http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=837929

Vote on this poll

Chisel
[bar] 34/4%
Stylus
[bar] 14/2%
Quill
[bar] 7/1%
Brush
[bar] 6/1%
Fountain pen
[bar] 77/8%
Wooden pencil
[bar] 43/5%
Mechanical pencil
[bar] 150/16%
Cheap ballpoint pen
[bar] 145/16%
Quality ballpoint pen
[bar] 131/14%
Gel pen
[bar] 97/11%
Felt-tip pen
[bar] 19/2%
Whiteboard marker
[bar] 29/3%
Chalk
[bar] 23/3%
Crayon
[bar] 19/2%
Tattoo needle
[bar] 12/1%
Spray paint
[bar] 9/1%
Other
[bar] 16/2%
I never write by hand
[bar] 84/9%
915 total votes
Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by apl (Monsignor) on May 02, 2010 at 12:49 UTC
    Tattoo needles must never be used by Agile developers... Revising your code would be a bitch...
      OTOH, using a hard to reverse writing tool quickly learns you to write things right the first time.
      But code revisions would require Lasers. Mmmmm...

      tubaandy
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by ww (Archbishop) on May 02, 2010 at 23:26 UTC

    ... what earthlings call a "flying saucer" for programming tasks such as "crop circles."

    I know you didn't ask, but like many of my confreres, I choose a middle-sized asteroid for an eraser (though a dwarf planet will do).

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by roboticus (Chancellor) on May 02, 2010 at 23:17 UTC

    I use a cylindrical pigment applicator.

    </overgeneralization-mode>

    ...roboticus

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Illuminatus (Curate) on May 03, 2010 at 15:46 UTC
    I think the most obvious choice for me would be "doesn't matter, because nobody would be able to read it anyway"

    However, given the choice, I would definitely have to say Pastry Bag, since you get to eat all of your mistakes...

    fnord

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by ramrod (Curate) on May 02, 2010 at 02:50 UTC
    Blue BIC round stic medium made in the USA.

    Even though its cheap, you wouldn't believe how many people try to steal my pen.
      Made in the USA? You are aware that Bic is a Fren^WFreedom product, aren't you? (Of course, that doesn't mean BIC pens can't be made in the USA).
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by MidLifeXis (Monsignor) on May 03, 2010 at 13:15 UTC

    Zebra F-301: red, black, or blue. Other pens tend to bleed, blob, or dry out on me. These pens cost me a little more (not a lot more ;-) up front, but dollar for dollar have probably lasted longer.

    I do have to watch who I lend them to, however ;-)

    --MidLifeXis

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by jdporter (Paladin) on May 03, 2010 at 15:13 UTC

    My fave is Sharpie, so I voted felt-tip pen. Of course, not all felt-tip pens are Sharpies.

    What is the sound of Windows? Is it not the sound of a wall upon which people have smashed their heads... all the way through?
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by BerntB (Deacon) on May 02, 2010 at 16:38 UTC

    Pilot G-TEC-C4 (see e.g. net stores.)

    I've been using these for at least a decade. They aren't expensive, but break easily. I buy a dozen at a time, so I'll always have a few around.

    The winning feature is that you can write with really small details. (Ads claim 0.2 millimeters line widths, iirc.)

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Tux (Canon) on May 03, 2010 at 15:56 UTC

    For me a quality mechanical pencil. Either full-metal or some softish finger-friendly material. And, important, a good eraser on the back. Preferably one that can be replaced. I've replaced many with cut-out pieces of bigger erasers.

    These pencils are good for cross-words, difficult logical puzzles, but also for prototyping your thoughts on paper.

    What I missed was a wooden stick, which I use when I walk with my kids though the woods or on the beach to draw various things in the sand.


    Enjoy, Have FUN! H.Merijn
      These pencils are good for cross-words
      I use different colored pens for doing the NYTimes crossword; I want to know what my mistakes were...
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by ikegami (Patriarch) on May 02, 2010 at 04:02 UTC
    I love whiteboards!

      I prefer to write on them!

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by sweetblood (Prior) on May 10, 2010 at 14:53 UTC
    Finger paint: Red for strings, green for comments, black for code.

    Sweetblood

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by codeacrobat (Chaplain) on May 03, 2010 at 18:43 UTC

      Right, that counts as a felt-tip pen in reality. Now I wonder which option a wand of fire corresponds to.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by chexmix (Hermit) on May 05, 2010 at 17:36 UTC
    I guess that "femur or tibia dipped in foeman's blood" comes under "other," but ...
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by jmcnamara (Monsignor) on May 04, 2010 at 10:50 UTC

    I use a Uni-ball Kuru Toga self-sharpening mechanical pencil, a Pilot G2 Gel pen and a Lamy 2000 fountain pen.

    I also like Bic ballpoints.

    --
    John.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by DrHyde (Prior) on May 04, 2010 at 10:36 UTC

    Hmmm, no "whatever's available" option.

    I prefer to not write by hand - it's slow, hard to decode, and painful.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by tbone1 (Monsignor) on May 04, 2010 at 12:29 UTC
    Lately, it's my finger. Stop that, you smutty little lads, I bought an iPhone.

    --
    tbone1, YAPS (Yet Another Perl Schlub)
    And remember, if he succeeds, so what.
    - Chick McGee

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by ambrus (Abbot) on May 03, 2010 at 13:50 UTC

    I use different tools depending on the occasion. I carry a single refill pencil which I use for simple note-taking and drafts and doodling. For more formal stuff, I use normal biros. For things that are important to me, I use good pens: a Parker ballpoint pen, or gel pens with a thick tip – these latter leave a nice and distinctive mark. Finally, I usually have real cheap biros with me which are for lending for other people and not minding if I don't get them back.

    Also, I prefer whiteboards over blackboards because the chalk dust is bad, the whiteboard writing is more readable, and the whiteboard is easier to erase well too. With a few exceptions, I don't get to choose this one though, I just have to use whatever is in the room.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by gloryhack (Deacon) on May 03, 2010 at 18:24 UTC
    PaperMate PhD, whether pen or pencil. It keeps my tired, overworked fingers from cramping when I have a lot of writing to do.
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by tubaandy (Deacon) on May 04, 2010 at 13:15 UTC
    I end up using a lot of hotel pens. One of the consequences of travel for work.

    I joke with my wife that one of the reasons I went to grad school was to be able to justify poor handwriting. OK, well, maybe not. :)

    tubaandy
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by hexcoder (Curate) on May 08, 2010 at 18:59 UTC
    I never write on hands and consequently also avoid palm readers.
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by chuckbutler (Monsignor) on May 03, 2010 at 16:22 UTC

    My weapons of choice Uni-Ball Vision Elite pen and Rotring pencil. The pen does not leak, and in blue, it has great contrast. I acquired the pencil to use with drawing templates (I know, old school) but works good as my daily.

    Good luck. -c

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by pmonk4ever (Friar) on May 04, 2010 at 15:39 UTC
    Cross Pen & Pencil set. Easy to refill and looks good on whatever surface I write on. Fine point pen and 0.5 lead.
    pmonk4ever

    "No trees were harmed in the creation of this node. However, a rather large number of electrons were somewhat inconvenienced."

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by eric256 (Parson) on May 10, 2010 at 15:41 UTC

    Foray Wooden Liquid Graphite Pencils. Right like a pen but with graphite so they erase nice, and a wooden body so they are nice to hold.


    ___________
    Eric Hodges
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by jonadab (Parson) on May 06, 2010 at 16:50 UTC

    Avant Stellar.

    What? Don't look at me like that. That should count as handwriting, or else I'd like to know how many wpm you can do without hands.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by dHarry (Abbot) on May 10, 2010 at 15:39 UTC

    I use a Waterman. Got one as a present and used it for over 16 years. The ink refills are a bit expensive though:( But the writing experience is beyond compare IMHO.

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Xilman (Hermit) on May 14, 2010 at 09:51 UTC
    Mont Blanc fountain pen, early 1970's vintage.
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by tweetiepooh (Hermit) on May 14, 2010 at 11:04 UTC
    Finger, but blood only comes in one colour. And it changes as it dries.
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by graceoflarkspur (Acolyte) on May 21, 2010 at 23:00 UTC
    I'm pretty happy with my graphics tablet's stylus. A somewhat distant second, though, is a gel ink pen. Third is mechanical pencils (which were actually what I learned to draw with, back in high school; working in grays let me forget about my color blindness.)
    If that's what I MEANT, that's what I would have SAID...
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Anonymous Monk on May 12, 2010 at 17:18 UTC

    Other - mine writes on snow

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by StommePoes (Scribe) on May 31, 2010 at 09:04 UTC

    I used to always use a black Pilot vball Extra fine, which is one of those inky pens. You can't draw anything decently with a ball point... they skip.

    Nowadays, since I draw much less than I used to, I use whichever pen I've gotten from one conference or another. Just last week my Sapo.pt pen from YAPC Lisbon split apart, spring flew out, had to junk it :(

Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Anonymous Monk on May 14, 2010 at 20:01 UTC
    No leadholder option? I guess that's a subset of "mechanical pencil"
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Anonymous Monk on May 05, 2010 at 01:27 UTC
    Most definately joe
Re: My handwriting implement of choice is…
by Anonymous Monk on May 01, 2010 at 16:36 UTC
    Pen       is
      W^!

View List Of Past Polls