A 3x5 Laptop?

I've had one eye on these OQO computers for a while:


size: 5.6"(W) x 3.3"(H) x 1.0"(D)
weight: 1.0 lb with standard battery

I don't need one. They're expensive. And in some ways, it probably isn't the easiest thing to use. But how cool to have a fully functioning laptop in such a small package! Drool.

Tobacco Tins

Tins like these are another one of my favorite uses of the approximately 3 by 5 inch form:

The Golden Rectangle

I remember learning about the Golden Rectangle in Geometry class, back in high school. "Aha!" I thought, "there is something behind my obsession with this 3x5 shape!"

The golden rectangle is based on the "golden ratio," defined in Wikipedia as:

... a mathematical constant, usually denoted by the Greek letter (phi). The figure of a golden section illustrates the geometric relationship that defines this constant. Expressed algebraically:

This equation has as its unique positive solution the algebraic irrational number

Wikipedia also shows how to construct a golden rectangle-- remember doing this in school, with a ruler and a protractor?

Construction of a golden rectangle:
1. Construct a unit square (red).
2. Draw a line from the midpoint of one side to an opposite corner.
3. Use that line as the radius to draw an arc that defines the long dimension of the rectangle.

A 3 by 5 rectangle is not exactly a golden rectangle, but it's very close: the ratio is about 1.6666..., a difference of only about 3%. The dimensions of a pocket Moleskine notebook are approximately 3.5 x5.5 inches, which is a ratio of about 1.57142...., which is a difference of only about 2.8% from the golden ratio. Perhaps this is why the Moleskine-sized notebook has become so popular lately, as opposed to the 3x5" or 4x6" notebook formats that used to be more common. (4x6 is only a ratio of 1.5, even further away from the golden ratio!)
It will be interesting to see which of my favorite notebooks and objects come closest to the exact proportions of a golden rectangle.

Animal Art

Here are some animal sketches from the recent safari trip. A pocket size notebook is a great thing to bring on safari, especially if, like me, you're not a photography nut. I brought a tiny digital camera (a Casio Exilim, which also happens to be my favorite golden rectangle-ish shape, though much smaller than 3x5) and I did take hundreds of photos, but I found that trying to capture things in drawings was more fun. You don't have a lot of time, as the animals are moving and the safari vehicle is moving and your fellow travelers are jostling around trying to get their photos. But in the end, I filled a sketchbook with drawings that became a very personal memento of the trip.

Last Night I Dreamed...

... about notebooks.

I was in some kind of Home Depot-like store, and saw that they were selling the kind of diary I used to use in the mid-80s, when I was in high school. They were exactly 3x5, with a black faux-leather cover. In the front, they had pages with measurement conversions, city populations, a mini-Farmer's Almanac, and other useful tidbits of information.
Then each page was split over two days, so you had 4 days to a spread. I tended to fill each day with things like "Debbie called. I helped Jeff with the physics homework. Read another Tintin book." At the back of the diary, there were pages to write addresses and telephone numbers, and pages for recording expenses. They really tried to squeeze a lot into these little diaries, almost like a Filofax but without the option to pick and choose what you'd actually use.

In my dream, the diaries were packaged in those plastic things that hang on a hook and are impossible to cut open once you get them home. I was all excited to be able to buy this kind of diary again, even though I wouldn't really have much use for it now. I started to look around the store to see what other kinds of notebooks they had, and I could see that there were many other interesting ones to look at... but then I woke up.