transducers that came with them). As a grown-up, I've had some better-than-junk headphones, but none of that garbage really counts. I believe my headphone journey started about five or six years ago, and it hasn't stopped.

Why: This is easy. Music enjoyment. I love listening to music, I love the sonic experience, and I love hearing as much detail as possible. I don't consider myself an audiophile, nor am I an audio equipment snob. I simply wanted a "good" set of IEMs to replace the stock ones that came with my portable music player. Eventually, I set up a decent audio rig at my desk and wanted a good set of headphones for the office (I listen to music almost constantly while working). Why all of this hassle? To maximize enjoyment and to hear as much detail as possible.

How: I am pretty sure that Head-Fi was around way back when. I don't know how I found that site, but I spent countless hours reading about headphones and IEMs, making a wish list, and scanning through the different review and comment threads about the different products on my list (this may have been the onset of analysis paralysis; I ought to be more spontaneous and just make impulsive buys). After reading a 200+ page thread about them, I finally decided to buy the Atrio earphones by Future Sonics. One thing led to another, I discovered some headphone-specific retail sites, learned about headphone amps, DACs, and digital music technologies, and I was off and running.

After acquiring the Atrios, which I still have and use all the time, the headphone upgrade-buy-sell path went kinda like this: Grado SR-80 headphones; Grado SR-225 headphones; Etymotic MC5 earphones; Beyerdynamic DT-880 (600 Ohm version); Sony MDR-ZX700 headphones; Sennheiser HD650 headphones; and last but not least, the MEElectronics M21 earphones shown in the picture. I eventually sold the two Grados, but I really miss the SR-225 set. I returned the Ety MC5 earphones immediately because I didn't like their sound profile. I sold the DT-880 headphones, too. I kept the MDR-ZX700 headphones for use at home because they are closed headphones, which is nice to help muffle the screaming kids, video games, and annoying neighbors. The HD650 headphones are featured in my office rig, and I have no immediate plans to move them just yet.

Holy crap I have a problem. That said, I haven't gone down the path of super-expensive headphones (e.g., Sennheiser HD800, Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, or Audeze LCD-3) because I do have my limits and a realistic budget. This is a key consideration . . . you can get extremely good sound these days without breaking the bank, and the super high end headphones typically require super high end source equipment to make them shine, which only adds to the monetary pain. Note that the MEElectronics M21 earphones were less than $20.00, and by all reports they are well worth the cost.

PS - I have a pro tip for anyone who is sick of tangled earphone cables. After you are done listening, wrap them up in a figure eight pattern (see picture to the right) before stashing them in their case, your pocket, your bra, or wherever. When you whip them out again, the cable will self-deploy quickly and easily without getting tangled or caught on itself. Try it.

Pen Lineup: Part 1

I thought that at least one person would like to know a little more about the pens in the pile-up shown in the previous post. I extracted a group of exemplary models from the pile for this lineup:

From left to right: Uni-Ball Micro rollerball 0.5 mm (the offending standard issue office pen); Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7 mm; Pilot EnerGel Needle Tip Retractable 0.5 mm; Uni-Ball 207 Signo RT 0.7 mm; Zebra F-301 ballpoint; Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.5 mm; Pilot Hi-Tec-C with Grip 0.4 mm; Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 mm; Pentel Slicci 0.4 mm; Zebra Sarasa Stick 0.4 mm; Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 mm; Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38 mm; Pilot G-2 0.7 mm; and Pilot G-Knock 0.38 mm.

As mentioned before, I'm retiring the Uni-Ball Micro rollerball from the stable. It just plain sucks. The Uni-Ball Jetstream uses ink that is somewhat like a ballpoint pen and somewhat like a rollerball pen. Basically, somewhat ballpoint + somewhat rollerball = somewhat sucks. I don't like this hybrid ink style; it's too much like a ballpoint with the ink blobs and smearing. Next we have the awesome-writing Pilot EnerGel. The needle tip is great, and the 0.5 size is ideal for me. The only downside to this pen is that the grip portion of the barrel is a little fat for my liking. The Uni-Ball 207 retractable pen is way too blobby at 0.7 mm, resulting in long drying times and ink smears.  Meh.

This leads to the Zebra F-301 ballpoint. Now, I generally despise ballpoint pens and I prefer to use pencils and rollerballs. My anti-ballpoint stance developed over many years of suffering with leaky tips, ink stains, and otherwise poor writing from el cheapo stick pens, giveaway pens, and the like.  Just awful.  For home use, however, nothing beats an inexpensive retractable ballpoint for everyday use, especially when spouses and kids tend to lose pen caps.  Although the F-301 is far from perfect, it seems to be one of the better retractable ballpoint pens that can be found virtually anywhere (drug stores, office supply stores, hardware stores) for a very reasonable price.  This will be my go-to ballpoint pen for general use.

Next in the lineup are two versions of what I feel are the best gel pens that I have tried thus far.  Yup, these are the very well regarded Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens from Japan.  The Japanese just do it right.  Look at the simple yet eye-pleasing design!  Look at the color coordination!  Needle tipped configuration!  Did I mention that these pens come in a billion different tip sizes and colors?  These Hi-Tec-C pens exhibit no blobbing, smooth writing, and quick drying times.  The 0.4 mm size is very good, but it can get a little scratchy on the paper and a little skippy depending on how fast I'm writing and how I'm holding the pen.  The standard Hi-Tec-C has texturing in the barrel near the grip area, and the "with grip" version includes a rubber grip (color coordinated to match the ink color), which I prefer.  So I'm currently leaning toward the 0.5 mm gripped version as a reference standard.

Several Hi-Tec-C competitors appear next in the lineup:  Uni-Ball Signo DX; Pentel Slicci; and Zebra Sarasa Stick.  I like the Hi-Tec-C better than the Signo DX, the Slicci is too thin and tiny for me, and I haven't used the Sarasa Stick enough to form an opinion.  I do like the design and appearance of the Slicci and Sarasa Stick pens.  A few retractable gel pens finish the lineup:  Zebra Sarasa Clip; Uni-Ball Signo RT; the very well-known Pilot G-2; and the G-2's close cousin, the Pilot G-Knock.  I haven't used any of these very much except for the G-2, and in my opinion the 0.7 mm size is just too large.  I bought the G-Knock in 0.5 mm and 0.38 mm sizes for comparison to the 0.7 mm G-2 pen, so stay tuned.  By the way, why does the American market flood us with 0.7 mm pens?  Do Americans really prefer these fat, imprecise, leaky, ink blob creators?  Lame.

Pens!

What: A ridiculous amount of pens (and a token mechanical pencil).

When: Purchased and collected during the last few weeks.

Why: LOL, this might take some time to explain.

The seed of this irrational interest in pens can be traced to a discussion I had with a friend regarding EDC (Every Day Carry) items. He mentioned that he always carries a writing instrument on his person, you know, "just in case." His weapon of choice these days is the Pentel Sharp Kerry mechanical pencil. He showed it to me, and I was immediately sucked in. Long story short, I bought one for use at the office to replace the disposable, and pretty much worthless, mechanical pencil that I had been using. Long story long, this got me thinking about "upgrading" the standard issue pens that my office provides (Uni-Ball Micro Rollerball pens). I had long grown tired of their inconsistent performance, random wet/dry ink scenarios, and ink blobs on my papers, but never thought twice about them. I decided to take the red pill so to speak, and took a trip to Staples to check out their pen selection.

How: Until a few weeks ago I was totally and utterly clueless about pen ink and pen technology. For example, I thought that "gel" in the context of a pen meant that the pen had a squishy jelly-like finger grip on the barrel. Seriously.  Staples set me straight. I now realize that "gel" is a type of ink, along the lines of ballpoint ink versus liquid rollerball ink versus gel ink versus fountain pen ink. Anyhow, I picked up a small assortment of pens at Staples, including some ballpoints, some gels, and some "hybrid" ink pens (Uni-Ball Jetstream pens). After test driving this first batch, I entered the deep dark world of Internet pen blogs/forums (see, e.g., The Pen Addict) to read reviews in an attempt to find the best pen for daily use at the office. Down the slippery slope we go to discover more and more blogs (Office Supply Geek) and even some e-commerce sites that are DEVOTED to pens (JetPens and Tokyo Pen Shop), and here we are.  The aforementioned sites are full of descriptions, pictures, and reviews of various pens, pencils, and writing instruments.  I don't intend to do the same, but might provide some thoughts and comments soon, because I'm still in the process of testing pens, finding new ones to buy, etc. I haven't even started down the fountain pen path, which I know will just consume my life eventually.