104 MAXIMUMPC APRIL 2004
M THIS MONTH:^ Michael Johnson’s Matrimony Mod
ichael Johnson couldn’t
have picked a better
way of expressing
himself to his beloved than
by proposing marriage with aRig of the Month
MAXIMUMPCby proposing marriage with a
case-mod.
For one thing, it says he’s a
romantic. You’d have to be to
even fathom such folly. He’s
devoted, having spent every
lunch hour for three weeks at
work on the project in his par-
ents’ garage, where his girl-
friend wouldn’t discover it. His
attention to detail is evident,
what with the way he meticu-
lously covered every wire with
white-wrap heat-shrink and
stringed pearls from a crafts
store—to say nothing of the
mini ribbon roses and “lacy
wedding-ish stuff” that lov-
ingly accents the case. He’s
handy, that’s for sure. Besides
adding both a front and side
window, he Dremel-etched
on the latter “Will you do me
the honor?” And it’s clear that
Johnson’s in touch with his
feminine side.
In addition to that, Johnson
proves his wisdom. The top
tier of the faux wedding cake
(which he of course hand
crafted), opened to reveal a
good-size rock.
What girl wouldn’t be won
over? According to Johnson,
“it worked like a charm.” He
and Rachel are planning a
summer 2005 wedding.
“Maybe I’ll convince her to
get a wedding cake shaped like
a PC,” Johnson jokingly adds.Is the future bride
more interested in
modding now?
“Yes, but probably
just as a spectator,”
says Johnson. “Will
we be the first hus-
band-and-wife mod-
ding team? Probably
not,” he adds. not,” he adds.“Hehe. Now she
can look at the
PC everyday and
be reminded of
what a nerd she
is marrying,”
says the happy
husband-to-be.Johnson extended the
marriage motif to the desk-
top, where a picture of the
engagement ring greets
Rachel whenever she
boots her PC.“Hehe. Now shePC everyday andwhat a nerd sheA Photoshop document taped to the inside of the case
window served as a guide for Johnson’s etching. “My
hand kept falling asleep holding the Dremel steady, so
I had to take breaks to get the blood flowing.”Fueled byMod. Overclock. Never Sleep!For his winning entry
Michael Johnson wins
$1,000 and a 12-pack of BAWLS to
fuel his late nights of modding.
You can win too! See previous
page for contest details.