Geek Gift Ideas 2001

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 ;)

Comments

Sega Dreamcast

[Lxy]

With all the hype of Xbox, Gamecube, and even remaining hype of PS2, people seem to forget that lonely Sega Dreamcast sitting on the bottom shelf for $80. It runs linux! It has an ethernet port! It's the ultimate geek hacking toy for Christmas. Info here.

Re:Monty Python's Flying Circus DVD Set

[Bigbambo]

109 at cotco.. check www.costco.com

Gift ideas that are good...

[AtariDatacenter]

Think Geek has RF Dealbolts. Basically, deadbolts for your home that have a remote control.

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.

A "Buy Nothing Day" gift exemption voucher

[vaxer]

Skip the commercial crap altogether -- exchange gift exemption vouchers and do something relaxing on Buy Nothing Day.

Listings

[GregWebb]

I had an idea a while ago for a permanent website of this type.

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 :-) The site provides links to shopping sites, allows you to search by category, price etc. You then give people your site ID and your friends and family have access to a list of what you _actually_ want, making present giving potentially simpler. Wouldn't be that hard to set up, organise a small commision payment from the sites you send customers to and this could make money. Pity I don't have the time or energy to actually do it :-)

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... ;-) <duck>

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 :-) but any reasonable, boxed model car will be appreciated. Honestly, little £5-10 cars make me very happy...

* 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... ;-) Or, if you happen to be determined to throw money at this one, an SLR body using a more modern lens mount than M42 please :-)

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 :-( and I _prefer_ keyboarded PDAs. I want another.

* 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=256 0144) I was discussing what I'd enter into Robot Wars / Battlebots if I was up to it, had the time & ability and so on. I'd love to see a robot of that rough type built and entered, just to see how good an idea it would really be.

* I need to replace my car at some point... ;-)