THU, 14 Oct 2022 20:05:00 +0200
LOW-TECH AND MY OLD NOTEBOOK

in the past, i've been quite frustrated by unnecessary large-scale technologies. these are technologies that only work because they rely on the advances of modern civilizations, such as electricity or complicated manufacturing processes. the opposite is small-scale or low technology. it's the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a broom, a radiator and a jacket, or maybe even sparkling water and tap water. 

there is also different classes of large scale technologys for example a bicycle makes you more independent than an e-scooter even though they are both high-tech. of course, everyone has to make their own choices and weigh comfort versus independence. 

currently, i'm questioning some of the choices that those around me have pushed me towards - for example, i regret buying sonos speakers (which require an app to set up and a wifi connection to play) instead of regular wired speakers. 

however... the real reason i'm talking about this is that i was looking for a notebook (the one you use with a pen (i know some computers also come with one, but i hope you know what i mean)). here are some criteria for a notebook:

1. it has to fit in my pocket - better yet, in a woman's pocket.
2. dotted grid - perfect for sketching and writing.
3. thickness of about four credit cards.
4. look nice - no branding and nothing bright or noticable.

there are endless notebooks out there, but i'm having a hard time finding one that meets these criteria. for the past few years, i've made them myself, but i didn't take making them seriously. it was just a bunch of dotted paper (which i also used for my heimat project), printed, cut and stapled together. 

https://korayer.de/files/old-notebook.png
(my old notebook, a credit card for scale and a closeup of the dotted grid)

https://korayer.de/heimat.pdf
(heimat project)

the nice thing about the dotted paper is that the dots are spaced 5 mm apart, so that two dots are 1 cm and five are about 1 inch. i've spent the last few days refining my printing and cutting technique and designing useful information for the first and last pages, like fields to put a name, the start date, or information about din paper sizes that i can't remember and often need. 

we'll see how it goes, i'll share more details in the future.