Computers were supposed to dehumanize us, throw us out of our jobs and reduce life to a series of opaque codes. Instead, like pets or unconsidered habits, they have insinuated their way into our lives. Who leaves the house these days without a cellphone, digital camera, gps system or laptop, some of them accessorized with the gadget equivalent of a rhinestone dog collar?

But even beyond personalizing your computer, computers let you personalize nearly every aspect of your life, from tissue boxes to candy, clothes to artwork. Personalization used to be limited to monograms or a team T-shirt, but there's a limit to how much one person can embroider or silkscreen, and a limit to how much can be conveyed by a set of stitched initials.

Instead, mass customization uses computer-aided manufacturing systems to turn out personalized products. Upload your artwork or mark your preferences and handbags, jewelry, tissues and items from luxe to everyday are delivered to your door. Many corporations have recognized that mass customization can help them stand out in an increasingly competitive market. And beyond the novelty factor, involving the customer helps build brand loyalty.

Levi-Strauss was among the first to use computers to create custom jeans and Nike ID allows you to choose the color of nearly every seam and placket of sneakers, gym bags and watches. You can even finish them off with a message rather than the Nike logo.

However, mass customization doesn't always appeal to customers. The Customatix sneaker site lasted only a few years and Levi-Strauss found customers were satisfied with merchandise in the stores. Custom postage stamps went online and then offline a few years ago. They are now back online at www.Zazzle.com

The big daddy of customization is T-shirts. They have been the medium that moves mass customization from the corporate realm into the control of the "prosumer," the individual consumer who creates a market. Lots of sites have dispensed with designers altogether, allowing customers to submit their art for online customers who rate it and buy it. Cafepress goes even further, printing your art on notebooks, coffee mugs, aprons, mouse pads and more, and setting up a simple shop where you can sell your work.

What inspires people may be surprising. Everyone has thoughts to share about barbecue, and aprons and T-shirts are naturals for competitions and community picnics. There are plenty of dogs and rainbows, but there are also hundreds of T-shirts devoted to ramen. Who knew dried noodles could inspire such creativity?

Philosopher Alan Watts speculated that modern life leaves little room for material competency and the sense of personal accomplishment that comes with it. Our educations and jobs are abstract. It's hard to look at a completed memo with the same pride a stone carver takes in his gargoyle. But when someone complements your custom-made purse, or even better, you spot someone wearing your T-shirt design, that's accomplishment.

Ellen Lupton, a professor at Maryland College of Art and Design and author of Design It Yourself calls it "producing media for a public." Do it yourself has moved beyond home improvements and money-saving alternatives to become a community conversation in the market. As an example, she recounts a sticker war between two students. When carnivores began pasting little roasts and chops on walls and light poles around town, the vegetarians quickly seized equal time with smiling heads of broccoli and celery.

Readymade magazine (www.readymademag.com) is a do-it-yourselfer's bible. The magazine describes its readers simply as "people who like to make stuff," and the stuff they like to make ranges from craft to construction to computer. The whole approach has a gentle political position - recycling, anti-corporate, a lot of freedom and a little bit of anarchy.

Prosumers take personal expression beyond affiliation, with a favorite band or a designer's initials, to a self-defined position. Computers have opened the means of production to the individual. You don't have to be an artist, you just have to have something to communicate, whether it's butterflies or politics.

Prices for custom goods tend to be higher, but surprisingly competitive and perfectly justifiable for a special occasion or gifts. And the cool factor is definitely worth it.

Your Handwriting On Your Computer
www.fontifier.com

No clearer evidence of you than your handwriting. This inexpensive software download transforms your handwriting into a computer font. The site suggests using it for scrapbooking, code making and recording a child's handwriting as he or she grows.

Personalized Tissue Boxes
www.mykleenextissue.com

In about a week, for $4.99 each, boxes are delivered to your door with your own pictures, words and choice of colors. Use your own images or clip-art on the website.

Pads With Your Photos
www.picpads.com

Notepads and shopping lists are customized with your artfully trimmed photos and chosen words in color or black and white.

Kisses Customized
www.hersheygifts.com

Print your own message on that little strip of tissue that sticks out of a candy kiss and wrap it in the foil color of your choice. A $15 dollar gift box can send a special message.

The Perfect Shirt (And Shirt Dress)
www.rebeccaanddrew.com

Choose the fit and fabric and these New York fashion entrepreneurs will make your custom shirt with smooth seams and sleek shoulders. The online catalog offers detailed sizing guidance.

From Snapshot To Frame-Worthy Art
www.photofiddle.com

Your face on an Andy Warhol style poster, an elegant oil or a wistful watercolor. The site can even print your photo on canvas and frame it.

Wear Your Words On Your Jewelry
www.elsewares.com

Along with very cool stationery and home goods, this site also offers custom silver bracelets stamped with your message of up to 24 characters that can be shared by sisters or bridesmaids. Or, send yourself some positive words.

Gift Boxes, Matchbooks, Bags, Ribbons, Napkins And More
www.foryourparty.com

Intended for weddings, but far from cliché, are white satin and gold script. In chic colors and fonts, marked with special dates, initials, literary quotations or custom art, these items will suit any occasion or just set a house style.