Happy Halloween! (Almost)

Photo courtesy of the Winchester Mystery House

Ron and I went to see the Winchester Mystery House haunted house/maze thing tonight.  We went because (1) it's Halloween, (2) we got discount tickets on LivingSocial, and (3) we live across the street from the Winchester Mystery House.

It was a very well-done attraction, especially considering the Winchester Mystery House is a historic landmark and all that.  In other words, it was freaking scary!!!**

The "maze" (I'm not sure what else to call it) starts in the front gardens and winds around the outside of the actual house.  It does go through some of the buildings in the gardens, such as the tool sheds and stuff, but not into the mansion.  The actors, who pop out at you from the most unexpected places, are probably the scariest part.

This was really well executed--the actors did a great job of hiding in the places you wouldn't expect them, teaming up (someone would distract you while another came up behind you), and staying in character.  Plus, some of them were wielding Winchester rifles, shovels, and real chainsaws (the blades were off, but I can only hope they still hired professionals to do this), and they did a good job of getting really close and not flinching.

While the actors were the scariest part, the decor was also really good (or bad, depending on how you look at it).  I wasn't exactly studying each scene in detail, but there were a lot of bodies.  Like, decapitated heads and bodies hanging from meat hooks, and torsos smeared across the floor.  There were also a lot of scarecrows (okay, to be fair, some of it was a corn maize <-- haha see how I did that? Corn MAIZE! I bet I'm the first person in the world to have made that pun).  Creepy, fang-toothed scarecrows.

I admit I was a little disappointed that they didn't stay true to the whole Winchester story, i.e. have lots of ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles, but to be fair that would have made the entire thing a lot less scary.

Finally, exiting the corn maze of creepy scarecrows into a party square, complete with costumed Halloweeners, a DJ, and, like, a full light set-up was pretty cool.

If you get the chance, you should check it out -- it's only open until October 31.  If you don't get the chance, you can always check out the REAL haunted house, which is open all year.

**A note: Disney's Haunted Mansion totally scares me.  But that doesn't mean this one wasn't legitimately scary!

Why yes, of course I Google Myself

So I was going through my weekly ritual of Googling myself and checking my Facebook privacy settings (gotta keep on top of those Facebook settings -- Facebook can be a sneaky bunch), when I thought about how, well, it's a weekly ritual and that's perhaps kind of sad.  But I've written a lot of stuff on The Internet about The Internet and how you can do your best to cultivate an appropriate footprint.  Here are some of my articles to get you started:


How to Clean Up Your Online Reputation - PCWorld
I wrote this in January 2011 for PCWorld's Business Center -- so the main focus is on how a small business owner can clean up his or her company's online reputation (assuming it's not looking so hot).  This article is mostly about online reputation "defender" services, and whether it makes economical sense for an SMB to use them.


How to Run an Online Background Check for Free - PCWorld
Who doesn't like free?  This is also in PCWorld's Business Center section, but it applies to individuals as well.  This article walks you through performing a basic online background check -- on yourself or someone else -- using social networks (you can find a surprising amount of info on these -- thanks, Facebook privacy settings), free tools, and information aggregators.


Make Over Your Online Image to Help Your Job Search - PCWorld
Yet another PCWorld Business Center article.  This article focuses less on finding out how you appear on the Internet, and more on how to avoid appearing like an idiot on the Internet.  While the point of the article is to help people who are actively looking for new jobs (in case their potential employers are running free online background checks on them), it's also useful for people who want to keep their online reputation relatively spotless.


Erase Yourself From the Web - PCWorld
Okay -- so nobody's perfect, and not everyone follows my "make over" tips to a tee.  In that case, you may find that your online image isn't exactly flawless, and you'd like it to be, well, a little less tarnished.  Here are some ideas as to how you can go about scrubbing the Internet clean of your drunken party pictures and too-political rantings.  Unfortunately, cleaning up the Internet is pretty difficult, and if it's that big of a deal to you you'd probably be better off changing your name.

Yep, we may live in a world of extremely limited privacy, but that doesn't mean you can't do something about it.  Or, at least...try.

Ghost at the Winchester Mystery House

I live right across the street from the infamous Winchester Mystery House. We went on tour there once and we SAW A GHOST. In fact, we captured it on camera. 

Check it out after the jump.

How to Jailbreak Your iOS 5 Device

So you may or may not have heard that the iPhone Dev-Team has released a jailbreak for iOS 5.  This jailbreak is still in "beta" mode -- it's a tethered jailbreak, which means you'll need to connect to your computer each time you reboot your device in order to use jailbreak apps; and you may experience other problems.  The iPhone Dev-Team stresses that this is a jailbreak for developers, but I tried it and I had no issues. 

Still, remember that you take a risk whenever you jailbreak your device, so proceed with caution, especially if this is the first time you've jailbroken an iOS device.  Also, if your phone has an unlocked baseband -- that is, if you purchased it unlocked or if you unlocked it using ultrasn0w or another unlocking tool -- you should not use this jailbreak. 

All that aside, it's one of the easier jailbreaks I've performed.  This is the first jailbreak in which the IPSW files are provided, which cuts out one of the more confusing steps (finding and downloading your device's IPSW file).  So all you really have to do is install iOS 5, download the tool (redsn0w), and run the program with your iOS device connected.

You can download the latest version of redsn0w here:

- redsn0w 0.9.9b6 for Mac
- redsn0w 0.9.9b6 for Windows

Check out my detailed how-to on PCWorld.

Problems?

Cydia is crashing

Upon the initial jailbreak, you may find that Cydia is a blank white icon and it keeps crashing.  To fix this, perform a tethered reboot by connecting your device to your computer and running redsn0w.  Instead of choosing "Jailbreak," choose "Extras" and then choose "Just boot."  Follow the instructions on the screen.

You accidentally performed an untethered reboot

Cydia and jailbroken apps may not work.  Safari and other apps may also crash.  However, for the most part you should be fine -- just perform a tethered reboot as soon as possible to restore functionality.

You're having second thoughts

Want to un-jailbreak your phone?  No problem -- simply plug your device in, open up iTunes, and hit "Restore."  You'll be prompted to backup your device (this is a good idea -- do this).  Once your device is backed up, iTunes will restore your device to its factory settings.  You can then restore your iPhone from the backup you made, though you may need to re-arrange your apps/icons.

Those are all the issues I've noticed so far -- let me know if you guys are experiencing any other problems!

Microsoft PocketTouch Will Let You Use Your Phone Through Fabric

PocketTouch Prototype

So, apparently Microsoft researchers have come up with a nifty new technology--"PocketTouch," which attaches to the back of your smartphone and allows you to perform touch gestures without ever taking your phone out of your pocket (hence the name), bag, or case.

I know, sounds like your basic boring prototype tech that'll never make it to the mainstream, but hear me out--this could be awesome.  Not just because you'll be able to, say, silence your phone through your pocket when you're in a business meeting, you'll be able to text friends on the sly without your teacher noticing!  Also, another real-world application: if this gesture thing works through fabric, you'll also be able to use it while wearing gloves (and not those weird "smartphone gloves," either). 

Genius!  Oh, how I wish I'd had access to this tech back when I lived in NYC.

You can read the rest of the story over at PCWorld.

Weekend Update

The only team worth reppin' right now.

This weekend has been a tough one--if you're a Michigan sports fan, that is.  Thursday night the Tigers lost game five of the ALCS to the Texas Rangers.  So the Rangers are going to the World Series (is it just me, or is the World Series getting later and later every year?), and the Tigers are going home.

Then Saturday my Michigan Wolverines lost to...Michigan State, of all people!  At least we're keeping it in-state, but that ended our undefeated run.

And finally, this morning, the Detroit Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers.  I thought we were going to pull through with a fancy backdoor play, especially when they started pulling out the lateral...but then Johnson dropped the ball.  So that ends the Lion's undefeated run -- but yeah, after the past few years I guess I'll take what I can get when it comes to the Lions.  Plus it's not like you have to be undefeated to win the Super Bowl, as the Pats proved to us just a few years ago.

Anyway, aside from the horrible sports situation (hey, at least we still have the undefeated Red Wings -- but they're only four games in), the weekend was quite nice.  I got to catch up with some friends from Tokyo who now live in the Bay Area, and work out and do some shopping.  Sunday so far has been a work day, if you can call it that.  All I have left to do is jailbreak my iPhone 4 (yes, for work).

Best Siri Screenshots (So Far)

The iPhone 4S has only been out for about...eight hours, and everyone's already playing with one of its most anticipated features: Siri, the voice-recognizing virtual assistant. 

Siri's not your typical robotic assistant, though. To quote a colleague of mine, Siri is one sassy little b*tch.  Here are some examples, gathered from teh Internets:

Credit: Ginny Mies

Credit: Joshua Topolsky at This Is My Next

Credit: Sh*t That Siri Says

Credit: Sh*t That Siri Says

Credit: Sh*t That Siri Says

Credit: Joshua Topolsky at This Is My Next

Credit: Sh*t That Siri Says

Well, this could definitely get interesting.

Sexy, Geeky Halloween Costumes (That You Can Wear In a Non-ComiCon Context)

Halloween is coming up!  I know this because yesterday I went to the Valley Fair mall and the store slot that always houses temporary stores is now occupied by Spirit Halloween. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Spirit is an online Halloween superstore that rents out empty mall space in the month of October.)

Anyway, as you may or may not know, I love Halloween.  What's not to love?  You dress up and get candy.  Well, okay, so I don't really get candy anymore (boo!), but I still get to dress up.  And what I love even more than dressing up on Halloween is dressing up in sexy, geeky costumes (note I say "sexy, geeky," not "sexy geek").  I've been trying to figure out what I'll be this year, so I've been scouring the Internets for ideas.  Here are some sexy, geeky costumes that people will actually recognize (yeah, I'm not going to be some obscure character from a 1950's Sci-Fi movie).

Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

 

Aw, yeah.  I like this costume for three reasons: first, Lara is the iconic sexy game hero; second, this costume is super easy to make; and third, you get to feel like Angelina Jolie and maybe carry guns (don't carry guns, not even fake ones, if you're in New York City).  While you can buy Lara costumes online, it's also super easy (and cheap) to make: black booty shorts ($12, American Apparel); a tight, cropped t-shirt or tank top (just go buy one at someplace like Love Culture for $5 and cut it); two AirSoft leg holsters (about $7 each); a belt (you have a belt, right); combat boots (about $40 if you don't already have them); and some black fingerless gloves ($2, cut the fingers off).

I was Lara for Halloween a couple of years ago -- my costume cost all of $15 to make, and I got tons of compliments:

Princess Leia - Star Wars

I know, I know -- Slave Princess Leia is so overdone.  Still, it's a classic, and absolutely nobody -- not even non-geeks -- will ask what you're supposed to be.  And yes, you should definitely do Slave Leia, because it's the only costume in which she doesn't have a ridiculous hair-do. (But if you really want to be un-sexy Princess Leia, you can buy that costume here.)

UPDATE: I went with Princess Leia this year, much to the confusion of my husband who has never seen Star Wars.  Seriously.

 

Chun Li - Street Fighter II

Some guy once told me that I reminded him of Chun Li from Street Fighter II. I like to think he said this because of my mad street fighting skills.  But he probably said it because I'm Asian and I was wearing pigtails at the time.  Oh well.  Chun Li is another good costume if you want to be a video game character, but not an unknown one.  Everyone's played Street Fighter at least once (or, if you're like my brothers and me, you've pressed the buttons on the arcade machine while watching the credits because your parents wouldn't give you any quarters).  I don't suggest you make this costume unless you're extremely skilled at costume-making.  You can buy a pretty good replica of her qipao here.

Leeloo - The Fifth Element

Okay, so The Fifth Element isn't necessarily a movie we've all seen, but Milla Jovovich's Leeloo is still pretty memorable.  Plus, this costume is easy and cheap, and all you need is white duct tape, a white bikini bottom, and an orange wig -- use the duct tape liberally! 

Tifa Lockhart

Normally I would tell you to stay away from the Final Fantasy characters -- after all, there are like 14 games in the franchise.  But Tifa Lockhart of FF VII is arguably the most recognizable female character.  Plus her outfit is a lot easier to replicate than, say, Yuna's, so...yeah.  Here's what you need: cropped tank top (buy Fruit-of-the-Looms and cut 'em up), a black skirt, suspenders ($8 at Hot Topic), long black fingerless gloves, short red fingerless gloves, and combat boots.

As for me, I'm not yet sure what I'm going to be for Halloween.  Maybe something off this list.  Maybe two things off this list.  Maybe "Sexy Sonic the Hedgehog" or "Sexy Infested Sarah Kerrigan"...

Diehard fans at the Apple Store

Even my modest Valley Fair Apple store has a line of about a hundred people.  Okay, so Valley Fair isn't that modest--after all, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been known to get his Apple products there.

I decided to head on over there at 4 a.m. to check out the scene and see what fodder I could get for a PCWorld blog.  Most of the people in line were, ahem, really sleepy.  Luckily for me, this is prime work time (I typically wake up around 1 p.m. and go to bed around 6 a.m.), so I was just chillin.

Everybody lined up under the escalators by Nordstrom.  Looks like people are really prepared!

I did get to talking to some cool Apple fans outside (the only talkative ones were the ones who'd just made it there, around 4 a.m., like me), so it was a fun trip.  Of course, when I left without even getting an iPhone, everyone looked at me like I was crazy ("What? You came all the way out here at 4 a.m. and you're not even going to wait in line?")

Anyway, I hear my Apple store was far from the most impressive when it comes to turnout.

Go ahead and check out my blog post up at PCWorld's Today@PCWorld blog.

Apple's New Siri Assistant May Track Your Every Move -- But is that a Bad Thing?

iPhone 4S -- available Friday

Even if you've heard basically nothing about Apple's newest iPhone, the iPhone 4S, you've probably heard about its incorporation of Siri, an intelligent voice-recognition program that's something like an awesome, futuristic virtual assistant.

First, some background -- in April 2010, Apple acquired voice-recognition app maker Siri.  Apple has since incorporated Siri's technology into its iPhone 4S.  Siri understands voice commands (such as "Schedule a meeting at 4 p.m." or "Remind me to pick up milk when I get home"), and can execute a number of basic tasks, such as sending messages, looking up the weather, and finding nearby restaurants.  Siri also uses a technique called "geo-fencing."  Geo-fencing allows Siri to know when the phone has entered a pre-determined area, such as your workplace or your home.  This way, Siri can perform tasks such as reminding you to pick up milk when you get home, because it knows when you've gotten home.

Most people think it sounds like a pretty neat feature--after all, who couldn't use a moderately intelligent virtual assistant?  But not everyone -- blogger Fabian De Simone suggests that Siri is Apple's "Trojan Horse," and that, with Siri, Apple is gearing up to create the "biggest Ad-Network yet."

De Simone believes that Siri could infringe on people's privacy, and in a big way.  From De Simone's article:

Apple already knows where I am and doesn’t even have to rely on me checking in. (I think Foursquare needs to pay attention)

Not only there’s enough public data to know about the locations (and businesses) around me, I will day after day build up geo-fences where I conduct business: grocery shopping, getting my haircut, my mechanic, etc.

Apple is going to know exactly what I do and where. And I’m going to be the one to tell them (by speaking to my phone mind you)

Okay, fair enough.  So because Siri uses geo-fencing and reminders, it's not unreasonable to think that it could in the future be used for delivering location-specific coupons and advertisements to your phone.  The question is, is this a bad thing?

On the one hand, I understand where De Simone is coming from.  I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of my iPhone keeping tabs on me.  That said, it's not like our phones don't already do this -- after all, wasn't there a huge scandal just a few months ago about phones doing this, and logging users' location data?  Even if your phone isn't logging your location data, the fact remains that as you carry your phone around with you, you're sending signals to the closest cell towers.  Cell phone companies therefore quite easily know pretty much exactly where you are, all the time, unless you routinely throw your phone into moving truck beds.

That doesn't mean it's a good thing, it just means it's a thing.  It's happening.  More people than you like to imagine know where you are, and there are definitely records.

That said, tracking location still isn't quite as...annoying...as pop-up ads based on your location.  De Simone suggests that it could go beyond just location-based ads.  For example, since Siri will know much of what's happening on your phone, it could suggest a pair of new shoes that your wife likes for her birthday:

Now Siri says:

While you’re at it why don’t you take a look a some shoes your wife might like. Her birthday is coming up

Wait, what? (she’s even smiling now)

You see, a couple of weeks back, my wife sent me an IMessage or even an email and said: baby what do you think about these shoes? I think I’m going to get them next month.

Now Siri knows that my wife has an interest in said shoes and a time frame. Not only that, it might know based on that picture, other pairs that she might like.

Oh yes, Siri also knows that her birthday is coming up.

Boom.

Desire + Opportunity + Delivery Medium = I just bought some shoes.

So basically, Siri could be Apple's key to knowing lots and lots about its customers.  But again -- is this a bad thing?

Worth it.

The other day I was at Macy's shopping for shoes.  I found a pair of pretty Betsey Johnson pumps on the clearance rack.  But before I bought them I first went online to check the style number and see if I was getting a good deal.  Then I checked Betsey Johnson's site, just in case they were having a sale (it was Columbus Day, after all).  Then I actually walked all the way over to the Betsey Johnson store in my mall, just to make sure they didn't have the same pumps on clearance (sales in stores are not always the same as sales online).  Then I bought the pumps.

Wouldn't it have been nice if my phone could have done all that for me, unprompted?  If, when I walked by the Betsey Johnson store, my iPhone popped up a 20 percent discount coupon, or alerted me to their sales?  Even better if it could alert me about sales on items in my size, but I'll take what I can get.

On the one hand, I'm not a huge fan of my iPhone knowing where I am and what I like to buy.  But on the other hand, I'm just...so...lazy.

So, How is Google+ Doing?

Google+.  It was all the rage just a few months ago, but it seems like the luster has faded.

For one thing, I keep forgetting that it's there.  And that's an impressive feat, considering I probably have my Gmail window open 23 hours out of the day.  And Google+ has a little notification system inside my Gmail window.  Yet...I still forget about it.

Occasionally, when I do remember that I have Google+, or I see the Google+ notification in my Gmail window, I will head on over to see what's happening.  And...well, nothing is happening.  There might be millions of people on Google+ (though apparently 60 percent of them are inactive), but I only have 78 people in my "Circles."

I'm not exactly a social networking wallflower -- I have over a thousand Facebook friends, and every single one of them is someone that I knew, in real life, before we became "Facebook friends."  Yet for some reason, only about 60 of these 1000+ Facebookers have moved over to Google+ (and of those 60, only about 10 post with any regularity).

Need even more proof that Google+ is just not happening?  Apparently most of the Google execs don't even use the product, according to blogger Michael Degusta over at The Understatement.  Degusta also put together a handy little chart, so you can see exactly how many Google+ posts Google execs have made in the past few months:

 

Interesting.

What's more, it's not just the execs who are hating on Google+.  Google software engineer Steve Yegge accidentally publicly broadcast a 4500+ word rant about Google, including the following choice notes about Google+:

Google+ is a prime example of our complete failure to understand platforms from the very highest levels of executive leadership (hi Larry, Sergey, Eric, Vic, howdy howdy) down to the very lowest leaf workers (hey yo). We all don’t get it. The Golden Rule of platforms is that you Eat Your Own Dogfood. The Google+ platform is a pathetic afterthought. We had no API at all at launch, and last I checked, we had one measly API call. One of the team members marched in and told me about it when they launched, and I asked: “So is it the Stalker API?” She got all glum and said “Yeah.” I mean, I was joking, but no… the only API call we offer is to get someone’s stream. So I guess the joke was on me.

Yegge posted his rant to his Google+ account, and meant the post to be private (visible only to Google employees).  He has since recalled the rant, with the following note:

I posted a long opinionated rant tonight about how I think Google could be doing a much better job of thinking from the ground up in terms of services rather than products. Sadly, it was intended to be an internal post, visible to everybody at Google, but not externally. But as it was midnight and I am not what you might call an experienced Google+ user, by the time I figured out how to actually post something I had somehow switched accounts.

Of course he's not an experienced Google+ user!  Because, apparently, nobody is.

Remember to add me on Google+ :)

10 Cute, Girly iPad Cases

Because I recently made my own iPad case, I thought I'd pull up this (super old) article from my other (Wordpress) blog.  This was originally published on November 28, 2011.

Ron got me an iPad for my birthday/Christmas.  Okay, yeah, so my birthday isn't until Thursday (Dec. 2), and Christmas isn't for another 23 days or so after that, but I think he wanted me to be distracted so he could get work done, so he gave it to me early.

YEAH!!!

Anyway, I went ahead and bought the official Apple iPad case (because it's nice and minimalistic, and it was on sale -- we went on Black Friday), but I'm still looking for something a little...sexier.  Like something pink, or with crystals on it.  Also, I'm trying to distract myself from Michigan's horrible game against the Buckeyes this morning.

Without further ado, here are 10 sexy, fashionable iPad cases:

1. iPad Sleeve in Teal and Brown Damask ($25)

 

I love the teal and brown -- so chic these days!  This iPad sleeve comes in a variety of patterns, and can be customized to your tastes -- snugly fitting or looser, and with a zipper, button/elastic, or hook and loop closure.  It's lined with soft minky fur, but can also be upgraded to foam inner core or water-resistant cell foam ($5 extra). Sold on Etsy by UrbanMetro.

2. MORE "Shocking" Patent Faux Leather Flip Case ($49.90, crystal screen protector incl.)

I'm not entirely sure whether I prefer sleeves or cases -- especially because a lot of cases are "flip" cases, and provide some sort of stand for the iPad (which, quite honestly...is pretty necessary).  The "Shocking" patent faux leather flip case by MORE is one of the most stylish flip cases I've seen -- it comes in hot pink, neon yellow, white, or black patent leather, and features a magnetic closure.  The pink is particularly awesome -- so far, all I've seen in the way of pink has been that non-intense, Susan G. Komen For The Cure pastel pink.  Vivid, hot pink is so in right now.  Sold by MORE.

3. Dupioni Silk iPad Case in Lime Green ($90)

 

This is one of those iPad cases that is just gorgeous, but may not be as durable as some of the others (I'm not sure, as I haven't tried it out yet).  This case comes in lime green silk, and features "whimsical buttons" in complementary colors.  The iPad is secured by elastic straps on the inside, and the case can also be folded over to make a table-top stand -- here's where I'm a little wary, as the table-top stand looks like it won't work quite as well as stands where the cover tucks into a flap located elsewhere on the case.  Check it out for yourself at Etsy (by MadObsession).

4. MORE "Safara" Reversible iPad Sleeve ($22.90)

 

Yeah, MORE did such a good job at designing its iPad case collection that it's getting mentioned twice.  The "Safara" line features reversible neoprene iPad sleeves in fun colors and prints.  As you might be able to tell, I love the dark purple/zebra print one, but the cases also come in black/camouflage and neon yellow/blue camouflage.  This sleeve is also rather decently priced at $22.90, compared to most other sleeves (anywhere from $25 - $50, on average).  By MORE.

5. iFrogz Luxe Lean iPad Case in Teal ($29.99)

 

All right, so this is technically not a case so much as it is a skin.  However, the iFrogz Apple accessories are, simply put, awesome.  A few months ago, when I bought my iPhone 4, I ran over to Best Buy to pick up a case -- any case -- for it, as I was leaving the country and I wanted to make sure it was at least moderately protected.  The only iPhone 4 cases left were the iFrogz cases in dark pink, so I grabbed one of those.  It was a tad expensive, but really, really worth it.  The iFrogz Luxe Lean case for the iPad comes  in a variety of colors, including teal (pictured), pink, black, red, royal blue, orange, gray, and black.  The hard polycarbonate shell snaps on super-easily, and has a velvety texture that resists scratches and scuffs.  There's also a thin piece of velvet inside to help keep your iPad in place and scratch-free.  Sold at iFrogz.com.

6. Zagg Embossed Leather Skin ($49.99)

 

Admittedly, $49.99 is a lot for something that doesn't even cover the entire iPad (it just skins the back), but the Zagg embossed leather skin is very subtle and sexy.  Plus, it's real leather!  If the embossed leather is not your thing, you can also get it in ostrich, alligator, or lizard patterns.  Pick one up at Zagg.

7. Leather iPad Case in White Lace ($90)

 

Even if you're not a big cowhide fan, you can't deny that this leather iPad sleeve from Etsy's tovicorrie is just gorgeous.  The white lace print is just on the front of the case, which is made of 100% leather.  At $90, this leather sleeve isn't the most absurdly-priced thing I've seen...but it does ship from England, so that'll be an extra $15 in shipping (unless you live in England).  Find it at tovicorrie's Etsy site.

8. Chanel iPad Case ($1,555)

 

Usually, people buy cases to protect their expensive electronics because if something happens to the case, well, you can always replace it -- it's a lot cheaper than replacing the gadget, right?  Not in this case (haha...case), however -- the Chanel iPad case is for people who bought an iPad and had enough money left over to buy not one, but TWO more iPads...and instead decided to spend it on a $1,500 case.  Woohoo!  Luxury at its finest.  The Chanel iPad case is made of quilted lambskin and features the signature Chanel logo zipper.  Buy it at Chanel. (If you're looking for more designer iPad cases, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Oscar de la Renta, and Gucci are also offering sheaths and sleeves, though they're unsexily less expensive than the actual iPad. Yves Saint Laurent has one for $795, though, and Tod's has one for $4900.)

9. Monster iPad Sleeve ($30)

 

This cute, pink monster iPad sleeve is brought to you from the same weirdos who make the mustache iPad sleeve (no offense, but I hate mustaches and their hipstery undertones and how everyone who has a "mustache" sleeve spells it "moustache").  This one is cute, though, and sooooo pink!  It's only made of felt (two layers), though, and it has no closure...so perhaps not the most protective of cases.  You can grab it at yummypocket's Etsy.

10. Gradation Crystallized Swarovski iPad Case - Purple ($440.63)

 

Yes, that's right, for nearly the price of an iPad, you can have this incredibly not-tacky, not-gaudy, not-overwrought Swarovski crystal iPad case from DS Styles.  It's handmade and apparently quite fragile -- the website warns that improper handling and/or collision can cause the crystals to peel off (so, in other words, you'll probably need a case for your case).  You can pick it up at DSStyles.com -- or, if you like the look but would rather not have to worry about damaging your $450+ case, pick up this cheap knockoff from Sears for just $17.99.

Obviously, I'm leaning toward the $5,000 Tod's case, but I suppose we'll see ;)

OMG, I Bought a Domain

Yes, that's right...I dropped a whopping $30 and purchased sarahjacobssonpurewal.com.  You really should be proud of me, because I'm notoriously cheap when it comes to buying virtual commodities.

This is mostly a test/first post so that I can tweak my blog design.  I've decided to go with Blogger (for now), because I don't have the time or patience to set up a self-hosted blog and, let's be serious, Blogger allows for a prettier designs and HTML/CSS customization (for free).