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What Can You Do With $100?
An anonymous reader asks "I was recently gifted with $100 and thought, 'What's the coolest geektoy--new, used, cobbled together, hacked--that one hundred clams could buy?' Home automation? Older PDA streaming client? Bathtub ROV? Basic stamp robotic kit? Something fun, something useful, something educational, something that says 'Look what I put together for $100.' Lemme know!"
A 256 Swiss Memory USB! Now that is a kickass gadget.
http://unelite.freelinuxhost.com - Rock/Scissors/Paper and RPGs shouldn't mix.
If you find 6.99 other friends with the same amount of cash on hands, you can get a swell new SCO license.
http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/ doubles as a flash drive.
-- Boycott Shell
How about an iBrator for the lady in your iLife?
Latewire
A blowjob, plain and simple.
With a Dremel and a decent soldering iron, all your geeky dreams can come true. (well, okay, not that one with the blonde and the midgets and the mayonaise, but all the *other* geeky dreams)
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Computer Gaming World Magazine runs a segment every month on what to do with $100, and they're usually right on, grab an issue and see what they say.
The Answer
You can buy 40 Fort Garry Dark Ale at the Charleswood Hotel here in Winnipeg. See you there!
Trolling is a art,
100$ is no money to get something interesting, the only thing you are going to buy is some useless crap that you are going to forget in 2 weeks.
....
Save it, and when you get enough money look for something useful and something you will really care.
In my case a new portable (Compaq R3450) is what I want
Avoid knee-jerk consumerism and put it in savings. You might need it someday.
Ten $10 bundles of toothbrush, socks, snacks, etc for homeless people?
...and have a good time. Good memories will last much longer than geek toys.
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
get a laptop http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1415 713,00.html
always mosh clockwise
5,000 Christmas lights at post holiday prices: $100 ;-)
Linux/Apache/Perl/etc.: Free
Duping the world: Priceless!
Doing it for real will cost a little more than $100 if you want a decent webcam, but maybe I'll do that Christmas 2005 ...
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
100$ ~= 100 lap dances... pretty geeky...
Or really, anything that will demonstrate how evil it is to use "gift" as a verb... ;-)
Make costs $35 a year. Use the $65 left to build a couple of projects.
Perhaps you should look at Make magazine. Their first issue had some pretty cool stuff. The aerial kite photography project might be doable for $100, if you've got the tools.
GET YOUR WEAPONS READY! --DR.LIGHT
Being good open-source citizen, you will immediately donate that $100 gift to your favorite OSS project! Thank you! Or Maybe just a few bucks.
Or, you can buy a bunch of little stuff, like:
Super-strong neodymium magnets. Magnets sound boring, but these things are really, really strong. Get the spherical ones.
There's a whole host of cheap, unusual geeky projects at American Science & Surplus.
Get a cheap computer. Buy a Used Xbox, and install Xbox Linux on it.
Color changing lights. The color change is nice and smooth. Popular with the kids.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
...two chicks at the same time.
Keyhole.com
but for $100 you can rent a close facsimile for ~30 minutes...
take that money and 'hack' it into more money over time and then buy more expensive geek toys.
excellent idea. yes go get the magnets. then stick them to something metal over a walkway. one day they will lose their magnetism and fall on people.
--sorry, that is my evil thought for the day.
Language Nazis are a pain. Not because they're obnoxious. But because they're stuck on the idea that the only purpose of language is to satisfy your High School English teacher. Communication, preferrably with grace, economy, and clarity, is a much higher priority.
For 15 days.
I like music
I suggest you buy MarkusQ a dictionary, as he seems to think you have misused the work "gifted" when in fact, you have not.
buy $100 worth of krispy kreme donuts.
the stock, not the food.
then next year it will be worth at least as much as the donuts that you could have bought.
It is only $70, you can use the other $30 for a Brew ingredients Kit
Nothing beats home made beer.
with SSID detection
http://www.canarywireless.com/
leaves half your cash in pocket.
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
well, probably 90 tacos, with tax and rounding..
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
For $100, you can get 100 or more rolls of toilet paper, which ought to last a few years.
I'd suggest you get a dictionary yourself.
Try this link for example: Dictionary.com says gifted can mean 'to present something as a gift to' or 'to endow with' and cites the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Ball Pit
This too, will end.
Torque Game Engine. Fascinating, if only to poke about in the code for a genuinely amazing game engine
Or donate it to a good cause such as a dog rescue group [which is what I did with my last 100 USD].
Gary (-;
or boat, plane or submarine. I know of only one RC hot-air balloon, so that might be interesting.
Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
Don't you, too, love the smell of self-immolating spelling nazis in the morning?
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Give the gift that keeps on giving, forged American passports.
This, from the same crapulous dictionary that lists 'orientate' and 'stick-to-itiveness'.
How can I get a Significant Other with nothing but a hundred bucks and a brain on my side?
If the first thing you want to buy with the $100 is an upgrade from Windows ME (which has worked so perfectly for you) to Windows XP Home, you obviously missed the geek bus. Move along...
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
or donate it to the guys at Mozilla (either way you can be ad free/popup free)
What I mean by this, is that you can buy the rocket (D thru F engine model), launch kit (launch pad, controller, engines, igniters, batteries), and wireless video camera - and do something that while it has been done before by others, is still a cool thing to do for yourself.
First - the camera: For about $30.00 (approx. $10-20.00 for the camera, and $10-15.00 shipping, depending on seller), you can buy off of ebay drop-shipped from hong-kong a miniature 900MHz-1.2GHz wireless "sugar-cube" camera and receiver combo, which runs off of 9 volt batteries. The camera is designed to transmit a few hundred feet thru walls in a security setup - but outdoors up in a rocket you can expect around 1000 ft or so. This is the cheapest way of getting these cameras - don't bother with an american dealer, they will charge you $80.00 minimum, plus s/h - not a good deal at all.
The rest of your money will go into the rocket and launch needs - a larger scale Estes rocket will be perfect - you might even be able to get away with one of the egg lofters if you want (you might want to try a different/lighter battery tech for the 9V camera, though). Anyhow - you won't spend anywhere near $70.00 on everything - the rocket kit will be about $20-30.00, everything else will fill (or not) the rest of the cash.
Then - spend your time to build the thing. Remember to pad/protect the camera, and mount it securely (but make it airodynamic, too!). Mount the battery securely as well, so it won't rattle around and change your C/G mid-flight. You are going to want a rocket made for payload lifting or similar - something designed for the extra weight (unless you want to experiment!).
Take it to a field, set it up, check your camera feed (heh - maybe some extra cash could be thrown to a 12VDC video recorder - you want to record your first flight, right?), install the engine and igniter, begin your countdown - and get ready to enter an interesting aerial photography hobby!
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools never fails to give me ideas for spending my money.
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/index.php
You can buy yourself an "Ask Slashdot" top story on Slashdot!
Moderator hint: a comment is neither "Flamebait" nor "Troll" if it is true.
but only if that $100 is in the form of a Tricky Dick Fun Bill.
The ratio of people to cake is too big
I won 100 dollars?
I guess I go out and buy something fancy.
A nice suit would be great.
If only I had some money to buy one.
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
try World Wind. much more flexible with sat images...
I hope I didn't brain my damage.
You can start a home automation project for $100. Try picking up a PowerLinc Controller, it has a USB port(or serial) and an on board controller. You can also pick up a few lampLinc units for basic light control and build from there.
Home automation is a lot of fun, and once you get over the initial cost of the controller and possibly a remote interface you can pick up extra devices for under $20. I started mine a while back and love the geek factor. Plus, there's nothing like dimming all of your lights with the push of a button when you bring someone home from the bar.
Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know. ~Lao Tzu
..buy something that will require learning on your part to use it. You'll be amazed how quickly it can become an integral part of your computing experience.
Like a second video card, a radio tuner, or a winmodem.
Doing new kinds of things under Linux is always fun and educational. Well, it is for me, anway.
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
http://www.eff.org/support/
It is easier for a zergling to pass through the needle of an eye than for a rich man to enter heaven!
[o]_O
It would be cool if you put as much effort into a *real* display next year :)
;))
(And I'll need proof, and maybe a live hostage, before running it on Slashdot again
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Is crapulous the opposite of cromulent?
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
Hey... I'm a consumerist.
Get a starbucks card and go crazy.
$100, that's like 15 cups of coffee now?
I call it the saturday night.
Get the Cybertool. It doesn't have USB, but it's still a great utility tool to have around. I use mine at least once or twice a day. I can't believe I ever got along without one before.
Bonus, it fits in that little pocket on the right side of your jeans. You know, that one that you never have any use for?
Gabriel Ricard
And you're going to give him part of the $97 referral fee YOU get when he signs up using that?
If you get a referral, that's fine. But a cheap shot like yours will only drag down your credibility.
Dreamhost is an *awesome* inexpensive webhost. I use them for my site and that of my father's business. I could post a referral link but I won't.
Ugh, people like you really annoy me.
Language comes from people, not textbooks.
Enter '777' as the promo code when you sign up to hte 'Crazy Domain Insane Plan' and the costs are reduced to a one time fee of $9.90 for the first year, with second ands sbusequent years being charged at normal rate. referrers do not get referal fees on this promotion.
Lots and lots of lego....
The fun will never end
Kingdom of Loathing (www.kingdomofloathing.com) Addicted is me
Wait for Walmart (ich!) or Kroger to start a $2.50/12pack promo on Dew. You could wait for a $2.00/12pack, but those usually come with quantity limitations.
Assuming a %9.725 sales tax rate (avoid it if you dare!):
$2.50*1.09725 = $2.74/12pack
$100/2.74 = 36.50. We'll round down, so I guess you can afford a candy bar too.
36*12 = 432 cans of Dew!
If you're on a two-can-a-day habbit like I, that's about seven months of Mountain Dew, sweet nectar of life that it is.
Thank you.
What about Shocking Tanks? I've only read about them, but they look like lots of fun. Has anyone tried them?
And now for the plug... here's some advice for buying fun or useful stuff.
You were given $100. Not "gifted".
"Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them." -- David Brent
$45 - Palm m105 (8MB, mono) with serial cradle and leather case.
:-)
$5 - Palm folding keyboard.
$30 - PalmPix camera for m100/m105.
$20 - 8MB Flash card (Northstar MemorySafe) for m105.
Doesn't do color or multimedia, but I don't care -- it's a wonderful PDA, it uses standard AAA alkaline or NiMH batteries, and I don't have to replace the batteries very often (four weeks for NiMH, 6-8 weeks for Alkaline). And it plays a good game of chess, hearts, solitaire, blackjack, and scrabble (along with maybe 40 other games)!
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
Is 'conceed' the past tense of 'concee'?
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
(It should provide adequate substinance for the marathon...)
Not only ship to Canada, they are Canadian and very good to deal with.
Lee Valley Magnets
You should really double check your own work when commenting about another person's grammar. I think you meant to use the word "word" intead of "work" =)
I have no problem with typos, just grammar :P
Let me get this straight--you are telling me (a person, not a book) that I am wrong to object to a word that I find unclear (and, in fact, ugly) and demanding that I justify my objection by citing a textbook ("where is it written") and in the very same post you are telling me that "Language comes from people, not textbooks."
Well, I'm a native English speaker and I'm telling you flat out that "gifted" sounds moronic to my ears. So which is it? Do you respect the opinion of the people, or do you want to defend the useage on the basis of textbooks?
--MarkusQ
You keep saying you find "gifted" unclear, but you never justify the statement, except to repeat that it's not correct English. To most people "clarity" means the meaning is clear, not that it honors some obscure (or, as in this case, imaginary) grammatical rule.
They ARE a great company and they believe enough in their service that they are willing to pay refferals in exchange for getting the word out. If the customer signs up and likes it, it is a net gain for them over time.
Bottles.
Look, you can't keep saying that "language comes from the people, not from textbooks " and simultaniously demanding that I justify my views by reference to some external, objective source. They are my views for the simple reason that I hold them. Nothing more is needed.
I find "gifted" unclear. Whenever I encounter it, my first reaction is to reread the sentence, my second is to assume that it is a typo, and then I finally, reluctantly come to the conclusion that the person who used it isn't particularly well educated.
Why? Who knows. If you're willing to foot the bill I might consider letting you get a cat scan of my brain, but I doubt it would help much. While you're at it you might want to look into why I have the same reaction to "bling! bling!." "youse," and the use of numerals instead of letters.
A more constructive path, given that there are many people who feel roughly as I do, would be to simply try your best to write in standard English if you expect people to take you seriously.
Or go around saying you've been gifted with bling! bling! 'cause youse is ubber l33t, for all I care.
--MarkusQ
... "gifted" sounds moronic to my ears.
You've never heard the word "regifted"? Shame on you, non-Seinfeld watcher!
If you don't like adding new words to a language, speak latin.
So first my point was invalid because it (according to you) came from a textbook, and when I point out that it came from the heart it's "a personal prejudice" (and thus inconsequential). I'm afraid to ask where you'd like it to come from...
But to stick to the point, this isn't just my predjudice; 95% of the people asked by the Harper's Dictionary of Contemporary Usage (to pick one source sitting on my desk) about the use of "gifted" in this sense found it unacceptable. Their comments were frequently hash--"vulgar" "anti-charisma" "loathsome" and "highly objectionable" etc.--and so, should you choose to use it, you ought to expect that the majority of your readers will not be favourably impressed.
You can of course disregard all of our "prejudice" and (like Humpty Dumpty) decide that words mean whatever you want them to, and the rest of the world be damned. But you ought to at leat realize in doing so that most of the people who read what you have written will (perhaps unconciously) think less of you for it.
--MarkusQ
You've never heard the word "regifted"? Shame on you, non-Seinfeld watcher!
To put a finer point on it, non-television watcher. But, if I may hazzard a guess, I would say that the word "regifted" was used on the show you mention specifically because the writers knew it would sound moronic to most of their veiwers.
--MarkusQ
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I was genuinely amazed, when, two years later, it still ran like $^&% on my up-to-date video hardware.
If other reasons we do lack, we swear no one will die when we attack
Need I mention that the social conventions of Slashdot readers is not the same as that of the people in your poll?
It occurs to me that a lot of what we're talking about here comes down to courtesy. Courtesy is very important -- and a big part of it is respecting the conventions of the people around you. Using "improper" language can be rude -- but insisting that everybody honor your idea of what's improper, regardless of the social context, is just as rude.
We also need to get back to the original argument. You insist that "gift" is a noun, not a verb. And it's perfectly true that "standard" English no longer recognizes "gift" as a verb. But it used to. That's why we still speak of a smart or talented person as "gifted".
The point being that language evolves. And why does it evolve? Because people experiment with it, either deliberately, or accidentally, as when the guy said "I've been gifted with $100." When you sneer at normal intelligent wordplay as ignorant, you're betraying your own ignorance.
I do not dispute a single point in the parent post, but I see that we differ on an assumption: From this I infer that you took the original poster's use of "gifted" as being an example of "normal intelligent wordplay"--whereas I took it as sophomoric mimicry of a joke from a television show, and reacted to it accordingly. As for the question of whether or not my reaction is typical or not, may I suggest that the whole reason "gifted" was used in the show in the first place was that (in a true example of intelligent word play) the writers of the show realized that it would sound stupid to most people. The very thing that makes it useful as a joke makes it risky to use when you aren't trying to sound silly.
--MarkusQ