Cool stuff I have discovered this year

Lightmancer

Legend
Location
Sunny Frimley
Name
Bill Palmer
'cos it's coming up to Christmas and just a bit of fun, I thought I would share stuff - both photographic and not - that I have "found" during 2015 that I think has improved my life in one way or another. If you are short of inspiration for a gift or two, this may help.

Feel free to add your own to this list!

Photographic:
Cordweaver camera straps - I can't believe what good value these are. I have a "Cordy Classic" on my X100T and it is superb.

Music:
Hozier - The single, "Take me to Church" has justifiably won awards, but the album as a whole is excellent. This lad will go far. (warning if you click on the video - parental advisory)

Movies:
The Martian - by far the best movie I have seen this year. Who knew Matt Damon could act?!

Food:
Maple butter - food of the gods, second only to bacon. Where has this been all my life!?

Stationery:
Lamy fountain pens - the AL-star has replaced a Montblanc Meisterstuck platinum LeGrand as my daily carry. I use a fountain pen because I am sinistral, and it keeps my handwriting neat(er). They are the perfect combination with Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks which have replaced Moleskine in my life because they are better made and indexed!
 
Those Leuchtterm notebooks are very difficult to get in the U.S. - it took 3 enquiries over a few months before I finally got a few. They've made good gifts as well.
 
I am really struggling with cool stuff I have discovered this year ! But I'll get back to you when I remember.
And yes the wrist straps look great. And what a great price too.
 
Stationery:
Lamy fountain pens - the AL-star has replaced a Montblanc Meisterstuck platinum LeGrand as my daily carry. I use a fountain pen because I am sinistral, and it keeps my handwriting neat(er). They are the perfect combination with Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks which have replaced Moleskine in my life because they are better made and indexed!

Bill, I have to ask, why is a ballpoint neater for a lefty? Thanks.
 
Bill, I have to ask, why is a ballpoint neater for a lefty? Thanks.

It isn't. A fountain pen is. It slows me down just a fraction without getting in the way. My handwriting is actually quite fluid, but it gets illegible quickly 'cos I think faster than I can write. A ballpoint doesn't help because it offers no resistance in any direction, whereas a fountain pen adds a little structure by only flowing with you if you flow with it.

Sorry, that got a bit poetic, but hopefully it explains.
 
It isn't. A fountain pen is. It slows me down just a fraction without getting in the way. My handwriting is actually quite fluid, but it gets illegible quickly 'cos I think faster than I can write. A ballpoint doesn't help because it offers no resistance in any direction, whereas a fountain pen adds a little structure by only flowing with you if you flow with it.

Sorry, that got a bit poetic, but hopefully it explains.

Thanks Bill. I meant "fountain". Brain is out of synch with my fingers I'm afraid. I've never used a fountain pen to appreciate what you are saying, but I think I get it.

Thanks again for the response.
 
It's not so much a new discovery that I'm enjoying now. But a RE-discovery. I went through a phase around 15 years ago where all I listened to was Scott Walker. I never really tired of him. But I so thoroughly played all of his records inside-out that I thought I couldn't get any more out of them.

Maybe it's breaking in some new speakers that is allowing me some new insight into the music. Anyways, his style certainly won't be for everyone. But if I had his voice, I wouldn't leave the house. I'd just sing for my own pleasure. His first 5 solo albums after splitting from the Walker Brothers are an amazing body of work.
 
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It's not so much a new discovery that I'm enjoying now. But a RE-discovery. I went through a phase around 15 years ago where all I listened to was Scott Walker. I never really tired of him. But I so thoroughly played all of his records inside-out that I thought I couldn't get any more out of them.

Maybe it's breaking in some new speakers that is allowing me some new insight into the music. Anyways, his style certainly won't be for everyone. But if I had his voice, I wouldn't leave the house. I'd just sing for my own pleasure. His first 5 solo albums after splitting from the Walker Brothers are an amazing body of work.
I didn't realize he'd had such an interesting (and downright strange, lately) career before becoming your Guvn'r... ;)

Seriously, never heard of the guy, but just gave him a half hour's worth of a listen and, nope, his style ain't my personal cup of tea (the Guv either, no pun intended, not to get too political), but he's got some mad talent - that much is clear. Sort of like great opera singers, who I can and do respect til the cows come home, but I can't listen to 'em... My loss, no doubt...

-Ray
 
I'm glad you gave him a shot, Ray. I would have guessed he wouldn't be up your alley. But you never know if you don't give it a shot.

His last couple albums are nothing I would make a steady diet of, but after playing those albums a few times through, even those crazy-ass records start to sound not that difficult. But whenever I have a customer that I want to shoo out of the store, I can play something from his latest..... very loudly. It takes the paint off the walls.
 
I'm glad you gave him a shot, Ray. I would have guessed he wouldn't be up your alley. But you never know if you don't give it a shot.

His last couple albums are nothing I would make a steady diet of, but after playing those albums a few times through, even those crazy-ass records start to sound not that difficult. But whenever I have a customer that I want to shoo out of the store, I can play something from his latest..... very loudly. It takes the paint off the walls.
Is that "Soused"? I actually almost like that one - the droning bombast of the instrumentation nearly matches the over the top horror-movie vocals and somehow makes them more listenable. Did you ever see the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"? The protagonist in that is a frustrated musician working on a comedic rock opera about Dracula and his inability to find love (what with all the blood-sucking evidently being something of a turn-off - who knew?). This stuff sort of reminds me of that, but without the comedy... Hell, I thought I heard part of the "Iron Man" riff in there...

It's not something I'd put on during a social evening (ya cain't DANCE to it!), but it's just weird enough to make me want to listen a little more. But his earlier pop-based stuff kind of makes my skin crawl just a bit...

-Ray
 
Here's a discovery I made this year by accident. I grabbed a bag of "gluten-free" pretzels (I think the whole gluten-free craze is nonsense, btw....... unless you are in the miniscule group of people with Celiac disease) by mistake.

They are so crispy and delicious, they are like CRACK. Both my wife and I are addicted. And neither of us were THAT into pretzels to begin with!

Gluten-Free Mini Pretzels
 
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