Geek Gift Ideas 2001 1055
Once again its time for Slashdot readers to chime in on what they think would make good gift geek christmas presents. Please put approximate prices in the Subject so Santa can more easily decide your gift ;) I'm still stuck for ideas for a few people yet. Of course I'll have to post my ideas anonymously so people don't know what they're getting ;)
paintball supplies (Score:2, Interesting)
CO2 tank - $25
Case O' Balls - $50
Face Mask - $20
Great fun and great exercise. Stay away from speedball and keep it in the woods.
Geek Gerber... (Score:3, Interesting)
better than a swiss army knife and a leatherman. you can even build your own.
Despair Calendar (Score:2, Interesting)
Art from Recycled Computer Parts (Score:2, Interesting)
I was over at FREE GEEK [freegeek.org] for their open house a couple weeks ago, and they were selling wind chimes made of old hard drive platters and other computer innards. Looked kinda cool for a low budget gift. Maybe they'll mail order. (And it's for a good cause.)
Re:iPod! (Score:4, Interesting)
Dockers Mobile Pant (Score:2, Interesting)
Just like they say.. "Stowaway seam pockets on each side designed for your Compaq iPaq Pocket PC or Motorola phone" - jeez
Would be useful nonetheless.
A Beowulf cluster of iPods... (Score:3, Interesting)
What I like.. (Score:4, Interesting)
For under $100 you can get all the stuff you need to brew and bottle your own beer.
If they are the handy person type, gift cards for your local Home Depot, Loews, Menards, etc. are good.
Bookworms always like gift cards to Barnes-Noble, B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, etc.
Or Lego Mindstorms whan all else fails
Sega Dreamcast (Score:5, Interesting)
For a geek with everything- maybe the Aibo (Score:2, Interesting)
For the newer ERS-220
75 spoken commands -
wireless navigation
read email and websites (needs $150 addon SW)
If you can put up with the high price, fact that it WONT lick your face, WILL run out of battery power in a couple hours, and sony's practices of shutting down cool attempts at SW for making it better due to supposed copyright infringments... Its pretty cool.
Re:Monty Python's Flying Circus DVD Set (Score:5, Interesting)
Geek gift list (Score:3, Interesting)
All under $30 (Score:2, Interesting)
1. Boondock Saints DVD- One of the best movies of all time. Not available from most online DVD stores for some reason, but it is available.
2. Mr. Potato Head- I got a Rubik's cube 2 years ago, a Slinky last year, and this year I want a Mr. Potato Head. Christmas just isn't fun without something that takes you back to your childhood.
3. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Ringworld, and Narnia (Lion-With-Wardrobe, etc) book sets- I'm trying to read more non-technical books.
One thing over $30 that I want... a T1. I don't think Santa will be that nice, though.
Gift ideas that are good... (Score:5, Interesting)
Digital picture frames are cool. The ones that plug into your computer via USB don't require a subscription. Kensington makes a good one (640x480) around $200. People ooh and ahh over it. (For the rich geek, get him 20 and let him make a collage over a wall. Sorry. That's more Martha Stewart than Slashdot.)
TiVo! If you haven't already joined the revolution, join it. You'll thank yourself. It will *completely* change the way in which you use your television. Oh, and for the better, too.
An 80's Arcade Game. One of those real-life 6' stand-up arcade games. Any self-respecting geek wouldn't snub his nose at one... well, unless it was a really bad title. "Oh, wow! Pit Fighter! I've always wanted one of THOSE."
Along with the idea of the RF deadbolts, various places sell mechanisms which are used for opening and closing outside gates ($800?). Would be awfully handy for the geek to fit that on a door. Bringing in the groceries or heavy electronics, having the door swing open on command (wireless or touch-pad) would be really handy. [Insert standard disclaimers about potential for misuse.]
X10 remote control stuff. 'Nuff said.
Satellite radio for car. If you've got a musical geek.
Roller Shoes. If they haven't gone out of style already. Like normal shoes, but at the flip of the button, wheels pop out from below and turn into roller skates. Yes, they make these.
Can't go wrong with Tolkien (Score:2, Interesting)
Fellowship Movie Calendar (wall)
Fellowship Movie Calendar (desk)
Fellowship Movie Action Figures
Fellowship Movie Coffee Mugs
Fellowship Movie Companion Book
Gift membership to Fan Club, getting their names listed in the credits of the movie on DVD (60 bucks, I think?)
Your very own battlefield (Score:2, Interesting)
DVDs for Geeks (Score:4, Interesting)
The Matrix/Matrix Revisited Box Set
The Star Trek Box Set (Treks one thru nine)
And not quite as geeky, but with heavy Internet overtones:
Serial Experiments: Lain Box Set
Re:iPod! (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:the iPod (Score:4, Interesting)
The iPod is a pretty cool little device, but it would be even cooler if it could record sounds on the go. That way, it could be a replacement for those microcasette voice recorders that a lot of people use, or you could just (assuming an input jack, rather than a little built in microphone) plug it into the headphone jack of a soundboard or walkman or whatever. You get the idea.
Don't just think music here: consider that, if paired with moderately decent voice recognition software back on the desktop computer, you could have close to instant transcription of speeches, lectures, meetings, etc. This is really what the PDA was invented to do, but you have to teach yourself how to get data in & out of the device, and even with experience it's a slow process.
Something like the iPod could solve the same problem in a completely novel way. It has more than enough storage capacity to record a lot of audio data, and might [???] have the processing power to do so easily. [If it doesn't have the horsepower, then maybe iPod2 can bulk up on cpu & ram, along with that built-in mic.] No futzing around with graffiti -- just leave it on your desk, recording passively. Later on, it can be rapidly synced with the much more powerful Mac/PC/whatever, where you can do the interesting heavy duty processing on your data -- transcribe it, upload it, burn to cd, whatever. Brilliant.
Having audio out -- where you can record stuff (songs, etc) on your computer & carry it with you on the go -- is cool. Having audio in -- where you can bring sounds from out in the world back to the computer for processing -- would be even better. I want to see someone build such a device.
Easy: BASIC STAMPS ($150+ for starter kits) (Score:2, Interesting)
The one big issue is that the programming environment is set up to run under DOS/Windows. I'm guessing Wine may be able to run it, but I've never tried. If you can get over your distaste for DOS/Windows (let's face it: most of us have at least one dual boot machine anyway), I can not recommend BASIC Stamps highly enough. They're true geek toys without being childish.
Come on, you know you wanna get some [parallax.com]...
VCD Recorder (Score:3, Interesting)
[goterapin.com]
A Terapin Video CD Recorder, $499 is a bit steep, but less than $1499 for the Video DvD Recorder. Works just like a VCR, except you use a CDR disc instead of a tape. It burns the disc as a standard VCD so it is also playable on most DvD players and Computers.
Pan and Tilt camera (Score:2, Interesting)
Make a DVD or VideoCD home video for mom&dad (Score:4, Interesting)
Pretty sure it would make me a hero... on the cheap!
Non-Computer Games ($40) (Score:3, Interesting)
If you haven't found them the last two years I've made this post [slashdot.org], you're missing out. Several small time game companies make cheap games often with a delightfully geeky bent:
A self-modifying card game where the rules of the game are the cards played.
No, not the beer. A Unquestionably cool set of plastic pyramids suitable for playing a variety of games, and designing of your own games.
Imagine real-time (as opposed to turn based) blackjack on speed.
All of these games are perfect for sitting in restraunts waiting for food, or other such awkward time slots that normally get wasted.
The Space Child' s Mother Goose- $16 (Score:2, Interesting)
It's on my husband's list and he's an ubergeek so it must be good.
A pet Monkey (Score:2, Interesting)
--
A Touring Kayak--$1300 to $3100 (Score:2, Interesting)
A "Buy Nothing Day" gift exemption voucher (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Home made cards and company (Score:4, Interesting)
Nothing funny about photos. They're among the best presents you can give. I gave framed prints of a b&w photo that I took in high school to my family. To this day, it still hangs on their walls.
The previous two years, I gave my father $150 Amazon certificates. Last time I was home, I opened up the kitchen drawer and found the unused (and expired) certificates under a pile of junk. Perhaps I should go back to making prints this year.
Re:iPod! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Art from Recycled Computer Parts (Score:4, Interesting)
Handmade presents are the best, and handmade presents with a geek theme are great for geeks.
Why not give your s.o./parents a portrait of yourself made out of your code, like using the Text-Image plug-in for the GIMP [btinternet.com], or my own image to text [blackant.net]. Get a nice hi-res image of yourself and your best perl script/r00t sploit, combine the two and print it out on some photo quality paper, mat and frame it.
use the case of an old monitor as the pot for a large plant.
make a custom keyboard which only has the letters of your s.o.'s name.
get out the dremel, epoxy, spare parts, creativity and go at it.
James Bond Collection on DVD (Score:2, Interesting)
PRICE: £254.99
$4000, Remote Controlled WWII Tiger Tank!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Yep, that's what I want....
Re:$6000: Doll (Score:3, Interesting)
That's just too funny to see that on
Re:For the knowledge whore (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:iPod! (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course, this situation is different from that situation-- It was in Apple's interest to let companies make stuff so Macs and PCs can better interoperate, but one of the reasons for the iPod's existence is to help sell Macs. Apple may not like that some company is coming in and, to a degree, negating that selling point. Of course, Apple can ensure the iPod will always work best with Macs by refusing to provide support to people syncing their iPod to a non-Mac computer, and by releasing iPod firmware updates (if any) so that they can only be applied to the iPod with a Mac.* We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
* - Before anyone starts ripping Apple over tactics like that, let me remind you of the countless times I, as a Mac user, have heard, "Well you'll just have to get a PC if you want to do that!" Let me also remind you of products like certain cable/DSL routers whose firmware is a pain in the ass to upgrade if you don't have a PC handy. I for one think it's high time PC users got a little taste of what Mac users have had to put up with for years.
~Philly
Listings (Score:5, Interesting)
You log on, create a list of things you like, things you don't like, things you already have, things you like but you're so picky about that anyone buying for you is a bad idea
Anyway, what _I'd_ actually want:
* Sorry if this makes me sound like I'm trying too hard, but I'd be delighted if someone gave money to a charity I support (or one I didn't yet but whose aims I agreed with) as my present. Let's be honest, I make good enough money and there's only me to support, so I don't need generosity particularly and could get pretty much anything below myself if I put my mind to it (and in some cases, not for very long, either). Others need it more than I do.
* Pretty much impossible to give, but I wouldn't say no to a larger circle of friends. If I came out of the Christmas season with nothing listed below (or similar) but having met just one or two people whose company I genuinely enjoyed, I'd consider it a good Christmas. On the same line, I'm single, ladies, fuzzy photo at the out-of-date URL above...
More traditionally:
* Books. Good fiction or several different non-fiction areas.
* Films. Has to be Widescreen, beyond that I'll try most films _once_
* Music. Play it safe and get me rock or metal, play it slightly more adventurous and get me orchestral music, try pushing the boat out by getting me some jazz or blues. Pretty good chance I'll like any, though, in some places
* Chocolate. Pretty difficult to go wrong with a big box full of chocolate
* Model cars. Don't care what size (though bigger is preferrable
* Camera equipment. I'd feel guilty if someone spent a fortune, but if you happen to see some M42 lenses, filters, tripods or gadget bags going cheap...
Less practically...
* Those desktop RC tanks with the laser tag are _too_ cool. 3 of them shipped to the UK and we could have some cool deathmatches at the office...
* My Psion 5 seems to have packed up
* Hovercraft are cool. Either give me a working R/C model hovercraft, or a good set of plans and components. Or, let me know what will make a good liftfan because I can't find one so far when I'm trying to build my own
* No DVD here yet, so, please, a region-switchable DVD with 5.1 out and ideally a Macrovision defeater so it'll work with a video projector. Oh, how about getting me that projector, I've already got a large empty white wall that would make a lovely screen...
* One of these days I'll get round to building a _serious_ video jukebox (thinking 100+ hours of storage here...) to replace large piles of VHS cassettes and just make it all more practical. If anyone sees them ready-made and upgradeable, that'd be cool.
* Left Europe for the first time this October, visiting my sister in Ontario, Canada. Loved it. All offers of trips to interesting parts of the world gratefully recieved, as long as they come at least half board and flights paid
* Over in a recent poll thread (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=23631&cid=25
* I need to replace my car at some point...
Sony's newest AIBO (Score:2, Interesting)
$1500 for a basic unit, and then you need to buy all the extra crap for wireless networking so it can read you your e-mail and wander your home under your control from a PC, but if you want an expensive toy, this one is feature rich
Re:Havard Classics considered obselete-by Harvard (Score:2, Interesting)
Revising a monument from a more humane and confident time by Adam Kirsch
The gist of the article is that much has changed in the world since the Harvard Classics were chosen, and that we shouldn't be bound by the errors of the past. Oh, and on the Harvard Magazine [harvardmagazine.com] home page, they are collecting suggestions for what a revised, modern, list of Harvard Classics should look like.
There is a certain amount of knee-jerk political correctness in the article, but it is definately worth a read.
Rio Car (was Empeg) (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:For the knowledge whore (Score:3, Interesting)
TiPbG4 (Score:1, Interesting)