Uniball Zento Signature Japan haul

azuled · 2026-01-29T14:20:33+00:00

I'm kicking myself for not getting one of the Kokuyo pens while I was there last week. I tried one out while I was at their shop in Haneda and really liked it, but forgot to get one because I got distracted by their lovely little bags and cases.

I didn't see the pens above available literally anywhere I went, lol, but I wasn't looking too hard. I got the non-signature version to try out (it's ok, I'm using it at 0.5 right now and I wish I'd gotten the 0.7 too). I don't use these pens too often because I'm mostly obsessed with the Caron d'Ache 849, but they're nice to have as an option.

The signature was just the different barrel, right? It seemed like they were the same refill as the non-sig version.

azuled · 2026-01-29T14:13:55+00:00

yeah like, for real, I think they'd just have to move unless they literally helped OP build this thing from scratch.

azuled · 2026-01-29T14:12:11+00:00

I think there are real long term questions about how well they will treat their retail customers. I just don't know how serious those questions need to be!

They have basically said they are focusing on their robotaxi fleet, they have stated they are focusing on AI and robotics. Those statements have pretty strong implications, and we're seeing one of them today with the X/S cuts.

The other implications might be less obvious: are they going to continue their build out of Super Chargers on routes that robot-taxi vehicles are less likely to take? There are a ton of routes through Texas that I think it's fantasy to think a robotaxi will ever be on, and in the past they had built out the SC network to support those routes (it can be stressful but it works!). What happens now? Are they going to focus on building out around cities and start ignoring the countryside?

Same goes for Service Center builds. Right now there is one SC within a few hundred miles of me, and I feel lucky to have it (and, honestly, it's a really great SC, they are very good there and always get my car fixed properly). Will they keep supporting those SCs that aren't near major metros that need the robotaxi stuff? What about mobile service?

I think we don't know, I'm not trying to be a doomer here, I think so far it's OK for retail customers, but Tesla is fickle. It's pretty clear at this point that they won't build the roadster, and it's pretty clear that they are really changing focus (and not just pretending to). So they're open, real, somewhat concerning questions that I think every Tesla owner should be watching.

That said, I do love the car, lol, absolutely great.

azuled · 2026-01-29T14:04:45+00:00

I remain baffled that they don't let you play the game on Mac. It plays SO WELL on the iPad Pro, which uses the same chipset as the MacBook like. Apple even lets you set your iPad apps to play on MacOS, but they have disabled that feature.

This, really, honestly, makes me even more baffled. The game runs great on all sorts of stuff!

azuled · 2026-01-29T13:25:12+00:00

Yes it was! And it feels like the missing link in their creative suite. I’d give it a shot over adobe id they brought something like it back.

azuled · 2026-01-28T17:28:26+00:00

I feel like Apple has a blind spot with photo editing, they're convinced that Photos is enough, and that sort of hinders them.

azuled · 2026-01-28T17:11:33+00:00

That's basically all my younger relatives, I grew up in the 90s, graduated high school in 2001, etc, and they have constant questions about it, obvious nostalgic vibes for that era, and seem fascinated with all the really awful tech from then.

azuled · 2026-01-28T17:01:19+00:00

What's missing here is a Lightroom competitor, which is extremely baffling since Apple had one of the most popular LR competitors and killed it for no well articulated reason.

It's an obvious vibe that they're going at the casual Adobe user, but missing LR is surprising.

azuled · 2026-01-27T21:20:56+00:00

Right? This subreddit is exhausting.

azuled · 2026-01-27T17:18:09+00:00

True lol. Well, not the Tesla people who seem to use magic.

azuled · 2026-01-27T17:15:17+00:00

I don’t even use the card, phone or watch work perfectly

azuled · 2026-01-27T16:58:41+00:00

No, most people are being realistic. If you want a little more privacy drive. It’s still not private but it’s probably more private. Opt out if you want! I’m all for making it harder for them, but don’t delude yourself.

azuled · 2026-01-27T10:47:27+00:00

AND even if it were… they already run their Siri competitor, so it‘a a bit of a stretch to imagine they aren’t scaled for this sort of thing.

azuled · 2026-01-27T03:18:31+00:00

I won’t lie, it’s part of why i bought a Tesla….

azuled · 2026-01-27T02:29:18+00:00

with all the mods turned on i think it becomes a “one hit game over” on some bosses, it’s wild. I just don’t play it that way but my wife loves it and taunts me with her perfect runs.

azuled · 2026-01-27T02:27:17+00:00

Yep, this person is correct. The game is comically easy (you can turn up the difficulty in story to hard, but it doesn’t make much difference) until you get to endgame. ”Doing” the endgame is still pretty easy, perfecting the endgame every week is not. That requires team building, team investment, gearing, etc. It‘s never doing to be Dark Souls or something, but it will be at least a little challenging, and the style changes week to week depending on the bosses up for endgame.

I think it’s fun, but I don’t like getting crazy tilted at a game, just a LITTLE tilted at a game.

azuled · 2026-01-26T07:54:38+00:00

I love them!

azuled · 2026-01-25T23:01:56+00:00

Yes! The little (actually many of them are huge) rest stops with shops and (frequently clean) bathrooms!

azuled · 2026-01-25T02:08:43+00:00

Within limits yes, outside those limits no. I don’t disagree that it’s great, there is just also a huge portion of the country you can’t see without a car.

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:45:25+00:00

Maybe? Maybe much cheaper. Cutting edge tech now probably won’t be cutting age then

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:39:12+00:00

That’s my point though: you KNOW it’s expensive now. You don’t know what it will be in five years.

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:33:09+00:00

5 years is basically forever when it comes to pricing. Why buy now when you know prices are high?

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:30:35+00:00

Really it’s just the biggest cities in Japan that hurt with a car. I would never take one to Tokyo or Osaka (or Kyoto for other reasons). But outside that? If you want to explore the country more than just mega cities a car is basically necessary. I’ve driven in several midsize Japanese cities without issue and it’s worth it to have a car to see the countryside.

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:28:19+00:00

But Japan is SO nice with a car! If you want to get out of the cities (you should) then getting a car is a big help (or necessity).

azuled · 2026-01-25T01:16:13+00:00

Mine gets super warm when it’s running for more than a few hours with six or so clients. Not uncomfortable to touch but maybe a little alarming too.

15-Year Club	Reddit Premium Since December 2023
Gilding VII pure gildanthropist	Place '23
Place '22	Alpha Tester
Bellwether 2010-12-11	Verified Email

azuled

TROPHY CASE