Watches, Stories, & Gear: Tetraquarks, Superman, and Pens

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.

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This installment of “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop.

New Superman Flick To Be Penned By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a prolific and much admired writer. While he’s likely best known as an essayist and journalist, he also dabbles in comics, having written both a Black Panther and Captain America series for Marvel. Now, he’s reported to be turning his focus to the Man of Steel, and will write a script for an upcoming Superman film to be produced by J.J. Abrams. As the linked article from the Verge points out, not much is currently known about the project, and how it fits into the larger universe of DC Comics films, but it is expected that a new actor will portray Superman. We’re intrigued, and look forward to seeing what kind of spin Coates puts on the classic character.

Email Sucks

The title of this one says it all: e-mail is making us miserable. Well, of course it is. Anyone who has been barraged with work emails on a weekend or pummeled by endless SPAM knows this to be true. And that’s just another way of saying everyone knows this to be true. But, as with so many things that we just assume, science has an ability to prove it beyond doubt, and that’s what this piece in the New Yorker explores, as it tracks research into how being constantly connected to email twists and breaks our brains, and has a real impact on happiness. Worth a read if you’re currently tensely waiting for your phone to buzz with a new electronic message.

Step Up Your Pen Game With A New Safari Origin From LAMY

LAMY is a German maker of writing instruments, and their fountain pens in particular are often cited as a great value for those looking to get a taste of that extremely distinctive enthusiast culture. Their Safari pen is a classic choice for first time fountain pen users, and LAMY has just reissued the pen in two color options that haven’t been available for years and are highly sought after by collectors. The savannah green and terra red pens are available now through LAMY, and you can also order matching colored inks, or even go with rollerball and ballpoint pens in those colors, if a simpler pen is more your style. More information here.

NASA Getting The Most Out Of Old Tech

It should come as no surprise that the folks at NASA are pretty resourceful in nature, but what may surprise you is just how far they can stretch some ‘old’ tech. Their latest feat, the Perseverance, which is currently roaming the surface of Mars, is using a PowerPC 750, a single-core, 233MHz processor known for its use in Apple’s iMac computer. From 1998. The driving force behind this decision was actually to reduce the complexity to a bare minimum, thus reducing the number of potential problems to encounter from radiation. Rest assured, this is no off the shelf CPU, however. It’s the RAD750 variant, which has received robust exterior protection. Read more about it in this story from The Verge.

Physicists Identify 4 New Subatomic Particles

The biggest news out of Geneva this week has nothing to do with watches, rather, from the scientists working at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Physicists have announced the discovery of 4 new subatomic particles, bringing the LHC total up to an impressive 59 particle discoveries. The new particles should provide new pathways to understanding the Standard Model of Particle Physics, and provide new fodder for theoretical physicists to sink their teeth into. Each of the new particles discovered in this announcement are tetraquarks, and could yield insights as to why the strong force behaves the way it does, and ultimately bring us a step closer to shoring up the Standard Model as it relates to broader cosmological constants (like gravity).

eBay Finds: Vintage Vulcain Chronograph

We don’t hear much about Vulcain these days, as much as we’d like to. While they made a go of a comeback within the past 10 years, it seems they’ve gone back to the drawing board for the time being. Thankfully, they have some amazing options in the vintage realm, many of which are surprisingly accessible. From old Crickets to chronographs like this one. The watch on offer here is using the beloved Valjoux 23 with dual registers fitted to a delightful funky cushion case with radial brushing. Even with the recent servicing this one can be had for well under $1,000. 

View auction here.