Ask Slashdot: Gifts For a 90-Year-Old, Tech-Savvy Dad?

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Ask Slashdot: Gifts For a 90-Year-Old, Tech-Savvy Dad?

Posted by timothy on Thursday December 20, 2012 @05:12AM from the subscription-to-vibe dept.

First time accepted submitter Bearhouse writes "My Dad amazes me with (a) his longevity & energy, and (b) his continued ability to mess around with electronics stuff. Since he already has things ranging from valve amps made from war-surplus, via an original IBM PC kit to an Android tablet, I was going to buy him a Raspberry Pi for Christmas. Turns out he's already got one. I saw nothing that really got me excited here, so your ideas would be appreciated."

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Maybe a 3d printer? by joaommp · 2012-12-20 05:17 · Score: 5, Insightful

Perhaps it's a bit expensive, perhaps it's not, depends on your bugedt, but he most likely would enjoy it as a nice addition and compliment to his projects.

--
Onda Technology Institute
1. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by laejoh · 2012-12-20 05:19 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Add in the plans of a coffin!
2. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by toutankh · 2012-12-20 05:27 · Score: 2
  
  Of course no mod points - still, thanks for the laugh :)
3. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by MrHanky · 2012-12-20 06:00 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Yeah, why not give the old man the gift of mod points.
4. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by jcoy42 · 2012-12-20 06:12 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I'm sure he has stacks of books, whey not get him a nice bookshelf coffin?
  I've always loved this idea. Doubt it would ship by Christmas though.
  
  --
  Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
5. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by Beardo+the+Bearded · 2012-12-20 06:48 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Forget that! Add in the plans for a 90-year-old woman.
  Why not two seventy-year-old women?
  They'll both assume you're with the other one and he can get to the lab to get some work done.
  
  --
  
  ---
  ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
6. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by Frosty+Piss · 2012-12-20 07:15 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Get him something that YOU want. After all, at 90 you can be sure it will soon be yours anyway!
  
  --
  If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
7. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by mcgrew · 2012-12-20 07:27 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It don't work like that, kid. I'm sixty, most sixty year old women are as repulsive to me as they are to you. To me, women in their forties are HOT, women in their twenties look like children. So add the plans for a sixty or seventy year old woman.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
8. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by rwise2112 · 2012-12-20 09:04 · Score: 2
  
  Why not two seventy-year-old women?
  They'll both assume you're with the other one and he can get to the lab to get some work done.
  No those young women are just too wild!
  
  --
  
  "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
9. Re:Maybe a 3d printer? by Beardo+the+Bearded · 2012-12-20 09:25 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  But they'll give a wicked gum job. ;)
  
  --
  
  ---
  ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
Raspberry Pi stuff by TheRealMindChild · 2012-12-20 05:17 · Score: 3, Insightful

A breakout board. A 16x2 LCD. A case.

--

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
If he is into tech and cameras.... by Lumpy · 2012-12-20 05:18 · Score: 5, Interesting

Get him a Camera Axe. Utterly cool things being done with that toy.

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
same thing I always tell others by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 05:22 · Score: 5, Insightful

I always tell people the same thing everytime they ask this question. Ask them. I am sure they have a list... If they dont buy them something retarded. The problem fixes itself the next year :)
1. Re:same thing I always tell others by Jeng · 2012-12-20 05:24 · Score: 2
  
  That is probably the best advice.
  
  --
  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
2. Re:same thing I always tell others by toutankh · 2012-12-20 05:26 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  For some people (including me), surprising someone and showing them that we really tried to find something they like is a very important part of making a present.
3. Re:same thing I always tell others by cruff · 2012-12-20 05:36 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately for those who are really into the details of a subject area, it can be next to impossible for the gift givers who are not also into those details to determine what would be a meaningful gift, especially of the recipient can afford to purchase their own items whenever they want, and they do so.
4. Re:same thing I always tell others by CastrTroy · 2012-12-20 05:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I find the best gifts, tech-wise, are ones that are form non-tech people who spent the time to research what's out there and manage to get something good. My step-mother buys wood working (and other) tools for my dad all the time, and it amazes me how well she selects them, even though she knows very little about the subject. She takes a lot of time to research and find out what's good, without just going out and buying the most expensive thing. This shows a lot of thoughtfulness, and he usually appreciates them a lot.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
5. Re:same thing I always tell others by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 06:09 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  My parents' did that for their grandson - they asked what he wanted for his birthday and all he said was "I don't know/care". Well, that year he got a pink dress. Next year, he had plenty of good ideas.
6. Re:same thing I always tell others by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 06:14 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  That's like saying "Don't ask me what I like about sex, try to figure it out by yourself and surprise me".
  Romanticism has its place. That place is called "novels".
7. Re:same thing I always tell others by Translation+Error · 2012-12-20 06:35 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  My parents' did that for their grandson - they asked what he wanted for his birthday and all he said was "I don't know/care". Well, that year he got a pink dress. Next year, he had plenty of good ideas.
  Of course he did! Now he can accessorize!
  
  --
  When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
8. Re:same thing I always tell others by mattack2 · 2012-12-20 10:09 · Score: 2
  
  At 90, I think anything would surprise him, over and over and over.
Enigma-E kit by AYeomans · 2012-12-20 05:23 · Score: 2

From Bletchley Park http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/shop/view_product.rhtm/133066/238531/detail.html
£119.99
Enables you to build your very own battery powered Electronic Enigma machine. Does NOT include wooden case. Requires only basic soldering experience. Extensive easy to read 60+ page manual.

--
Andrew Yeomans
Viagra by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 05:24 · Score: 5, Funny

Viagra
-- Your 90 year-old dad.
Captcha: Buttocks.
A couple of suggestions by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 05:24 · Score: 3, Informative

Not knowing your Dad, or what tools he has, or how geeky he is, or knowing your budget ....
How about some Geek tools?
One thing I'd like is a PC -based oscilloscope.
Variable power supply to power his projects/bread boards?
Bread board kits?
kit to make his own boards?
subscription to Make?
electro luminescent wire and drivers? (coolneon.com)
good luck
1. Re:A couple of suggestions by I+Mean,+What · 2012-12-20 05:58 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Spinning off the breadboard idea, a friend of mine built a light-sensitive theramin on a cheap Radio Shack proto board. Normally theramins are played with movement of your hands around an antenna, but the light sensitive one plays different notes as you cover the photo resistors. Here's a great source of info: http://www.instructables.com/id/Light-Theremin/. He'll probable have more fun building it, but the fun of having one may not be apparent until he sees it in action.
Time by Dynedain · 2012-12-20 05:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

If your Dad is 90, and has the money for whatever gadgets he might want (as evidenced that he goes out and buys them on his own) then what he'd probably most want is to spend some quality time with you.
I know it sounds cheesy, but I run into the same problem trying to buy gifts for my grandmothers. They have everything they need or want, but what they can't buy is time with family.

--
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
1. Re:Time by DoctorBit · 2012-12-20 05:53 · Score: 2
  
  Maybe a trip to the Tech Museum in San Jose or the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
2. Re:Time by MMC+Monster · 2012-12-20 05:55 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  How about a project the two of you can do together. Maybe wire a room for inbuilt speakers, add a video projector that hangs off the ceiling and a screen on a remote control and you've got a home theater. Throw in an XBMC system and a way to automatically rip DVDs and serve it off the network, with a universal remote control. Then add a TV tuner card, movie chairs, etc. Lots of things that can be done piece-meal but with a goal in sight.
  
  --
  Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
3. Re:Time by Quiet_Desperation · 2012-12-20 05:56 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  They have everything they need or want, but what they can't buy is time with family.
  Mine could. I made a small fortune that way as a kid.
4. Re:Time by tlhIngan · 2012-12-20 08:40 · Score: 2
  
  If your Dad is 90, and has the money for whatever gadgets he might want (as evidenced that he goes out and buys them on his own) then what he'd probably most want is to spend some quality time with you.
  I know it sounds cheesy, but I run into the same problem trying to buy gifts for my grandmothers. They have everything they need or want, but what they can't buy is time with family.
  And related equipment. How about getting a nice camcorder and tape him telling stories and such, then preserving it and his memories? Your gift will be basically ensuring he's remembered.
  Don't go for a cheesy GoPro, get a NICE camcorder or dSLR with full high def and everything, and lots of memory cards. Record record record. After all, at that age, the best things would be to be remembered, and in case he used to do stuff he can't do anymore, be able to relive those moments.
  And anything that'll let the rest of the family spend time with him - videoconference if necessary. It may mean having to buy iPads and iPhones and Macs so the less tech savvy part of your family can FaceTime him (he probably can do anything, but if you make it too hard on the rest of the family, they won't want to chat).
Interview this guy for Slashdot by wjwlsn · 2012-12-20 05:25 · Score: 5, Insightful

Maybe he's not famous or well-known, but I bet he is interesting as hell. We should all aspire to have that much energy, drive, and interest as we get older... I know way too many people in their 50s and older that refuse to learn anything new. Hearing about a guy that has probably been on top of the latest tech continuously for 70-odd years is just inspiring!

--
Getting tired of Slashdot... moving to Usenet comp.misc for a while.
1. Re:Interview this guy for Slashdot by bmxeroh · 2012-12-20 05:47 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Seriously good idea. One of the things that stuck me when my grandfather died was just how much knowledge was lost. That probably bothered me more than him actually dying, but mostly because we knew it was coming.
  
  --
  Central Ohio Home Theater Installation - The Theater People
2. Re:Interview this guy for Slashdot by CastrTroy · 2012-12-20 06:57 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  This is probably half the reason he's still alive/sane. I find that a lot of people die/deteriorate shortly after they stop working, or doing whatever it is they love. Sure a lot of the stories are anecdotal but I wonder if any serious studies have been done. I just read a story the other day about a 103 year old that rides his bike (now an adult tricycle) every day. He's still in great shape, at least for his age. If you look at most of the people to live past 90, most of them have some activity they are still actively engaged in. It's my theory that very soon after one loses the lust for life, their life goes downhill, and fast. My step-dad died at 55, shortly after his mother died. She had a stroke, and for about 10 years visited almost every day and spent a lot of time taking care of her. He had health problems for a while, but he stayed alive until shortly after she died. It almost seemed that he was holding out until she was gone.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
3. Re:Interview this guy for Slashdot by mvdwege · 2012-12-20 08:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I know way too many people in their 50s and older that refuse to learn anything new
  And as Slashdot proves, there are plenty below-30s that refuse to learn anything new because they think they know best already.
  
  --
  "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
4. Re:Interview this guy for Slashdot by cognoscentus · 2012-12-20 12:08 · Score: 2
  
  What he said.
Re:An Arduino kit? by Georules · 2012-12-20 05:25 · Score: 3, Funny

Help him start putting together his own gadgets? It sounds like he's been doing that for a lot longer than any of us. Without Arduinos.
How about... by SternisheFan · 2012-12-20 05:27 · Score: 4, Funny

... internet service for life!? *ducks*
try this site by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 05:27 · Score: 5, Informative

try this site:
http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/
For the man who has everything ... by gstoddart · 2012-12-20 05:38 · Score: 5, Insightful

A nice bottle of scotch or bourbon.
He can sip away at it while he noodles away with all of those gadgets.
It doesn't sound like he needs your help in finding technology.

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
If he's into his health and stuff... by Jesse_vd · 2012-12-20 05:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

http://www.indiegogo.com/misfitshine
This is like the Fitbit but new and more durable, longer battery life etc. They don't ship until March but they're leading the CES Last Gadget Standing Contest right now. I got one for my mom and one for myself
Nixie! by wjwlsn · 2012-12-20 05:48 · Score: 3, Interesting

Oooh, even better... get him the plans and parts for a nixie-tube clock!
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4396235/Microchip-s-Nixie-Tubes-light-up-Design-East

--
Getting tired of Slashdot... moving to Usenet comp.misc for a while.
russian tank by lkcl · 2012-12-20 05:55 · Score: 2

http://www.tanksforsale.co.uk/Surplus%20Russian%20BMP1%20APCs%20%20for%20sale.html
get him a russian army surplus tank. tell him his mission, should he choose to accept it, is to convert its valve-based electronics over to modern silicon circuits.
Weather Station? by Java+Commando · 2012-12-20 05:56 · Score: 3, Interesting

What about a networked weather station? Nearly everyone's interested in the weather, and from direct experience I can tell you it's really cool to be able to connect to your station from your smart phone, tablet, or any web browser, and observe current conditions. There are relatively inexpensive complete systems available now, such as from the likes of AcuRite. I have a Rainwise MK-III LR, myself, but those are probably more expensive than most would wish to spend.

Well wishes to your dad-- If I make it to that age I hope to exhibit the same energy and curiosity he still engages. This is great to hear about!
Get a Mac. by Andy+Prough · 2012-12-20 05:57 · Score: 3, Funny

Just kidding.
Sharks, by mark_reh · 2012-12-20 06:06 · Score: 2

with frickin' laser on their heads!
Re:An Arduino kit? by aurizon · 2012-12-20 06:08 · Score: 3, Interesting

Has he converted his home/laptop computer to an SSD? Get him an Intel 160 to 256 gig SSD, with the install kit. It makes a large difference - but, only if he does not have one.
Re:A stack of dollar bills by gstoddart · 2012-12-20 06:21 · Score: 2

you mean..... dikes?
Her refusal to have sex with you doesn't make her a lesbian. ;-)

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Re:An Arduino kit? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-20 06:27 · Score: 5, Funny

Heathkit Pacemaker
jr
Give him something that MATTERS by erroneus · 2012-12-20 08:25 · Score: 2

Spend more time with him and be sure it is most definitely an inconvenient gift because giving time only when it is convenient doesn't mean quite the same thing. And it already seems like you have similar interests, so get him talking about the things he knows about which you may not fully know about. This work not just for older people, but ALL people. When people feel valued, they feel happy.
So, just go spend time with him and ask him for some kind of help. That'll be just about the best a father could ask for.
heart monitor... by schlachter · 2012-12-20 08:39 · Score: 2

why not get him a Garmin GPS watch that connects to a heart monitor?
practical tech for a 90 yr old!

--
My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
title for the post... by schlachter · 2012-12-20 08:48 · Score: 2

"How to get an IT job at 90, and age discrimination in the workplace"

--
My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
Time by slapout · 2012-12-20 09:00 · Score: 2

Spend time just talking with him. Or maybe working on a project together.

--
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Re:Wait for his answer by SternisheFan · 2012-12-20 13:06 · Score: 2

I remember mechanical counters on VCRs. Mechanical digital clocks.
When I was a kid we had to get up to change the channel, and we only had 4 channels, that all ran news at the same time, and we liked it.
When I was a kid, my older sister made me get up to change the channel. :-)