With my new Canon digal rebel xsi!

My newest techy gadget puchase of a Canon Digital Rebel Xsi has truly turned me into a “canon girl.” (sorry nikon!)

After tracking the progress of this purchase via boxoh (my new favorite package tracking website), learning how to operate this new gadget effectively has become my newest hobby.

But… I had a few things to do to outfit this camera to “alana” specifications (I have high standards for my personal gadgetry- check out what I did to my macbookpro and my ipod):

1. Camera Strap: The standard “canon” had to go. It’s not comfortable, it’s ugly, and well… it’s standard (seeing a trend here?).

So clearly I turned to my one-stop-shop for custom and one-of-a kind merchandise. etsy. I ended up buying this cute polka dotted one! Here’s another cute one I was looking at. I was trying to see if anyone would monogram the strap with my initials, similar to what I have on my car… but no luck. (YET!)

2. Camera Bag. As mentioned on my podcast- Millennious- it’s important that you have a camera bag that doesn’t look like your average, ugly, bulky, black nylon case. That’s how I found these crumpler bags- with a bag for everyone’s camera need – plus they have awesome names, like “Four Million Dollar Home” (that’s the one I bought).

While at Beaners, a local Toledo, OH (and franchised) coffee shop, I ran into a fellow photoshop and altogether software junkie. The discussion quickly turned to keyboard shortcuts, and he recommended that I check out the keyboard shortcut covers…. like from zCover.com.

Check out the covers for photoshop, final cut, illustrator, indesign, flash & dreamweaver. For about $50, you are not only protecting your laptop, but learning something at the same time. You have to love products that multi-task as well as we do.

As I wrote in a previous post, my research on technology modifications inspired me to do the same- take my own advice and make my stuff really “mine.” So, I checked out Adafruit’s wiki and did a little searching… eventually I found Tech-Tattoos. I noticed in the Adafruit forum, someone from my hometown who was starting up a new laser etching business. Excited but a little nervous, I immediately fired off an e-mail to Jen Horvath, the co-founder of Tech-Tattoos, where they will “zap your crap.” Immediately, she emailed me back, a little surprised and impressed that I found her- as she didn’t have a website yet. The whole process was amazing, and painless (no needles- i don’t like people tattoos).

She even let me press the button- as you can see from this image, I watched the laser etching machine take my clean, untouched MacBook Pro and turn it into my guardian angel :-)

The guardian angels of life fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us. ~Jean Paul Richter

Check out my blog at: http://techyness.com

While studying abroad in Italy over the course of a semester, I was able to see some pretty cool stuff, to say the least. Taken near the Pantheon in Rome, these wings were featured in the window and I fell in love with them. I don’t even want to know how much they cost. I’ve always loved the complexities of angel wings in art- and my time in Rome increased this fascination.

Raphael’s angels. Need I say more? The wings on this angel are beautiful and exactly what I wanted to put on my untouched macbook pro. It just seemed so perfect- the macbook needed something, something that didn’t hide the glowing apple, something timeless, something very “Alana.”

It reminds me of a book a friend purchased for me as a 21st birthday gift. Unfortunately Italian customs didn’t want me to receive this book, so I waited until my return to the United States.

It’s called “Quintessence, the Quality of Having “IT” and I love it. I’ll write a post about it later and scan one of the photos in. It was the nicest birthday present I’ve received in a long time- mainly because the gifter said that I, like the book “transcend form and function.”

So, the wings on the macbook mean more to me than something cliche.. it’s a reminder that no matter where I go (since the macbook goes with me nearly everywhere) that there is always someone looking out for me. Not to be corny or anything.

It is not known precisely where angels dwell – whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God’s pleasure that we should be informed of their abode. ~Voltaire

Check out my blog at: http://techyness.com

In August, I bought a MacBook pro.

I know what you’re thinking.

“Alana, you’re a PC-girl.” Well, hey now— don’t jump to conclusions or categorize/stereotype me just yet, I like to keep people guessing.

Actually, one of the biggest reasons I bought my new baby because of my earlier post on laser etching. I was fascinated and wanted something (or many things) laser etched.

I know that this post is sortof backwards- as in I shouldn’t be posting the finished product first. So my next post will explain how I found the company and how I was inspired to create wings on my new, 2k+ baby. Who needs a boyfriend when you have something this pretty? That’s what I’m thinking.

Angels have no philosophy but love. ~Adeline Cullen Ray

Check out my blog at: http://techyness.com

Add together one $20,000 laser etching machine and a $2,000 MacBook Pro and what do you get? A lot more than $22k: A license for creativity.

Options for laser etching today is far beyond the text-only option on your ipod at Apple.com. Don’t believe me? Make magazine has a great how-to article. But, if your credit line isn’t capable of financing this little project quite yet, check out a few of my favorites: the macbook “poe”, the “son of man” book, a tribute to silicon valley, the web 2.0 cloud, a crazy looking tarsier, a celtic knot, and even an iphone.

Interested? Luckily, there is a wiki page available that lists where you can transform your machine into workable art. Adafruit, the company that created the wiki page, offers an “open source” business plan filled with advice on how to startup your own company. The company has crafted some amazing pieces, but unless you’ll be in New York City, you’re a bit out of luck- they operate on an appointment basis only. Talk about sharing the wealth.

Another option is to sell the space on your computer like Leah Culver. A young college student, Leah couldn’t afford a new computer- until she realized that she could sell space on her mac to advertisers such as pbwiki, technorati, firefox, dig, ask.com, and even good ‘ol reliable mom & dad. It worked- check out the finished product.

If you’re looking for a more non-destructive way to modify your precious gadgets, check out icolours, which sells pieces of translucent film to change the color of the lit apple.
To be platform-friendly, there is ColorwarePc, where you can buy aftermarket “body kits” for your computer. Or, the least expensive option is Gelaskins, where you can buy covers for both ipods and laptops.

Check out my blog at: http://techyness.com

If you’re like me, it’s often a bit rough to wake up in the morning. Luckily, manufacturers have realized there is a market for alarm clocks beyond the standard options of radio and buzzer. My mom always used to ask me if there was an alarm that would physically take my covers away or give me an electric shock so I would actually get out of bed in the morning. Strangely, I never looked into it before, but I have found a few more options for those who are looking foran innovative way to get out of bed in the morning.

Need to plant two feet on solid ground or move around to get your “morning legs”? For you, there is the carpet alarm clock, where the only way to turn it off is to stand on it. Or, try “Blowfly,” a flying alarm clock that forces you to catch a round helicopter and return it to its station before shutting off. If you’re interested in a really frustrating option, there is the hanging alarm clock, where hitting snooze will cause the clock to move closer to the ceiling, therefore forcing you to physically jump to eventually shut it off.Your last option is “clocky” a rolling clock developed by a MIT student for a class project that could very well be the most annoying clock of the bunch. Clocky will roll off your dresser and continue to beep, chirp, and light up until you find it. Hope you’re fast.

If work or other commitments force you to wake up before the sun rises (or if you go to a school where there is no sunlight/ a Syracuse University student like myself), the Glo pillow may be the best fit for you. Not just your average pillow, it features a layer of LED woven substrate that creates the “glo.” It slowly wakes you up by increasing the light intensity gradually from 0 lux to 250 lux , therefore simulating a natural sunrise. If you’re more of an olfactory person, try Aroma, the coffee pot alarm clock, which features coffee fragrance. I don’t know about you, but I think this one would actually make caffeine addicts such as myself upset knowing that there is not any real coffee brewing.

Loud noises or bright lights may be too much for some in the morning, and therefore a worthy alternative to noisy competitors is found in “ring.” By using a plastic ring that vibrates until it is placed back onto the dock, it is a notable design for both couples and those with hearing difficulties.
If you prefer a mental challenge, there’s the puzzle alarm clock from manufacturer Bim Bam Banana. You guessed it- it’ll only shut off if you can find the puzzle pieces and reassemble them. You’ll never be late again.

And please don’t pass on the news to my mother that I did end up finding a “shocking” alarm clock that will send you a bit of an electric shock when you reach over to turn it off. All for the bargain price of $25.

All a little better than your dog licking your face in the morning. And cleaner.

Since it’s summer time, it’s only appropriate to focus on some gadgets necessary for fun in the sun. Let’s be honest, we all love devices with multiple uses: take the “ pop drive,” a combined bottle opener and flash drive, or the iGrill, where music meets meat with a built-in speaker and amp. Do as George would and “knockout tunes and knockout the fat.” Or, if you want to take a more “techy” approach to grilling, the ultimate mod is the PS3 grill, the perfect way to show off your disassembly skills to your friends.
Just like your car, a PC offers unlimited opportunities for modification. For example, take the Top 10 Craziest PC Case Mods, including the GerbilPC, made of a gerbil cage sprayed with clear UV blue and green reactive spray paint; a “toilet” PC that powers on with a simple flush; take apart your frustrations on the Lego PC; and my personal favorite, the waffle iron PC that runs Linux.
When your PC nears the end of its life cycle, fear not as there is a way to find life after PC death. Take the hard disk sound system, where beautiful music can be made from abandoned hard drives. Listen to my two favorites: the Star Wars theme and a techno-trance song (.avi files).
Or, if you’re more interested in being resourceful, Team Boom Tape believes that “where there’s a roll, there’s a way”—and then there’s the Duct Tape Server. The Team used four rolls of duct tape as well as a roll of translucent tape to build this modern marvel. Oh, and they also compete in the Duct Tape wars at LanWar 33.
As long as you don’t turn out like this guy, I’d say you’re ok when it comes to looking for alternate functionalities for your PC.