Lying flat, the iPad takes up a surprising amount of space, especially if you’re low on desk real-estate. Situating it parallel to your display also saves your neck. After looking around, it seems there are two options: purchase an insanely overpriced iStand or pull a McGyver and fashion one out of cardboard. I’ve been content with the latter, but I came across this Lifehacker post that lists a few alternatives. Most of them lie under the makeshift category, but the first one caught my eye. Originally designed to hold books upright, the Fellowes Study Stand is perfect for the iPad and only $4.99 on Buy.com—free shipping too.

That was fast. I tried out Helvetimail and it fell short of expectations. Luckily, it’s easy enough to modify since it’s simply CSS. The problem, however, is that the CSS sits all in one line of code. With a quick Google search for “format css” I came across Lonnie Best’s Format CSS Online web app. It takes any form of valid CSS and outputs it into a readable format. On top of that, it allows you to customize how you’d like lines tabbed or how to handle brackets. It’s a fantastic find that’s going straight to my deli.cio.us.

I’m frequently asked if the social media network icons to the left are mine and, if not, where can one find them. Well, they aren’t mine, but you can find them on the Komodo Media website. Unfortunately, the icons were too big for my liking, so I did take it upon myself to scale them down. The set consists of 40 icons for all sorts of websites, some of which I’ve never heard of, so I think you’ll be ready for any scenario. Enjoy!

via Mike Rundle »

San Francisco-native, Chris Messina, has a fantastic Flickr collection of design patterns from around the web and desktop. He has dozens of sets filled with screenshots of dialogs, forms, components—you name it. My particular favorite is drag and drop interfaces, pictured above.

via Ethan Eismann »

I realized I’ve been posting a lot of Free Gems lately. I guess that just means there more apps that catch my eye, but also that more are being generously “donated” by the developers.

I was on a search for specs on my Macbook Pro to see if it’ll support the mammoth Apple 30″ Cinema Display. A few followers referred me to Mactracker, an incredibly useful app that provides extensive details on every Mac ever made. Luckily the 2006 MBP does support the display, so there will be no need to purchase a buggy adapter.

Before receiving the tip on Mactracker, I received links to a number of web-based solutions: EveryMac, Apple History, and Low End Mac.

via followers »

I came across these when Google image searching the phrase hyperlink icon, looking for the classic chain link. The piece is titled, “Hyperlink,” by Ben Fino-Radin. I’m not sure if it made the rounds yet, but it’s the first time I found something sane on Google image search that I decided to write about. The hands look pretty big, which makes them all the more awesome! Check out the rest of his work, which follows the same computer-off-the-computer theme.

I came across these sweet clips a few weeks ago, but didn’t order them right away—I like to save on shipping by buying multiple items at once. Coincidentally, a rep from Cablox emailed me today to let me know their product, which I blogged about a couple weeks ago, will be selling from Sirtified in the US. I checked out the site—low and behold, Sirtified also sells Cable Drop. As soon as Cablox is available, I’ll be placing an order, which might even include the Hug Salt & Pepper Shakers.

This little gadget might be the answer to my prayers. Like everyone else with a computer, I admit I have a wire problem—especially since I dock my laptop as a desktop. Every port is taken and every cable rummages my desk, looking to knock over any glass in sight. The solution is Cablox. The rubber square looks like some sort of Arduino breadboard. It does involve wires, but lets you keep them snugly hidden to avoid any drooping cords.

If you’re like me, you’ve already checked out the website and wondered if you’re in the right place. The product is promoted by these creepy, cable-fighting super heroes. Nonetheless, they’re affordable for what they accomplish—the only downside being you can only order them from Denmark. On the Cablox website, the “Where to Buy” page has a dozen worldwide locations, but each pin says “To be continued…” It makes me wonder if I should hold out, but at the same time, these are just too cool.

via Wired

Jen led me to these fancy wingtip sneakers by Sneaky Steve. I adore them—especially the green, turf-colored lining. They’d certainly make formal occasions a bit easier on the feet.

I tweeted earlier wondering why we don’t have commercials like this anymore. As soon as I pressed submit, I realized we do! Apple lives off this back/forth, pros/cons kind of commercial. On one side, there’s the better product portrayed by a cool, slick guy, and on the other side is the geeky, inferior nerd. I can just see Steve Jobs in a room, “Guys, I just saw this awesome Triax commercial—how about we do this…” Here’s one of the first “Get a Mac” commercials: