Keyboard Facelift

Before

I managed to find some time to install the keycaps mentioned here. I had to close my office door to muffle the sound of the clattering keycaps and to keep my geekdom secure. I won't bore you with the details or provide any "how to" tips. Rather, I'll let you see for yourself. The standard Filco Tenkeyless keyboard with Cherry blue switches is great, although the basic black keycaps are a little drab. Every now and then I'll get all worked up and deem myself ready for a big change in life . . .

For example, I might decide to swap out the stock escape key for something with a little more flair:

Boom! Add a fancy escape key and reinvigorate your life! I usually keep that skull on the keyboard for only a few days before I remove it, polish it with a new microfiber cloth, and return it to a safe deposit box. Swapping out the escape key now and then is no big deal. Installing an entire set of keycaps, however, can take awhile. So I took a half-day off, rolled up my sleeves, and tackled this immense project the other day. Step one: remove the stock keycaps.

Step one is actually 87 little steps. Step two: install 87 new keycaps, step back, and feast your eyes on THIS:

I really like this look, but will probably change it after I grow tired of it or when another colorway grabs my attention.

Pen Lineup: Part 2

I recently acquired another batch of pens, and will be test writing with them over the next week or three. This has developed into a bad habit/sickness, like a lingering cough that won't go away. Anyway, this quick post is just a sneak peek to show off the package of goodness that came from JetPens.

From left to right: Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in blue); Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in red); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in blue); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in red); Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Two-Color multipen body (with 0.5 mm blue and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); Pentel Sliccies Two-Color multipen body (with 0.4 mm blue-black and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); and Platinum Preppy fountain pen!

This is just a teaser post. I'll get to these instruments soon enough. I'm REALLY interested in trying out the multipens and the fountain pen.

PS - have I mentioned that the Japanese simply rule the world of pens?

Key Caps

I just received these in the mail today, so they are literally the acquisition of the day. These are doubleshot OEM profile Cherry MX switch compatible ABS key caps with reverse colored modifiers. If you understood the last sentence, then congratulations (I think) for being a mechanical keyboard geek! Good job. For the remaining 99.78% of the population, you may consider these key caps to be just another feather in my XXL size cap of ridiculousness.

Computer keyboards. Everyone has one these days: on a laptop; at work; on a phone; on a video game device; and so on. Computer staring desk monkeys often type on a computer keyboard all day long and think nothing of it. While doing just that one day, I stumbled across a blog or message board thread topic related to "what's the best keyboard" and was surprised to discover that mechanical keyboards are still made and collected with vigor (by the way, mechanical keyboards use "mechanical" switches or actuators to register the keystrokes, in contrast to the technologies that are used in many common, mass-produced, OEM keyboards).

The thread that caught my eye mentioned unfamiliar terminology such as "Cherry switches" and "clicky blues" and "Filco" . . . huh wut? After spending a few dozen hours reading up on the topic, I realized that one of my first (and best) computer keyboards was indeed mechanical: an IBM model M. This got me interested in a modern mechanical keyboard, which in turn resulted in more research and discovery of websites like Geek Hack and Deskthority, both of which concentrate on mechanical keyboards. Who would have known? Blue versus brown versus red switches? Filco versus Ducky versus Das brands? Full size versus tenkeyless versus compact layouts? Replacement key caps with customized colorways? Click Clack skull key caps that sell on the geek market for a hundred dollars? For ONE key cap! Amazing.

My mechanical keyboard trajectory went like this: (1) acquired a full sized keyboard from WASD Keyboards, with Cherry brown switches and a fully customized key cap layout and color scheme (which is the major selling point of WASD Keyboards); (2) bought additional key caps from WASD Keyboards because my first layout looked like ass; (3) continued buying novelty and other replacement key caps for grins and giggles; (4) went to Fry's Electronics to check out other mechanical keyboards having different switches (Cherry black, Cherry red, Cherry blue, Alps); (5) "borrowed" a Razer Blackwidow keyboard from Fry's to see whether or not I could live with Cherry blue clicky switches; (6) decided YES, I could live with blue switches; (7) got a full set of white side-printed replacement key caps for my WASD keyboard; (8) decided to acquire a tenkeyless keyboard (i.e., one that does not have the ten-key number pad cluster on the right side) with Cherry blue switches; (9) finally got a Filco tenkeyless with blues after waiting for Amazon to be restocked; (10) sold my WASD keyboard to a keyboard noob; and (11) just received the red and white set of awesomeness shown in the picture.

Yes, the above-described trajectory was rather expensive. Why would anyone spend more than ten bucks on a computer keyboard? Who cares about KEYBOARDS? Those are good questions, and every mechanical keyboard user will have his or her own set of valid, silly, and misunderstood answers. Personally, I wanted something that would be enjoyable to use and nice to look at because I use the computer all day when I'm in the office. The fact that my typing speed and accuracy have improved is a nice bonus. I mean, if you are going to do something or use a device for 40+ hours a week, why not try to get the most out of that activity and/or try to eek out a little pleasure and enjoyment while suffering through the day to day banality of your job? OK, OK, I admit that there is also some "cool factor" and "geek appeal" at play here, but really, mechanical keyboards just work better than the crap that most people fiddle with on a daily basis. Try one.

EDC = Every Day Carry

I may need a guest writer for this entry because I am an absolute EDC novice. Most people have at least one EDC item on their person: car keys; a wallet; a phone; a prophylactic device (kids, don't ask); etc. I'm here to tell you that one item is not enough. According to well established EDC principles, you must keep on your person as much as humanly possible. Every. Day. To demonstrate, the picture over there to the right is exactly what my keychain looked like back in October 2011. I didn't carry anything else other than my wallet and phone. In fact, my theory at that time was "less is more." These days, "more is more."

October 2011 is when I acquired a decent keychain flashlight: the Photon X-Light Micro. At the time, I didn't even know what the acronym "EDC" stood for (what, "Electronic Direct Current"?). Nor did I care . . . I just needed a damn light to find keyholes and avoid walking into scooters, basketballs, rocks, Beyblades, and skateboards on the way to my car. The little light also proved to be very useful for certain situations, i.e., scenarios where one might say something like "I need some light." This light remains on my keychain to this day, as shown in my loadout picture.

Let me be clear that carrying a boad load of crap is a 180 degree paradigm shift for me because until very recently I liked the streamlined feel that empty pockets provide. In fact, my EDC gear is still fairly minimalist in comparison to the stuff carried by real EDC junkies such as the nice folks over at EDC Forums or the people who show off their gear on Everyday-Carry.Com. Honestly, my stuff is realistic and reasonably practical for MY needs.  I'm not a mechanic, I don't work outdoors, and I'm not in law enforcement. I don't need a pry bar or a pistol. I don't climb mountains and, therefore, don't need a rope cinching device. Sometimes I wish I was a border patrol car mechanic by day slash search and rescue volunteer by night so that I could rationalize more EDC gear, but "computer staring desk monkey" is reality. That reality doesn't call for much in the EDC department.

In the second picture, from left to right: keychain with Photon X-Light Micro and an HP USB drive; Moleskine softcover pocket notebook; Benchmade Mini-Griptilian knife; Zebra SL-F1 ballpoint pen; and FourSevens Preon P1 flashlight. Not shown are my wallet and phone (which I'm embarrassed to show because it's lame). I tend to unload my keychain when I'm at work or at home, which is why I always carry the Preon P1 flashlight in my pocket. I have other knives that I switch out from week to week, but I always try to keep at least one on me at all times, because that is the tool that gets the most use. For example, that knife was used to open the Amazon boxes for the USB drive, the Preon, and the Moleskine.

So that's a quick summary of how the EDC concept has invaded my life. Are there any essential items that I'm missing?