When the local K-Mart got a Print Club machine in 2000, I was stoked. Why was it so appealing to acquire sheet after sheet of these tiny stickers? I couldn't tell you. But I was into it. I admit it. A tiny sheet of photos of me and my best friend with our heads next to a cartoon drawing of a pineapple? Sign me up! I didn't have a digital camera at the time, and Polaroid film was pricy. These little doodads were a nice—if not completely satisfying—way to get quick photos of my nearest and dearest. And who doesn't love pineapples?

Print Club machines started popping up in Japan in the mid-1990s, but didn't make it to these shores until around 1999. All the kids I babysat back then had their school binders covered in them. I swear, put a sticky back on anything and it turns into crack for 11-year-old girls.

I still see these booths at malls sometimes, but they've lost their excitement for me. In the far reaches of my desk drawer, I still have a few Print Club sheets, each with a handful of stickers still on them. Occasionally I'll stick one onto a birthday card or a book, but I try to use them sparingly. One day, I know I'll run out. [Photoguide.jp]

Anna Jane Grossman will be with us for the next few weeks, documenting life in the early aughts, and how it differs from today. The author of Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By (Abrams Image) and the creator of ObsoleteTheBook.com, she has also written for dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Salon.com, the Associated Press, Elle and the Huffington Post, as well as Gizmodo. She has a complicated relationship with technology, but she does have an eponymous website: AnnaJane.net. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnaJane.

Purikura sticker sheets image by slavin_fpo, and Purikura booth shot by Brian Adler, both from Wikimedia Commons under CC license

[HU2 Design via Inhabitat]

I rest my case. I want Ziggy in my keyboard now. [Chris DeLorenzo via Notcot via Albotas via Ohgizmo]

Or, with their irritatingly ironic "Downgrade Today!" slogan, they're the pre-stained Levis of the electronics world: a snobby fashion statement that makes you look like a dick for calling attention to how much money you spend on your gadgets. Either way. [Highsnobiety —Thanks, David!]

To be fair, there's actually some useful stuff in this kit. The included keyboard overlays can remind you of Gmail shortcuts (the perfect excuse to score your fix of adhesive unicorn and glitter paraphernalia). To order your stickers, send a self-addressed envelope (we're not joking) to:

Send me some Gmail stickers already
P.O. Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420

Supplies seem to be limited, so avid sticker collectors best move quickly. [Google]

I hope this incident isn't a foretaste... it's left a very bad taste with me and my team"

The message, sent by Richard Walker, senior vice president at HP's consumer PC unit, was sent in 2006. It's clear that Microsoft knew it was at fault long ago, and interesting to note just how long this whole thing took to surface. Even more interesting is the possibility that the plan to consolidate stickers for Windows 7 — originally seen as a perceptive response to public scrutiny — may have been a direct answer to deeper, more literal troubles. [ComputerWorld via BBG]

Browse through the 30 or so designs and you'll find one you like as well.

The Gallery [Gizmodo]

Product Page [GelaSkins]

Stickers cost around $12.99, and are sold in various packs and sizes depending on what you want to protect. You could, of course, print out your own stickers with your info on it. But then how would TrackItBack's employees feed their children? – Jason Chen

Product Page [TrackItBack via Chip Chick]

A 3-pack of pre-made tattoos or a 4-pack of blank, printable ones are available for $9.99. You can make your own images or grab some from deviantart and slap them on your cell.

Available for the RAZR V3 and SLVR L2, L6 and L7.

Cingular and Motorola Introduce Phone Tattoos [mobiledia]

Product Page [PimpMyLaptop]

The Cyber Gear Sticker Wizard KidzCam [Mobilewhack]

DO THE IPOD SHUFFLE [The Cool Hunter]