In a world where so many 3D-printed objects are still simply toys or test cases, it is refreshing to see such technology being put to use in the service of helping kids who cannot otherwise write and draw.

The ‘Glifo‘ (images by Sara Monacchi) series is a set of customizable writing utensils that can help young people with nervous system impairments to express themselves while also facilitating rehabilitation processes.

Affected children frequently have trouble with the smaller movements and grips necessary to hold and utilize implements, making it difficult to connect what their brain visualizes to the fine-tuned actions needed to realize that vision on the page.

The series consists of various handles and attachments that help hold down pieces of paper or make it easier to grip pens, pencils, markers and crayons.

The post Glifo: 3D-Printed Writing Tools Made for Disabled Children first appeared on Gajitz.

Handwritten letters are always a delight to receive, but who really bothers with paper and pen when sending an email is so much easier? A company called Bond is using robots to reinvent the way we send personalized correspondence.

The idea is really simple: you use your computer or phone to send to Bond whatever you’d like written on a card or letter, then the writing ‘bots use your own handwriting or a stored calligraphy style to carefully write it out on paper. The envelope is sealed with a wax seal and then sent out for you.

Bond acquires your handwriting through a sample you provide or, if you only communicate in chicken scratch writing, you can choose one of the styles offered on Bond’s website. Whether in your own handwriting or some random pretty calligraphy, the service saves you the irritation and pain of having to write out every single note yourself.

The robot-centric service is perfect for recently married couples who need to send tons of thank-you notes or for businesses that want to add a personal touch to their correspondence. There’s a $199 setup fee for Bond to acquire and store your handwriting, but after that you can send cards for $2.99 each – less if you’re making a large bulk order.

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For a short time after typewriters started to decline in popularity but before computers became portable, there were portable word processors. They were kind of a cross between a typewriter and a laptop, with tiny monochrome screens and limited editing functionality. Most models offered storage via floppy disk, but some had only limited on-board storage and you were expected to print a hard copy if you wanted to keep your work.

To say that we’ve come a long way since then would be a crazy understatement. Our phones are hundreds of times more powerful than those word processors, not to mention our laptops which are basically distracting entertainment machines. But that can be a problem for writers. When writing (especially when you’re on deadline and just really don’t want to write), the temptation to open Facebook or Twitter in a new tab can be overwhelming and completely irresistible.

The Hemingwrite is kind of like an improved hybrid of the portable word processor and the laptop. It’s got the functionality that you need for mobile writing plus some nifty other touches – but you’ll find nary a game or other distraction. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the full-size mechanical keyboard. It gives that satisfying “click!” every time you depress a key, making you feel positively Kerouac-ian as you type up your latest masterpiece. The e-ink display lets you see clearly even in bright light or low light.

Despite its decidedly retro appearance, the Hemingwrite has some high-tech qualities. It allows cloud backup via wi-fi and plays nicely with your other word processing software like Google Docs. With an estimated battery life of six weeks and enough internal storage to keep more than a million pages safely tucked away, you can take the “distraction-free” angle even further and haul the Hemingwrite out into a remote cabin to finally finish your novel. You’ll feel like a proper writer with the whole typewriter vibe going on, but you’ll never have to deal with messy stacks of paper that can quickly get out of control.

The post Distraction-Free Writing: Retro Typewriter Meets Laptop first appeared on Gajitz.

Using a whiteboard (or dry erase board) has become a familiar activity for creative or academic types. Similarly, carrying around a notebook or two or three to jot down notes and sketches is a time-honored tradition. A group of brilliant Canadian inventors figured out a way to combine the two into something that they call Writerase.

The Writerase line of products (the company likes to call them “a forest”) take the best parts of whiteboards and notebooks and smoosh them together. Whiteboards are easily used and re-used, but aren’t super-portable. Notebooks can go anywhere, but can really only be used until you’ve filled up every page and then they have to be retired.

Writerase notebooks are composed of paper sheets coated in thin but resilient plastic. Most dry erase pens work with the notebooks. As you come up with brilliant ideas that really need to be jotted down immediately, you can write them down like you would in any other notebook. They’ll stay put until you decide to erase them.

When you’ve executed your evil plans or typed out the masterpiece you wrote in your Writerase notebook, you can erase it all and use it again. That’s what makes the line of reusable notebooks so awesome: they don’t require you to buy a new one and use up more natural resources every time you run out of space. The project’s Kickstarter campaign raised far more than its modest goal in just four days, which we hope means that we’ll be able to stock up on these awesome notebooks soon.

The post Write, Erase, Repeat: Reusable Never-Ending Notebook first appeared on Gajitz.

When you think about it, every writing implement we use depletes the harms the environment in some way – pencils use up wood, disposable pens use plastic, and even refillable pens create waste. German design company Jac Zagoory Designs is bringing back an age-old method of writing with metal to create an eco-friendly writing instrument.

It’s called the Beta Inkless Pen, and instead of ink it uses lead to create lines on almost any paper surface. It never needs to be sharpened, refilled or replaced – although since it’s made of lead you might want to be a bit careful about where you place it (don’t chew on the tip while you’re thinking of your next sentence).

The Beta pen is surprisingly affordable for a pen you never need to replace – just $27.95 for the full-size version or the keychain version. The lines won’t smudge or erase, and it works in any temperature. And maybe best of all, it’ll never embarrassingly leak in your shirt pocket.

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