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Your Holiday Present Wish List
Paul Boutin from Wired approached me to help them do a Holiday Present list for last-minute shoppers ... but I'm lazy, so I figured I'd ask you guys to help (in exchange for your services, the $750 writers fee will be donated to the EFF to help make sure that the net is still free next Thursday). Anyway, this is part one: The Call For Recommendations. Read on to see what we're looking for. Part 2 will come in December, and it will run both on Slashdot and in the print version of Wired, in time for your last-minute shopping. (Yeah, that's months away, but print moves a little slower then us ;) )
We're looking for suggestions in 3 different price tiers.
- Cheaper Then a Playstation 2 ($300 or less)
- Cheaper Then a Playstation 2's rumored eBay sale value ($301-$1500)
- Unlimited (Mommy, can I have a stealth bomber for Christmas?)
The suggestions posted in this discussion will be milked for ideas for creating "The List". If you post an idea, you run the risk of seeing your name show up in Wired and Slashdot (Santa reads at least one of them right?) and helping distribute Christmas (or fill-in-the-blank with whatever excuse for presents you can come up with in december... Merry Yaksmas! ) cheer to good little boys and girls.
Try to include a URL to a site where more information can be found on your Present Proposal. And try to include helpful information like price, and just why this is a good present idea.
And we'll pick this up in December.
Mae Ling Mak, we salute you.
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All generalizations are false.
--
I like to watch.
Actually, they're the same system now. May have been different before, but last time I checked the same company owned both brandnames and marketted the same product as both, depending on where.
A heck of a lot of parts - even of the old stuff - were interchangeable, though.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
Not the same. You're still stuck with a 160*160 screen for one thing, while I get 640*240. Also, it don't exactly look stable. I can hold in one hand and type in the other without any problems at all.
Seriously, the keyboard isn't the only issue. The whole system is just better. It feels like a proper computer, while the Palm feels like a jumped up personal organiser. And no, that doesn't cause problems by being too complicated, it works beautifully.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
Be generous this Christmas. Spend as little as ten bucks to help a third-world family.
http://catalog.heifer.org/index.cfm
These guys have phenomenally low administration overhead costs compared to the big-name charities. And they appear to not be evangelising/converting their recipients.
There are almost certainly people in your family/gift-giving circle who you don't trust to get you something you'll like, or who can't afford to get you something useful or fun.
Have them purchase a rabbit in your name. It'll make a world of difference.
Thanks. [And Taco, thanks especially to *you* if you can slip this into your WiReD article!]
--
--
Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
Because OCT 31 == DEC 25
- Joe
-Joe
"...print moves a little slower then us."
That's because print takes time to proofread.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
(Hey Ryan! Here's your proof!)
1) Red Hat Linux 7.0 downloaded over my DSL connection :Cue:Cat free from Radio Slack
2)
3) MP3's from MP3.com
4) Internet Junkbuster
5) WinAmp with DeCSS
Grand total: Free-nintey-free.
Isn't life grand?
hahaha
Look kid, before you start coming down on people why the hell dont you actually open your mind.
You little disciples are absolutely horrid. (not a religious reference for anyone curious)
Not only can you not hold a real conversation about Linux or GNU - but you can't even hold a conversation in relation to anthropology and philosphy and trying to identify with other people.
And I'm not trolling for anything.
Doesn't matter to me one way or the other. It's kids like you that are ruining all of the old school games, message boards, online games.. all of it. It's sad, but it's inevitable. Everything goes away, but why can it never be useless sacks of flesh like yourself (until you prove a benefit to society otherwise; that is how I perceive you) instead of things passionate people care about?
Another nuance of the world.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
Actually, that's exactly why I bought mine when I did - to replace a Palm III which failed when I accidentally conducted that test. Cracked the glass over the screen, which rendered the digitiser useless.
Whichever twit stuck glass in there and made it inseparable from the screen should lose their job. That little incident made it a non-economic repair. Why they couldn't jsut use perspex. Wouldn't even scratch - there was a screen protector over the glass, too.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
Yummy. A SCART version for us Europeans would be peachy. Please, someone make one. My console cables are getting terribly worn from all that plugging and unplugging.
--
I'm asking santa for the desktop refigerator - $75 from thinkgeek
. cgi?action=view&type=item&itemid=3619&at=c olor
http://www.thinkgeek.com/brain/bazaar/mart/cart
- bridgette
In the 'Under PlayStation 2' category, I've got to go with the wierd non-computer games from Looney Labs . Specifically they're all under the $40 mark.
You'll find more information on their site, but here's a quick rundown:
--
Erskin
geek.
Ok, here goes...
Cheaper Then a Playstation 2 ($300 or less)
;)
Ok, that buys 3, maybe 4 Swisstools, which is Victorinox's take on the Leatherman. Way cool and you can pretty much do everything to a PC (or housecat) with it, including saw in half! The extras make good backups (I have 2) and we all know you can never have enough backups
Cheaper Then a Playstation 2's rumored eBay sale value ($301-$1500)
As many Legos as $1,500 will buy, next.
Unlimited (Mommy, can I have a stealth bomber for Christmas?)
100 luscious lolly pops and a big red balloon!
Oh, and a BMW 323 Sportwagon, leather interior, 5 Spd, CD changer, Foglamps, sportwheels and a get out of Jail Free card.
--
Chief Frog Inspector
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
- Later this week, Nokia will be introducing a new mobile phone that not only has the now-standard built-in Tetris game and GPS receiver, but also wireless voice-over-IP support and a built-in webcam for videoconferencing! (A friend of mine works on this project, which is how I know about it.)
- Also this week (I know, funny coincidence, but everyone's trying to get their new products out in time for the Xmas shopping season), Oster will be introducing new microwave ovens, toasters, and blenders with built-in Ethernet interfaces and firmware support for the new Linux Open-Source Kitchen Automation project (I forget the URL, but it's hosted at SourceForge). These devices will allow you to program and monitor your kitchen devices over your home LAN. They also have built-in webcams so you can watch your kitchen in action, from a much more intimate viewpoint than has ever before been possible (in the case of the blender, the cam actually views up from beneath the whirling blades).
- And speaking of intimate viewpoints, Symbian will shortly be introducing a new vibrator with a webcam built into the tip. Configure it with an URL to upload images to, and watch it go in and out, in and out...
- Lastly, Web monitoring company Keynote will be entering the consumer hardware business with a new PCI add-in board for better DIY monitoring of your own website. Just plug it in and the onboard webcam shows you the packets going in and out through your network interface.
Hope this helps!--
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Thats all.
I'd like just one vendor to actually commit to providing me with a >56k connection.
Not much to ask...I'll even pay for it.
This sig left unintentionally blank.
That's for the really fun topic, CmdrTaco, it's the best!
--
Chief Frog Inspector
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Well, what I'd like most is:
1) things in the unlimited price category to be in the $300-$1500 category
2) things in the $300-$1500 group to cost in the under $300 dolar group
3) things in the under $300 dollar group to be all under $20.
But I know, we're supposed to wish for objects and not events (if we didn't wish for objects then what would happen to the economy? And if we were wishing for events, we'd wish for the dismantling of the WTO, WIPO, MPAA, RIAA, and several other TLAs).
So as for objects:
A Kurzweil k2000/2500 series synth, with all the trimmings. Or something equivalent, though I doubt it exists. About $1000 used to $4000 new, these are the deepest sound-producing boxes I have ever played with -- and yet it doesn't take long to start making music with them. And music making is a pleasant break from coding.
You can also throw in a full Digidesign setup.
Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
One thing geeks like to get. Non-geek stuff. Unless it's given by a fellow geek. Here's the problem:
geek's mother: "Now, *geek's name*, i know you'll REALLY love this, the guy at the computer store said you would."
geek: thinking, "oh boy..." opens package *sounds of tearing* Pulls out a 20MB (says type 2 on the drive) IDE hard drive, mutters "Hmmm, must've been his last day"
geek's mother (a little hard of hearing *thank god*): "What was that?"
geek: "I said that I love it, mom, It'll go good next to my AOL CD collection!"
geek's mother: smiles
geek: wanted diablo II
Generic things to get a geek that they may need:
Clothes. Buy them stuff that they already wear. They don't want to dress like you want to dress, they like to dress how they dress.
Widgets. Really cool mechanical widgets, like mag-lev spacemen, and whatnot. Really interesting clocks are also cool.
Gift certificates. To bookstores (not Amazon or unless you want a nice holiday argument), software stores (not m$), etc.
Books. Look through their bookcase. You will see at least ONE book that isn't a programming book. Get new, popular books of that genre. It might take them a few years to get to reading it, but when they do, they will enjoy it
But, the #1 way to figure out what to get your geek:
Ask, and listen for hints!
1. Aiwa car mp3 player. My wife got one and they are pretty nice. 2. 18.1" Flat Panel Monitor 3. More Nerf weapons for the office. 4. Gift Certificate to ThinkGeek and/or Copyleft 5. Wireless Network Cards for the notebook.
I have my xmas list with links to order online on my webpage. visit it http://cro.wox.org/things.i.want.html
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I post links to stuff here
Linux - 0 dollars
G4 Cube - 3000 dollars
GeForce2 GTS - $300 dollars
CmdrTaco not displaying Alzheimer symtoms when posting new articles - priceless.
Try a Christmas holiday without consumerism. Your electronic appliances work just fine without replacing them. Spend some time with friends and family. Save some money. Enjoy yourself.
Check out The Center for a New American Dream.
Looks like someone spraypainted it and poured on Bon-Ami. Is that the ghetto method of trimming a christmas tree?
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
- Cheaper than a Playstation: If the "free" in "free time" equates to "free (as in beer)," I'd like some more of that. That is to
say, End the Culture of ultraproductivity in
the US.
- Cheaper than a PlayStation2 on Ebay:
A maid, or at least a helper to come once a week and help me get my house in order, so I can do all the things that a homeowner is supposed to get done in the course of normal life that I don't have time to do (see above).
- Unlimited:My own lobbyist. Or a patrol of them. Not to badger pols into legislation that only benefits me, but to nudge the government into a lane of common sense (Patents on hyperlinks? *Bzzzt* Oil prospecting in National Parks? *Are you nuts?* Solving social problem with unenforcable laws and empty talk on TV? *C'mon guys. This is the real world.* And what happened to the 40-hour work week? huh? HUH? I *like* life outside of work.
Or something like that.-O
Well, I figured since we're on the subject of what to buy as a gift for someone else, I figured I'd hint as to some things you may want to avoid putting in a gift box.
First of all, if you're going to buy someone a new set of tires for christmas, don't buy Firestones. I think that goes without saying.
Secondly, a free membership to Bally's or Weight Watchers may have you sleeping in the basement until New Year's
Cleaning tools are likely to be thrown back at you (or exchanged for expensive perfume). Never buy someone vacuum cleaner or a mop.
Although we're very tempted to. I'd advice you NOT to buy him/her something that you want yourself. Explaining how much she needs a new 3HP cordless drill will leave your relationship on a tightrope.
No name perfume which costs you $1.99, such as Eu de Toilet, which actually smells like the bathroom, a $10 whore, or your dirty socks. If you are going to buy her perfume, spring for the brand names.
NO CLOTHES! I repeat, NO CLOTHES! Oh, and let me reiterate,... NO CLOTHES! If they're too big, you'll be in trouble,... and if they're too small, you'll be in even MORE trouble. Just trust me,... don't buy her clothes!
And people,... no more Chia Pets.
Ummm. They GPL'd all of MySQL a while back. It's completely free in all ways for all platforms now. Really. Go check. I'll wait. See?
LetterJ
The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
Not sure what category they'd fall under, but I would like a bunch of politicians so I can repeal crap like DMCA and the like. While I'm at it, I'd get rid of patents on mathematical formulae, and deem programs as mathematical formulae. Oh, mommy, can I also get Mr. Bezo to get rid of Amazon.com's 1-Click patent too?
--
It's here.
Best Slashdot Co
I bought one of these puppies on Friday:
Quick rundown:
USB connection (500kb/s)
headphone and 2 line out (4 speaker-surround sound), 1 line in.
6 "GB" drive (5700MB avail)
8 rechargable AA batteries, only 4 needed
8MB buffer, hard drive only spins up every 5-6 minutes and at the beginning of a song.
Pros:
Small - the size of a portable CD player.
Backlighting of the good-sized LCD screen
Line in port in case you want to record a lecture or something (need a powered mic tho)
Arranged nicely - select songs by artist, genre, album, or pre-made playlist, all read from the MP3 ID
Cons:
Batteries last only 4 hrs. But with 8 batteries, you can run for about 8 hrs. (charge time is 4 hrs)
Can't copy music from jukebox to PC. Doesn't matter to me, except for the fact that there's already about 1GB of music on the jukebox when you get it. I'd like to offload it and listen to it later, but I can't. Oh well.
Sometimes the screen flutters, like it's lost power. Might just be the CPU busy decoding music, as I encode at 160kbps.
Windows only software (right now)
Hard drive spins up at the beginning of a song. This causes a bit of a delay (1-2 seconds) between songs. I wish the software would buffer up the next song before the present one ends. 8MB should be enough space to do this.
Future plans (according to Creative):
There's an IR receive port, I guess to handle a remote.
Car adapter with (woo!) RF transmitter. Sounds like no need for a cassette adapter.
In all, I'm pretty happy with it. Worth the $500.
-- Ever notice that fast-burning fuse looks exactly the same as slow-burning fuse? I didn't... (Edgar Montrose)
http://www.zorb.com/
Definitely on my list.
Anything faster than a 26400-28800 modem connections! No cable modem service and DSL here. Satellite services, IDSL, and ISDN are way too expensive for my budget. :(
:(
That is all I asked for.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Shoot, accidentally hit enter.
Anyway, nobody asked for world peace! What's wrong with you people?
This would go in the 'unlimited' category. You could just pay off everybody to be peaceful.
I'd like a trip to Mir, and that Jet pack that they had on slash dot last year.
Fight Spammers!
TiVo (some people may prefer ReplayTV)
Playstation 2
portable MP3 player (Diamond Rio or others)
MP3/CD player for car
X10 remote control devices for home automation
Aibo
Lego Mindstorms
DV video camera and FireWare card to hook it to a PC
USB radio device
TV receiver card for PC
latest PC video card (with nVidia GTS2 or MX chip)
Yopy (ifit ever comes out) or iPaq handheld
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
...and lots of it.
--------- Beware the dragon, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
Failing that, I'd like free unlimited bandwidth website hosting for a year, and a puppy.
Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
Will WIRED include a de-clawed Cue:Cat with a UPC scanning driver? That'd be the right thing to do, after what they did as an accomplice to D:C's scam.
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
MySQL is the backend for slash, scoop and many other really innovative weblog/moderation systems. I've wanted to try using these for several months now for nonprofit experiments, but the only machines I have are Win32 (Win2K) machines which I use in my employer's work.
MySQL is 'free as in beer' for any Linux taker, but they charge money if you want to use it on a Win32 system. Without flaming anyone in particular, to me this smacks of the same elitist crap that Linux bigots accuse Wintel-bound developers of.
If there was no MySQL for Win32, I wouldn't gripe. There is, but only at a premium. Apache and gcc and other quality OSS are offered on both platforms at the same price.
Before someone goes and marks me -1, Retard or offers the ever-so-helpful advice of "just set up a Linux box on the side or dual-boot," the point is, I don't have budget to have another machine around, and it's kinda hard to run a webservice from one boot partition while getting my employer's work done on another boot partition.
So, back on topic: fair platform-agnostic pricing for MySQL. Think of it as a stocking-stuffer.
[
Under $300:
Games, of course - Grandia II, Final Fantasy IX, Majora's Mask -
But you're probably looking at gadgits. So I'll say a GameBoy Advanced (yes, I know the US version is a year away, but I can dream), or a Wonderswan (same deal - but I want to play Final Fantasy I-III (the real I - III, not "we'll call IV FFII and VI FFIII! Bwahahaha!").
The other item would be a Playstation One (small footprint) with the LCD panel and a car adapter so I could take it on trips.
$300 - $1500:
One of two things:
A Voodoo 6000 (128 MB RAM, 4 processors, needs its own external power source - can you say Unreal Tournament at 1024x768 4x AA at 100 frames a second? Oh, yes. Check it at http://www.3dfx.com/prod/vood oo/ v5-6000-overv.html
Creative Labs Jukebox http://www.nomadworld.com/products/j uke box/ - 6 gigs of MP3 storage from a name I trust.
$1500+
It took me a little bit, but I'd want one of those Honda gas-electric cars http://arstechnica.com/ rev iews/3q00/honda/insight-1.html - save gas $, save the planet, and stick it to OPEC all at the same time. (Now, if only they'd make an ethenol version so I could help out Kansas farms at the same time...)
John "Dark Paladin" Hummel
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
Call 1-877-9NM-GIFT to order this underwater fantasy. It's a 118-foot luxury submarine that sleeps 11, displacing 380 tons, with an operating depth of 1,000 feet, submerged range of 160 nautical miles, and speed of 15 knots. Cruising range: 3,000+ nautical miles (sufficient for transatlantic crossings).
Got Rhinos?
Seems like anyone who learned BASIC in Jr. High School (or Pascal, or Java, etc.) has forgotten that there's two different words here.
IF situation, THEN consequences.
argument LESS THAN argument [or GREATER THAN, or SLOWER THAN, etc.]
Is that a suitable geek-format HOWTO? :)
[
Noble effort, but have you considered that the rest of the year is pretty much what you ask? And if likeminded people felt no obligation, at least once a year, to get together with family and friends and exchange goodies, eat fruitcake, listen to holiday music and ...ahem... have Natalie Portman corner me under the mistletoe, that would make for a better world? Seems kinda cold, dark and lonely.
Parting shot: You don't have to shop at any mall, buy any thing online, or chop down any trees to give. Why not buy a blanket and a sandwich for a someone less fortunate.
--
Chief Frog Inspector
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Until the DVD-CCA stops trying to control who can and cannot play DVDs they have purchased, I suggest not purchasing a DVD player.
Instead, go to the CopyLeft store and purchase a DeCSS t-shirt ($15). $4.00 per T-shirt is donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
--
--
He lives in a world where those who do not run the client software of the omnipresent meme are unacceptable.
Apple's Cinema Display
Unlimited Category, great display. Would be nice if the computer it came with were faster.
The Lunar Embassy is selling off plots of land on the Moon , Mars, Venus and Io.
Surely these would make a great geek gift in the sub playstation2 category. And who knows, maybe your descendents will even be able to make use of the gift :-)
--
www.vurt.co.uk
Cheaper than $300: Kernel 2.4.0, 'nuff said More expensive than $300: Be, Inc., the company. I hear their stock was in negative value recently; they should go for about $500. Priceless: Bill Gates chained to a dungeon wall.
Most O'Reilly books are overrated. Their current releases have been hit or miss, and most of the misses are bombs.
My preference for computer books is anything by Addison Wesley. *All* their books are top-notch and most are classics: Design Patterns by the Gang of Four, Networking series by Stevens, Computer Graphics by Foley et.al., C++ books by Lippman and Sudstroup(sp?).
O'Reilly does have the edge in terms of timing, especially books on Java API like Servlets, but you can see that they are too quick. O'Reilly made it big with the Perl series, but most of their reputation comes from those old books.
--weenie NT4 user: bite me!
--weenie NT4 user: bite me!
"Computers are nothing but a perfect illusion of order" -- Iggy Pop
If they don't make O'Reilly gift certificates, they should, because I have about a baker's dozen worth of O'Reilly books on my current wish list. As the premier high-status geek-book publisher, one would think O'Reilly would have 'em by now... are ya listenin', Tim?
Free music from Jack Merlot.
Here is the perfect solution for the digital camera fan in your circle, the digital wallet. This is basically a portable harddrive with a pcmcia card slot that will allow you to save the snaps on your camera media (e.g., compact flash) to less expensive media. Great for lightweight travelling, when you are intentionally leaving your notebook computer far, far behind. http://www.mindsatwork.net
"one treats others with courtesy not because they are gentlemen or gentlewomen, but because you are" --G. Henrichs
You realize, of course, that these star naming outfits are basically a scam, right? The only place your "star name" can be found is in the book published by a given star-name registry. There are at least 3 of these registry companies, and none of them are recognized by any legitimate scientific organization.
For less than the price of an eBay PS2, we have the Sony WEGA TV. One of the 27 inch models would be very nice. They're not big, but the picture quality is impeccable.
And slash appears to be eating those URL's. That's
- http://www.thinkgeek.com/brain/bazaar/mart/cart
. cgi?action=view&ty pe=item&itemid=2 8d1
- http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/home/t
e levision/trinitronrtmfdtrinitron wegatm tv27inch/kv-27fv16.shtml
Ignore spaces inserted by stupid web browser and/or slashcodehttp://cgi. ebay.co m/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=449122943
description:
I have won over $10,000 in cash and prizes with this GIANT Bong costume!!! Hand made of construction materials, this lifelike Bong costume has a bowlpiece that lights and glows, and "smoke" that pours out of the top! Bright pink in color, garanteed to get attention! Be the life of the costume party! Almost garanteed to win! I will deliver in New England, others pay truck freight. Personal checks accepted, shipment when cleared. Good luck!
For Christmas, I would love an http://www.eco-sphere.com/. It's one of those self-contained glass globes with shrimp, algae and bacteria inside. All you have to do is add light and they should last for a few years. Very cool. Price ranges from $79 to $489, depending on the size (from 3.25" diameter sphere to 9" diameter sphere).
Education is the silver bullet.
The VisorPhone would be a great gift for any Visor owner. The downside is that it costs $299 with activation. Another great gift for the Visor owner would be the SoundsGood audio player module. It also is a little steep at $269 though.
With every new answer unfolded, science has consistently discovered at least three new questions.--
1. Uh, a Playstation 2...?
2. A Playstation 2 and a few games?
3. A Playstation 2 and tons of games?
Fsck cluebie moderators. I'll say what I want, offtopic or not. And fsck having to qualify every bloody statement just
As a personal policy, I don't accept gifts for the holidays. I have enough stuff. Here are a few suggestions for people who wanna give me something. If you're interested, email me for a bunch of other worthy organizations!
Donation to ORT (http://www.ort.org/ort/wou/wou.htm). ORT is a Jewish organization that builds vocational schools around the world. Instead of giving people food or money, ORT teaches people high-tech skills like writing code, repairing computers, and other jobs that'll allow them to bring themselves out of poverty.
Donation to MDRC (http://www.mdrc.org). The MDRC is an organization that researches the best ways of improving the lives of low-income people, ranging from literacy programs to vocational training. (More US-centric than ORT).
Donation to EFF (http://www.eff.org). The Electronic Frontier Foundation is one of the few political organizations that understands high-tech issues, and lobbies for, litigates for, and generally supports electronic freedom (via U.S. legal system).
Donation to Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org). In some places, organizations like the EFF are not sufficient; you say the wrong thing, you're thrown in jail. Amnesty tries to pressure governments to follow the Geneva Convention and respect human rights.
Donation to PeaceFire (http://www.peacefire.org). An organization that fights censorship of the web, and points out the incompetence and hypocrisy of the would-be censors.
-
bukra fil mish mish
-
Monitor the Web, or Track your site!
Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?
www.fogbound.net
Yeah, but the consumer-binge aspect *was* invented by corporations. For example, that big fat Santa in a red suit that we all associate with Christmas...who invented that? Oh, yeah, the Coca-Cola corporation!
Ours is a corporate fabricated culture...just witness such phenomena as BackStreet Boys and Pokemon.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Obviously Lego Mindstorms would be high on the list of any geek (even if you have them, you need more to do the really cool stuff you've been planning to do...)
/* Of course I'm real, but can you prove it? */
$159
--
http://gammatron.weblogger.com
Here's my present list:
Mobile phone: Ideally the 9110 or 9110i. If that's not availiable, I'll take a Matrix-esque 7110.
I wouldn't mind a Creative DAP Jukebox. Storage for 100 hours of MP3s (But only enough power to play them for about 5 hours).
I'll also take a Kawasaki Ultra 150 Jet Ski (Only £7,245!).
I wouldn't mind a BURN-proof 12x10x32 CD-RW drive.
Every slashdotter I know yould use one of These.
Leatherman Wave Multi-tools are nice, if I didn't already have one.
Want a rack for all your CDs? I'll have a Rolodisc rack. Cool!
If we're allowed whole new systems, I'll take an SGI 550 workstation, with the dual 866 MHz Pentium III Xeon processors and 2 gigs or ram, please.
I'll also have an Ergoview Task chair with headrest.
Since CmdrTaco's paying, I'll have a Panasonic Portable DVD player (Massive 7" widescreen LCD screen!).
If you have any spage change after that, $13,999.95 will get you (Well, me actually. We do GET this stuff, don't we?) a 16:9 Wide, 42" Diagonal Flat-Panel Plasma SDTV-Compatible Monitor. Cool!
A Radio Deadbolt would be cool (US only though
Head-mount Night-vision goggles would be nice.
This summer, I will mainly be avoiding traffic jams in my Armoured Hummer. I'll take the Scorpion III as well - it's cool.
$3,199 is enough for a nice Sony Digital video camera.
An SP9004 spud gun is on my list too, and a cair of Glasstron goggles. Nice!
Well, I'm going out now. If any karma whores would like to check out my links and use thier 1337 copy and paste skills in case there are errors, you can go right ahead.
Michael
...another comment from Michael Tandy.
"Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
The site name-a-star.net lets you name a star anything you wish for a mere $50. It's a nice novelty, at least.
Of course, there's always the possibility of scientists finding life on the named star. Perhaps you can include a SETI@Home client disk with the certificate?
(One tin per week, $3 per tin: $156)
I can see the fnords!
so that would be...
the Cube and
Darwin
the list includes:
I imagine that one big feature that I'd like is that I'd like it to exist in time for the holidays. Other than that, I just want something that takes ethernet in one side, sits in my kitchen, bathroom, study, garage, or wherever, and dumps music out.
I believe that most of these will fall in the "under $300" category, unless I have to use my iMac for this purpose.
100 GIG 15,000 RPM RAID-5 Array, 1.1 GHz Tbird, uh, lots and lots of DDRAM, cruise missile aimed at Rambux, DVD, uh.. new propeller beanie.., games for the pc that don't suck, uh, first^H^H^H^H^Hmeaningful post on /., new porsche 5speed turbo, uh... oh, heck
just gimme lots money and I'll figure it out later =)
--
Chief Frog Inspector
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
is that no one makes what I really want, a wireless X display terminal in the $300 dollar range.
Otherwise, will this list be comprised of anything other than the latest electronic gee-gaw from the mega-corps?
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
Steps to the perfect gift. 1) Buy a TiVo ( http://www.tivo.com ) 2) Upgrade it with the instructios at http://www.tivofaq.com/hack/faq.html; 3) Buy the parts for the upgrade at http://www.9thtee.com/TiVoUpgrades.htm
I've seen him post with this mistake frequently which leads me to believe we have a grammar problem on our hands and not just a typo. Maybe someone wasn't paying attention to their 7th grade English teacher? See this article for another example of Taco's trouble with "than." Same day, even...
--------
-------
"Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief."
This and recent discussions on moderation make me think /. could use a new moderation factor:
-1, Bad Spelling
-2, "Then" != "Than"
+5, Correct usage of "they're" and "their"
Or maybe just Open Source Spelling (tm) -- users could change one character of any post in each article. The community could then correct spelling errors: "then" => "than", etc.
:)
-----
D. Fischer
ShoutingMan.com
Comment removed based on user account deletion
My point exactly. Trouble is, now Creative's trying to hype EAX as a 3d positional audio API, which it's not. And the only ones to oppose them in this are the knowledgeable consumers, like you and me.
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
This is the age of information age and the new economy. How is a gear head supposed to know now what toys he or she desires in three months time?
The only solution is to go for the tried and true classics.
The best of which are Penguin brand caffeinated peppermints and Jolt cola.
have a day,
-l
have a day,
-l
Cheap Option: An Nvidia MX Card. Speedy, but cheap. Then I could play UT at a reasonable speed.
Medium option: A Tivo - theoretically launched in the UK, damned if I can get my hands on one.
Expensive option: Terabit optical connection to my house. then I could play UT online at a reasonable speed. And download porn at the same time!
_____
My Journal
VMware under win2k doesn't run X (3.3.6), at least without using the X-server they provide, which won't necessarily work very well when I actually boot to linux. It does boot to the text login just fine, and works excellently there, however.
VMware under linux (RH7, pretty stock config) doesn't run win2k (it complains that it doesn't support certain power management features, and therefore can't boot...?!?). If you've already got the stability of linux, why would you want to run anything *other* than win2k when you need a bit of evil?
High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
Hmmm...Let's see what I want:
:Cue:Cat by DC
1) Microsoft Windows 2000
2)
3) CD's from my favorite music authors (including Metallica & Dr. Dre)
4) Internet Filtering software (ie. Net Nanny)
5) A DVD Player approved by the MPAA
=-)
Doh!
Actually, if you look at the history of Christmas (and the 'giving' season) you will notice that it is not invented-by-and-for-retailers
The history of christmas isn't even a religious one, way back in the days of cavemen (well, post then but I just like to think of cavemen giving each other rocks.. it's funny.) when the days got shorter and shorter the tribes thought it was because of the sun god getting angry at them for their short comings. So long about December 25th (Keep in mind, the solstice changes - now it is 21st but waaaaay back then it was the 24th I believe) they would celebrate the return of the sun god. They believed it was because of their giving and their charity - not only amongst themselves but through sacrifices to the sun god.
This is how the tradition of christmas got started.. the spirit of being nice to each other to appease the gods to bring longer days..
The religious aspect got started when early christians celebrated the birth of Jesus got whacked by romans or whatever - they had to hide their celebration -- and what better celebration to mask their own tribute to their Lord then the season of giving.
Neat little story. You may go now.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
Baldur's Gate 2, that is pretty much a given.
Rio 500 MP3 player, which you can pick up for cheap at Audible.com, last time I checked.
A subscription to Wired.
VMWare for the geek in all of us.
A new video card, though I don't know specifics.
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
I love my Handspring Visor. Everyone college student should have one, or at least sort of PDA for keeping track of your schedule and assignments.
Handspring
_______________________________________________
All circuits busy.
Anything software that Creative releases is utter and total crap. Their hardware is always outsourced nowadays, so that's the only reliable piece which falls under their damned name. IMHO, the only reliable Creative product is an Annihilator running the NVidia reference drivers.
Do you disagree with my position on Creative? Send a message to their tech support and try to get a reply within 6 aeons.
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
You know you want it ^_^
--
Peace,
Lord Omlette
ICQ# 77863057
[o]_O
Santa - I'm trying real hard to be good this year so this list doesn't seem too unreasonable. What I'd like to have is 1) a Night Vision Monocular, a Pinball Machine and a house in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Oh, and maybe a Swiss bank account with maybe 5 million in it for upkeep of the house would be a good 'stocking stuffer'. Ok?
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
Saint Nicholas was indeed the patron saint of little children, which was brought to the US by the Dutch (they got it from Turkey which to this day still takes pride in its children and actually has a Children's Day holiday).
But he didn't assume the form we know today until the 1930s when Coca Cola used him to pimp their sugar water (which I still vehemently prefer over Pepsi, whose annoying little schizophrenic girl is ten times as worse)
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
The NEC Simplem - Dynamism.com has reconfigured the keyboard and OS of this made-for-Japan slimtop for use in the US. At $3599, it unfortunately falls into the Unlimited price category for the gift season, but with a flat screen monitor, cordless keyboard, cordless mouse, Web remote control, and wonderful design ethic (physical skins!) it definitely tops my Please-Please-PLEASE wishlist.
http://www.dynamism.com/simplem/inde x.s html
-----
Just a few cents...or maybe more
~KONala
Man, forget bookpool. Try http://www.addall.com. It's a price search engine that includes shipping. It freaking rocks.
---
DO NOT DISTURB THE SE
It's definetly on the high end...but worth it.
The new offering is the "Beach World". These are salt water and have little red shrimp in them. The shrimp are bigger than the critters in the original sphere and the red color is truly striking - when they aren't being hassled! To avoid predators - and dickheads shaking the sphere - they turn clear when disturbed. It takes about an hour for the red color to come back, and you can bug them to death if this happens too often.
The other issue is temperature change. Both spheres can live in a about a 20 degree (F) range between 60 and 80. You need to keep the temp as constant as possible to keep them happy. Sudden or frequent changes can mean death. You can't leave these things in a window where they can get direct sunlight for even 10 minutes. The volume of water is very small - and in direct sunlight - it's only a few short minutes to micro boiled shrimp.
Sooooo......what this means is: I love these things and I have a couple. They are great pets for semi-responsible people and outstanding converstation starters.
BUT..... We quit selling them in the store because too many people were killing them. No matter what we said - they seemed to treat these things like paperweights instead of living animals. If you are going to give one of these as a gift, make sure the person you are giving it to is capable of keeping a dog or a plant alive. Also, keep these things in mind:
You MUST make sure they get enough light - you can't walk off and turn the lights off for a week - they will die.
You can't let it sit in your car while you finish your holiday shopping. 20 minutes in your 40 degree car is death - and not the manufacturer's fault.
It's better to give them a gift certificate for this and wait until April to actually send the sphere if they live in a cold climate. These things have to be shipped overnight Fed-Ex to live through the ordeal. Shipping gravely stresses them and they must recover - that means they must be removed immeditately on arrival. If grandma waits 3 weeks to open this at Christmas, she will get a nice ball of dead green slime to stare at while she cuts you out of the will.
You CAN NOT treat these things like a "snow sphere". Shake it and watch it snow dead shrimp on the minature beach.
Enjoy your Bio Sphere!
"Reality is independent from perception." - RDH
($301-$1500) - 22in Flat-Screen monitor
Unlimited - A trip on Mir (need I say more?)
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
Got Rhinos?
Probably the most dramatic form of geek fashion - Matrix replica trenchcoats.
Neo or Morpheus style, Trinity PVC top for the females, and for the more conservative geeks, there's the Deckard Bladerunner trenchcoast as well. All the trenches in the 300-1500 range (varies on fabrics) and the PVC is 120.
I want THIS. And I want it now. If it's not out by Christmas, there will be many wedgies unleashed upon the world.
--
It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
I sit at my computer most of my waking hours. I stare endlessly at a flickering screen whether I am actually working or just geeking out.
Since this is the way it goes... I may as well do it in style with the Aura, kindly supplied by Poetic Technologies.
At the impressive price of $7,769.00 USD (or for the economically challenged (me) $11,340.00 CDN Funds (Don't forget the GST)) this puppy will obviously fall under the Unlimited catagory.
A nice comfortable catheder and a bowel bag and I won't have to function as a human again.
- Xabbu
- Jimbob
I have both a Bio-Sphere and a Beach World. The URL for the manufacturer is Paragon Space Development Corporation.
I have had an 8" bio-sphere since December, 1999, and a 5" Beach World since May of this year. I have taken pains to make sure both have had the right sort of environment, and so have had a good experience with them. The Bio-Sphere lives at home with it's timer and lamp. The Beach World lives on my desk at work where even during the weekends it gets some natural light. I love looking at the shrimp swimming around while I write software!
I really like my "little worlds"!
Dog is my co-pilot.
I guess what people are saying is right, the Internet really isn't that different from Real Life, after all. ;-)
But if it has to be under $300, you could use a plastic platter. It's not the same, but I'm willing to accept that.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.
...the personal submarine from the Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog. 120 feet long, crew of seven, accomodates ten passengers. Only $20,000,000. Unfortunately, no link.
Art imitates life. TV imitates art.
Let's see. Apple Cube w/ Mac OS X :) w/ theatrical display >:)
:wq! DOH!
A CPU-less fileserver that's quiet and runs on a gigabit ethernet (throw in some gigabit equipment too while you're at it, I only got a 100Base). I could sure use some 100 Gigs for mp3s and another 50 for cd-images of games I like to play and of course another 20 for other file storage. >:)
A really spiff colour laser printer cause I'm tired of all the noise this inkjet makes (yeah, I know...at least it's not a dot matrix)
A digital camera that also takes a film snap at the same time (does this exist? It'd be really spiff. A digital preview for now and some film hardcopy for a quality production. All ya need is to jam a 1/2 silvered mirror in there.)
And last but certianly not least, one of those wearable computer monitors that overlay one eye so I can hook it up to an e-book reader. Hey, if I'm gonna read a book electronicly, I'm gonna get the benefit of not holding something to do it.
Roy Miller
--Roy
Cheaper than a PlayStation2 on Ebay: A maid, or at least a helper to come once a week and help me get my house in order,
One of the best things I ever did was get a cleaning lady to come in every two weeks and do the basic cleaning. I'm generally an orderly person but that doesn't stop the dust from building up, grease from sticking to the oven and the toilet from getting the way toilets get.
I don't know where you're living but a housekeeper in Orlando, FL costs $40 to $50 a visit for a two bed/two bath apartment. That's well below a PS/2 on eBay. I get visited every two weeks for $80 a month.
A clean living space can help geeks to get chicks, too! A clean house really impresses the grrls. Nothing can ruin The Mood quicker than a hottie heading to the bathroom to 'freashen up' only to find skid marks that have been there since the Bush administration.
By the way, my ultimate geek Christmas gift would be a 10 node, fully-functioning PDP11-based Atex publishing system. Call now! Supplies are limited.
InitZero
Greed Season
Oh, I get caught up in it alright. For the past 19 years I've given way better than I've got. Hasn't jaded me yet.
I bestow upon you the honor of tossing on the first shovel full of dirt, when I'd rather receive than give.
If I get the chance to dream, of all the things I'd like to have, well, why not? Probably the worst thing that could happen is that all of them come true!
--
Chief Frog Inspector
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Actually, I'd rather have a huge load of Meccano - Erector to Americans. Y'see, I enjoy engineering as well as computers and you can do _so_ much with Meccano that isn't possible with Lego. Seriously, I've seen some absolutely stunning models that simply aren't possible in Lego. Unfortunately, I'm currently reliant on nicking my Dad's when he's not looking and I should be moving out soon - well, as soon as anyone notices my sig and replies ;)
;) Definitely below PS2 prices, far cooler to me.
The other thing I'd have to say I'd want is old computers or components. One thing I'd love to be able to do when I move out is set up a couple of networked MP3 & net radio terminals, which would run happily enough on 3-4 year old parts. Well, if I slammed in a big HDD
If we're being unlimited and unrealistic, an idea from JWZ last time this came up attracted me. Imagine a model helicopter with computers controlling the avionics so you can fly it safely without a long training course, long range and a video relay so you can fly it outside visual range. Totally impractical as it'd probably cost more than my car, but I want one.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
You can hear NOTHING outside when you are using them. They block outside noise by 23dB (that's more than two orders of magnitude). Because they block out so much sound, you don't have to turn them up so much to hear it, so they actually protect your hearing.
Absolutely nothing can touch them for listening to tunes in a noisy office, on a plane, or a train. You can also walk down the street with them and nobody knows you are wearing a $300 pair of headphones. Sonic bliss anywhere. Despite their small size they have amazing bass response due to the seal they produce in your ear canal.
Very highly recommended. You won't be able to listen to the Sony headphones anymore after getting used to these (the Sony's will sound like shit by comparison).
Dr. Burris T. Ewell
Cheaper Then a Playstation 2's rumored eBay sale value ($301-$1500) : The usual big-ass flatscreen monitor.
Unlimited (Mommy, can I have a stealth bomber for Christmas?) : A viable space program.
Tempted by the stealth bomber and a full load of nukes? Sure, who wouldn't be? But as cool as a stealth would be, it wouldn't be as useful as, say, a few gazillion on a faster, better space program.
You asked me what I want for Christmas? A Congress that'll let NASA skip the cheaper part in order to get back to "faster and better", and a private space industry able to give NASA a run for their money.
$10B to the first company - or NASA - able to put a team of six people on Mars for two years and return them safely to the earth. $2B for the first organization able to launch a Europa Orbiter. Another $2B for a Europa Lander, with a bonus $1B if you can find the ocean and take samples of what it's made of. $500M for the first 100-meter resolution pictures of the surfaces of Pluto and Charon.
Or $10B to the first group who can cut down the cost of lifting stuff to orbit to $1000/lb, and another $10B to every group for every 50% improvement thereafter. That'd be ~$50B to get the cost down to $100/lb. Over 50 years, it means spaceflight becomes affordable to the general populace, and at $2B/y, that works out to goddamn cheap. With lift costs at $1000/lb (let alone $100/lb!), you get the space probes and offworld colonies for free.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I think you're close, but quite right. My understanding is that:
- Pagans (Romans) celebrated the festival of Saturnalia around the Winter Solstice Dec. 21(?).
- Other groups, like the Druids, had seasonal/religious celebrations around the same time as well.
- To make the transition easier from their pagan religion to chrisitianity, the Catholic church placed the celebration of Christ's birth at the same time as these other "new life" festivals.
- As time went on, other non-christian elements were brought into the growing christian holiday: fir trees were a symbol of life for the druids. The Christmas Tree started with a certain King of Germany (rather, he was given one, kept it, and the concept began moving from the high society down to the plebs). Similar histories exists for many other elements, like yule logs, etc.
- Gift-giving was initially just from parents to children; and charity from rich to poor
- With the mass immigration into the US in the 1800s, especially with dense, multi-cultural cities like NY City, Christmas became a way for these people to have a common custom & tradition, while still incorporating aspects of their heritage.
- The gift-giving became more common, and over time broadened to the semi-universal giving that we have now.
- The commericalism began entering strongly into it with the development of the consumer society in the US.
That's what I can remember from memory. I'm sure some details are off, but I think that's largely accurate.
As for the original poster said - I truly enjoy giving and receiving gifts (and I don't just give gifts at Christmas, like many other people). But I've become ever more tired of the disposable (landfill) gifts. The presents that are fun for a day, but aren't used after that. I now try and ask for gifts, and give gifts, that have some more lasting value; be it a quality kitchen appliance, a good book worth keeping, or something with sentimental value that will bring back good memories over the years.
-----
D. Fischer
ShoutingMan.com
You can check out some suggestions for what I'd like this solstice on the web -- I thought everyone did that?
In the "the sky's the limit" category, add guitar lessons from B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Mark Knoppfler, a Delorean, and a Buick Reatta. Oh heck, throw in a 1975 Land Rover 101 FC "Vampire" FFR.
And I would be remiss in not mentioning an Apricot Portable, Ampere WS-1, Canon FlatCat, STM Systems Baby! 1, Xerox NoteTaker, Sol-20, and a host of other really cool computers I'm looking for.
Stupid people will be persecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.
First of all, The IBM Netvista X-40 is awesome. Just got mine, and I have to say, this is where PC computing is going. I have so much more desk space, I can actually fit a real book on it now.
I know this is redundant, but Palm still makes out with the best gifts. I personally own an m100, and am getting a V-series this December (found that out during a secret spy mission into the gift closet).
Of course, anything from ThinkGeek will show your loved ones that you care.
Over US$300, under US$1500: Gigabit ethernet system for my house, plus some hardware upgrades (video, sound) and some software (Unreal Tournament, Quake XXVI, whatever). Can you say "LAN party at Mr. Ska's"?
Unlimited: MIR, outfitted with the latest data servers. I'd have to rename it to "Data Heaven", however...
Mr. Ska
1: on the first day of x-mas slashdot gave to me...a partition on a kernel tree.
2: on the second day of x-mas slashdot gave to me...two hard drives, and a...GOTO 1
3: on the third day of x-mas slashdot gave to me...a three channel raid card, GOTO 2
4: on the fourth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me...a quad pentium iii server, GOTO 3
5: on the fifth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 5 gigs of ram, GOTO 4
6: on the sixth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 6 anime movies, GOTO 5
7: on the seventh day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 7 Hemos' mispelling, GOTO 6
8: on the eighth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 8 trolls a trolling, GOTO 7
9: on the ninth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 9 sites a slashdotted, GOTO 8
10: on the tenth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 10 CmdrTaco's a milking, GOTO 9
11: on the eleventh day of x-mas slashdot gave to me 11 JonKatz posts (argh!), GOTO 10
12: on the twelveth day of x-mas slashdot gave to me, 12 natalie portman's petrified with hot grits, GOTO 11
please that took a while...don't hold spelling against me! i know its non-sense...thats why its fun!
JediLuke
JediLuke
-Do or Do Not, There is no Try
> Why pay 80 bucks for sea monkies?
Sea monkeys are fun, but they are a pain to keep alive, you are always adding distilled water, and you always seem to have overfed them, no matter how little you give them.
These are closed ecologies. No input except light, and no output except heat. Keep the temperature and light levels correct, and these will recycle their contents for a very long time.
The Eco-spheres and Beach Worlds have a limited lifespan, at least, the shrimp they come with do. The environment provided is such that the shrimp seldom reproduce. They can live on after the shrimp have passed, as an ecology of sorts will still be possible with the micro-organisms. My Beach World has a number of just-visible Coepods in it, so even when the shrimp go, there will be a reproducing colony of arthropods in it. The ultimate limitation of the lifespan of any closed ecology is the sequestration of scarce trace minerals in molecules which nothing in the habitat has the energy to degrade.
The Bio-sphere, in contast is a reproducing system by design. Animals die in there all the time, but there always seem to be lots of small ones to grow into the vacancy.
Dog is my co-pilot.
The t-shirts, mugs, etc are always appealing, but they're the kind of thing it's hard to justify spending one's OWN money on. That's what makes them great gifts. Geeks need new T-shirts to wear (it's true, how many pizzas can you go through while owning a limited number of T-shirts??) and I've throughly enjoyed my Slashdot coffee mug. And they're cheap, AND more funds for worthy causes. What could be the better show of holiday spirit? (And, to anyone who is buying ME things this holiday season, ignore this. I want money. Please, send money.)
The REAL sam_at_caveman_dot_org is user ID 13833.
I want a DirecTiVo! $399
Just shipped the first units to stores a few days ago, it's a TiVo with a DirecTV reciever built in and integrated.
It has dual satellite tuners, all sorts of fun stuff!
For a more expensive item, give it to me with more harddisk space, drop in a 80GB drive to raise the storage from 34 hours to 120 hours.
DirecTiVo FAQ
(1) Go to the RAM desk, pick out two 512MB RAM chips @ $ 550 each = $ 1,100
:-).
:-(.
(2) Pick out one of the Mac G4/500 multiprocessor systems ($3,500)
(3) While I'm in the systems area, pick up a nice new 21" flat screen Sony Trinitron monitor ($1,099)
(3) Grab an Adobe Dynamic Media Collection ($1,500).
(4) Swing over to the games area and pick up a fog generator (100), a Lego Mindstorms Robotics kit (200), and that bizarre looking twig game set thing ($130)
I've just blown $ 7,629 in 15 minutes. I THINK a Fry's Shopping Spree would just be too dangerous a gift idea. The only saving grace is that I don't think they stock the Apple Cinema Display
D
PS Question for Fry's shoppers: What would you do if you need a 7.5vdc power supply but you need it to have a jack (so I can plug my Canon XL1 into) instead of a plug (to plug something into)? Drove me nuts yesterday - couldn't find anything, even at Fry's
----
In the higher end:
See, I don't want much.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
On the first day of Christmas
Jack Valenti gave to me
The Matrix on DVD
On the second day of Christmas
Jack Valenti gave to me
No way to cite
The Matrix on DVD
On the third day of Christmas
Jack Valenti gave to me
Macrovision scrambling
on my completely unciteable
Matrix on DVD
On the fourth day of Christmas
2600 gave to me
the source code for playing
the Macrovision scrambled
previously unciteable
Matrix on DVD
On the fifth day of Christmas
Jack Valenti gave to me
A Cease and Desist Letter!
For having the source code for playing
the Macrovision scrambled
totally unciteable
Matrix on DVD.
I want my first amendments right back, Jack.
I want your head on a stick.
--
What happens when you outlaw guns
I'll be handing out some of these Christmas Gift Exemption Vouchers during the weeks leading up to Buy Nothing Day.
I want an infinite-volume beer mug, and a Punpkin Gun (Current world record is over 4000 feet).
Oh, and for outdoor types, the Bumper Dumper will be appreciated.
For more scholarly people, these books are a must.
Share and enjoy.
note: to those of you humor impaired, this is a joke from Seinfeld in which George gets sick of people making these charitable donations instead of giving him something and sets up his own "fund".
Under $300? Probably a DVD drive.
$300-$1000? A new Athlon chip.
For my stealth-bomber present, though, I want one of those massive parallel alpha machines like this one.
æeee!
Personally, I love my IIIc ($399 retail) for showing color photos on the run, but for a beginning user, the M100 ($149 retail) would be great. Also, some of the Visor models are quite nice too, and they are upgradable with lots of gadgets. This gift works for everyone, as most people have the need to store addresses, calendars, shopping lists, etc, etc, etc. (Just make sure to get extra batteries (or an extra cradle charger)!)
-mark
-mark
If your computer says LINUX, run...computers can't talk! [unless you have text-speech software]
Even better, it has both sVideo and RCA connectors, and built in circuitry to convert between sVideo and normal video signals, so that you can run your system on sVHS and still connect in the peripherals like the Playstation that lack sVideo outputs.
Yes! I've been looking for a switcher like this ever since I got spoiled working with professional gear!
I'm buying it for myself for Christmas!
Jon
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
In this case, they are sealed in your ear canal, relatively close to your eardrum, and in this environment they sound flat. They actually have extraordinarily detailed and but not harsh high end. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD-600's (top of the line dynamic headphones that kick ass) and they are only slightly better than the Etymotics and that is only in a quiet room.
I can assure you that they are designed for very accurate reproduction and do not have exaggerated bass to please indescriminate consumers, nor is the high end compromised in any way. I only emphasised the how good the bass is because most people cannot believe something so small can produce accurate bass the way these can.
Their only drawback is they are an earplug and require a good seal (sometimes requiring you to moisten the tips, yuck!) and many people can't deal with that. Custom molds are much better, unless you happen to have strangely shaped ear canals that are impossible to fit, but add about $100 to the cost.
Burris (serious audio snob)
For the Unlimited budget:
:o)
How about a Max Turbine Y2K superbike?
This is essentially a Rolls Royce Helicopter engine attached to two wheels.. 300HP, top speed is unknown (they've been unable to find a radar gun that goes up that high)
At $350,000 a pop, they aren't cheap, but for those of us who like bikes, this would make the perfect gift
No, really, as close as can really exist in a 3D universe:
http://www.kleinbottle.com/
Stupid job ads, weird spam, occasional insight at
if sifl and olly were any cooler they'd be.. um... the coolest.. I have 300megs of clips... I have too much free time!
YouTube & Google Video -> podcast http://castcluster.blogspot.com/