In Death of a Salesman, Biff impulsively steals Bill Oliver’s fountain pen. That would be roughly culturally equivalent to a modern Biff swiping a businessman’s custom iPhone case, rather than a modern pen. This history of the ballpoint argues that the new pens cut down on leaks, but in the process made handwriting more physically demanding.
The ballpoint’s universal success has changed how most people experience ink. Its thicker ink was less likely to leak than that of its predecessors. For most purposes, this was a win—no more ink-stained shirts, no need for those stereotypically geeky pocket protectors. However, thicker ink also changes the physical experience of writing, not necessarily all for the better. —The Atlantic
Similar:
Rules for Civility: 14-Year-Old George Washington's 110 Commandments for Cultivating Chara...
The Cost of Defining Yourself as an Introvert or Extrovert
Why I Still Blog
Me (glares in iambic pentameter)
How Literature Became Word Perfect
This Woman Inspired One of the First Hit Video Games by Mapping the World’s Longest Cave