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Imagine being isolated off-grid for an unknown number of years. Maybe you're stuck somewhere like Davidge or Mark Watney; or perhaps you've chosen a life of isolation like Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe you're a survivor of the $Apocalypse. Wouldn't keeping a journal be a great idea? You could pass on your knowledge, keep track of daily activities, maybe even keep yourself from going insane!
Forget all the wastefulness, extravagance, and complexity of most modern devices, you've got survival to think about! Obviously power usage would be a major concern, but ergonomics, searchability, repairability, and data robustness would be important too. Keeping in mind that this is a dedicated device for journaling and barring the old Russian pencil and paper, what would the best solution look like with off-the-shelf modern technology?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 12 2018, @03:09PM
Fountain pens are fun but obsolete compared to just about any other writing instrument out there.
I think people who like them are attracted to the finicky aspect of using and maintaining them, honestly, like tinkering on an antique car.
If you like writing with liquid ink, technical pens with air tight caps will not dry out for many years. Sadly, drying out is something fountain pens do very quickly. That and leak a bit on your fingers.
For ultimate longevity, may I suggest a pencil (mechanical or conventional). You could pick one up decades later and it will still write. The writing will not run or fade, but you do have to watch out for smudging if you use a soft lead.
If you want to go full caveman, some have suggested dip pens which will last a REALLY long time before breaking/becoming unusable, but I would suggest learning to carve pens from reeds if you want a theoretically inexhaustible pen supply.