Got bad handwriting?
March 19, 2002 7:32 PM   Subscribe

Got bad handwriting? Go back to where the nightmare started and learn to write all over again. Or, if that didn't work the first time, try some more advanced instruction. Perhaps you just want to adopt the handwriting of one of your idols. In that case, I'm way ahead of you. Remember - write with all your muscles, not just with your fingers.
posted by Settle (9 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
"Whatever you do, have fun with your pens!"

Call me crazy, but this message at the end of the second link contains a very blatant subliminal message.
posted by banished at 7:56 PM on March 19, 2002




I completely re-learned to write when I was 11 and can heartily recommend it. Takes much patience though. I learned Tom Gourdie's italics from this book which is, unfortunately, out of print though there are plenty more that are similar.
posted by Dan Brilliant at 1:09 AM on March 20, 2002


Who writes anymore- writes, as in pen[cil] and paper?! Me, other than writing the monthly checks, or signing for a credit/debit card purchase, I don't think I ever put pen to paper anymore. Ever.

I mean, I "write" vastly more than I did even in high school or college, from emails to word docs to journaling to sites like MetaFilter, but actual pen and paper writing as opposed to typing? That is so 20th century...
posted by hincandenza at 1:16 AM on March 20, 2002


I "re-learned handwriting" when I got my first PDA. Bet it'd be pretty frustrating to try the ol' pen & paper now, but I'm with hincandenza on that one. Passé!
posted by dagny at 5:13 AM on March 20, 2002


Certainly I am the early adopter from heck willing to jump onto any new communication technology, but quite honestly e-mail just doesn't cut it for personal or even professional communication anymore. The critical messages get lost in the large amount of not only the commercial spam but also the interoffice memos, announcements, and other junk that an individual e-mail just doesn't get above the signal to noise ratio. In addition, the e-mail that I do get from family and friends is so often the forwarded joke or chain mail that it isn't worth looking at. If you really wanted to impress me that you really did enjoy my help, or that you really are sorry that a pet just died, don't send me an e-mail.

I have also pretty much given up on personal data assistants as a way to keep track of important information. In design work I like having the option of circling, underlining, bunching, clustering, scribbling over, and connecting lines between text. I like having the option of flipping the notebook around 160 degrees in order to write on a completely different subject. I even don't like using the computer for data analysis, I would much rather grab my stacks of transcripts and head to the coffee shop.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 7:58 AM on March 20, 2002


I was taught to write with the wrong hand at school. I'm ambidextrous, but have a slight left hand bias for handwriting (as opposed to throwing a ball, for instance). I used to pick up the pen with either hand (usually whichever was nearest), but my teacher forced me to use my right hand instead. I could and should re-learn, for speed and tidiness, as well as the fact that I can't use a palm because I form all the letters backwards, but I outright refuse. It's probably a pride thing. Anyway, typing is faster, and the output can be edited.

KirkJobSluder: I only give out my work email to colleagues, so no spam, and I only scrawl on large diagrams, but as soon as I can have the big, touch-sensitive, desk-sized displays we discussed in this thread, all my paper will be consigned to the rubbish bin. And it sounds like you're a new Luddite (I love that they have a web page), rather than an early adopter ;-)
posted by walrus at 5:37 AM on March 21, 2002


>>KirkJobSluder: I only give out my work email to colleagues, so no spam, and I only scrawl on large diagrams, but as soon as I can have the big, touch-sensitive, desk-sized displays we discussed in this thread, all my paper will be consigned to the rubbish bin. And it sounds like you're a new Luddite (I love that they have a web page), rather than an early adopter ;-)<<

Actually, no because I don't have moral or ethical objections to the abandonment of paper. I've just been there and done that and found that the "paperless office" is pretty much all hype with little substance. The advantage to paper is that I can get the heck out of the office and do my work in more relaxing environments such as the park, the coffee shop, and the bus stop.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:19 AM on March 21, 2002


Actually, no

I didn't really think you were, just kidding around. I think A4 touchpad computers and handwriting recognition software will help with the mobility thing. I like the idea of being able to take the whole internet, along with all my documents, to the park or the bus stop. The ability to add additional "scribble" layers on a document would also help. And some way of sharing the document, so I can edit it with a colleague, with optional audio too, so we can talk.

The paperless office still sounds like a possibility ... I think we're a few years off, yet.
posted by walrus at 11:43 AM on March 21, 2002


« Older Check out the Weblogger CD Swap   |   Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments