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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
What makes it superior to the cheaper Rio Karma which also plays Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files among other things?
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...
Leatherman Juice Xe6 Chris Bozic
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
...is a series of successes on these upcoming mars orbital insertions and landings.
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!
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.
Karma Whoring, but getting a preview of the next storymakes it worthwhile for me. No Slashdot effect (99% of the time). No Ads on main page is also nice. I also like this site so much that 10 bucks for 1000 ad-free pages is a bargain.
...who will buy gifts for people that need it more than me.
That's very nice of you, but if you're talking about need, I'd give money to a food bank, a local homeless shelter, or children's charity. Personally, I'd rather help someone who may die or be in pain than a volunteer who signed up for a world tour.
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
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
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..."
At first I thought, "Hey, that isn't that bad of a list" when I read the first item, but then I read the second, and the third, and then decided to price out your wish list for you.
Canon BG for 300D - $110
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - $300
Canon EF35mm 1.4L USM - $1119.95
Canon EF 35-350mm 3.5-5.6 L USM - $1479.95
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - $399.95
Canon EF 180 mm f/3.5L Macro USM - $1239.95
Canon TS-E 45 mm f/2.8 - $1074.95
4GB CF - $1229.95
SGI Origin 3900 - $2,937,696.00 with 128 processors and 64GB of memory
Sun Fire 15k - starts at $861,330.00
Juniper T-Series - between $400,000 and $500,000
I think I will cook my own Christmas dinner thank you.
:-P
--ngoy
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?
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".
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