UPSB v3
General Discussion / PS Magazine
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Date: Sat, Jun 23 2007 19:52:44
Since the newspaper is a failed project, I'm posting some of the articles here so that effort doesn't go to waste. Unfortunately, some of the articles refer to events long gone, but I can add them by reader/author request. The omitted articles refer to collaborations and battles from April/May 2006. Anyway, I'm sorry this didn't work out for all those who were waiting expectedly, so the least I can do is allow the material to be read. Hope you all enjoy it.
(If you're an author and want me to remove your article(s) from this post, let me know and I will).QUOTEThe Beginner's Guide to Pen Spinning
-By Sicxer
If you are reading this, then chances are that you are from the future, and you have flipped through other editions of the ‘Spinner’s Digest’, looking through all the articles and finding new information on pen spinning (ps for short), and you have finally arrived at my humble little guide in the first edition. So, psers of the future, I bid you greetings from the past and present to you the basic information that should get you started up with psing.
I assume you have seen videos of people spinning pens, and that is why you’ve come here. You probably wondered "how the f*** did they do those crazy tricks?!", but it is all possible with ample practice, and soon you’ll be able to do those tricks too.
So, how exactly do you start off with this new hobby? First, you need a pen. And not any ordinary pen though, but a modified pen (mod for short) that is customized to suit the tricks done. Different people have different likings to different pens, long or short, heavy or light. You’ll eventually find a suitable pen for yourself after some experience with spinning. I’ll first talk about the specific parts of a mod before I recommend a pen for you to start off with.
A good mod would mainly consist of properties that make it good for spinning. These include good balance, good center of gravity and good texture. The barrels of the pen are usually straight and symmetrical and free from obstructive textures which can hinder the spinning. Rubber grips are added to the pen which would aid in the performance of some tricks that you will discover later on. Inserts, which are pieces of paper rolled up and inserted into the barrel, are added to give the final mod a more personalized feel and enhance its look.
Note that a mod doesn’t have to look like a pen. After years of experimenting with mod designs, some weird concepts have been developed to better suit the pser's liking. But to start yourself off, you can use some basic stationery around you, like an unsharpened pencil, or a long marker pen. And if you want to go into more complex mods, here are links to some of them: RSVP V1, RSVP V2, RSVP MX, Com-ssa, and a list of most pen mods.
Now that you have a pen, how should you get started on the tricks to learn? Well, you can’t just dive into the complex moves done in those videos you’ve seen. You should start off with the four fundamental tricks. These four tricks are charge, sonic, thumbaround and fingerpass. These tricks will require time and practice to master. Don’t be frustrated if you can’t do it the first time around, because it can take a few days before you get it right. There are lots more tricks out there that you’ll get to learn with active participation in our forums.
So that’s all you need to know to get yourself started with psing! You have a pen, you know the tricks, now go and practice, and most of all have fun! I’ll leave you with links to more information on psing that you can read up on if you wish to.
• The History of Pen Spinning
• Recommended Pens to use for Pen Spinning
• Pens and Mods Pictures
• Pen Spinning FAQs (Includes links to major pen spinning websites)
• Access to the Old Forums (UPSBv2)QUOTEHow to avoid breaking pens
– By InhumanElmo
We have all been there at some point. Trying out a new combo, or practicing a new trick, and the pen slips out of your hand and all you hear is the pen hit the floor and parts sliding across the floor. Breaking pens while spinning is a common occurrence and should be accepted as such. But there are many ways to avoid, or lessen the chance of your pen breaking. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first shall we? NEVER EVER USE SUPER GLUE! Super glue, while great at sticking things together, makes the plastic lose its moisture making the pen fragile. If you have used superglue already on one of your pens, don’t worry about it. It will eventually break, but as long as you’re extremely careful you should extend the time you have with the pen.
Ok, if you didn’t superglue it, you can also extend the life of your pen by taking some precautions. You can be smart and spin over a soft surface, such as your bed, a notebook if you’re in school, etc. For the tip, you can use tape, normal glue, or just a good couple of bangs on a desk or table. The most obvious, yet difficult advice would be to stop dropping the pen. But when you are training your hands to move like a pen spinner's, your hands are not necessarily in your control.QUOTEInhumanElmo’s Favorite Pen Reviews
R.S.V.P. MX – The MX is one of the most widely known pen modifications. This pen has great momentum for thumbarounds and infinities, yet is balanced in a way that is great for sonics. This is one of my favorites because it is one of the most flexible modifications out there. You can substitute parts if you aren’t able to get them, and you can make a million and one different styles with inserts and grips. Another reason is because it retains its ability to write. Since the ink is reversed, you won’t get ink on yourself if you drop the pen, but all you need to do is take off the cap when you need to write.
Dr. Grip (Pen, Pencil, and COG) – This is one of my all-time favorite pens. The Dr. Grip has such an elegant and professional look to it, but it is weighted in a way that is perfect for getting down and dirty when spinning. One of the greatest characteristics of this pen is that you don’t need to do anything to it. All you do is open the package and spin away! Now if you're at work or school and are spinning away, you won’t have people mocking your “magic wand.”
R.S.V.P. MMX – I am glad that Kam came up with this pen. This pen is extremely close to the same weight of an MX, but the grip is replaced by part of the plastic barrel of a G2. That one little piece of plastic makes the pen slippery enough for easy backarounds, shadows, and neobaks. The AMMX variation adds a small grip towards the tip end allowing you to do infinities.
SPS (Spare Parts Supreme, Retractable and Non-) – This pen is about one of the most creative ways to use spare parts from other mods. It uses the grip part of the G2 and an RSVP barrel. The great part is that if you have a lot of RSVP barrels that broke at the tips, you're already one step ahead of the game. It spins extremely well although it doesn’t write. The retractable variation of the SPS allows you to write with the pen. Both mods spin well and are a great way to use up those spare parts cluttering your desk.QUOTE“Canvas, Creation, and Kam”
---researched & written by Joshua
(Thank you to Kam, for his cooperation and detailed answers)
With the popularity of pen spinning increasing, there are many talented people who share the same hobby. From countries all around the world, pen spinners are showing off their unique talents and skills with the help of the internet and pen spinning communities. Arguably, there are few names that many of the pen spinning communities would recognize: one of these names being Kam.
Undoubtedly, Kam had a hand in molding pen spinning to what it is today. He is credited for such innovations as the RSVP MX, one of the most popular pen modifications in the world, as well as the creation of several popular websites to aid, support, and welcome pen spinners into a community.
Today, almost all intermediate spinners could show you what a “K4LC” (Kam’s Four Loop Combo) is. And every beginner who has had the opportunity to begin modifying pens knows how to make an RSVP MX.
Kam’s influence and helping hand in the pen spinning community in the not so distant past, has made an obvious impact on what pen spinning is today. And whether or not that influence goes unappreciated, I set out to discover Kam’s thoughts.
Recently, I had the privilege of asking Kam a series of pen spinning related questions. This is what I have found:
[Joshua:] Kam, you very well may have been the spark that brought pen spinning into popularity among many talented spinners today (and for many spinners in the future), how do you feel about that?
[Kam:] I never expected my work to reach and influence so many people, but it's nice to know that it did. It's always great to see new pen spinners appear thanks to my site and videos. I couldn't be more thrilled.
[Joshua:] Some things that you have influenced are obvious among the pen spinning communities: but what do you think were the most influential things you did as a spinner to influence (and change) pen spinning?
[Kam:] I believe my Superhandz video is one of the most influential things I did as a pen spinner. Besides spreading the word about PS to millions across the globe, I believe it also helped detach many stereotypes about pen spinners in general. I tried to stay away from the stereotypical "bored in a classroom" view of pen spinners, and show that pen spinning can be much more than that.
I also believe that my pen mods (specially the RSVP MX) had a great impact in the PS community. Before pen mods, advanced tricks were very difficult to pull off, and many would have given up halfway before learning the tricks. I am very glad that pen modding has grown so much and helped many further their pen spinning skills, and I'm thankful that I was able to contribute a small part to all of this.
[Joshua:] How and when did you start spinning, and what boosted your interest in this manipulation?
[Kam:] I first saw the Charge in 1993, in a typical classroom environment. A classmate was doing the Charge, and I just couldn't leave that day without learning it. I asked her to teach me the trick during break, and spent the next 20 minutes in class on the Charge until I learned it. This was back in Taiwan, where I also saw the ThumbAround.
My great boost in PS came 5 years later, when I was back in Brazil. At that time I had learned the Charge, ThumbAround, and the Sonic. Determined to master the ThumbAround, I played around with different finger variations until I came up with the IndexAround (whether I was the first to come up with the idea is not important). At that time, I realized that if I could come up with something new, others could too. A search on the web lead to a couple Pen Spinning sites, which further developed my interest in the subject. Since then, I haven't stopped researching and further developing my PS skills.
[Joshua:] When did you start Pentrix (as well as Pentix, & UPSB)? And where did you go for pen spinning information before you brought it to many?
[Kam:] The Pentix name date as far back as 1997 (see a brief history at http://www.pentrix.com/pentix/about.html ), but it wasn't until 2000 that Pentix became a web site and was online for the public.
In 2001, the number of users visiting Pentix was significantly growing, and the need to form some sort of community arose. I initially implemented a simple users list to help pen spinners located nearby enthusiasts. But this soon became a burden to maintain, and so a message board was created in 2002(Pentix Board).
As the enthusiasm for PS grew, more and more sites on the subject started to appear. Although I enjoyed the competition that helped move PS forward, I noticed that a new problem started to appear. Each site would have its own message board, and users would have to sign up for multiple boards, often to see repeated content. This is when UPSB (Universal Pen Spinning Board) came to solve that problem (October 2003).
Before all of that, the only place I could turn for help was Hideaki Kondoh's site, which had a small number of animated GIFs, although it had a Japanese version with more info, which I could not understand. I also came up with a lot of things on my own, and like many today, was disappointed when I later found out others have come up with the same tricks (but that's part of life). Another site I often visited for inspiration was David Weis' Pencil Spinning site.
I basically searched everywhere I could to find more information on PS, but not seeing much information on the subject, I decided to gather what I've learned and start a site of my own. To this day, I still search for PS ideas in all imaginable (and unimaginable) places.
[Joshua:] Who are your favorite spinners? Or rather, who do you admire in the pen spinning community, and for what reason(s)?
[Kam:] This is a very tough question. There are so many names, I am sure I will miss a lot of people. But here are some people I can remember at the moment:
Hideaki Kondoh - Initially the only source of information on the web I could go for. I admire how he changed PS for me, as well as for thousands (if not millions) around the world.
David Weis - amazing skills with a pencil, innovated pen spinning with many unique tricks, and inspired me to improve my own combos and general style.
Clubma - One of the nicest pen spinners I've know. Greatly helped bridge the gap between English speaking pen spinners and korean pen spinners.
Nate - Coming from a yo-yoing background, he has brought many ideas to pen modding.
Nhk_9 - Incredibly skilled and dedicated person. It makes me envy his skills all the time
Tohlz - Great pen spinner, and one of the few pen spinners who has always been there. Always helping improve PS.
Zombo - Great pen spinner as well. Very friendly as a moderator, but I admire him for his creativity in PS as well.
There are many more to list, but unfortunately this interview would never end if I were to list everyone. If you're not listed here, it probably means that I either 1) don't know you, or 2) have forgotten about you for the time being (after all, I know so many pen spinners).
[Joshua:] What advice would you give to spinners who want to make an impact on the pen spinning community themselves?
[Kam:] Just do what you love to do (in this case, I hope its pen spinning). If you do that, you'll naturally excel at it, and your contribution will be recognized by others. Rather than trying to force changes onto others, just focus on pen spinning, and the rest will fall in place.
[Joshua:] What do you believe the future holds for the pen spinning world?
[Kam:] Well, it is very hard to predict what will happen in the future, but as the number of pen spinners grow, I expect to see some of the following happen:
- the first pen designed for spinning to be produced in large scale and available to pen spinners without the need for further modifications
- pen spinners getting paid/sponsored to spin pens (some of us already have paid projects such as TV commercials, but nothing on a regular basis)
- live competitions (as opposed to web-based ones) among pen spinners
- pen spinners to take over the world (just kidding)
Pen Spinning is a very young art, and if advertised properly, can go very far. But we must remember that we can't change the world in one day. We'll see what the future really holds for us…
[Fade out…]
I hope this better helps you to understand, and get inside the man’s head. The man who is notorious just for doing what he loves to do. I hope that this helps many realize that pen spinning is not just a hobby, a talent, or a skill that can be taught.
Pen spinning is an art. And used as personal expression, our talents can reach the many. Let us not be limited in our art.
If the sky is your limit, then you can reach it.QUOTECrash course on inventing new tricks
By Zombo
Every month, I will write a section dedicated to the development of Pen Spinning, such as new tricks or concepts. It is akin to the “X-Zone” of the UPSB. The theme of this first article will deal with the groundwork of inventing new tricks. It is meant as a guide for all spinners to consult and aid them in constructing new techniques.
Don’t treat this as a magic hat that you can pull tricks from; inventing tricks is a particularly challenging task which requires a bit of creativity and luck. But don’t despair either and think that only certain gifted people can do it or it is only possible in a stroke of genius. Any competent spinner can do it given enough time and effort.
The next thing I want to clear up is the definition of “new trick” itself. This is about totally original tricks, not tricks that are a variant or belong to an existing family. It is about inventing new ideas which have sufficient potential to span several tricks. We are trying to expand the realm of Pen Spinning, and not completing existing concepts.
The first step in the creative process is probably the most crucial one. This is the part which requires the most originality, because we need to come up with an idea that is innovative enough to be worth investigating. Those ideas need not be very realistic; all that’s important is that it is interesting. For example, I could ask myself “How can I use the environment while PSing?”, an idea which I can extrapolate further into trying to bounce the pen off the wall. This seems like a good idea, since it’s never really been done before (at least not delved deep into) and could provide the basis for a totally new branch of tricks. Whether it is possible is not very important at this point. We are looking for an interesting and large enough idea to work with and hopefully develop.
The second step is the “brainstorming” phase. It consists of looking at the idea from every possible angle and considering the most plausible options. If we take the idea of bouncing the pen off the wall, I’d quickly notice that existing pens are not very bouncy and could potentially break when they touch the wall. Logically, that means that I’d have to devise a new type of pen modification specifically made to bounce well. Because this becomes a rather complex idea, I’d rather come up with a simpler alternative first before I try to attempt this one. If the idea is too unrealistic upon further investigation, then there is no choice but to scrap it and return to the starting point.
Finally, the last step is the tuning part. This is probably the longest element because it incorporates the practice needed to be physically able to perform the trick. At this stage, we try to concretize the plan we formed earlier and fill in all the details needed. This is where starting and ending positions are defined and such. Once one trick has been formed, it then becomes a lot easier to expand it into variants.
I hope this guide has helped you at least understand the process of inventing tricks. Although you can just pen spin randomly and wait for a lucky streak to hit you, it is much more effective if you have plan in mind; a methodical approach when researching new tricks. Just remember, no idea is too crazy to try. The worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work. -
Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 17:06:37
Should this remain just a "failed project" or could it be taken back up?
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Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 17:20:52
Yeah, we have a RD now, lets get it started again!
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Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 19:08:14QUOTE (UnEmploymentDude @ Sep 9 2007, 12:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yeah, we have a RD now, lets get it started again!
...we've had a RD for the last... I don't know how long already? -
Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 19:08:38
I really think we could run this as a bi-monthly. We could have people submit articles freely, The best of these could be picked by an editor. We could have an interview with someone (a more serious one than the weekly interview thread offers). As well as having assigned writers to certain tasks.
I'm thinking you could write about what has happened in the last two months (and what is going on now) on:
New pen mods
New tricks/RD
Major Collabs
Tournaments
Updates from other boards (JEB, KPSA for example, a lot of people are out of touch with these)
An expert spinner could write up about something (for example Zombo wrote about making new tricks)
Perhaps we could put in an interview with someone (maybe someone who is not active on UPSB such as Bonkura) and some tutorials?
Anyone else think this might work? Would anyone be interested in joining such a project? -
Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 19:12:58
Yeah mats, it would totally work. Finding people who will seriously work on it is the problem.
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Date: Sun, Sep 9 2007 19:32:26
I'm so on, and would love to be a co-editor or w/e :)
Releasing it 4 times / year is perhaps better. We could make it a .pdf, with nice design. If that's too much work we could also just make the texts xD The articles should be kinda short also, it's just annoying to read too long stuff on the computer-screen. -
Date: Mon, Sep 10 2007 02:27:31
since mats opened another thread, use only this thread to discuss about the content of the articles posted.