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Gifts Ideas For 'Non-Geek' Types?
BRock97 asks: "There is no better activity which sheds light on 'Geek/Non-Geek' interaction than Christmas shopping. As I try and browse Target's online store looking for the perfect gift, I can't help be gravitate back to ThinkGeek in hopes I will find something that the receiver of the gift will find useful AND also remind them of the person who gave it. I was curious as to what other /.'ers were planning on getting their friends and loved ones (parents/grandparents) who live the 'non-geek' lifestyle." We've already told Santa what we'd like for Christmas, now what about the non-geeks in our lives?
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I bought two family members those USB keyring drives. Both of them use computers in two places and still use floppies. It's a level of technology that they'll be comfortable with, and it's something that they'll find useful.
If you have friends who like to eat (okay, most like to eat), then a gift of some tasty morsels may work wonders. Not something that you can buy at the local Kroger's, but something really good from the likes of Harry and David, Teuscher, or some other gourmet food store. Just make sure that they are likely to like that type of food (okay, no Omaha steaks for your vegetarian friends).
For parents, if you have kids, particularly babies, you're in luck: just get them a gift book of photos or a good photo in a nice frame, and they'll be thrilled.
I never buy gifts and I don't expect any and everyone's happy that way cause they didn't spend 2 weeks salary on expensive (and often unusable) gifts. But I do prepare special dinners during the hollidays, sometimes for familly and sometimes for friends. I think it's the best way to spend your money.
I give calendars with nature photos I take during the year. This goes over very well.
new Inkjets print photos really well. The way I do it is to print the picture at the top of a page (8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17) and put the calendar part on the bottom. I usually use 35 mm negatives I've scanned, but this year 2 of the pictures are digital from a 4 megapixel calendar (4 megpixels is good enough for full frame on the larger calendars, about 8x10 inch).
Its relatively cheap too. for a 11x17 page 1 sheet = $1 + ink. 12 sheets for the year. You can customize it too by putting peoples birthdays on the calendar.
This year, our families (except the little kids) are getting small token gifts. We gave the hundreds we might have otherwise spent on them (and then some) as gifts to our unemployed friends.
I can assure you someone that's been out of work for 9 months appreciated a couple hundred dollars a lot more than my in-laws will appreciate their usual shot-in-the-dark gifts.
You know the hackable DVD players, the MP3s with OggV support, You know the Difference between DVD-R and DVD+R. They will appreciate it if you give them something and say, "I know you like music so much - so I picked out the BEST DAMN MP3 player a geek like me could get. Merry Christmas! Now let me help you get this bad-boy installed on your computer..." Now that says something.
If they are Quakers or something visiting them and holding a real 'lucent' conversation with them is also a treat for people who are more people-oriented. (Yeah, you are going to have to remember thier name, better make up cheat-notes!)
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield