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Liz McLean Knight, the main human behind Fractalspin is featured on the cover of the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye free magazine for a feature about geek girls, and especially those in Chicago.

“Geek Chic: New generation of women embracing inner geek” [via the RedEye]

If dissassembling computers is geeky and making jewelry is girly, then Liz McLean Knight has found geek-girl nirvana. From her Wicker Park office, Knight, 30, runs a line of accessories make from computer components and sells the “fashionably-geek hipster gear” on a Web site she created, fractalspin.com.

There you’ll find necklaces made from capacitors. Handbags made of diskettes. Cufflinks made from microcontrollers. Woot! Those wrist cuffs made of MIDI cable are super neat!

As if things couldn’t get any better than our adorable and popular Super Mario Brothers Mushroom Candy and our imitation retro-controller Nintendo Power Mints, behold our motion sensor powered Wii Controller gum tins that are pretty much the same size as the real ones, but lacking the ever-important safety strap. After you’ve finished off the peppermint gum you can use the case to store useful things like pens, DS cartridges, memory cards, ball bearings, or any small thing you need to tote around inside a Nintendo controller.

If you’re feeling of a particularly DIY spirit you can attempt to mod the case into something useful like a toothbrush timer, pre amp, actual remote control, or any of the other projects featured over at Make.

“Less Than Three” Sterling Silver Necklace - $75

What better way to share your love with your nerdy girl? This silver necklace features a less than character (shift + , on US QWERTY keyboards) followed by the number 3. Turn your head to the right… and you see love. Aww.

Teal Triple Capacitor Necklace and Teal Capacitor Earrings - $42

If your girl sees diamonds as merely ultra-hard carbon, soon to be replaced and devalued by the technological advancements made with synthetic diamonds, then she’ll love these necklace and earrings pair that use teal capacitors instead of gemstones.


Silver Compass Ring - $78
Show your loved one that you truly care with this silver ring featuring a real compass instead of a gemstone. Because, let’s face it, a rock would be pretty useless when you’re lost.


Diskette Handbag - $55
From the tag: “CARRY YOUR STUFF IN GEEK-CHIC STYLE WITH A PURSE MADE FROM TWELVE (12) GENUINE 1.44 MB COMPUTER DISKETTES. ALLOCATE INTERIOR POCKETS TO MANAGE INTERNAL FRAGMENTATION. TOTAL AVAILABLE MEMORY: 17.28 MB.” Now that’s a pretty cool purse.


Dopamine Necklace - $75
Dopamine is what we’re really celebrating on Valentine’s Day–it’s the chemical that your brain produces when you’re in love and results in a feeling of bliss. What could be a more perfect gift than the dopamine molecule cast in silver to give on Valentine’s Day?

We’ve added four new wallet concepts to round out our selection of duct-tape-based money-carrying apparatuses.

Duct Tape Hybrid Vault Wallet $18
If you’re the type who hates a pocket full of loose change and receipts then you’ll love the design of this wallet. Featuring the duct tape + PVC design of the Duct Tape Hybrid BiFold Wallet, it adds the useful feature of an internal zippered pocket for change, a separated currency compartment (also useful to stash receipts) and an edgy, decorative patch on the front to set it apart from other wallets.

Duct Tape Hybrid Change Purse Wallet $18
Girls who own any of our duct tape purses can now have the perfect wallet. This hybrid wallet features a snap-closed change purse frame on one side and a traditional wallet with credit card slots on the other, accommodating your needs.

Duct Tape Hybrid Zip Wallet $25
If you’ve got pack rat tendencies and a ton of credit cards then this is the perfect wallet for you. The zippered part lets you stash receipts, notes or checks without being worried they’d slip out and disappear forever.

Leather Duct Tape Wallet $22
So, if you’re not ready to make the leap to a fully duct-tape constructed wallet you’ve got a compromise in this Leather Duct Tape Wallet. It’s fully made of leather with a real duct tape ID holder that slides out of a pocket on the front that also provides a unique design element with its cutout corner.

If you loved our original Smiley Necklaces but hoped for a more affordable version, you’re finally in luck. Check out these Mini Smiley Necklaces that are just 1cm in diameter and only $38. Instead of a chain like the original they have a thin velvet cord that comes in black, java, denim, or plum as well, and are available in either :-) or ;-).

If you’ve already got either version of the Smiley Necklaces, our sterling silver Smiley Earrings at $68 make the perfect accompaniment. Also at just 1cm in diameter you can choose from “Wink” or “Smile” to dangle from your earlobes. Both come in a cute little gift box.

Guys you’ve lusted after our Molecule Jewelry for a long time and were briefly placated by our Testosterone Keychain. Now here’s your chance to proudly sport serotonin on your person: the Serotonin Tie Tack.

Serotonin is responsible for the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite, among other things, and low levels of it can be responsible for anger and aggression. So if you’re suffering through a boring presentation by a bunch incompetent underlings right before lunch, glance down at your stylish tie tack and remember to keep your cool.

Until October 21 you can get your very own “Your Beats Are Weak” T-shirt (Men’s or Women’s) for only $19.99 (instead of $24.00), and an IDE Belt for only $9.99 (normally $16.00). Just add any of those to your cart and you’ll see the discount at checkout. Get your belt and beats on the cheap!

And by “arsenal” we mean only a dozen :-). If you’re wondering what sort of little gifts you can buy for the people at work or to stuff into a bunch of stockings, candy will fit the bill. And nerdy / gaming geek candy is even better. If you buy 12 or more each of our Nintendo Mints, Game Boy Advance, Mushroom Candy or Nerds, we’ll hook you up with a 10% discount on the lot. You can mix up the colors of each, too. Yay for discounts!

No, not “mushroom candy”–candy that tasted like mushrooms would be pretty gag-inducing (but we found some chocolate candies in the shape of mushrooms if the subject intrigues you). We’re talking about candy that come in a mushroom, Super Mario Brothers style. Once you’re done with the candy you can use the mushroom part to store a collection of small things. Check them out: Super Mario Brothers Mushroom Candy.