Technology is a very good thing. Thanks to technology, I am here publishing these thoughts. Digital everything is better than analog (except maybe for clocks). Clearer pictures, sharper sound, higher speed, better access. I am no Luddite, but I do agree that something is always lost when we reach for higher technology, and that loss is usually something with which we are able to deal: good-looking old radios, clackety-clack typewriters, etc.

However, the one old technology that I will never give up is the use of ink on paper, especially when that ink comes from a fountain pen. I love to write. I like the way my thoughts are distributed in sync with the ink flow, the pressure of the nib on the paper, the excitement of seeing the different ink colors. I have medium blue, black, violet, brown, turquoise, a stunning dark teal, forest green, gray, and my favorite of all--the great Waterman blue-black.

My childhood fascination with stationers' shops has never gone away, although today, these shops are more apt to display tacky journals and cheap pens, rather than good-quality writing paper and ink. Still, it is a thrill to enter one.

And speaking of Luddites, here's something to ponder: Why does the Lead Pencil Club have a web site?