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Gifts for Valentine's Day, 2002?
Telemakhos asks: "This was asked last year, and though hardware may come and go in the course of a year, the mid-February question is eternal: What's Geeky and Good for St. Val's this year? Moreover, if roses aren't yet too bleeding-edge, whence is it best to order them?" Guys, while you are suggesting presents for the ladies, aside from the obvious, what would you like for Cupid Day?
Someone to whom presents may reasonably be given on Valentine's day.
Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
I think it's a gift option that's always overlooked, primarily because the buyer isn't sure what the recipient would want. But I've always believed that books can be a timeless gift, treasured for years. Whether it be fiction, non-fiction, reference, or a little of each, I know that I always appreciate books. Heck, go to FatBrain to find a huge collection of technical books, or maybe to ThinkGeek for options like fiction, non-fiction, programming reference, and so on. And if you're not sure, DO get a gift certificate for your loved one at a bookstore (or even for the aforementioned websites!). Then they can pick out the books themselves, and they can't hardly go wrong.
I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
Every time the People's Jewellery Ad comes up on the TV with the heart-shaped diamond pendant, she turns to me and says, "Don't get that for me. No REALLY".
Every year, I look for something that:
a) Is something she wants,
b) Is something that will signify my love for her, and
c) Is something I deem has any value.
Every year, I don't find it, and get her flowers. This always seems okay in the end.
I would much prefer to have a gift that wasn't computer related, but related to something else I enjoy doing. For instance, I skateboard in my freetime, so skateboarding stuff is good too (Although, I'm picky about that as well, bad example!).
Anyway, the point is that computer related items do not always make the best gifts unless you provide them with a full URL to exactly the item you want, but what's the fun in that?
What?
My girlfriend proposed a 5$ cap on all (total) items purchased this valentines day -- partly to save money, party to spur creativity. Gotta love that. There's no reason whatsoever to blow hundreds of dollars on a Hallmark Holiday.
~jeff
I suggest the QueerAsFolk first season DVD set. If it's too late to get it.... order up showtime :)
But beyond that... you can also consider gifts that are not just for valentines day... such as a trip to Hawaii (buy your lover the airplane tickets and present them)... or a cruise... or learning how to scuba... etc.
And your SO is geeky enough to accept and appreciate it...
Make an electronic heart - get a piece of perfboard, a bunch of red LEDs (and other assorted electronic parts - bias resistors, etc) - and wire up a electronic heart.
Use red-flashing LEDs for a trippy effect (might be expensive, but so is a diamond ring). If you are really good set it up to make a rotating pattern with the LEDs (like a marquee). If you want to try something even better, get a 16x1 HD44780 based LCD, a PIC stamp - have the PIC drive everything, put the LCD in the center, and put a scrolling message ("I Love You!" or similar) on it. Or put a picture of you in the middle of it...
One thing I did for Valentines day - because my GF isn't as geeky - was I built an automaton - a box with wheels and belts, pulleys, etc - and waving hearts on the top - powered by a little motor. I made it so you could remove the panels - it was all built out of balsa wood, painted - the whole thing - took about a month to construct and tune. She loves it to this very day (that was a few years back).
Really - anything you take time on, given with your heart - is what you want to give. Something that really says "I love you" - it could be as simple as a card you made - or a piece of jewelry, or a romantic evening out. Take the time and thought - and you will have a day to remember...
(ThinkGeek would be bigger than Amazon.com if it offered mail-order Geek brides.)
== Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====
Did the poster of this story even stop to think, for a moment, that this article would probably plunge 50% of the slashdot community, including myself, into a deep deep depression by reminding them how single they are?
..At least my grandma sends me valentines cards
*runs off crying*
Klowner
As a high school senior, I find I am completely and utterly lacking in anything resembling "nerve", "spine", or "courage". So while a statement to the amazingly attractive, intelligent, insightful girl who sits in front of me in Calculus (hope she doesn't read /.) that she is quite possible the most remarkable person I have ever met would be nice, it's out of the question. So instead I'm sending her an anonymous flower and card through the school "Valey-gram" program, and a box of the Oatmeal Square cereal thingies. Ah well, backbones are for other people, I always say.
Enough with this maudlin Valentine's Day related self-pity - a high-caliber site like slashdot doesn't need the mumblings of a sappy highschooler. I say the best possible gift would be a Furby modded to say "Happy Valentine's Day" in as many different languages as possible.
I'm the stranger...posting to
Therefore, in reality she is probably an unwashed 14-year old, linux-using male.
There's more to life than logic, mon amie.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
only the things you never tried. (I'm sure someone famous said it better, but you get the idea).
Take it from a shy geek who is MANY years out of high school. I don't remember the names of any of the women who turned me down, but I do remember the ones I never asked out.
iPod.
And I guess that dual-gigahertz G4 that it's attached to will get you laid for at least a year...
SIGFEH
A high school senior. God how I envy you.
The path from high-school senior to middle aged man is maddeningly short with plenty of disappointments, triumphs and lots of experience that really kicks you in the nuts.
Make a play for her. Risk embarassment. The truth is that she'll probably blow you off. But at a minimum, you won't look back with regret.
In my sophomore year of college I spent a lot of time with a young lady that I absolutely found the most breathtaking, wonderful girl (woman?). And I didn't ask her out. I spent 9 months with her and didn't have the gonads to just say "Hey, how about you and me go get a pizza tonight". how foolish. Funny how we learn about courage after we don't need it so much.
And understand that marriage, kids, mortgage and career are just as effective prison bars as the keenest steel and thickest walls. You can't go back for so many reasons. You have people who depend on you, from the littlest baby to the people who work for you and depend on you to point them in the right direction every day.
There's every chance I'm the pathetic middle-aged loser you laugh at. There a sure chance you'll be the same thing in 25 years. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt so much. And I suppose the rewards are worth it.
Revel in your time. Have fun. Don't worry so much, you'll do fine. And just ask her out to talk. Movies are a bad first date, unless you think you'll run out of things to say.
There's even a web site dedicated to it! Hint: click on the link labelled "cunnilingus". And whatever you do, don't complain that it smells!
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
This is good advice, but to my way of thinking, red roses are probably a bad thing to buy on Valentine's Day.
Apart from the obvious problems of supply and demand (and therefore cost), red roses are a no-brainer - it may be "traditional", but it's also predictable and boring! While geeks may lack in the "personality" department, they usually have "individuality" in spades, so go against the flow and do something original! Instead of red roses, try a bunch of mixed pastel colours (apricot, pink, cream etc.) or better still, a bunch of orchids (e.g. "Singapore orchids" - Dendrobium hybrids, I think.) These aren't the only options, of course, but they are pretty safe ones.
And why stick to Valentine's Day, anyway? Again, it's a no-brainer to buy flowers because it's Valentine's Day, but there are 364 other days to choose from! Buy her flowers on a day because it isn't Valentine's Day, and you're likely to have a greater impact (and usually for all the right reasons.)