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.
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. 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.