Matias intros aluminum hard case for iPod mini

Grok Headline matches for Matias intros aluminum hard case for iPod mini

Aluminum iPod mini carry case available
from Matias

Aluminum iPod mini carry case available
from Matias 06/01/2004 03:37 PM
Matias Corp. has introduced the iPod Armor mini, a new aluminum hard case for Apple's iPod mini. The iPod Armor mini sports a hard ABS plastic window to protect the iPod's screen, and provides access to the docking port. It'll also work with Griffin's iTrip FM transmitter, according to Matias. Bundled with a belt clip, the iPod Armor mini sells for US$49.95.

Apple Expo: Matias offers Clear iPod
mini armor case

Apple Expo: Matias offers Clear iPod
mini armor case 08/31/2004 08:14 AM
Computer accessories maker Matias Corp. on Tuesday introduced its Clear iPod Armor mini, a carrying case for Apple's iPod mini digital music player that's built similarly to Matias' all-aluminum iPod Armor mini, but with a clear ABS plastic front instead. The Clear iPod Armor mini features an aluminum back, docking port access and compatibility with Griffin Technology's iTrip FM transmitter. It costs US$34.95.

Matias Offers iPod Armor Mini

Matias Offers iPod Armor Mini 06/02/2004 12:48 AM
By MacNN (via MyAppleMenu)

Matias releases clear hardcase for iPod
mini

Matias releases clear hardcase for iPod
mini 08/31/2004 12:31 AM
Matias has released its new iPod Armor mini case for Apple's iPod mini...

InnoPocket Aluminum Hard Case for
Tungsten T3

InnoPocket Aluminum Hard Case for
Tungsten T3 11/14/2003 06:54 AM

Matias debuts new iPod Armor case, more

Matias debuts new iPod Armor case, more 01/05/2004 01:12 AM
Matias Corp. has announced a new iPod Armor aluminum hard case that sports docking port access and is compatible with every iPod Apple has shipped...

Griffin intros soft auto cradle for
iPod, iPod mini

Griffin intros soft auto cradle for
iPod, iPod mini 09/01/2004 12:34 AM
Griffin Technology today announced the PodPod, a soft foam iPod cradle that slips into any auto cup holder...

Tunewear intros new iPod, iPod mini
accessories

Tunewear intros new iPod, iPod mini
accessories 12/29/2004 04:11 PM
Tokyo-based Tunewear on Wednesday announced four new accessories for use with the iPod or iPod mini: Prie Hook cases, Poptune removable wrappers, Waterwear water-resistant cases and aluminum clips for the company's Icewear mini cases. Prie Hook, which will ship in mid-January for US$54, features a large metal hook that you can use to attach the leather case to a belt loop or other spot. A flap at the bottom opens for charging the MP3 player in a dock; slots at the top and bottom allow access to all the ports. It's available in two models, one that fits all 4G iPods -- including the iPod photo -- and one that fits the iPod mini; the hook on the latter doesn't swivel 360 degrees, however.

Contour Design intros hard Showcase for
4G iPod

Contour Design intros hard Showcase for
4G iPod 09/02/2004 02:08 AM
Counter Design has introduced the Showcase 4G, a hard shell designed for Apple's fourth-generation iPods, which feature the same click wheel found on the iPod mini. The Showcase 4G offers shock-absorbing rubber on the inside and a hard shell on the outside, with clear plastic protecting the screen. Openings allow access to the click wheel, buttons and ports and a detachable clip enables you to secure your iPod to your belt. Contour expects to ship the Showcase 4G during the first week of September for US$32.99. Available colors are black and white. The company's Web site was not yet updated as MacCentral posted this article.

Kyocera intros iPod mini-matching
digital cameras

Kyocera intros iPod mini-matching
digital cameras 07/23/2004 11:17 AM
Kyocera has announced new versions of its Finecam SL400R digital camera in colors to match Apple's iPod mini music player line...

Tunewear intros Prie series of iPod mini
cases

Tunewear intros Prie series of iPod mini
cases 07/16/2004 08:44 AM
Japanese company Tunewear has announced its Prie line of cases for the iPod mini. They come in four colors -- key lime, ruby pink, canvas gray and jet black -- with a choice of two front panel designs, Open Face or Classic Face. The former holds the iPod mini in place and features a flap that opens to reveal the front of the MP3 player. The latter covers its entire body, except for click wheel and control access, and covers its LCD screen with clear vinyl. Both front panel designs still allow access to the headphone jack and dock connector. In addition, you have two strap style choices, one that includes a long strap and a short one and another that offers the long strap and a built-in loop on the back of the case for attaching to your belt or bag. No pricing was offered by Tunewear.

Marware intros SportGrip case for iPod
shuffle

Marware intros SportGrip case for iPod
shuffle 03/14/2005 04:36 PM

iPod mini uses 1-inch Hitachi 4GB hard
drive

iPod mini uses 1-inch Hitachi 4GB hard
drive 01/07/2004 06:43 PM
Apple is using a small hard drive from Hitachi in its new iPod mini, according to CNET News.com...

RetroPod: Hipster Hard Case for iPod

RetroPod: Hipster Hard Case for iPod 07/01/2004 12:31 PM

The god damned hipsters have struck again -- and this time, it's portable. The Retropod is a, uhm, retrofitting of older Sony "Sports Walkmans" that is probably the very least functional case for iPods I've ever seen. All you get is a headphone out, and you have to open up the case to get to the controls. Even the inline remote won't work, because of the way the headphone extender works. But hey, their models are cute and that goes a long way, even if I can smell the reek of Pabst right through the JPEG.

Now if the only option they offered were the $100 version, I'd have to throw them back out on the curb where they mate and sleep, but since they also have a $20 DIY version (Walkman not included), we'll let it slide for now.
Read [RetroPod]

Lajo offers new iPod mini case

Lajo offers new iPod mini case 04/30/2004 10:46 AM
Lajo has released the exomini-fb, the company's latest case for Apple's iPod mini...

iPod mini Ostrich Leather Case

iPod mini Ostrich Leather Case 03/19/2005 02:45 AM

We know it's a plight iPod and iPod mini owners alike suffer from: what exotic or psuedo-exotic animal flesh or furs can we adorn our sacred pods with? Well, we're nothing if not keen to further the awareness of such products as the Piel Frama Ostrich Leather Case for your iPod mini. The "luxurious and unusual ostrich leather case" is $95 but currently out of stock at iPodWorld. Rest assured, when they find another pack (gaggle?) of half-buried birds, they'll be selling in no time. It comes with a removable belt clip and has room for two credit cards, for when you find a more interesting beast to blanket your mini in.

Catalog Page (Out of Stock) [iPodWorld via shinyshiny]

Speck announces first case for iPod mini

Speck announces first case for iPod mini 01/16/2004 11:33 AM
Speck Products has announced a newly designed rubberized skin for the recently announced iPod mini...

Green House XSIO Aluminum Hard Drive
Enclosures

Green House XSIO Aluminum Hard Drive
Enclosures 06/29/2004 01:39 PM

Why, these XSIO external hard drives enclosures from Green House look awfully familiar. Let me look at the specs; hrm, yes, aluminum, fanless, Mac OSX supporting towers ... huh, no, just doesn't ring a bell at all. The 120GB, 160GB, and 300GB USB 2.0 and FireWire drives will be available in July in Japan and will also work with Windows, if that's your OS of choice. In addition, software is included that will allow up to 8 hard disks to be recognized by the OS as a single virtual drive.
Read - Product Information (English) [TechJapan]
Read - Product Page [Green-HouseJP]

SilentMaxx SF-201 Aluminum Case

SilentMaxx SF-201 Aluminum Case 03/21/2003 10:19 AM

Lian Li V1000 Aluminum PC Case

Lian Li V1000 Aluminum PC Case 07/13/2004 10:05 AM

< img src="http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/images/lianli_v1000.jpg" alt="lianli_v1000.jpg image" width="440" height="331" class="borderyes" border="0" align="center" vspace="5" hspace="0"/>

We don't normally cover PC cases on Gizmodo, not just because they aren't that interesting, as a rule, but mostly because they are usually just godawful. There are exceptions, thankfully, and this Lian Li V1000 is one of them -- all aluminum, inside and out, with a mesh front and back reminiscent of the PowerMac G5. And while reading the review at PCUnleash might occasionally challenge your English parsing abilities, I think you'll find that the $190 street price of the V1000 almost sounds reasonable when you take into account the fit and finish of a well thought-out case.

The only downside? In my experience, aluminum cases aren't as resilient to frequent hauling as steel-framed cases.
< b>Read - Lian Li's PC-V1000 Case [PCUnleash]

Kingwin "KT-424-BK-WM" Aluminum Case
Review

Kingwin "KT-424-BK-WM" Aluminum Case
Review 11/05/2003 08:17 PM

PowerLogix offers aluminum G4 Cube case
mod

PowerLogix offers aluminum G4 Cube case
mod 10/29/2003 03:24 AM
Power Mac G4 Cube owners looking for a unique customization option for their diminutive Macs may want to consider a new offering from upgrade maker PowerLogix called the PowerCube. It's a case mod for the Cube made from aluminum that PowerLogix claims offers not only up-to-date styling but functional improvements as well.

iPod mini Comes With iPod mini Software
1.0 (And Other Notes)

iPod mini Comes With iPod mini Software
1.0 (And Other Notes) 01/09/2004 09:57 PM
The iPod mini does not use the same software as the iPod itself. (iPodlounge via MyAppleMenu)

Overclocker Cafe - Lian Li PC-V65 Plus
Modified Aluminum Case

Overclocker Cafe - Lian Li PC-V65 Plus
Modified Aluminum Case 04/12/2005 08:09 PM
Lian Li PC-V65 Plus ATX Case @ Overclocker Caf

overclockercafe.com/Reviews/cases/Lian_Li_PC-V65_Plus/index.htm< br />track this site | 4 links

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case for Samsung SPH-i700
Smartphone

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case for Samsung SPH-i700
Smartphone 09/17/2004 02:13 AM
StylusCentral.com has released a new aluminum case designed specifically for Samsung’s SPH-i700 smartphone. [PRWEB Sep 17, 2004]

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case and 3-in-1 Stylus for Palm
Zire 72 PDA

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case and 3-in-1 Stylus for Palm
Zire 72 PDA 07/23/2004 02:36 AM
StylusCentral.com has released a new aluminum case and 3-in-1 stylus pen for the popular Palm Zire 72 PDA. [PRWEB Jul 23, 2004]

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case for PalmOne Treo 600
Smartphone

StylusCentral.com Introduces New
Aluminum Case for PalmOne Treo 600
Smartphone 04/13/2004 02:27 PM

Tunewear Aluminum Clip for iPod shuffle

Tunewear Aluminum Clip for iPod shuffle 02/05/2005 10:17 PM

Good morning, job seekers. Who here thinks the iPod shuffle's end cap is just begging to be lost? Why not invest in something a bit more practical, like this aluminum end cap with clip from Tunewear. It may only be a minute difference, but having your shuffle clipped to your jacket or bag sounds a lot better than just letting it dangle on a lanyard or sit in your pocket. And while Tunewear has only announced the clip in Japan, they do sell their products here, so I expect we'll see it soon enough. Since it's aluminum, you can pretend your little flash player is a PowerPod shuffle, too.

ALUMINIUM CLIP for iPod shuffle [TechJapan]

Aluminum iPod shuffle Cases Picked Up As
Griffin iVault

Aluminum iPod shuffle Cases Picked Up As
Griffin iVault 03/30/2005 07:31 AM

We first showed you Greg Gutierrez's Aluminum iPod shuffle cases back in February. For those of you who couldn't stop dreaming of coating their shuffles in anodized metallics, Griffin Technology has picked up the case and now offers it under the "Griffin iVault" moniker. It just goes to show you that if you have access to a CNC milling machine, a lot of spare aluminum and a keen sense of craftsmanship, your dreams can take you anywhere, or, at the very least, from a message board to a manufacturer. Available for preorder for $30.00 at Griffin.

Catalog Page [GriffinTechnology via DigitalMediaThoughts]

News: Griffin's aluminum iVault protects
iPod shuffle

News: Griffin's aluminum iVault protects
iPod shuffle 03/31/2005 05:57 PM
Griffin Technology Inc. on Tuesday introduced the iVault, an aluminum case designed for Apple's iPod shuffle. The iVault allows access to the control wheel, audio jack, on switch, USB port and LED. It weighs 1.5 ounces, and features rounded and beveled edges. It comes in silver, blue, red and purple. Griffin said the new iVault should be available in May, 2005 for US$29.99.

Iomega intros new hard drive lineup

Iomega intros new hard drive lineup 12/22/2004 01:51 AM
Iomega today began shipping three triple-interface models of the newly redesigned Iomega External Hard Drive...

Iomega intros new external hard drives

Iomega intros new external hard drives 03/17/2005 04:02 AM
Iomega Corp. on Wednesday added two new series of hard drives to its line-up: a new Iomega Portable Hard Drive in capacities as high as 100GB and the External Hard Drive Silver Series, with as much as 250GB of storage. The diminutive Iomega Portable Hard Drive draws power over a USB 2.0 port and uses a 2.5-inch disk that spins at 4200rpm. It comes with Iomega Automatic Backup and MusicMatch Jukebox software and is compatible with all versions of Mac OS X. 40GB (US$119.95), 60GB ($149.95) and 80GB ($199.95) capacities are available now while the 100GB ($299.95) version will ship during the second quarter.

The Plasticsmith intros new products for
Mac mini

The Plasticsmith intros new products for
Mac mini 02/01/2005 09:55 PM
San Carlos, Calif.-based The Plasticsmith on Monday released a new line of accessories aimed at Mac mini owners. The company's mini Grandstand (US$34.95) comes in acrylic or steel and offers a way to place an LCD or CRT monitor over the computer. Both versions can support up to 60 pounds and come with non-skid pads. They're both 11 inches wide and nine inches deep, but the acrylic model is 2.5 inches high while the steel version is 2-3/8 inches high.

The Plasticsmith intros Mac mini Shack

The Plasticsmith intros Mac mini Shack 04/15/2005 09:52 AM
The Plasticsmith today announced the release of its newest Mac mini accessory, the mini Shack...

Soyo intros 20GB 1.8-inch USB 2.0 hard
drive

Soyo intros 20GB 1.8-inch USB 2.0 hard
drive 08/13/2004 12:18 PM
Soyo Group Inc. has taken the wraps off its latest portable hard drive, the Cigar HD20, a 1.8-inch hard drive with a USB 2.0 interface and 20GB of storage capacity. With its magnesium alloy casing, the US$199 Cigar HD20 is approximately the size of an iPod and weighs 2.8 ounces. The hard drive spins at 4200RPM and it draws power from a USB port. Soyo's Web page for the product lists the inclusion of compression/decompression software as well as e-mail sending and receiving capabilities and security features, but a company representative told MacCentral that none of those items currently ship with the drive, although they could be added at a later date. He was unsure if they will be compatible with Mac OS X. The Cigar HD20 comes with a USB 2.0 cable and a soft carrying case.

Kanguru intros redesigned Quicksilver
hard drive

Kanguru intros redesigned Quicksilver
hard drive 02/05/2005 10:09 PM
Kanguru Solutions today announced a redesigned Quicksilver external hard drive...

TikiMac intros Kuna external hard drive

TikiMac intros Kuna external hard drive 07/06/2004 10:14 AM
TikiMac on Tuesday announced Kuna, a new aluminum-clad external hard disk drive in capacities from 120GB to 400GB. The drive features two FireWire 400 ports and a USB 2.0 port, and features an interlocking design that permits users to stack multiple Kuna drives horizontally to save space. TikiMac uses 7200RPM hard drive mechanisms with 8MB caches. Prices range from US$169.99 to $499.99 depending on capacity.

CES: Archos intros 4GB hard drive-based
ARCDrive

CES: Archos intros 4GB hard drive-based
ARCDrive 01/06/2005 02:59 PM
Archos Inc. on Thursday introduced its ARCDrive 4GB USB Key, a USB 2.0-based 4GB portable storage system that uses a tiny hard disk mechanism instead of flash media. Compatible with Mac and Windows PCs, the $149.99 ARCDrive 4GB Key is equipped with a key ring attachment and a foldable USB connector. The square drive joins similarly designed 20GB and 40GB models, and is anticipated for retail availability in late January. It's compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.4 or higher.

Canon intros Optura 400, 500 mini DV
camcorders

Canon intros Optura 400, 500 mini DV
camcorders 06/08/2004 01:59 PM
Canon announced on Tuesday two new additions to its line of mini DV cameras: the O ptura 400 and Optura 500. Both are 2.2-megapixel cameras capable of shooting still images and digital video. They capture photos in JPEG format, with three levels of compression available -- the 400 model uses Motion JPEG and the 500 uses MPEG-4 for digital video. Both can simultaneously shoot video and capture still images, saving to a Multimedia or SD Memory Card, or a MiniDV cassette, and both support the PictBridge standard for direct printing to any printer that also supports it.
Grok Description matches for Matias intros aluminum hard case for iPod mini
GrokA matches for Matias intros aluminum hard case for iPod mini

Vaja iVod Mini Leather Case

Vaja iVod Mini Leather Case 06/21/2004 10:31 AM

Have an iPod mini? Like leather? On your iPod mini, I mean, you perv? Whining Dog reviews the Vaja iVod Mini case and I have to say, really, it looks pretty ugly to me -- it makes the cute iPod mini look like a thrift store couch, I'm saying -- but if leather's your thing, daddy, then don't let me stop you.
Read [WhiningDog]

Related
Tunewear Icewear Silicon iPod Mini Sheathes [Gizmodo]

Vaja releases iVod mini case

Vaja releases iVod mini case 05/14/2004 01:25 PM
The iPodlounge notes that Vaja has released the new iVod mini case for Apple's iPod mini...

Vaja iVod Mini

Vaja iVod Mini 05/24/2004 08:22 PM
Vaja's variety of color choices is truly impressive, and leather case buyers will likely find the iVod mini to be acceptably priced given the scarcity of comparably beautiful options. By Jeremy Horwitz, iPodlounge (via MyAppleMenu)

Seared without, purple within.

Seared without, purple within. 08/15/2004 08:02 AM
There are few disadvantages to living in Florence. Those that there are tend to be balanced out by the good stuff: a lack of real ale versus 80¢ espressos; the shops shutting for four hours at lunch against the saintly...

Purple Pilcrows

Purple Pilcrows 06/01/2004 04:17 AM
When everyone from Lauren to Aaron Swartz is whining at me to make the #-marks go away, I have to listen. I’ve adapted Simon Willison’s brilliant hack, and a couple of remarks are worth making...

Purple Or Blue?

Purple Or Blue? 04/04/2005 03:20 PM
We're getting a lot of email from fans commenting on the two shades of ROTS card-backs.

The Color Purple

The Color Purple 04/21/2004 02:03 AM
Tonight, as the U.S. election year news-churn moves to the question of whether Senator John Kerry deserved his several Purple Heart citations, it's time to explain military conventions to those who've never served. Blood pumping out from the human heart through arteries is oxygenated and bright red. On return (through veins) and having done its work, blood is bluer, plurplish. Harvesting the lungs' largess, the heart enriches and reddens it again, and sends it back out. You'll...

Purple and Green

Purple and Green 03/19/2005 03:24 AM

« Finns enjoying a walk out on the grasshopper-free ice in -20C weather thanks to St. Urho. »

Today is St. Patrick's Day but yesterday, yesterday was St. Urho's Day, both of which are goofy folklore that have metamorphosed into back-to-back drinking holidays. The only Urho people think of in Finland is the former president, Urho Kekkonen, not the guy who apparently drove the grasshoppers out of Finland in mid-winter and saved the grape harvest. I asked a bunch of people about St. Urho and every one said, "Kekkonen?". There's a statue of Urho in Minnesota where the dedication plate reads:

THE LEGEND OF ST. URHO

One of the lesser known, but extraordinary legends of ages past is the legend of St. Urho-Patron Saint of the Finnish vinyard workers.

Before the last glacial period wild grapes grew with abundance in the area now known as Finland. Archeologists have uncovered evidence of this scratched on the thigh bones of the gieant bears that once roamed northern Europe. The wild grapes were threatened by a plague of grasshoppers until St. Urho banished the lot of them with a few selected Finnish words.

In memory of this impressive demonstration of the Finnish language, Finnish people celebrate on March 16, the day before St. Patrick's day. It tends to serve as a reminder that St. Pat's day is just around the corner and is thus celebrated by squares at sunrise on March 16. Finnish women and children dressed in royal purple and nile green gather around the shores of the many lakes in Finland and chant what St. Urho chanted many years ago.

"HEINASIRKKA, HEINASIRKKA, MENETAALTA HIITEEN."
(Translated: "GRASSHOPPER, GRASSHOPPER, GO AWAY!")

Adult male, (people, not grasshoppers) dressed in green costumes gather on the hills overlooking the lakes, listen to the chant and then kicking out like grasshoppers, they slowly disappear to change costumes from green to purple. The celebration ends with singing and dancing polkas and schottisches and drinking grape juice, though these activities may occur in varying sequences. Color for the day is royal purple and nile green.

SULO HAVUMAKI

The only thing that's green and purple around this time of year is the vomit on the sidewalks. Honest. I found a paper online Ethnic Symbols: Their Role in Maintaining and Constructing Finnish American where the Finnish author tries in earnest to figure out what the American Finns are on about but fails.

Lastly, I will point out that the item St. Urho was ranked as the most controversial item on this list. St. Urho is the fictional Saint of the Finnish Americans who supposedly stopped an invasion of grasshoppers. It seems that there is great debate as to whether St. Urho should be considered a true symbol of Finnishness.

Finnishness? The only Urho these people think of is Kekkonen and he has a fountain. Not to mention where are the vinyards in Finland? In March? This has Hallmark Drinking Holiday written all over it. It is Finnish only in the 'hey, it's cold out, let's go drinking' aspect. :)

Another Finn in the US critques the whole St. Urho's thing which is pretty funny. There are also St. Urho's kitsch for those who really embrace the holiday. I nearly wet my pants reading the Ode to St. Urho which sounds more like some Irish brogue gone wrong more than Finnglish...

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as pirds.
Neffer peefor haff I hurd tose words!

He reely tolt tose pugs of kreen
Braffest Finn I effer seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes

He kot tall and trong from feelia sour
Unt ate kala moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why tat kuy could sase toes peetles
What krew as thick as chack bine neetles.

So let's give a cheer in hower pest vay
On Sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Tay.

And then, and then, and then...then there is the Urho carol which is tragic at best....

Urho Boy

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Dashing ‘cross the yard
With a pitchfork in one hand,
Urho sees his foe
Munching all his land.

Grapes both green and red
Falling from the vine,
Urho has to get those hoppers
Or there will be no wine.

Oh, Urho boy, Urho boy,
The bravest that we’ve seen
Use the sisu that you’ve got
To get those bugs of green.

Hey!

Urho boy, Urho boy,
Our future’s in your hands.
Stop those hoppers in their tracks
And save our mother land!

So, no, St. Urho's isn't Finnish, not in the least, but drinking holidays are always welcome around here so in that respect it might be adopted someday. And, for those Americans with their pictures taken in front of St. Urho's pub, I regret to inform you that it was named for Kekkonen. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day :)

purple rain movieoke

purple rain movieoke 07/12/2004 02:25 PM
it helps that i know all the dialogue

Dreaded Purple Master

Dreaded Purple Master 02/19/2004 08:49 AM

Purple Number Signs

Purple Number Signs 05/30/2004 12:09 AM
Until this weekend I’d never heard of “Purple Numbers” but they’ve been across the radar twice in the last day, first in some commentary by Chris Dent on the Atom-Identifier issue, then again over at Jonas Luster’s place. First I thought, why not? Then, why numbers?...

Cadbury Trademarks The Color Purple, and
they're not alone

Cadbury Trademarks The Color Purple, and
they're not alone 03/25/2005 11:52 PM
Xeni Jardin: Boing Boing reader Rob says,

Because it's Easter, I find myself in the possession of a Cadbury chocolate product. What do I find on the back?

"Cadbury, ellipse device, dairy milk, the glass and a half device and THE COLOUR PURPLE are Cadbury Limited trademarks used under licence in New Zealand by Cadbury Confectionery Ltd."

All our purple are belong to Cadbury Confectionery Ltd.!

Link

Update: Kevin Fox sez

In regards to Cadbury trademarking the color purple, four years ago I was working as a boom operator on an independent film and noticed that the boom manufacturer, Mr.LongArm, had trademarked the color yellow. I thought it was funny enough to document. blog post (tangential), and photo.

MartinS in Germany says,

Check my compatriots: been there, done that. German Telecom also thinks they own the letter "T". Link one, Link two.

Thomas J. Brown says:

In addition to Cadbury trademarking the colour purple and Mr. LongArm trademarking the colour yellow, my mum used to work for an ad agency that held an account with McDonalds. They have specific shades of red and yellow that are trademarked. I've also heard tell that Mattel owns green (G.I. Joe) and pink (Barbie).

plinks - a purple numbers variant

plinks - a purple numbers variant 05/30/2004 02:54 AM

Via Tim Bray, I came across the concept of Purple Numbers. In a nutshell these are permalinks attached to every paragraph on a page which, to paraphrase Tim, make every paragraph on a page a first-class Web citizen.

That's a very worthy concept, but the implementations I've seen have so far failed to inspire me. First of all, while the ability to link to any paragraph on a page is useful, the links themselves are either ugly, distracting or both. While reading Tim's entry I found myself mentally pausing after each paragraph: probably because I'm used to the purple # marks on Scripting News and other such sites designating the end of an entry. They're also extra cruft in my markup.

So, my ideal purple numbers implementation would minimise markup pollution and visual clutter.

Another issue with purple numbers is permanency: they're absolutely no good if they don't stay as true permalinks. This rules out naively generating them on the fly when a page is outputted as future edits to an article could result in links targetting different paragraphs entirely. Instead, the links (in the form of id attributes on paragraph tags) need to be assigned when the content is created. If additional paragraphs are later added to the content they should be numbered in such a way as not to intefere with the original paragraph links, which I shall call plinks for the sake of brevity.

We'll ignore the issue of visual clutter for the moment: let's look instead at how plinks can be introduced without polluting the markup of my pages. While the IDs that form the target of the links are a critical part of the structure of the page, the actual links are something of a convenience for people who don't want to dig through my source code looking for IDs and are unaware of the various bookmarklets that can reveal them (such as Jesse Ruderman's named anchors). As such, I don't see the links as a critical part of the page content, so I have no qualms whatsoever about appending them to the page using JavaScript after the page has loaded. Here's the function I'm using:

function addpLinks() {
  var paras = document.getElementsByTagName('p');
  for (var i = 0; i < paras.length; i++) {
    var current = paras[i];
    if (/^p-/.test(current.id)) {
      // It's a purple link paragraph
      var plink = document.createElement('a');
      plink.href = document.location.href.split('#')[0] + 
        '#' + current.id;
      plink.className = 'plink';
      plink.appendChild(document.createTextNode(' #'));
      current.appendChild(plink);
    }
  }
}

The function iterates over every paragraph on the page looking for paragraphs with an id that starts with "p-", my chosen format for plink IDs. When it finds one, it creates a new link using the DOM and assigns it an href attribute which is the base URL of the current page (not including any existing fragment identifier) with a # and the paragraph's ID appended on the end.

My plinks all have a class of "plink", which allows me to style them. This is where I can reduce the visual clutter on the page as much as possible. Consider the following:

p a.plink {
  text-decoration: none;
  color: #c8a8ff;
  display: none;
}
p:hover a.plink {
  display: inline;
}

In an ideal world this would make the links invisible until the mouse cursor was positioned over the containing paragraph. Unfortunately, IE for Windows only honors the :hover pseudo-selector when it is applied to links. I'd like IE users to have at least a chance of discovering my plinks, so I came up with this:

p a.plink {
  text-decoration: none;
  color: #fff; /* the page background colour */
}
p:hover a.plink, p a:hover.plink {
  color: #c8a8ff;
}

The plinks are initially invisible by virtue of having the same colour as the page background. In browsers that support :hover on paragraphs, they become visible (by changing colour) when the mouse hovers over the paragraph. In browsers that only support :hover on links, they become visible when the mouse hovers over the links. Sure, they're a lot harder to find but I see it as an easter egg for IE users. Another example of MOSe in action.

There are a couple of more pieces to the puzzle. Firstly, adding all of those IDs to those paragraph tags is the kind of task that humans avoid and computers thrive on. Now I could automate this in my CMS, but I'm not in the mood for PHP at the moment so I've automated it in a bookmarklet instead: Add plink IDs (drag to your bookmarks). The bookmarklet will look inside any textareas on the current page and add an ID to every paragraph, provided it's a simple <p>. It's something of a quick hack but it does the job. Here's the bookmarklet code expanded to show how it works:

javascript:(function() {
  var tas = document.getElementsByTagName('textarea');
  for (var i = 0; i < tas.length; i++) {
    var ta = tas[i];
    var text = ta.value.replace('<p>', function() {
      if (typeof arguments.callee.counter == 'undefined') {
        arguments.callee.counter = 0;
      }
      return '<p id="p-'+arguments.callee.counter++ +'">';
    });
    ta.value = text;
  }
})();

Incidentally, the above uses a technique I picked up today while flicking through David Flanagan's eternally useful JavaScript: The Definitive Guide. Inside a JavaScript function a special object called arguments is available. The object has a property called callee which refers to the function itself, even if as above it's an anonymous function. Since functions are objects they can have properties: in this case, I create a counter property and use it to keep track of the IDs as I assign them. The whole lot is contained within a function argument to a replace call, where the function is called every time a <p> is found to determine what to replace it with.

At this point I had everything I needed, but then inspiration struck: how about a method of highlighting a paragraph if a user should visit a page using a link that targetted it? Suporting this meant adding yet another function to be executed once the page had loaded:

function plinkHighlight() {
  if (/#p-/.test(document.location)) {
    // The user arrived via a plink
    var plink_id = document.location.split('#')[1];
    var para = document.getElementById(plink_id);
    para.className = para.className + ' plinkHighlight';
  }
}

A custom style for the highlighted paragraph can now be defined using the plinkHighlight class hook.

I've now implemented all of the above on this site (mostly in the file plinks.js) although currently this is the only entry that contains plink IDs. Best of all, I didn't have to touch a single line of my CMS! This JavaScript thing could really catch on some day.

I have purple flying monkeys on my pj's

I have purple flying monkeys on my pj's 03/06/2004 01:55 AM
Crazy day today. Twice we had to evacuate the school. Once during my history test, which was not cool whatsoever,...

ongoing · Purple Number Signs

ongoing · Purple Number Signs 05/30/2004 11:36 PM
Tim Bray is trying out .. Purple Number Signs .. Tim's entry

tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2004/05/29/PurpleNumbers
track this site | 5 links

Glacial Erratics: Big Day for Purple
Numbers

Glacial Erratics: Big Day for Purple
Numbers 05/31/2004 07:10 AM
Big Day for Purple Numbers .. described by Chris Dent

burningchrome.com:8000/~cdent/mt/archives/000277.html
track this site | 4 links

Milk it, Baby: Godin's Reflections on
Purple Cow

Milk it, Baby: Godin's Reflections on
Purple Cow 02/26/2003 03:48 AM
Google runs the risk of being just a very good utility unless they start aggressively developing flankers. Google news was an example of that. ...

amy sedaris hosting Purple Rain on Trio

amy sedaris hosting Purple Rain on Trio 04/28/2004 10:04 AM
along with some other cult classic movies like Heathers

Man in Purple Robe Leads Police on Chase
(AP)

Man in Purple Robe Leads Police on Chase
(AP) 04/05/2005 11:52 PM
AP - A man sporting a purple robe led police on a bizarre, 1 1/2-hour pursuit through two counties before he was arrested Tuesday, authorities said.

Lime green + Lilac purple = Colorlicious
dreams

Lime green + Lilac purple = Colorlicious
dreams 05/18/2004 04:34 PM
Last year I had a season with orange but as I typically am prone to do I've suddenly become wildly...

Simon Willison: plinks - a purple
numbers variant

Simon Willison: plinks - a purple
numbers variant 05/31/2004 05:19 AM
Simon Willison made the technique dynamic .. plinks - a purple numbers variant .. already with the variants .. JavaScript implementation

simon.incutio.com/archive/2004/05/30/plinks
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The JSP Files -- Part 1: Purple Pigs in
a Fruit Basket

The JSP Files -- Part 1: Purple Pigs in
a Fruit Basket 06/06/2002 06:00 AM
WebmasterBase Jun 6 2002 0:50AM ET

"John Kerry's Own Biography Claims He
Had Seen No Combat Even After He Won His
First Purple Heart"

"John Kerry's Own Biography Claims He
Had Seen No Combat Even After He Won His
First Purple Heart" 08/19/2004 02:32 AM

Cape Times - Zimbabwe's colour TV may
also ban pink, purple, white and green

Cape Times - Zimbabwe's colour TV may
also ban pink, purple, white and green 07/16/2004 01:58 PM
"But there is red in so many things," I argued. "You can't simply ban it out of the spectrum.""We can do what we like with the spectrum, whatever that is," .. Zimbabwe's colour TV may also ban pink, purple, white and green .. A new kind of Red Scare

capetimes.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=333&fArticleId=2149318
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Details on how Kerry earned his Purple
Hearts and Bronze and Silver Stars

Details on how Kerry earned his Purple
Hearts and Bronze and Silver Stars 04/15/2004 03:47 AM
THE BOSTON GLOBE ON QUESTIONS ABOUT KERRY'S PURPLE HEARTS .. exaggerating a couple scratches .. REPORTS:

boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/04/14/kerry_faces_ques tions_over_purple_heart
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Internet music provider wants copyright
case suspended till US case decided

Internet music provider wants copyright
case suspended till US case decided 02/10/2004 02:47 PM
AFP via Yahoo! Feb 10 2004 5:41PM GMT

PC Case Roundup, Including The Case of
Ultimate Darkness

PC Case Roundup, Including The Case of
Ultimate Darkness 04/20/2004 07:17 AM
ExtremeTech has a nice PC Case Roundup, with samples ranging from the bizarrely-shaped to the cute and cuddly. There's a huge range of options in PC cases these days; the choice is no longer simply 'How much room do I want?' but 'What do I want it to look like?'...

Confidence Man - The case for Bush is
the case against him. By William Saletan

Confidence Man - The case for Bush is
the case against him. By William Saletan 03/06/2004 01:53 AM
the full article .. questo articolo .. William Saletan .. Will Saletan's

slate.msn.com/id/2096654
track this site | 5 links

Case Mod: Putting An iMac DV Into An ATX
Case

Case Mod: Putting An iMac DV Into An ATX
Case 01/10/2004 05:36 PM

What is the case against CASE

What is the case against CASE 03/13/2003 10:23 AM
My company is gearing up to begin design and development of an information system. Many of the people here are enamoured with "CASE" tools -- Oracle Designer in particular instance, but it might as well be any of a dozen others such as Rational Rose, etc... Obviously, open source projects produce lots of software, yet seem to shun CASE tools. I can't really think of any reason why CASE and open source are incompatible. So what is the technical case against CASE tools?

Matias intros aluminum hard case for iPod mini

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: purple ivod case