An encyclopedia of once-common things passing us by.

(You can buy the lovely book version too.)

 

 

In Brooklyn, I see crack vials on the street. In Brussels, I see…empty fountain pen cartridges. I’ve done a bunch of posts about re-purposed obsolete objects on this site, and I find myself wondering if these cartridges were actually pinned together for some other purpose. It looks like someone went through some trouble to cobble them together using needles and a thumbtack. Anyone have a guess about what this cartridge contraption was used it for? Are all those crack-using fountain pen devotees out there heavy into the DIY movement?

In Brooklyn, I see crack vials on the street. In Brussels, I see…empty fountain pen cartridges.

I’ve done a bunch of posts about re-purposed obsolete objects on this site, and I find myself wondering if these cartridges were actually pinned together for some other purpose. It looks like someone went through some trouble to cobble them together using needles and a thumbtack. Anyone have a guess about what this cartridge contraption was used it for? Are all those crack-using fountain pen devotees out there heavy into the DIY movement?