Thanks, Mr. Covington

Thanks to Michael Covington for recommending the little book "Practical
Astronomy With Your Calculator." Amazon.com delivered it Tuesday and I have
been reading through it, calculator in hand. I don't understand 99.5
percent of what I've read but it's intriguing material. I was a bit awed
when I first read the back cover and found that this third edition contains
new sections on "generalised coordinate transformations, nutation,
aberration, and selenographic coordinates" (Huh?). Just read about nutation
and aberration -- fascinating!!! Don't ask me to explain them, though.

By the way, I visited your web site and am glad to see that I'm not the only
person in the world who writes with a fountain pen. Although I have a Mont
Blanc Diplomat and a Waterman, my favorite is a 30-year-old Parker 57.

--

----
Joe S.

Joe S. way saying

By the way, I visited your web site and
am glad to see that I'm not the only
person in the world who writes with a
fountain pen.

That makes at least 3 of us. I've got a Waterman and a Cross, but I
usually use cheap Sheaffers like I used all the way through school.
(Except for the Esterbrook that I got for "penmanship" back in the 50's.
I've still got it, but the bladder's all dried up...)
Marty

Glad to be of service! There are several textbooks on "spherical astronomy"
(that's what it's called) that explain the calculations in more detail.

And I think fountain pens go very well with astronomy...

Marty wrote:
That makes at least 3 of us. I've got a Waterman and a Cross, but I
usually use cheap Sheaffers like I used all the way through school.

Now we are at least 4!

Michael A. Covington wrote:
And I think fountain pens go very well with astronomy...

Definitely! Some romantic feeling...

I got my first Parker fountain pen in 1981 (at age 10), with Parker's
Qink ink bottle - no refill tubes - it could get messy. Since then I
have bought a few Parkers but I hope to one day spend the megabucks on a
fountain pen of distinction.

I am also keen on the modern-looking metal matte-finish Rotring clutch
pencils! At the telescope/binoculars I settle for the classic pencil &
sharpener option. I feel too sorry for the Rotring - it was a present
from an ex-girlfriend!

Any others on this newsgroup with a passion for fine writing instruments?

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 13:20:34 +0200, Victor wrote:

Marty wrote:
That makes at least 3 of us. I've got a Waterman and a Cross, but I
usually use cheap Sheaffers like I used all the way through school.

Now we are at least 4!

Michael A. Covington wrote:
And I think fountain pens go very well with astronomy...

Definitely! Some romantic feeling...
..

Yeppers!
Although I always take a cheap ballpoint pen as well as a multi-purpose
tool (prying, poking, keeping my hands busy in boring meetings etc.) ever
tried to
push the reset switch on one of those electronic gadgets with a fountain
pen? I haven't and I'm not about to.. :-)

I am also keen on the modern-looking metal matte-finish Rotring clutch
pencils! At the telescope/binoculars I settle for the classic pencil &
sharpener option. I feel too sorry for the Rotring - it was a present
from an ex-girlfriend!

I had a phase where I nicked my father's Rotring pens (the ones for
technical drawings that use Indian ink). They were b*$%ards to write with
but fun for drawing and sketching.. He would never have found out, had I
not tried to refill the 0.13 mm one (accidentally) with edding permanent
marker refill ink..

Any others on this newsgroup with a passion for fine writing instruments?
Guilty as charged..


Joerg

--
Joerg Glissmann

remove pants to reply..

"Victor" wrote in message
...

I am also keen on the modern-looking metal matte-finish Rotring clutch
pencils!

YES! I use a black hexagonal Rotring pencil every day. I had my name
engraved in the side of it so that people won't mistake it for something
cheap and disposable.

"Victor" wrote in message
...
Marty wrote:
That makes at least 3 of us. I've got a Waterman and a Cross, but I
usually use cheap Sheaffers like I used all the way through school.

Now we are at least 4!

Michael A. Covington wrote:
And I think fountain pens go very well with astronomy...

Definitely! Some romantic feeling...

I got my first Parker fountain pen in 1981 (at age 10), with Parker's
Qink ink bottle - no refill tubes - it could get messy. Since then I
have bought a few Parkers but I hope to one day spend the megabucks on a
fountain pen of distinction.

I am also keen on the modern-looking metal matte-finish Rotring clutch
pencils! At the telescope/binoculars I settle for the classic pencil &
sharpener option. I feel too sorry for the Rotring - it was a present
from an ex-girlfriend!

Any others on this newsgroup with a passion for fine writing instruments?

Now if I just had something worthwhile to write.


--

----

Joe S.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 13:20:34 +0200, Victor wrote:

Marty wrote:
That makes at least 3 of us. I've got a Waterman and a Cross, but I
usually use cheap Sheaffers like I used all the way through school.

Now we are at least 4!

Michael A. Covington wrote:
And I think fountain pens go very well with astronomy...

Definitely! Some romantic feeling...

I got my first Parker fountain pen in 1981 (at age 10), with Parker's
Qink ink bottle - no refill tubes - it could get messy. Since then I
have bought a few Parkers but I hope to one day spend the megabucks on a
fountain pen of distinction.

I am also keen on the modern-looking metal matte-finish Rotring clutch
pencils! At the telescope/binoculars I settle for the classic pencil &
sharpener option. I feel too sorry for the Rotring - it was a present
from an ex-girlfriend!

Any others on this newsgroup with a passion for fine writing instruments?

I have a...Bic.

8^)

Seriously, I use a Parker ballpoint exclusively, but the one with the lower
plastic barrel.

I use to have a passion for Cross, especially the all-chrome types, but
I kept losing them, so I abandoned them.

Alan

Seriously, I use a Parker ballpoint
exclusively, but the one with the lower
plastic barrel.

I use to have a passion for Cross,
especially the all-chrome types, but I
kept losing them, so I abandoned them.

Alan

Good ballpoints are definitely more reliable. That's what I use at work
when I just have to "write stuff down." There's just something about
the smoothness of writing with a fountain pen, though. They seem to
have just the slightest, perfect amount of drag moving across paper, and
the line is so perfect... Even the care and feeding of a fountain pen
harkens back to another time...
Marty

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 21:00:46 -0600 (CST), (Marty) wrote:

Seriously, I use a Parker ballpoint
exclusively, but the one with the lower
plastic barrel.

I use to have a passion for Cross,
especially the all-chrome types, but I
kept losing them, so I abandoned them.

Alan

Good ballpoints are definitely more reliable. That's what I use at work
when I just have to "write stuff down." There's just something about
the smoothness of writing with a fountain pen, though. They seem to
have just the slightest, perfect amount of drag moving across paper, and
the line is so perfect... Even the care and feeding of a fountain pen
harkens back to another time...
Marty

I used to have a Shaeffer fountain pen, actually several, but that
was back in middle school and thereabouts. I've never had a really
nice fountain pen however, and the kind that you seem to be
describing.

I should think that such a high degree of penmanship would only
be necessary when writing very, very important letters. Though, with
computerised media through which to vent, formal penning has all
but become extinct, albeit a tragedy nonetheless; and so has set
our hands to wither, along with the deeply reflective thoughts
expressed therewith: of loves sincere for one and another,
and of battles won by the quill.

Alan