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Christmas Gifts for Geeks
scottfi writes "The shopping season is just about over and I'm always on the lookout for the cool geek gadget to get friends and family (or myself). What cool items are on your list this year or you have wrapped up for others? There are a ton of gift guides online, but I always like to see what the slashdot crowd would like under their tree." I recommend the Harmony Remote, an iPod, and of course a Slashdot Subscription ;)
I'm with Taco on the iPod. A digital camera with 5x or better optical zoom is a nice thing, too.
Also, you might look at bitChen. They look like much more fun than they should be, though very practical.
That what was all this school was for... to teach us how to solve our own problems. -- janeowit
... to pass my finals.
There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
Slashdot Subscription, the most expensive asterisk money can buy!
Merry Christmas
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Sweet lovin...
Dear Santa,
I've been a good boy this year. Please bring me:
a RealDoll
KY Jelly
96 Fort Garry Dark Ale
oh.. and peace on earth, goodwill to all.
Thanks!
Trolling is a art,
What makes it superior to the cheaper Rio Karma which also plays Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files among other things?
...but RAM is always a nice gift. I mean, right?
Give me a job for Christmas. After that, I can take care of my own toys.
BION, this year, most of my gift wish lists inlude non-geeky items. I needed a change. I have items on my lists like workplace clothing, a jacket, CD's, etc. I thought it would be nice for me to get non-geeky stuff for a change...
I would subscribe, but I do not see any value in it.
/. would offer services like a dup detector for stories, spellcheck for subscribers. more technical stories (like /. used to), and if the editiors would actually post/interact with the users then I would subscribe.
If
Till then? Well their are quite a few other projects that will be getting my money.
So.. umm.... who gave you that gift, Taco?
Leatherman Juice Xe6 Chris Bozic
My girlfriend would love this. Especially when I am having a LAN party.
So far anyone that has asked me what I want for christmas gets the same answer as everyone else:
A Job.
Graduating sucks when you don't have a job. Then again, I still have two finals left.
I wanna DVD Burner, but I haven't time to sort through the acronyms to figure out what all that +-rw is about.
Send lawyers, guns, and money. Dad, get me out of this.
Scrabble/Chess accessories (super heavy weighted pieces)
Also, any of the cool USB devices here would be cool... the only problem with those is that they can short out the USB ports.
So, I have a PS2 and a GameCube from last year's gift-a-thon. And I have a PC as well, naturally.
Based on personal experience, do you readers out there think I should get someone to get me an XBox? I hear wonderful things about the XBox Live experience (compared to PC online games), for example, and there are a couple games I've not had the chance to try because they're XBox only or at least XBox first (like Midtown Madness 3).
I like almost any category of games, first person shooters first, followed closely by TBS and then RTS games, driving games, sports games probably least of all.
Leave the MS bashing at the door, please.
Xentax
You shouldn't verb words.
prices are dirt cheap for anything that is primarily used in the summer, like golf clubs or swimming pool accessories. Geeks will enjoy the practicality and thoughtfulness of long-term planning, even if they can't use the gifts for another 6 months.
Oh yeah, on the tech front, a wireless access point detector is cool.
...a girl friend ?
They are cheap and somewhat original :) I bought three different friends them and they where very happy...15 bux...that was cheap :P
Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
How is this a troll?
Can any one of you honestly say that you wouldn't want a WMD detector for Christmas?
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
/. Subscription? Can't you ask for something a little more useful? Like some fruit stripe gum? Some Glad trash bags? Lump of coal? (at least it's combustable and is a feasible source of heat and or energy)
"...if you don't like your job, you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed..." -Homer
I would love to have an iPod, but I'm about 99.6% sure I'm not getting one for Christmas. That is why I'm trying to get people to donate a dollar so I can buy one... visit sbrown01.com for more details.
How about a gift from Dave Barry's Gift Guide? I see he even listed an item from Think Geek!
"Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
I think an iPod (or similar) is a bad geek gift, since most geeks probably have their eyes on these devices already, and have strong opinions on what they'd like.
An iPod is also too expensive a gift in most cases, and since you'll probably end up with the cheapest 15GB one, you'll feel shitty if you go out and buy a decent 40GB one a few months later, selling the gift on eBay or something.
I say geek gifts shouldn't necessarily be geek-exclusive gifts. Independent music in a genre the person likes.. movies they've shown an interest in.. box sets of the TV series they like. These things are smaller, more likely to open their eyes, and more likely to be remembered than a gift that could be obsolete within the year (because geeks upgrade often, as we know).
Or, even better, something off of their Amazon/whatever-store-isn't-evil-today giftlist.. that way you KNOw they'll like it! And, even better, you'll know someone else didn't buy it for them!
mogorific carpentry experiments
uh. . . a good book?
--It's a special device that requires no memory cards, no special power cells, and can be used with simple sunlight.
But then that might be pushing too far for today's geek:)
(Say something in an Umberto Eco)
-[joke removed for your safety]-
I am breaking out my soldering iron to work on this gift coming from my wife...the Enigma-e This is a brand new kit project so you can make an electronic working replica of the German Enigma machine. Includes plans to make yourself a wooden case and also code sheets from German Enigma files. Find it here: www.xat.nl/enigma-e Its from the Netherlands - sold through Bletchley Park in the UK - www.bletchleypark.org.uk It also connects to your PC with a serial cable - then you can transmit coded messages through something like hyperterminal. Enjoy.
Forget the iPod. It's overpriced, and not up to par. There are plenty of iPod killers out there now. Take the Rio Karma as an example. I've had mine for atleast a month now and I love it. It plays oggs, has an ethernet port, rca jacks, and a VU meter. It also plays mp3s a lot better than even the newest iPods. When a track is finished and it goes to the next track there is 0 skip. On the iPod there is about a 1 to 2 second pause. You might wonder why this is important. If you listen to electronic dance music and you have mixed CDs this is very important so you don't mess up the flow of the music.
Can the iPod.
Tom.
Oh arse
Doom 3... When is that suppose to be out...? That would have been a nice christmas present... Anybody else wishing Doom 3 was about this christmas season....?
1. 5+ MP digital camera to replace the 2MP I dropped which is now taking fuzzy pictures
;)
2. DVD Player that plays DVD+-R/RW and VCDs on both CDR and CDRW.
3. Both seasons of 24 on DVD, Family Guy season 3 on DVD (the divxs just aren't as much fun as the DVDs), and free tickets to LOTR3.
4. Gore-tex hiking boots (not too geeky unless you're a geocacher like me
Enough karma whoring. Time to buy a binary clock!
Denn wir sind wie Baumstaemme im Schnee. Scheinbar liegen sei glatt auf, mit kleinem anstoss sollte man sie wegschieben
A nice bottle of scotch (say Mcallan 18) and a Linux Fish for my car.
All generalizations are false, including this one. Mark Twain
- Pentium 4 2.8C ($213)
- Intel D875PBZ motherboard ($142)
- Two Kingston 512MB DDR400 DIMMs ($168 for both)
- Antec SLK3700-BQE quiet case ($77)
Prices are from http://www.newegg.com/I'm looking forward to a full Intel^3 (cpu/chipset/board) solution for ultimate stability.
Books:
- Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by James Wallace ($12 new)
- The Principia by Isaac Newton ($15 new)
- Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith ($12 new)
- Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice in C (2nd Ed.) by James D. Foley ($30 used)
- Operating Systems: Design and Implementation (2nd Ed.) by Andrew S. Tanenbaum ($20 used)
- Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup ($28 used)
- The Book of Numbers by John Horton Conway ($22 used)
Used prices are from www.AbeBooks.comI sent my holiday spending money to the USO, who will buy gifts for people that need it more than me.
Phone cards, and online time are the two big items for them this year
I'm holding out on the slashdot subscription until they start providing what I want, read access to the submission queue. I know that there are lots of problems to be solved before that can be offered (more trolling of the submission queue etc.) but I think it is worth solving those problems to give us access to it (ala fark).
On a related note, has anyone considered getting the trolls giant blue rubber dicks for Christmas?
Cmdr Taco for Xmas...
Merry Christmas!
Sig it.
These are available in a wide range of sizes and prices. USB 2.0 models are becoming cheaper.
Yes, most geeks probably have at least one of these already, but the techie on your list would probably appreciate another one.
As an added bonus, pen drives can be used with just about any operating system, so you can get one for the unwashed heathen ([win32,mac,bsd,linux] user) in the next cube.
(Just kidding about the unwashed part. The heathen piece still stands, though.)
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
You must be new here.
My female robot...
This is going to be the be best prom ever!
This site has alot of cool stuff and it is very resonably priced.
http://www.greenmountaintraders.com/index.html
I'd rather a mp3CD player for $50, ten CD-Rs, and the extra $349 in cash, please.
> Can any one of you honestly say that you
> wouldn't want a WMD detector for Christmas?
Yes. WMD detectors are all defective. After all, not a single WMD detector indicated the presence of WMDs when they are *clearly* there.
1) A new MP3 player for my card
;-)
2) More memory for my computer
3) DVD player
4) PlayStation 2
5) Bigger TV to better enjoy DVD player and PlayStation 2
6) DSL, so I can hook the PlayStation 2 up to the Internet to play FF XI
Simple needs.
-jls
Techno-pagan
My brother gave me a Symbol CS1504 barcode scanner (a little over $100). Brown box, no app software, not much of a manual, just USB driver and a web site to discuss the unit. I've now written my own Java code to read it and look up UPC barcodes on the web. Haven't figured out exactly what to do with it, but it's small and has got a laser - what more could you want? Kept me entertained working on code for it for months.
All I want is a working Star Trek type transporter, the geographic coordinates of every spammer on Earth, and the coordinates to the center of the Sun. Good times
Apple targets the masses in their marketing for the iPod, not geeks. Geeks would be quite satisfied and even more so with an Archos player for cheaper that holds more. Who needs style anyway :)?
Every geek wants a fast webhost.
I recently signed up with Serverpronto who offer the in-fucking-credible price of $30/month for a dedicated linux box (Redhat or now Debian as well) . I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not when the prices are so cheap they make you suspicious...
40GB HD, 200GB transfer from a DEDICATED Athlon 2000+ box with 256MB RAM
You have to put $150 down for setup fees though so that kinda sucks.
See subject
Oh yeah here is another for you low tech geeks out there. Also has alot of cool books like how to be more creative, the logic of failure as well as books on calculus.
http://lindsaybks.com/
...is a series of successes on these upcoming mars orbital insertions and landings.
For example, the swinging Tux pendant is simply adorable! She'll love you forever for it!
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
I usually buy my xmas presents myself, and let my wife/family sponsor it. It has the downside of already knowing what you're going to get, but at least you know you're not getting all that junk, *and* you have to wait till Christmas eve untill you can open the package...
And you have to admit, which geek wouldn't want the Alien Quadrology ?
Radeon 9800 Card Hauppage PVR 350 SB Audigy 2 Platinum Klipsch 5.1 GMX That should be a good starting point.
I sat on one for a year before the .com bubble bursted. My butt never felt the same(sigh).
- these are not the droids you are looking for -
Amazon's Early Adopters section has lots of great toys looking for new homes....
I've asked for this last year and again this year. I want a color serial console to use upstairs running to my iMac downstairs so I can use screen'ed naim/centericq for IM, pine or elm for e-mail, and of course lynx for web browsing.
:) I think the higher level VT terminals support colors much like linux's terminal does...
Quiet, low power, and can be turned on or off at a moment's notice. Leaves you logged into all the IM services simultaneously too!
Anyone know where to get these things on the cheap so I can forward the link to my SO?
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
My vote would go to the Canon Digital Rebel (AKA Canon EOS 300D) camera. There's a review at http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/300d.h tml and http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_ eos300d.asp?dontcount=1.
The short version is that for $1000 you can get a quality Digital SLR camera with a very good zoom lens. And you can then use Canon EF lenses for flexibility.
Compared to other DSLR's it's _way_ less expensive (compare to the previous bargain 10D for $1,500 with no lens), and makes pretty reasonable tradeoffs. It has the same 6 Mpixel sensor, but the camera body is plastic instead of metal, and a few other esoteric controls are missing. So they give you the functionality that any photographer actually uses, for around 1/2 the cost of its closest competition.
Compared to point-and-shoot digicams, the 300D (1) has a much larger lens, allowing you to shoot in less light/faster speed, and (2) lets you use any Canon EF lens, so you can use super zoom lenses, macro lenses, etc., (3) it gives you manual control over everything, and (4) it auto-focuses and shoots much faster than any point-and-shoot I've tested.
Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
Why is the corkscrew such a popular item on multitools? Are there really that many people opening wine away from home?
My favorite Swiss Army knife has a phillips head screwdriver where the corkscrew usually is, and I find it infinitely more useful.
--
the strongest word is still the word "free"
How about a developer nano-ITX board?
Or, for those of you who don't have root access at VIA, how about a biometric flash drive? A decent smartphone? How about a working LCD display, with all the wiring pre-done please.
The ______ Agenda
How about donations to "geek" charities such as the EFF or EPIC? I'm sure other worthwhile OpenSource projects such as GNOME can also use a gift. Donations are environmentally friendly, don't require batteries, never break, and won't clutter your apartment or add more confusion to your life.
One of these.
Screwdriver/Torx bits, dip-switch setting thing, corkscrew, pliers. What else do you need?
Just the 29, I reckon. 41 is a bit on the big side.
I have everything else. Thanks Santa.
"The shopping season is just about over"
What!?
There are 10 days 'til xmas! The season has hardly started!
If none of *you* want a WMD detector for Xmas, then how about getting me one???
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
On eBay.
Usama bin Laden's head on a paper plate, and functioning representative democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Available now.
Disclosure: I'm not affiliated with MaSu. I'm not affiliated with Sqream. I get no money or other kickbacks for this. I don't own one of these yet since they were announced just a couple of hours ago. Yes, I've ordered one myself. Yes, it's expensive.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
Now that there are a few Ogg Vorbis players, I'd like one. For those who haven't followed the umpteen stories on this over the last year... The iRiver 550 is one of the CD/MP3 variety, and it comes with Ogg support. They're also updating the firmware for most of the others in the series. Other than that? Peace on earth and goodwill towards men, and a winnebago with a burgandy interior.
Law is whatever is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained. -- Aaron Burr
Inspired by the recent article, I bought myself a full-featured SLR camera!
The Canon Rebel K2 Kit and extra Battery Pack.
Mmm... this should be an "ask slashdot feature"
I saw it on TV a few weeks ago... A clock with 6 rows of lights to tell the time with in binary. I seem to recall it was about $30. -D As I have read ... there are 10 types of people in the world - those who know binary and those that don't!
That same turntable was 50 when I was a kid.
here is my small and very humble wishlist.
I do sincerely hope you will show up at the Christmas party with these items. If so required I shall designate certain items to certain people to avoid getting double presents. Those who do not bring a present in my wishlist may not have any of the food, nor will you be invited again next year. I thank you all.
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"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome."
They have most of it covered, here.
Get off my launchpad!
Just a date, with a nice a girl...
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Nothing like an Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobles gift certificate. Takes some of the pain out of shelling out $50 for a book that will be worthless in 2 years.
Maybe they would love some gay p0rn, or some device to streach their asshole very wide.
I asked for shelves from walmart.com to hold my CD's and increasing DVD collection. Cheap, easy, and functional. Not very geeky though. I guess most the geek stuff I want is way to expensive or I already have it.
Z
2+2=5 for extremely large values of 2
We asked the same question in the spanish sister site, Barrapunto, and the winner was the aforementioned TFT screen.
Interestingly, very few voted for a slashdot subscription. Many wanted a barrapunto tee.
It's not too late. You can still vote.
It's just a BloJJ
MOD PARENT DOWN for spreading FUD.
When a track is finished and it goes to the next track there is 0 skip. On the iPod there is about a 1 to 2 second pause.
Pure bull.
The iPod loads 4-5 songs to its 32 megs of RAM and will not skip unless you select a new song that is not allready in its RAM, then it has to spin up the HD and load the song, that takes 1-2 seconds.
If you let it run its playlist without interference it will spin up the HD 5 seconds before the last loaded song ends and load up the next batch without any pause or skip.
You can't take the sky from me...
Screw enigma. I'm going for the enema.
Enema in a Box (TM)
Prepackaged with the bottle, hose, soap and vaseline. And if you buy now, you'll even get these attractive vinyl gloves that can also be used for cooking. Now what would you pay?
Just set it and forget it... for a few minutes
In no particular order...
- Athlon 64-FX53
- An Athlon64 mobo tha I can OC...
- WD Raptor of the 74 GB flavor
- A nice Cannon digicam
- ATI 96XX or 98XX card
- A muzzel for my sister
- Girlfriends for my geek buds that REALLY need a hobby (do I need to explain why GF's are a hobby to geeks)
- Two days of no phone, no family, my kick ass comp and uncluttered bandwidth...
Take care of yourselves, help your mom with her PC and eat like a videogeek at a LAN party...
Everything that's being nominated for those vaporware awards.
Any minute now the trolls will be posting links to tubgirl.
Everyone should get a Voltron: Defender of the Universe
Chris Bozic
A LED flashlight that will knock their Christmas stockings off. MAME fans will want an arcade joystick. Or if they prefer their classic gaming fun on the go, a portable SNES/NES/2600. Some others have mentioned Leatherman tools. From Thinkgeek, an LED binary clock. How about an Archos media player? Probably not geeky, but something weird like this a magic tree. Or lastly, and perhaps not least, a very affordable Shortwave radio for $10.
I know some of you want this hi-tech lady. http://www.tubgirl.com
I want a MiniDV Camcorder. Don't need integrated still ability. Any suggestions?
Gorkman
world domination! (and no, I'm not bill gates)
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
And since I'm not using OSX and I won't be using iTunes and its DRM' format
Man this seems hard to understand: iTunes != iTunes Music Store.
iTunes plays MP3s, encodes MP3s, burns MP3s, and runs on Windows too now.
The iPod plays MP3s.
You do not have to buy music from the iTunes music store. You can rip your own CDs or pirate away on the P2P networks all you want, the iPod will play your songs.
I use an iPod, I do not use DRM files. That simple.
You can't take the sky from me...
best gift is definately a job!
i got one this christmas...i recommend one to everyone!
everyone who wants gadgets that is...;)
But, alas, you still can not use Ogg. I can make Ogg with a number of tools quite easily, and I already do so.
i got new dentures. i wish they were stainless steel like Jaws from the James Bond movies, i could have used them for wire cutters and sheet metal sheers...
Never seeing that retarded site and it's unfunny "comic" again?
Lego Technic is just the thing, perhaps a MindStorms kit. Use it to make a robotic typist.
"You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
My god, it is so amazing. And at only a little over $100k, you know your friends will all have one.
Battlestar Galactica Box Set
Only way it couuld look cooler is if the Cylon head's light actually scanned back and forth.
Gorkman
is certainly one of the ultimate Geek gifts available, and it has the potential to transform masses into geeks! :-)
http://www.mandrakesoft.com/products/mandrakemove
Apple has all kinds of keen stuff for holiday gifts. I just bought for myself a 15" G4 Powerbook. Other ideas include an iPod (w/ engraving for that personalized touch), new 20" eMac, or even a DP G5.
Of course, you may not like Apple stuff, that's too bad, but if you do not, you can try Best Buy or Thinkgeek for some cool stuff.
Avcast(R) enables the distribution of broadband video, audio and infrared control signals over existing coax cables in the home. www.avcast.com Share your Tivo, DVD, VCR through out your house. Great stuff.
Don't forget this.
some times I wish mod points were on sale :) It would make ideal gift to many of my buddies and ofcourse to myself too..
DVDs are always something you can buy unless you come up with something else. Indiana Jones remastered movies could be a good choice for you who haven't got that already. Personally I watch much rather a high quality DVD than som crappy version from the net.
I demand the Cone of Silence!
One of the first DSLR's under $1k that's actually worth buying! It'll take EF (and a new type, EF-S) lenses so finally we photography geeks have a chance to get a sub-$1k DSLR. Except for the Sigma SD9 (with Foveon's X3 sensor), which was Sigma's first digital camera, the 300D is the only other decent camera in this class.
I've been *really* good this year, I swear.
Exocet Industries - Taking over the world, one computer at a
Get me one of these
Dont misunderstand me: I _love_ Leatherman!
(I carry my two Leathermans (Micra and Super Tool almost every day!)
But _this_thing_is_definetly_a_gay_only_tool_!
It starts with the colours ("Oh my dear, have you noticed that wwwwounderful, nice violet?"), and never stops ("Have you noticed this wonderful, diamond-coated nail file?" "Oh yes, my dear! And this most beatyful and very handy corcscrew! Lets open a beatiful bottle of wine, darling.").
Maresi
BTW: I can almost smell the bad karma creeping in, but, hey, it was worth saying it!
And: I know some gay guys (and they know me, and we are on friendly terms!), theyd really love this thing!
The checkbox said "Requires Windows 98, NT, or better. And so I installed Linux
I may get docked karma for this...but as a Univ. of Pittsburgh alumni its my responsibility to trash Penn State whenever possible. Promising to trash Penn State is about the only thing you have to do to graduate from Pitt...since the coursework is so easy.
Not to toot my own horn -- ok, may I am tooting my own horn, but I've created a bunch of Linux/Tux the penguin 'free beer' baseball caps at linuxitch.com, my currently pathetic web site. The hats are good quality, light-weight, have an adjustable strap in the back and are available in quantity discounts.
Also, I'm donating a portion of the profits to The Linux Show so if anyone's interested in a cool Linux/open source/techcy gift and helping out a great cause, head on over to linuxitch.com.
Thank you for your support.
A while ago I bought Plextor's top-of-the-line DVD+-RW drive and I still can't write DVDs in Linux.
First of all, I had to download the Schilly's closed-source dvdrecord because RedHat's fork doesn't even recognize the drive.
But even the closed-source version refused to blank a DVD+RW disc (get this for doing that) and crashed when it's tried to fixing a DVD-R disc. Even today I have to do all the DVD burning in Windows. CD-RW burning works just fine under Linux.
The owls are not what they seem
What I want for Xmas:
- a job
- a car
- a bed
Thanks Mr Santa
If your gift recipient is an ubergeek, he/she will appreciate having some test-bed hardware to knock around on; if he/she is new to geekdom, then you've given them a way to explore without trashing their XP box.
"It was a summer's tale: Just a boy, his Linux, and a head full of dreams..."
Spaceballs the Flamethrower. The kids really love this one.
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals."
A friend of mine runs a small web site that sells stickers. Here's a few:
- Fat People Are Harder To Kidnap
- I Love Beer
- I Love Geeks
- Drink Coffee - Do Stupid Things Faster And With More Energy!
Here's some more. And don't forget the one in my sig.
--
That's all I would spend my money on. My wishlist has an external hard drive on it along with a stack of CDR's.
But I thought an iPod was lame?
Whats with the radical change of opinion?
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
I bought one of these for my brother for christmas and I swear I haven't wrapped it yet because I want to keep it. ;)
just = (My)Opinion.toCents();
I've made a start. Fortunately(!), my midi-tower PC died. Normally I'd just take the bits still working and build another, but this time I'm eBaying them all off. This still leaves me with one desktop PC - a Shuttle small form factor, so that's not so bad.
Next up are the laptops. I have four in the house, although 'only' three of them are mine - another is from work. One I've given away to my wife, one I'm keeping for me...hmm. Another ebay target then.
Now let's open my study's cupboard. Oh no - howmany universal power adapters? How many now pointless cables? How much RAM for older motherboard standards? Nope - off to Ebay we go.
Now lets have a look round the desk. Hmm. When's the last time I used that HP 620LX clamshell CE device? About three years? Well, you know where that's going then. And what about that Creative Labs 5.1 sound thingy, with the non-optical SPDIF that now nothing will connect to? Time for a replacement there methinks. Off you go then.
Now let's look in the next room. My god! Look at all the pointless music keyboards that are now entirely outclassed. Hmm....quite like one of them (a Roland D20). The rest? Well, have a guess. Go on. I dare you...
Cheers,
Ian
And a sking trip to Greece...
:(
I getting me the second one, but I don't think I'll be getting the first
Wow, I should not post when knackered.
...is my two front teeth, but I'll settle for Bluetooth cell phone.
Win a signed Stephen Carpenter ESP Guitar from the Deftones: http://def-tag.com/?r=0008781
I reccomend Slim Devices' appliance for playing .mp3's on your stereo.
.mp3's on your box, and hook up to the slimpy over your lan.
Basically, you install their server software on your machine (Linux, window$, whaterver), point it to a repository of
The server software, written in Perl for Linux runs a mini web server on port 9000, and is configurable through it's web interface. You can create playlists, etc.
Also, the code is OSS. They have a project on Sourceforge.
So by buying a Slimpy, you get a cool toy and you get to support an OSS project.
I have had the TCP/IP box since July, and I can't say a bad thing about it. I've got the server running on a Redhat 7 box (a Pentium 200) and all is well. Performance is fine. Never a problem.
wbs.
Huh?
After a suprise christmas bonus; I've just ordered these little toys to play with:
eDimensional 3D glasses and a TrackIR2
Sorry about linuxitch.com not working. Here's my corrected submission... (note to self ... use the 'Preview' button -- )
Not to toot my own horn -- ok, maybe I am tooting my own horn, but I had a bunch of Linux/Tux the penguin 'free beer' baseball caps made up at linuxitch.com, my currently pathetic web site. The hats are good quality, light-weight, have an adjustable strap in the back and are available in quantity discounts.
Also, I'm donating a portion of the profits to The Linux Show so if anyone's interested in a cool Linux/open source/techcy gift and helping out a great cause, head on over to linuxitch.com.
Thank you for your support.
Perhaps a Hacker Logo t-shirt?
...money, or a Microcenter certificate. My family has managed (with good intentions, obviously) to screw up buying even the most piddly trinket of hardware. I mean, I run FreeBSD! What the hell am I going to do with this stack of nonworking USB webcams? ;)
You drink too much coffee, I drink too much stout.
I want a Delorian equipped with the flux capacitor and enough power (1.21GW) to get the thing going. Oh, but I wont need roads.
How 'bout, how 'bout this for a gift suggestion:
silk panties
this gotta be the coolest thing for a simumlator guy, preferrably the type whos already made his own cockpit!
s px ?language=en-GB&product=ZZL39JET
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/ProductDetails.a
(somebody tell me how to make correct links!)
*resistance is futile, or fuzzy, i dunno*
Peace on Earth
A personal army of robots to conquer the placeted people with
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
I made a lot of money in 2003. I used it to buy just about anything I wanted and had time/space for; the same holds true for material desires down the road. Christmas drives me nuts, because it means that my friends and family will be wasting money buying me more stuff that will likely end up in a closet or at the salvation army. My only really memorable gift from xmas 2002 was a Barnes&Noble gift card, and I still haven't had time to read the damned books I bought with it!
So how about everyone just does me a favor and gives the money away? Following are my favourite charities:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign
The Sierra Club
Amnesty International
Greenpeace
I'm sure, in fact I know, that I have left a lot of worth organizations out. But seriously, my christmas wish is that people would stop wasting money buying cheap asian trinkets and spend it on something useful. Christmas doesn't have to be a load of crap. Make it worthwhile.
Unless, of course, you want to get me gift certificates at the Apple store.
Consider the following:
- Clothing
- Dinners
- Jewelry
- Upgrades
- Breast augmentation
- Liposuction
All of these present additional costs. Add to that QoS (It happens to everybody, honey) and downtime (I'm tired...).Your ideal solution lies in the purchase of an experienced adult film studio fluffer. Guaranteed on-demand service without the hassle of a non-professional.
Petzl E43P Tikka LED Headlamp helps when using the leatherman http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000 06LUMC/
I want all 4 seasons on DVD!!!!
....
Now there is a gift for everyone
The family geek(s) can watch Stargate, and the rest of the family won't be annoyed with the stupid Sci-Fi commercials and announcements
Brilliant!
HallmarkOrnaments.Com
Not to toot my own horn -- ok, maybe I am tooting my own horn, but I had a bunch of Linux/Tux the penguin 'free beer' baseball caps made up at linuxitch.com, my currently pathetic web site. The hats are good quality, light-weight, have an adjustable strap in the back and are available in quantity discounts.
Also, I'm donating a portion of the profits to The Linux Show so if anyone's interested in a cool Linux/open source/techcy gift and helping out a great cause, head on over to linuxitch.com.
If the ebay link shows no hats listed, contact me at alan@linuxitch.com, or send a paypal payment of $20 (includes shipping to the contiguous 48 states only!!) for a cap and priority mail (2-3 day) shipping plus delivery confirmation! If you live outside the US or elsewhere, contact me for rates.
Thank you for your support.
1. A girlfriend
2. More sunlight
3. A new pocket calculator
I considered a USB coffee cup warmer for my husband until I read that it only keeps coffee lukewarm. I also considered the WFS-1 wifi detector, which is far superior to the Kensington model, but I nixed that because it doesn't distinguish between open and closed networks.
If we were filling stockings for grown-ups, I'd have gotten a bunch of Cyberguy Power Strip Liberators, which double your outlet access and are only $2.39 each. I have some and love them.
I was going to get my puzzle-loving brother-in-law a Shmuzzle Puzzle, but the U.S. rerelease, which had been scheduled for Dec. 3 on QVC has been postponed indefinitely. Canadians can buy them over the counter.
Some of the geekier presents I ordered for my nieces and nephews, all of whom are of course brilliant:
Slightly less geeky gifts:
And it makes Steve Job's have a Merry Christmas too.
Ctrlaltdel has a comic about this concept also (alright, so it's a V-day gift...but the idea still stands.) http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/?t=archives&date= 2003-02-14
http://www.cenatek.com/store/
One Rocket Drive please. Feel the Burn of speed
If we don't get out of here in ten minutes we wont need a spaceship to fly ~Alien
Oops! This isn't the vaporware thread. So sorry, mod me down.
I figure I'll get an 'early start' and do it this week. 2-3 hours...BAM swoop in, get everyone's gifts...and out.
It isn't that hard...
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
http://store.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/cig-0 1.html
Biased comment here, but I think slashdot people are usually interested in computer art. If you go to my site listed in my byline, you can see the art I offer.
A few years ago, someone on Slashdot posted a link to a place that makes leather handyman kilts.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Can you guys point out some iPod vs. iRiver vs. Rio Karma comparative reviews?
Thanks.
Every geek needs a Skidoo
www.skidoo.com
muahahahahahhaah
The main reason I bought an IPOD is the sound quality (and it doesn't disappoint).
"Everyone knows Lenin had to setup a police state," Chomsky
A coffee thermos that doesn't suck. The Thermos Nissan line has two versions of drinkable backpack bottles, 11oz and 16oz. mmmm, indestructable. Hard to find, too.
Check out the ultimate guys' company: C.C. Filson. They've began making outdoor gear during the Gold Rush in 1897, and have continued to produce according to their slogan, "Might as well have the best." Their stuff ain't cheap, and it ain't stylish...but it's tough and it's warm. You can't beat Filson quality.
I own the Outfitter coat, with a moleskin liner. My friends have a lot of fun with the fact that I look like a logger, but damned if it isn't the warmest coat I've ever owned. In a year or two, I'll buy the Double Mackinaw Cruiser for a bit of variety. I also own a pair of Filson gloves, and a hat (which gets me more grief than the jacket).
They also sell a terrific laptop bag. Paired with a sleevecase from Waterfield Designs, Filson's bag is the perfect transport and protection for my 12" PowerBook. It's a beautiful thing.
My Christmas list this year includes a Filson blanket. Again, the price is high, but it's matched by the quality and the craftsmanship. This is a winter blanket that can be handed down from one generation to the next -- and in my family's case, it will.
I love Filson, so this is a great opportunity for a plug. Buy their stuff. And order their free catalog. It's the most masculine mail-order catalog you'll find. It's filled with stories like, "Your coat protected me from a bear attack," and, "I was wearing your pants when I fell through the ice, fishing in Alaska, otherwise I'd be dead." Great stuff.
crib
Please don't read my journal
- Rio Karma (20G) for day to day use, Rio Cali (256mb version) for the gym (Wow just did a currency conversion, and even with the exchange it's about $100CND cheaper to buy this in the states (assuming the $169USD pricetag seen on froogle.google.com)
- AOpen DRW4410 DVD Writer (at under $100 US it'd be cheaper than the above items
:)
- Linux compatible Serial ATA card for my fileserver (the Silicon Graphics chipsets don't seem to do linux RAID, but according to some of the forum posts it is possible to get it working). This is just an interim solution until I upgrade the whole box and put in a motherboard with a SATA chip, so just looking for something that works
:)
- A couple of big ass SATA hard drives to go with it.
- Aliens Quadrilogy DVD
- A USB keychain storage device... 64 or 128 megs of storage to keep important files safe. According to a recent Linux Journal article, they are the floppies for the new millenium.
- Canon Digital Rebel or...
- Pentax Digital *ist
- Add on bits for my Canon A70 Digital Camera
- Another nice shirt like I got from mom for my birthday
- $1,000,000
- A house that exactly meets what I want (and only costs $1)
- A subscription to Popular Photography Magazine
- A huge and over priced flat panel TV, ungodly expensive reciever, and speakers of such high quality that even the most freakish audiophiles will cry for mercy (this will go in the house I mentioned above).
- CDRs
- CDRWs
- DVDRs (to go with the DVD writer mentioned above)
Obviously some of these are pie in the sky wishlist stuff, others are a bit more serious, and yet others I'll get myself if the boxing day sales are good enough. I leave it to you gentle reader to figure out which is whichFUD PUD
:)
That has been my personal experiance. You can speak from your experiance if you like. But this is my personal experiance. Maybe there is a newer firmware or something i'm missing. I'm not sure, but all I can speak is what I know.
and it's overpriced
Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.
cubes and stuff
A digital camera, if they don't already have one. Take unlimited pictures, see them immediately, put them on your web pages, never pay for prints. I can take 800 pictures (in low resolution) without having to do the equivalent of changing rolls of film!
Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries, if they don't have them. Never buy AA batteries again! And if you do eventually throw them out, they're nickel and zinc, they won't be poisoning any aquifers.
A harmonica. $5.99 for a Hohner Pocket Pal. Make sure they know they can reach the A below middle C by bending the B; that makes many more melodies reachable. I find bending somewhat easier on the $25 Special-20.
Neil Stephenson has a new book out, Quicksilver. Check if they already have Cryptonomicon, get that first if they don't have it.
For the true nerd, "The Bell Curve", $6 used from Amazon. Balance that with an overview of autism and Aspberger's Syndrom. That can resolve a lot of mysteries.
I've finished all of mine already. ...then again, I'm also a girl, so take that as you will. ^.~
Bít, zabít, jen proto, ze su liska!
work for diebold? ;)
....from www.Emergants.com Nanotechnology, P2P, Open Source T-shirts ....from the winners of the Slashdot T-shirt Contest
Not everyone celebrates christmas on slashdot. How bout holiday gift ideas instead of christmas gift ideas?
Can anyone think of something a Mac-loving graphic designer would like for Christmas?? My girlfriend is one of those, and because I'm neither Mac-loving nor a professional designer, I'm a little less-than-beseiged with ideas.
:)
Any ideas are appreciated
This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it. - Dorothy Parker
after noting "and of course a Slashdot Subscription"
:)
he scrolls up slowly, who would post this?
an act of loyalty, who could it be?
- he scrolls up-
Perhaps it's Mr Jobs as a sign of gratitude...
ah.... Mr Taco
A blog I run for the wealth
It's wonderful. No stress. No huge post-holiday bills. No fighting hordes of people.
Am I going to miss opening things? Frankly, no. I've got almost everything I want- I don't need an iPod. I don't need a Harmony remote. My 20-year-old stereo and 10-year-old TV work just fine, and my 15-year-old Nikon takes better pictures than virtually any digital camera on the market today. I refuse to buy RIAA sponsored CDs. My house is already cluttered with enough geegaws and bric-a-brac to fill half the attic and I don't want any more.[1]
Just say no to crap you don't really need. Eat a nice dinner with family and friends and watch a few football games on TV. Bliss.
[1] Well, if someone wants to buy me a nice A. kowalewskii specimen I won't turn it down, but my wife is the only one nuts enough to do it.
"Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
All I want for Christmas is just One Ring.
I hear in some other countries, they don't tip, or gratuity is automatically added to each check. In the US, that just isn't the deal. It won't change either. Please try to take the mindset, that part of the price of dining out, especially for full service, is the gratuity. Just like a beer costs x$'s...so, does the tip. It is not optional. I worked through college waiting tables and later bartending...MUCH better money bartending. It's been awhile, so, I don't know the exact figures anymore, but, there are TWO minimum wages set by the US. The normal one...and one for tipped personnel. When I was waiting tables..was like $2.19/hr (most of the 90's is when I did this). And, the Gov. expects you to declare 8% of your total sales as tips. So, you are automatically taxed 8% for everything you ring up for a customer. Now, depending on the scale of the restaurant, and the heirarchy, each server has to tip out. In most low end, chain restaurants, like Olive Garden, Friday's...etc...you as a server don't keep all your tips. You are expected to tip out to the bartenders a percentage of your alcohol sales, and you have to tip your bussers for cleaning your tables...and in some cases, I've had to tip the kitchen...especially if they help you through large parties. In upscale places...your tip also goes to maitre de (sp?), the captain...and possibly others.
So, this isn't the case of an employer not paying employees enough. It is the tradition, long standing, of US food service...which takes its roots from way back to other countries. The mindset is, that it should be considered part of the cost of dining out to pay for service. The part that is good and bad...is that it is left up to you the customer to pay as you wish. My standard is 15%...for regular service. I rarely ever tip only that I usually am around 20%. If you are a regular at places...and tip well, they remember...and you level of service can skyrocket. I have bartenders when they see me, to make my usual drink before I get to the counter...ahead of other people in some cases...and just start a tab with no questions asked. Same in restaurants...and I live in New Orleans...so, food is definitely important....
So, try to sit back...and do a mindset change on this...and you'll find you enjoy dining/drinking out more. Remember that YOU are NOT the only person they are waiting on...usually servers have a minimum of 3-4 tables of 4 or more people each. And, they are human. Mistakes can be made...and often times...not by them. If the kitchen loses an order...it wasn't your server's fault, although they are the ones that catch hell. So, relax, enjoy, and consider a tip as part of the price of a meal. If the service is bad...and I mean bad, with bad attitiude...then, speak to a manager. While tipping should be considered part of the price of a meal out...you should expect good service...and if it isn't good...then your restaurant needs to know this so they can fix it, and believe me, in most cases...they do want to. It is very competitive, and they don't want to lose you as a customer.
And, lastly...it is not an easy job. If you think so, try it yourself. On a busy night, with 12- 15+ people under your care you have to remember everyones requests, who ordered what...what course each table is on, deal with little kids in some places running around and throw food, refilling drinks, putting drink/food orders in, and watching for them to all come up, timed right with table..do side work which most everyone is assigned...cash people out, dispense money...and try to smile and have a good attitude the whole time. It isn't as easy as it might look...and you have to be intelligent to do it right...most people I knew in the business..were either in school...or working on advance degrees....
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Hey, that was what I got my first wife...
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I was not allowed with tools in planes circa 1993, in Mexico.
Picture my horror when in my first visit to the US I was left through all the way to international departures with nobody checking my hand luggage.
One year later I went to Europe (Germany, France) and I was submitted to the same standard security proceures back home in Mexico.
Second visit to the US circa 1995, same silly weirdness of we do not give a damn about security.
Last time I was in the US complete over reaction, stupid questions, exhaustive unnecessary checks (how many times did they need to check my hand luggage?).
Anyway, it seems preposterous and late and hindsight and what have you, just wanted to write this down.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
What I've hinted for my xmas list is
Some CDRW for screeners
A girlfriend
And a gift certificate
What I probably will get
Blank VHS tapes
Socks & Underwear
deodorant
Wierd chewy candy that I give away to guinea pig vistors
Candle burns its brightest in the dark
How about when I...I mean my friend, dropped roofies on the bitch and she still wouldn't put out?
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
Well, my Christmas list is all gadgets and accessories, a few of which I broke down and bought myself because I got tired of waiting (ie: iPod):
ISM TL-30 safe (A place to store gadgets?)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Lens for my 10D
Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L Lens
Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L Lens
Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro
Canon 1.4x extender
Canon BG-ED3 grip (Can you tell I want some camera stuff?)
Extra BP-511 batteries for 10D
80 gig drive for my laptop
512 meg MS Pro MS for my NX80
Gigaworks 7.1 or Megaworks 6.1 speakers
WD Raptor 2 10k RPM HDD
Sony GDM-F520 monitor
Plextor PX708A DVD/CDRW
ColorVision Spyder w/Optical (Color calibration)
Sennheisser HD600 headphones
Carbon fiber monopod
John Deere lawn tractor
Shed for above tractor (or build a 3 car garage out of the 2 car..)
Shelti or Tornado Foosball table
Scott eVest
2m/440 HAM radio antenna
Bulk tape eraser
2200 mAh NiMH AA's
PS: It seems my wishlist never drops below about $10-20,000 *sigh* Well, at least it stays down there...
I have a friends and one friend's kid (haven't gone and got the Barbie yet) left. And I'm flying home and wanted to get my folks knives, so that one will wait till I get home, last time's dangerous gift passed through security, cause the security guy was cool and had just brought a sword home, I'm not gambling on being so lucky this time.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
You can never have enough hot sauce or handcuffs.
. . . when she starts spawning child processes.
Pick any book by Edward Tufte at EdwardTufte.com and you'll make your geek happy with something that's interesting to read and beautiful to look at. Who knew the visual display of data could be so gripping?
anyone ever consider the kind of characters that get jobs as santa in the mall? what kind of person wants to be paid to have a bunch of rugrats sit on his lap all day?
all i want for christmas is the ignorance to be gone from the world, for tech support to always know my answers, and for my freakin' slackware server to run centericq and connect to ALL the protocols ALL the time. i want a toilet that works all the time, neighbors that dont play Robert Palmer from 2AM-4AM as loud as possible, and friends who call me even when they DONT have questions about computers. i want a boyfriend who will ALWAYS be sensitive and caring, and who will rub my feet when i get home from work, and children that will cook dinner and wait on me hand and foot.and for the supermarket workers to stop striking so that life can return to normal.
realizing i'll never have it because i dont believe in santa clause is possibly one of the most depressing things ever.
gifts i'm buying for others this year:
Netflix
Personal Electronics, DVDs, and Music
Cheap toys for the relatives kids that i hate toys for my kid
What else does one need, really?
And if my family is reading, well, you can't say I didn't give you a hint.
For any geek with a nice digital camera, a telescope is perfect for photgraphing Mars while it is still close, and Saturn which is very close [relatively] too.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
Man, I've always been a miserable failure at buying xmas gifts. Thanks for all the great tips!
: What Constitution?
I am making a scale model of my dad's 1965 Buick Wildcat Custom Coupe with a 425 cid dual-quad intake. Models are models and a true geek has made at least one through the years. This one is quite a bit different because no major model maker has ever made a kit for the '65, only the '66 which is a good start, but is taking A LOT of custom work (a custom vinyl roof, a reshaped grill, trim has to be sanded off, and headlights have to flush, the interior is also getting a new center console).
All that I want for Christmas is to get this goddamned model finished. I started about one month ago and haven't even started gluing and detail painting.
I could also use an Asetek Waterchill if Santa has any room in his bag.
How about a Linux Journal subscription? A year of geekiness in print would be ideal! Or for the behind the times geek how about 8 years of Linux Journal back issues on a searchable CD? http://store.linuxjournal.com/Merchant2/merchant.m v
Don't be a Hem, find some new cheese.
The Harmony Remote is cute but it's infrared only. I'd rather not be stuck with that line of sight requirement when the TV is in the front of the room, the A/V system is in the closet and the dimmer switch is behind me by the door. With that arrangement and my current IR remote, I look like I'm practicing my gun kata.
10x700mb 40gb.
You're thinking more along the lines of 57 CD-Rs. Now add the cost of the helper monkey to carry that much extra bulk around with you.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
I didn't even know they existed until I saw a few at a hobby shop this past weekend. What could be more distinctive in a geek's cubicle than an assembled 3-D puzzle of Hobbiton, Minas Tirith, or Edoras?
how about some shares in evil, inc.?
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
a new monitor!
I hear that in soviet russia they have a beo...you know the drill.
You can't take the sky from me...
A job where I make enough money to support my family without worrying if we'll have enough money to pay the bills this month...
with i-ducks this year. i wish i could raid the rest of the dynamism gift guide. linux pdas, oh my!
A friend got one and brought it over so I could load all his music on it - and it didn't have a USB connector. Had a firewire connector though, so we installed all the crap software bundled with it just to get it talking.
I know that there is a USB wire available for it for a small fee - if you use the USB connection and plug it in to the back of a Windows machine (assume Win 2000 or XP) - does it get assigned a drive letter like every other USB external memory device so I can just copy files where I find all the other music files, or do I still need to go through their bundled software just to load it up with tunes?
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
"Oh! A subscription to Slashdot! Isn't that the website where you spend hours and hours reading about technobabble instead of spending time with your partner? Why how very ... thoughtful... of you." She smiles at you sweetly as she says, "I hope you enjoy doing the nasty with CmdrTaco, because you won't be doing it with me!!!"
Soylent Green is peoplicious!
You can keep one in your pocket all the time, it's amazing how often having a little light comes in useful.
Available all sort of places, but thinkgeek is one.
The Math Maestro Tutoring Services in Seattle
On the 1100th day of Slashdot my computer gave to me...
1100 FIRST POSTS
1011 MP3s piping
1010 Taco's postings
1001 Diebolds dancing
1000 Linux bilkings
0111 MS whinging
0110 Soviet Russia lays YOU!
NO GODDAMN JOB!
0100 PHBs, 0011 french jokes, 0010 SCO sucks... and a geek girl but just in my dreams!
Tips arouse because it's cheaper and easier for customers to evaluate the service recieved. Employers could send secret diners, and constantly moniter service levels, but that is pretty pricy. As a result most of the wage is paid by the diner directly, tipping is payment of the remainder of the wage, realize that a small tip probably brings them up to minimum wage, (ok for poor service) but only an incompetent server (even McDondald's pays minimum wage did you recieve that level of service) should get no tip. Good service should get a good tip, that rewards those who provide excellent service.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
Yo.
I'm amazing. You aren't. SUCK IT
or you could just use a Cue Cat I have a box of 50 that I got for cheap from a RadioShack that was liquidating them.
What every geek needs is a female willing to have sex with them.....
Anyone want to be my secret santa?
Business is Business and Business must grow, Regardless of crummies in tummies you know... -Onceler
Got my parents done, but have to wait for payday to get my gf's gifts. I also have to ship my dad's gifts still, which will probably also be on Friday (day after payday). So, in short, I'll be done (and probably nearly broke) just in time for the weekend.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
my two front teeth.
- Darl, after the court-approved, IBM lawyer-kicking session
Timex Bodylink
o Speed + Distance with Garmin GPS
o Digital Heart Rate Sensor
o Ironman Triathlon Bodylink Performance Monitor
and a Timex Data Recorder which connects to a PC and uploads all the above data for 2 second intervals.
You mentioned "that other project". It is now my sacred duty to implore people:
Bring Linux to the desktop: Donate to KDE!
To not have your swiss army knife confiscated, you just have to put it in your jacket pocket, together with a bunch of keys, coins and other "not-dangerous-yet" stuff. And then send it all through x-ray.
It worked for me...
I want the Duct Tape Wallet for christmas!
Ok here are some of the cool toys for your geek this Christmas. Anything on this list is something he should already have, so if he doesn't - he wants it.
[X]802.11b Wireless gear. You can get the base station and a card for under $100 total now - I suggest Linksys.
[X]LCD Monitor. Welcome to the 21st Century - a good 18" LCD (Dell 1800fp) can be had in the $400 to $500 range. Even a 15" LCD is nicer than a 17" CRT if he isn't too pissy about the 1024x768 max resolution - if he writes code go at least 17" to get one that does 1280x1024.
[X]USB Thumbdrive / Jumpdrive. 64M on a keychain, get one that doesn't look too frail (I have the Lexar Jumpdrive 64M, clear purple plastic and I am afraid I am going to shatter it in my pocket.) Cost about $30 for a 64M drive.
[ ]iPod. Has already been thrashed to death in this thread, but there is a reason for that.
[X]DVD burner. A nice 4x unit can be had for under $200 easily. Stick to brand name hardware.
[X]Good wireless keyboard / mouse combo. Logitech makes a killer set, less than $100. If he is still using that cheap $4 OEM keyboard they included with his computer, get him this.
Targus Defcon1 laptop protection device. It has a blinkenlight and is motion sensitive, if anybody cuts the steel wire or moves the unit it goes absolutely ape-shit klaxxon alarming away until disarmed with the code or a big hammer. Doesn't make a laptop impossible to steal, just makes someone else's laptop easier to steal.
[X]Digital camera - stick to brand name if you don't know what you are doing. Sony, Kodak, HP, etc. Make sure it uses CompactFlash cards and uses regular AA sized batteries if possible. One that uses those mini-CDs would also be cool (but is a little on the costly side.)
[X]Laser pointer. If he doesn't have one yet he is seriously deprived - hook him up. Shark is optional.
[ ]Bluetooth telephone headset if his cell phone can use it. These are entirely too cool, but a little expensive ($100) so he probably hasn't justified getting himself one yet.
[ ]Gigabit networking. Now that Gigabit network cards have come down in price (less than $50 for Intel) and switches too (think Linksys at $200 - Intel is still a little too proud) for under $400 you could outfit most of his personal network at Gigabit speeds.
Note - anything above that doesn't have a [X] I don't have. Hint hint.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
Link to Hover "scotter".
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Creating a wishlist with thinkgeek was the best thing that I have ever done. I know what I'm getting ahead of time and I know it's what I want.
I thought I was getting it done early on Saturday, but I stopped at my local walmart for gift wrap on the way home, and when I came back out, my window was smashed in and $100 worth of gifts were gone. So, I get to go out again next Saturday.
warning: This post is likely to contain gobs of dripping sarcasm. Consume at your own risk.
Yes, good old vinyl records. A quarter apiece at Goodwill, and they make lovely, sturdy bags or bowls when baked at 200 degrees F.
Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
Didn't see this mentioned yet. Geeks need exercize, and what better way than to give them outdoor electronics? GPS is great for geocaching, and the Garmin Rhino includes an FRS radio. Personally, I'd love a combined digital camera and MP3 player, which Panasonic now sells. Excellent portable storage and media device, with memory cards that could plug into a PDA when away from a PC.
fuck the owner of the bar/resturaunt/whatever. if they dont pay you enough take it up with them.
getting a tip is one thing, but DEMANDING one?
fuck you.
Come on, you need a really good turntable.
Having said that I own a pair of 1210 Mk II's and am not planning on changing any time soon.
-- Paul
When the IRS stops taxing servers for tips at a minimum fixed percentage of their checks, and restaurant owners can't get away with legally paying servers subminimum wage because they assume the majority of a server's pay comes from tips, THEN you can be a cheap bastard and be happy about it. Until then, I suggest that you SUCK IT UP, asswipe.
c'mon, you guys aren't geeky enough! what should be high on every alpha geek's wish list is a premium digikey bucket of assorted electronic components and naked pcb boards. wannabe geeks play with legos, real geeks play with silicon.
I'm glad you made it with a broad sword. I got busted for one of the little tiny swiss army knives that only has the toothpick tweezers and sissors on it.
1) Plextor 8x DVD burner (+/-)
2) Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse
3) Counter-Strike for the XBox
4) Black Ice radiator for my water cooled system
5) XBox chip mod
6) Some clothes
7) Air hockey table
8) Pool table
9) Some clothes and other stuff I don't know about.
I already have:
Archos 20GB MP3 Player / Portable USB hard drive
Bitchin' computer with dual monitors
XBox and Playstation 2
XBox Live
802.11g wireless router
Thinkpad notebook with wireless card
Its part of the price. If you can afford the drink/food AND the appropriate tip...then, you shouldn't be going out...or go to a less expensive place.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
part of the price of dining out, especially for full service, is the gratuity
Bzzzz! Wrong.
I'm sorry you've been led to think this but it just isn't the case. A tip is just what it sounds like, a tip. As in - you did such a great job I'm going to give you a tip. You're under the illusion, as is a lot of society today, that someone owes you something for nothing. If you're too busy to make everyone's dining experience above average, too bad, no tip, those are the breaks. It's a really hard job, yep, I understand. Too hard for you to do well? No tip, too bad. You aren't cut out for it. A lot of people still understand this principle obviously, because as you said the gratuity is not automatically added in most places. Why? See above. Most people are not comfortable automatically giving a tip to a waiter/waitress who may or may not be completely incompetent. You do your job well no matter how hard it might be for you, or you aren't going to survive on your wages and tips. It's the same principle as, say, every other job in the world.
Reading Wealth of Nations will get your posts modded Flamebait or Troll /. might I suggest something by Marx or "Victor Jarra Live at Santiago Stadium"
This is
That is SO wrong! Serving staff depend SOLELY on their tips to live! They pretty much get taxed their entire pay ($2.19/hr) as the government takes 8% of their total sales in tax anyway.
Imagine you are out for a meal, 4 of you and the service is ok, nothing special but still ok. If you do not tip that server they have literally worked for NOTHING!
Example: 6 people occupy a table for 2 hours and spend $150. They leave no tip but the government is going to tax that server 8% anyway. So, the server is paying $12 in tax yet has only been paid $4.38 so they have effectively paid over $7.50 for the priviledge of waiting on your tight fisted ass!
Do you see why in a tipping culture you MUST tip? Either that or join the UK and don't have a culture that tips but where serving staff are paid 4 times as much.
And if you want to see just how annoying this is check out this site. Feel the love ;)
heh, i think i'll start my christmas shopping tomorrow
...these aren't my real teeth.
If I install a FLESHLIGHT in my Aibo, does that make me a puppyfucker?!!!!
ICE XL (http://ice.hpv.co.uk/xl.html), and perhaps Micro (shiny red) if feeling really rich.
Unless you're a fucking idiot that wants to delay the whole security line you'll be putting those knives in checked baggage, where it will not be an issue.
Of course if you are a fucking idiot to whom the rules do not apply then it doesn't matter how many people are waiting behind you while you explain this to a security man who doesn't give a shit about your faggot interest in knives worth $25 but costing $250. He'd probably be fairly happy to see you waving your jewelled and polished cutlery around, happy at a good excuse to glock your sorry ass.
That's cute. You honestly think servers are taxed 8% on what now? What the restaraunt makes? Server's wages and tips are taxed, nothing else. They are taxed on their taxable income. Get a clue.
As far as not tipping goes, most "tipping etiquette" sites all say about the same thing:
If you get awful service, talk to the manager. The manager cannot correct the situation if he doesn't know about it. Skipping the tip will not accomplish anything, and the next poor customer who gets that server will get the same service you did.
The consensus on these sites (tipping etiquette for everything, including restaraunts) seems to be that if you get poor service you should tell the manager. Well, that might get someone fired. So according to the tipping "experts" you have two options: tell the manager or don't tip. Nowhere does it say "Give them a twenty". I don't know about you, but given the choice of getting me in trouble with my boss, or not tipping me, I'd choose the "no tip" option.
ANYTHING from thinkgeek.com there is nothing i would not want on that site
A girl? On Slashdot? N3V4H!
I buy them for myself ....
SCIREV.NET - fanfics,reviews & more
Are these things passe now? Useful or not, I think they're cool.
They became doubly cool after President Bush face-planted on one.
Basically, you very rarely ever get a paycheck that is worth cashing. All taxes are taken out of it...so, you really pretty much do work for taxes.
15% is the cost on top of your meal fee for dining out. That should be mandatory for normal service. If it is good service...add accordingly, but, for normal, not out of the way service....%15 is the price.
It has been my experience that talking to the manager...in normal non-asshole like fashion, will not get the server fired. I've had it happen to me...I was in the situation of a combination of difficult customers, a large party..and a kitchen that was running behind. The whole restaurant had a meeting, and we ironed out some problems. The only way you generally get canned, is if you are in fact incompetent.....and it is not an easy job. Some people just cannot do some jobs. So, it is probably better they get out early, and get a head start finding another mode for making money. Not everyone is meant to work with and in front of the public.
But, you are as a matter of fact, as a server or bartender, taxed on 8% of your total sales per shift in addition to wage taxes....
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
15% is the price for normal service. Extra is for extra good service.
And just from old experience...after doing it awhile, you can pretty easily start to figure out who out there is the NON-tipper or poor tipper. And it should come at no surprise that if you have a number of tables and one you know for sure is a loser for tips, you're not going to go overboard with them, and spend a little extra time on tables you know will pay you well.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Let's see, slavishly embracing tedious, obscure and/or unnecessarily complex technologies that the masses are uninterested in, unaware of or wholly incapable of understanding while not gaining any functional (or indeed, technical) advantage in an ongoing effort to justify elitist pride? Hmm.. Yep, score one. DJs can be "Geeks."
Get a VPI TNT or a Clearaudio Master Reference!
pronoblem
SCO going bankrupt and Darl being investigated
for stock manipulation.
That would make for a very merry christmas.
sand in your vagina?
Yeah, I've pretty much learned my shopping skills from my mother. Her theory is that all of the truly insane shoppers go early (like the day after Thanksgiving) so if you wait until Christmas eve it'll just be the slackers who realize they have all day to get gifts.
So far her system hasn't failed me, especially since I tend not to buy people trendy gifts that are likely to run out.
Now, if only I could convince my family to celebrate Christmas a day late, I could go to all those after Christmas sales...
This is my current personal favourite. A GameCube memory card with USB uplink... store a GPG key on your gamecube cart? You betcha! :-)
Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
ICE Link (http://icelink.densionusa.com/) lets you control the iPod with the steering wheel radio controls
These babes look damn cool (ebay category), and they aren't expensive.
;-)
I believe that a good gift should provocate people to do something they wouldn't normally do, but would like to. In this way, a sub-woofer would encourage the person to outfit the whole car with a quality audio system.
And, hey, chicks dig car audio!
The micra really seems to have been designed with today's active stoner in mind.
... my xmas gift to myself this year was this:
A Wheelman gas/oil powered hubless wheels you stick your feet in and go zoom.
--- I do not moderate.
just show up to your family's celebration a day late , problem solved...just make sure someone saves you leftovers from din din.
Of course, the book:
Hacking TiVo: The Expansion, Enhancement, and Development Starter Kit
..Jeff Keegan
seven syllables explain TiVo: kee gan dot org slash ti vo
Or does that tux pendant look like tux is sitting in the middle of.... well.... what with those swept-up sides & the little nubbin on top....
I believe Griff was Biff's grandson.
I'm a heavy drinker, but I don't drink wine.
Regarding the nail clipper, I don't know if you could open wine with it, but you can open beer bottles by wedging one edge of it under the cap while holding it around the neck with one hand. Use your index finger of the holding hand as the fulcrum and pry the top off.
--
the strongest word is still the word "free"
Grand Avenue
The perfect Christmas gift for the more "senior" Robot geeks...
www.b9robotbuildersclub.com
1. One job that doesn't suck.
... I'm too lazy think of anything. So put in whatever you want.
...
...
2. Two Turing machines.
3. Three French tonguings.
4. Four Callback procedures.
5. Five Golden Cock Rings.
6. Six geeks a coding.
7. Seven
8. Eight...
9. Nine Ladies a Lapdancing
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve DVD's a
My brother always let his ex have the kids over Christmas. When they got back home they had a delayed celebration with all the toys, clothes, etc he got in after holiday sales. Double points.
I always thought this would be way cool, but the wife won't go for it.
link to site
Combination blender and telephone by Tom Myers, Art/Not Practical (C) 1998.
Copied from the website:
It's a combination blender and telephone. It's fully functional as a telephone or blender. WHY? is the most FAQ (Frequently Asked Question).
It's for people who like to hear: "Where in the **** did you get this?" If you're looking for a sensible, mass-produced appliance, you're better off at [Sears Roebuck].
If you want your friends to think you're insane, but quote you like God anyway, this is the appliance for YOU!
The "ringer" is the blender motor,which pulses like a telephone bell, except angrier. To answer, pick up the pitcher out of the base and put it to your ear. Usually, the caller can hear the motor spinning down just after you pick it up.
To hang up, replace the pitcher in the base, just like all the other boring telephones.
Each blenderphone is hand-made starting from a standard blender and standard telephone, with a smattering of electronic parts and handmade internal linkages. Painstaking detail work hides its custom origin so it looks and works like it came "off the shelf" of some department store.
And don't get me started on dj'ing with cd's - something isn't quite right about that, the tactile feel of scratching just isn't there - and it nowhere nearly looks as cool.
And worse still, you can't see when the drop is coming up by looking at the grooves. The only real advantage that CDs have is that they weigh far less than vinyl, and that you can burn your own cheaply.
To me, the role of CDs in a DJ setup is as an economical replacement for dubplates (short run acetate records). If you're a DJ who produces music, you can burn a CD at home, then play your new creation in a club alongside your vinyl set. If the CD sounds good and the crowd responds well, you can get it pressed to vinyl. If not, it's back to the drawing board, and you're only out the cost of a single CDR.
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
from www.geekciphers.com Express yourself with some geek art.
when you have to pay people to mod you up.
That link doesn't prove it will never work, just that it hasn't worked yet. Nobody took him up on his offer.
It'd be better to get a pool of people together and charge $10 a year or so which grants you the right to unquestioned moderation for a year as long as a point is available from the pool.
Those in the pool are then paid based on how many mod points they give out through the system.
And by "better" I mean slightly less pathetic.
Ben
Work Safe Porn
psxndc
The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.
This isn't a hard quesiton, just go to ThinkGeek
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
... and who spends all his time worrying about not offending anybody and apologizing / making reparations for misdeeds by his ancestors to somebody else's ancestors instead of doing his job, pulling his weight, helping us succeed.
:) Heck, I have probably seen Pulp Fiction one too many times for my own good.
he, pronoun of the third person;
1. A pronoun, a substitute for the third person, masculine gender, representing the man or male person named before.
2. It often has reference to a person that is named in the subsequent part of the sentence. He is the man.
3. He is often used without reference to any particular person, and may be referred to any person indefinitely that answers the description.
4. He, when a substitute for man in its general sense, expressing mankind, is of common gender, representing, like its antecedent, the whole human race.
-
The Grosset Webster Dictionary of 1966:
he pronoun 1. The male person mentioned previously. 2. Anyone.
(The Grosset Webster Dictionary, 1966, p. 281)
-
The current Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary:
he 1 : that male one who is neither speaker nor hearer
2 - used in a generic sense or when the sex of the person is unspecified
(Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary)
-
Every dictionary I found, listed the "generic he" as a valid definition. The following dictionaries all defined a "generic he":
American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition, 1994
American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 2000
Oxford American Dictionary, 1986
New Oxford American Dictionary, 2001
New Pocket Oxford Dictionary, Ninth Edition, 2001
Webster's New World Students Dictionary, 1996
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 2001
-
Note - I'm not terribly politically correct. I think it is a complete waste of energy, but it quickly allows me to determine who is smart, genuine, driven to achieve, worthy of respect, intent on success
No offense
Oh yea, you owe us your suggestions for a Geek gift list for Christmas.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
I'm getting a milkyway. No, seriuosly, i am, and thats all :) Thats all i want!
Giving IE users a taste of their own medicine since 2005 - http://pods.-is-a-geek.net/
Get your geek out of the house, get them gold prospecting equipment. Start with a gold pan for gold panning, then move up to a sluice, dredge, highbanker, etc. They can then spend their weekends getting a little sun, and enjoy a hobby that gives back something in return.
No actually he/she is not wrong.
According to the IRS: The 8 percent refers to an allocation required on the 8027 tip-reporting forms when the total amount of tips reported for any payroll period is less than 8 percent of total gross receipts. There is a widely held misperception that as long as employees in an establishment are reporting 8 percent neither they nor the establishment are vulnerable to an audit. THIS IS FALSE. If servers are not reporting an average of 8 percent, this triggers certain requirements for employers -- i.e., you must allocate a tip amount of 8 percent to each server.
Restaurants are only required to make 8 percent mandatory if the total tip amounts reported by the entire staff together is under 8 percent of total sales for any given pay period. That would mean that about half of the customers could not tip, and 8 percent still wouldn't be mandatory according to the law. You could get $0 in tips for a pay period, and as long as everyone else got average, or even below-average, tips you should get your entire pay check. Restaurants probably do the 8 percent across the board to save on their own bookkeeping costs. This may or may not be legal. I am not a lawyer.
If you're low on budget, you can consider buying one (or all) of the below items for christmas for yourself or for friends. Each of the items are at or under $40
*Logitech Webcam ($40, some even with rebates)
*Logitech/Microsoft wireless optical mouse (depends...but a few are about $40)
*Gravis or Microsoft joypads ($10-$40)
*Ratpadz mouse pad ($10, best used with optical mouse)
*Gift certificates for Thinkgeek ($40 or under)
*Photon Micro-lights (Photon II $15 or III $20)
*Midas Remote Control watch ($39.99)
*USB keychain mini-harddrives (depends...but lots are under $40)
Well there's my list so far. HTH.
http://www.palmzone.net
I'm not entirely sure what your point was. It seemed to me that you were suggesting that tips are an essential part of the cost of eating out, but that they are not included in the cost, nor should they be.
As far as I can see, if the tip is expected, and as you point out, unavoidable - then why not just increase the price of the food/service and do away with tips?
I live in a country where tips are not mandatory (but unfortunately it is becomming that way) and I can tell you that I never tip unless there is exceptional service. If the individual serving me has done their job above and beyond the call of duty, and really improved the experience - then I tip. Else I view it as them performing their job, much the way I perform my job.
My boss does not 'tip' me for doing my work - but of course I may get a bonus if I do an especially good job.
You seem to have the mindset that a lot of people in the service industry have - that you are entitled to your tip, and god dammit you are going to get it. Sorry, if you don't earn it, you shouldn't get it.
Furthermore, I dispute your claim that the service industry is somehow an especially difficult, or trying job. If you do not find you like smiling at people, then don't take the job - you knew what was expected. The fact that you are not rude to customers does not entitle you to extra money, you simply did your job and would be fired if you were rude. The fact that you can serve 15 people at a time does not impress me either - if you couldn't they would either get more waiters, or get a more efficient employee. Other jobs are just as taxing (often moreso) as waitering; and other jobs are just as unpleasant (or moreso) than waitering - why waiters should take a job and then complain about what they do is beyond me.
The *only* defense I see to your point of view is the one that the minimum wage is reduced for jobs that have tips. I don't think this should be the case - and in my country it isn't. But I think tips should be reserved for flawless service, otherwise it isn't a reward, is it?
This is the coolest camera I've seen, and it truly belongs on a geek's xmas list. It is a licensed 007 dig camera in a zippo case. See more here:a s/655e/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/camer
If it was part of the price, why doesn't the restaurant just charge me and pay the guy more? Could it be because it's not really part of the price? And why is the "appropriate" tip 18% now but it was 15% a few years ago? Don't say inflation or cost of living either because the price of the food rose with that inflation. You don't deserve a tip just because you brought me a drink and sat a plate on the table.
I can tell right off the bat from your long rant that you're a bad at waiting tables and not much of a people person, even though I'm sure you pretend to be and think you are... =)
When I was younger, I had a nice little minimum wage job as a cashier, as well as some other kiddie jobs, so I know a little about working with people. One thing that always amused me back then was how all the worst workers whined they didn't get raises and such, going on lunch break rants and blaming the customers or their bosses... Customer's an arrogant bastard... Customer treats me like garbage.. blah blah.. It's completely unprofessional and unappreciative, and I believe it tells a lot more about a person than the size of the tip they give. I'm sorry if you actually have to work for your pay.. I'm sorry that it gets tough for you to keep up with more than a few tables.. Seriously though, if you can't hack it, then you can try to get a job somewhere else. Someone will take your place, you won't be missed that much, waiters and waitresses are a dime a dozen. Guess what... The fact that I eat at the restaurant is why you have a job. You can expect all the tips you want, but when people get tired of paying your arrogant self 18 and so percent, you're out of a job. I'm glad that you're good at playing favorites, but stuff like that is going to get your ass canned because the non-tippers are the ones who are going to complain the most... Rightly so if you're treating them like garbage just because you're a gold digger.
I'm still amazed by your arrogant attitude... You had a kiddie job... Get over it already and move on... I'm actually glad that my later jobs were centered around working with explosive/flammable materials and heavy machinery... In my first week I learned more than you ever did about appreciating people (coworkers you depend on for your life), concentration, dedication, and most of all...the fact that in this world you have to work hard for your paychecks and you are not "entitled" to anything. I can just imagine what my boss would have said to me if I told him I wanted an extra $20 for every batch of nitrocellulose based lacquer that I didn't screw up... Actually, I'd probably get the cash... While I trained my replacement.
This PDA is what I would like, it runs palm OS 5 and looks like it has good gamming controls. Currently Emulates Atari ST. Other Emus on the way. PLays MP3s etc looks very cool.Pitty it is limited to the states at moment.
Check it out here
I've asked santa for the Pop-Up Kama Sutra for years now, but so far no luck.
MP3 players - digital cameras - that's old hat - I'm thinking computer controlled, regulated, white LED flashlight that looks like a star trek phaser! The eternalight EliteMax. Spendy though - $100 but definitely the most advanced flashlight on the planet!
See http://fc.meca.edu/~jvelgos/proposal.html. I noticed this when I saw that the link for one of their projects went to a meca.edu site. But, rather than discourage me because it is not a big, professional business, this makes me really want to support cool design like this coming out of art schools. Man, I wish I'd had this much fun in university.
I just got a phone call. I've got a 3-6 month contract. (No hard details yet.)
Thank you Santa Claus! It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...
The rules for calling shotgun in a car, printed and laminated to fit inside your glove box:
www.shotgunrules.com
The basic turntable hasn't changed (in terms of motor, pitch range, platter speed etc), but the new model, the MkIII, has a couple of useful improvements. The power switch is now recessed, so that you can no longer accidentally turn off the power with a fumbled scratch. The pitch control in the new model is no longer indented at 0, which makes it a lot easier to mix tracks that only have a slight difference in tempo (previously, fine pitch adjustments around 0 would sometimes cause the pitch slider to drop back into the indentation and revert to 0). Also, the new model has a lead weight that can be attached to the headshell (so the that the needle jumps less when scratching, tho' the increased weight tends to shave slivers of vinyl off the record and wear it out quickly). Finally, the MkIII now has a button for quartz timing for the platter roation, at all pitches (the MkII only has quartz lock at 0 pitch).
Having said all that, if you want to be a club or radio DJ, I wouldn't recommend MkIIIs. 99% of clubs and radio stations have MkIIs installed, and if you've learnt on MkIIIs you'll have trouble coping with the MkIIs' foibles. On the other hand, if you're a mobile DJ, or a turntablist DJ for a band (i.e. you'll always be using your own gear rather than the venue's), go with the MkIIIs.
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
Well, if Santa can't deliver that, I'll be happy with a Haas Toolroom Mill (which at $20K is less than most cars.)
Today's real geek programmer doesn't settle for flashing some bits on a little screen, he cuts chips in metal.
And when a machine tool programmer crashes his problem, its exciting....
... in Cuba, Gauntanamo town.
It is that or we will come and get you.
centipedes
This is fairly common during Christmas season. Put them in the trunk when no one is watching.
My other Slashdot ID is much lower.
the same company sells a beer key /.er's would find that a lot more useful ;)
I think
Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.