March 2, 2014

Working away from home over the last two weeks, I’ve spent some time waiting for things to happen. During one such moment I got to thinking “what would be the objects that would illustrate my life in a hypothetical museum cabinet?” Mentally wondering around the house thinking of what objects matter to me in each location was a pleasant diversion and it was interesting to see how the final list turned out.

It surprised me how little ‘technology’ features in the list considering how big a part it plays in my life. My data (such as photos and music) is among my most treasured possessions but are not things, and the devices that store and manage that data, however wonderful, are transient. If I were suddenly frozen in ice it’s likely that the only bit of tech found with me would be my kindle.

All the items in this list are things I enjoy using and this list has little to do with materialism and more to do with the pleasure of using a well-designed or crafted object or the memories that they bring to mind.

It turns out that there are less than 50 items in my list and this is A Very Good Thing as I’m planning to collect a few more over the next few years.

  1. HP15C calculator
  2. Feather Japanese razor
  3. Slide rule
  4. Leica M6 camera
  5. IWC Mark XV Pilot’s Watch
  6. Happy Hacking Keyboard
  7. Kyocera Kyotop ceramic kitchen knife
  8. Aeropress
  9. ’Wemyss ware’ bees mug
  10. Snowsled Ventile coat
  11. Wedding ring
  12. Shark bottle opener
  13. Crystal laughing Buddha
  14. Amber laughing Buddha
  15. The book Revolution in Time
  16. Pelikan M800 fountain pen
  17. Pilot Custom 823 fountain pen
  18. Pilot Falcon fountain pen
  19. Onoto Classic fountain pen
  20. Rotring 600 Lava pen
  21. Enveloop canvas pen roll
  22. Sheaffer PFM V fountain pen
  23. Parker ’51 fountain pen (my dad’s pen)
  24. A pair of glasses
  25. A pewter keyring
  26. The coat hook from our first house (we’ve transferred it each time we have moved house)
  27. A pair of Alfred Sargent shoes
  28. Sony SW7600 shortwave radio
  29. Ricoh GR1s camera
  30. A Yig filter
  31. Kindle
  32. The book ’Sunset Song’
  33. Fossil Ammonite
  34. A small pottery sculpture by Michelle Aitken
  35. Two conkers from Leicestershire
  36. A painting of Apostle Spoons by Rachel Ross
  37. A framed picture of Eleanor
  38. A framed picture of Lucy
  39. My grandfather’s pocket watch
  40. My father’s Swan wristwatch
  41. Nikon 10× loupe
  42. Faber Alpha-matic pencil
  43. A white toy dog, stuffed with straw, with missing fur
  44. A stone that once blocked my salivary gland.
  45. A cup made by Chris Donnelly, used for storing pens and pencils
  46. A ‘Wemyss ware’ yellow cat
Family


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