When I was a child, I loved playing with Barbie dolls. With their long-legged-scissor-like movements, luxurious hair, and 200-watt smile, they were ideal. Well, except for one thing: Why did Barbie ever like Ken?

Ken was not my type of guy. I appreciated that he took life with a smile, despite his anatomy, which is commendable. He also seemed stagnant, cheesy, and unrealistic. I knew even at that young age, men like Ken were the most impossible in the world.

As I grew older, I became increasingly interested in comic books. My older brother would let me tag along to comic book conventions where I would buy Catwoman, Batman and more. When I read about Batman, he looked a little like Ken, but was different. He had the good looks, suave mannerisms, a comfortable life, and as an added bonus, was smart and resourceful. Although I thought boys had cooties around that time, I knew men similar to Bruce Wayne were a-okay, but still not so tangible.

Then, as a teenager I discovered Marvel’s Amazing Spiderman. Here was a guy who had the weight of the world on his shoulders, geeky glasses, and no girlfriend. Not only did I relate to Peter Parker’s problems, but he slowly became the apple of my eye. This was the type of guy I wanted, and he wasn’t that bad looking either [geek chic anyone?]. Sure, he didn’t have it all together like Batman, and certainly didn’t take life with a smile like Ken, but he was living and breathing. Peter Parker was real, imperfect, and completely irresistible.

I know that for many guys, they look up to those I mentioned as archetypes of what women want. The truth is, flaws are attractive. From Ken to Bruce to Peter, there is a commonality: A positive attitude. Regardless of the whole womens movement thing, ladies still want a guy who they can lean on. Someone who has real issues and can handle them with conviction.

As for me, I am still trying to learn from Barbie, Catwoman, and Mary Jane–the ladies who to some extent got these different types of men. Sure, they all look picture perfect, but I believe there is more to them than that. Now, who wants to brush my hair and take me to kick boxing?

I just got home from picking up the coolest DVD case ever. The actual film inside of it has some good moments–but the packaging is out of this world. What else could it be but Transformers!!!

While looking online today, I noticed that most retailers had the standard Transformers on DVD and HDDVD, but two stores had a little more. Best Buy was offering two little toys with their 2-disc DVD. Unfortunately, the toys looked more Happy-Meal-esque rather than something that is proudly displayed alongside your original Optimus Prime circa 1985.

Target, however, had something much more applicable–a DVD case that actually transforms into a 15″ Optimus Prime! It’s not available on the website, so you may actually have to saunter into your local Target to get it. Please be assured that it is so worth it. As an added bonus, the DVD comes with a mini Transformer comic book and a special decoder to use on Target’s Transformers website. Check out the slideshow and get the “all spark” of DVD packages, people!!

p.s. Those are not my hands--totally my brothers. Man hands would be very unfortunate!

As tech enthusiasts, we deal with design frequently. Whether it is a web page or aesthetics of hardware, there is some percentage of gadgetry that overlaps with art.

I recently moved into a new cube at a very tech savvy place [which, by the way, needs some art!], and I think the the folks at Shana Logic seem to recognize where beauty meets nerd eclectics. In addition to rad jewelry inspired by computer innards and Cat5 cables, the site offers items for your abode.

Artist Cynthia Malaran has a number of nostalgic art up for grabs for $40 dollars a pop. Rustic tech featured on these wood mounted prints include the Apple Newton, Atari Joystick, NES controller, Mac Lisa, and a 3½-inch floppy disk rendering called “Boot Disk.” The entire collection seems to be a great way to spruce up any home office, and also conjure up memories of old. Who doesn’t remember playing Metroid on that old NES controller or saving reports on a good old 3½ floppy?

When I move into my digs in the near future, I plan on having a tech themed home office with complementary art. Malaran’s stuff would totally be a perfect fit! And about that jewelry–maybe it would be a good thing to give to your sweet geek of a girlfriend. I would dig it :)

I am a huge Star Wars fan, and enjoy Family Guy. This past Sunday, I happened to catch the hour-long Family Guy dedicated to Star Wars. Seeing the worlds of two of my faves meld together was a wonderful experience.

Not that I encourage pirated videos, but if you get on to You Tube fast enough, you can watch the entire episode [In parts, of course]. Check ‘em out quick because you know how those big networks love to hastily yank their content off the internets.

Who knew Louis would be such a great Princess Leia or Peter, a natural Han Solo? With the original musical score, and real film footage, I give this episode an A+. Way to go, Family Guy!

This time next week I will be sitting at a desk in my spankin’ new cube, on my work computer at Revision 3. Excuse me for a moment while I totally freak out!

Although I am very excited, I am starting to have  some of the first day jitters. It’s a comfort already knowing most of the people I will be working with, but I am all grown-up now. Allow me to explain; the last time I ever worked with these folks I was a naive 19 year old intern. Now, I’ll be a full-fledged producer. I know I have the skills and I can’t say how psyched I am to be working with such talented people–from Patrick Norton, Jess Corbin, Prager and Sarah Lane–that’s what I call and all-star company!

I just hope that I can deliver. Even when I went into my job at CNET, I felt a little anxious. I was a college kid then, and it was my first real gig so that was in some sense justified. I’m not nearly as nervous this time around, but there is still stuff to do.  Little things like getting used to the commute, finding out where to eat lunch, and getting my sleep schedule back on track. I’m guessing my usual 12 hours of sleep is going to be cut into—significantly. At CNET, I was lucky to get like 6 hours, if that. Basically, moving my life to what it was before I took my 2 month hiatus in one week. A daunting task, but so necessary.

I am looking forward to working again. I feel that I am one of the lucky people, meaning that I actually love what I do and find it to be exhilarating. Getting into the swing of working, rejoining the web 2.0 happy hour circuit…man I can’t wait! But, I still have cold feet and one week to warm them up. Here I go…

As you may already know, I have been on the hunt for a job for a couple of months now. I had some really great offers which I have appreciated. After much deliberation, I have finally decided on where I am going to end up.

Say hello to one of the new Producers at Revision 3! I am very excited to be joining the very talented team already in place and cannot wait to contribute to the programming. The reason why I chose Revision 3 is simple–I believe in what they are doing and have always been a huge fan. When I was an intern at TechTv, Cupid’s bow had hit me and I knew instantly that was where I wanted to work post-grad. Unfortunately, the company was bought and repackaged… and my dreams were crushed.

Caption: A throwback to TTV SF. Reunited and it feels so good!

With Rev 3, I have a second chance. I will be working under Miss Sarah Lane herself, which is a huge honor. When I saw what she did at TTV, it inspired me to focus on tech journalism. I have come full circle and am very gracious for this opportunity.

What I know now is that I will be producing segments, and still dabbling into on-camera stuff as well. I am also one of the three gals who work there, so that should be very interesting. Anyway, I think it’s going to be a great fit for me and I look forward to learning and growing at this organization. Three cheers for Rev 3!

While perusing through the Sharper Image online catalog, a special robot caught my eye–R2D2!

I remember seeing this cute little guy at CES in January. Apparently, Sharper Image has picked him up [good call, guys]. In terms of functionality, he can hold drinks, and has 3 modes: companion, game, and command. Little R2 can even respond in the proper beeps to certain key phrases, like Princess Leia, Darth Vader, etc. According to the website, the R2D2 Interactive Droid can also bust some mad moves. I would truly love having him as a dance partner!

This seems to be as close as I will ever get to having a real R2D2 of my own. Upon a visit to the Sharper Image, I discovered it was much smaller than I would have thought–my only foreseeable gripe. Oh and R2d2 doesn’t come cheap. He retails at about $120, which is around the price of a fancy lightsaber replica. I want both…badly. Santa, can you hear me?