Recycled Computing

Perfect Notebook Accessories

- 2010.05.26

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Short link: http://bit.ly/9seUXq

Every once in a while you run into products that are made by different manufacturers that seem to just be made for each other in a fashion that is almost Zen-like.

Long, long ago, I was wandering around Marshall's (a discount clothing store), and I happened to notice this odd-looking shoulder bag. At the time I worked as a classroom aide at the same school I work at now. I was always looking for some way of carrying the supplies that I need from class to class.

The bag was made by Timberland (a work boot manufacturer) and was called a "field" bag. It had lots of pockets (a female friend of mine claims that there is some sort of complex that men who buy things with too many pockets have, but it was some long name, and I was watching the playoffs at the time, so I didn't give it much thought) and places for the many pens, pads of paper, and the flotsam and jetsam that I carried around at the time.

I discovered the old Newton MessagePad a little later and started using it to take notes in classes. It could hold the Newton MessagePad and it's attachable keyboard in a special "Newton" case (it has "Newton" written on it with the Newton logo). The Newton was great for note taking, since you can draw on the screen as well as type on it using the keyboard. It was fantastic for algebra class or any course (all science classes come to mind) where you had to draw something on paper (in this case, electronic paper). On top of this, I have horrible handwriting, so typing class notes was invaluable to the students who read them and the special education teachers who used them to see what was going on in the classes their students were attending.

Rocketfish metal netbook cooling stand Okay, so that was a little off topic, but when I rebuilt the 12" PowerBook G4, I discovered that the subcompact laptop would fit perfectly into my Timberland Field Bag. Like it was made for it. Spooky, huh? Sure, you're thinking that it is a happy coincidence.

One of the big flaws with the 867 MHz PowerBook is that it gets hot. It has not exceeded the 60°C, but it can fry your thighs. I also was concerned about the protection that my Timberland Field Bag offered to my PowerBook G4. knit MacBook case Little did I know that Rocketfish makes the perfect cooling stand, and that it would fit my 12" 'Book perfectly - and then fit into my Timberland Field Bag with the computer. Coolness, huh?

My last picture is of the protective sleeve that my daughter knit for her MacBook. In addition to being an outstanding student at college, she can knit up a storm. She sewed the lining and sewed the zipper in as well.

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