Most people have at least one friend or family member who ends up being the go-to guy or gal when the computer gets a virus or the iPod won’t boot up. Have you ever tried shopping for that person? My wife has gotten pretty good at it but can tell you it’s rough. Us geeks can be pretty particular about things other people just don’t get. For example, I’d rather have an old used IBM PS/2 keyboard under the tree than one of the fancy new ones. If you have a geek to shop for this Christmas, you’re in luck because I have a long list of gift ideas in varying price ranges. (please note that prices are approximate based on what I’ve found online)
Stocking Stuffers
iSkin Solo FX iPhone skins ($20 and up) I’ve been through a few skins and cases for my iPhones, but I really like this one. It’s got some extra flare to it and comes in some eye-catching colors. (read my review of this product)
Sling Back ($9) This is a simple little item that takes cords and untangles them. You put any (well any small) cord in it and it retracts like my travel mouse does. Pretty cool.
(note that this is a pre-sale item that may not be ready in time for Christmas)
Cordies ($9) This is a great little item that does a simple task. It keeps your cords from sliding off your desk. This happens to me all the time, so if anyone wants to put these in my stocking, I need two of them at least.
(note that this is a pre-sale item that may not be ready in time for Christmas, however it only needs a few more sales to hit production)
Kickster for iPod Nano ($13) The newer iPod Nanos look awesome and now capture and play back video, but this poses the problem of having to hold it steady both during recording and playback or while watching a video podcast. The Kickster is like a kickstand for the Nano and is a pretty cool addition to the Nano if you know someone who’s getting a Nano from Santa this year.
(note that this is a pre-sale item that may not be ready in time for Christmas)
Scratch ‘n’ Scroll ($15) Scratch ‘n’ Scroll is a mouse pad that you can write on. Remember those little pads you’d get as a kid where you could scratch in a design with a plastic stylus or even your fingernail and erase the design by just pulling the top layer away from its backing? This is the same concept built into a mouse pad.
Under $100
be.ez LEvertigo Netbook/MacBook Shoulder Bag ($60) Recently, I was able to review this bag and really liked it. It’s probably going to end up a present for a special someone on my list this Christmas. It’s a very compact bag that accommodates a 13 inch MacBook or a netbook, paperwork, cell phones or other small gadgets and a couple small devices or CDs. It’s durable and very stylish.
Eye-Fi SD Card with Wireless ($50 and up) One of the items I reviewed recently was this Eye-Fi card. You do a little simple setup with it and then throw it in your camera and take photos. Depending on your settings and proximity to your wireless connection, it can automatically upload photos as you take them or when you’re done, but either way, you never plug the camera into the computer again. Great for someone who takes lots of photos.
Joby Gorillapod Mobile ($40) Even the ever popular iPhone has room for improvement. For example, trying to take non-shaky video, or watching a movie on the iPhone can be a challenge because of the smoothly rounded edges, but Joby introduced this GorillaMobile tripod to help. It’s not something I’ll use every day, but it is useful. Even though it’s around $40, it could be a nice little stocking stuffer, too. (read more here)
Beamer ($38) If you own an iPhone or have even just seen the recent Droid commercials, I’m sure you’re aware of one of the missing iPhone camera features, a flash. Beamer is an iPhone case that has a build in light to work as a flash. Incredibly simple, yet the first product to solve this problem (that I’ve seen, anyway). It’s a great little gift for anyone who takes a lot of club or party photos with their iPhone.
Arduino Starter Kit ($70) If the geek on your Christmas list is like me, he or she either has this or wants it badly. Arduino is a popular electronics learning and prototyping platform for developing small devices. The kit has everything needed to jump in and start getting geeky. This is on my own wish list this year.
Peggy 2 Kit ($95) Last year, for Christmas, my wife got me a little home brew gaming kit called Meggy Jr. This kit comes from the same company and I’ve had my eye on it for a while. It’s a pegboard of LED lights that can be programmed by its maker and is a really cool electronics project.
$100 And Up
Amazon Kindle Reader ($259) I can think of at least one thing better than taking a book with you on vacation or a long trip, and that’s taking a bunch of books with you all crammed into a slim little device like the Kindle. Better still, you can get your JoeTech.com fix on the Kindle!
Droid or iPhone ($200 w/ contract -$600 without) It used to be that the G1 was the only solid competition for the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the G1 is an awesome phone, but I still prefer the iPhone and now Verizon has competition of its own with Droid in its corner. Currently on review loan from Verizon, my droid is shaping up to be a really nice phone and the iPhone has already proven itself as a great phone. Either would be the gift to make the geek in your life jump for joy.
Logic Wireless Bolt 1.5 ($475) Although it’s no iPhone or Droid, this is a phone that makes waves. More than just a phone, it has a projector in it. I got hands on with an original Bolt 1.0 unit a while back and loved it. The 1.5 looks sleeker than ever and I spoke with the CEO a couple weeks ago who promises even more good stuff coming up.
If you’ve recovered from Black Friday, it’s time to prepare for Cyber Monday and get that geek in your life the right gift. Don’t forget to share this list with friends and leave no geek with an unwanted gift.
We all know what a tattoo is. They’ve been around for centuries and surely will continue to decorate the skin for centuries to come. Time only enhances them by adding vibrant colors and ink that shows up best under black light. While mothers have always cringed at the thought of their baby getting a tattoo, most of us know someone with a tattoo or two and some of us have our own. Recently, I had a couple more done, so I thought I would post them and some that other people have that are equally as geeky.
I’ll go first
Above is a photo showing all my ink. Almost 3 years ago, I got a parallel port tattooed on my back. That’s the port in the middle that is a little lighter than the rest. I have been in love with computers since the first time I was on one in the early 80’s and it’s something I am very passionate about. Years ago, I wanted to get a bar code, but by time I got around to it, everyone else had one, so I opted for a parallel port instead. It was my first and when it was done, I immediately started thinking about what else I wanted done. Life kept me busy and I eventually started thinking about it again and worked out what I would want next. Last weekend, I headed to Americana Tattoo and added to my collection. The bottom row is a FireWire logo, followed by two FireWire ports. At the top, I finally got my bar code. I figured I shouldn’t care what everyone else has and did it anyway. However, I did make it a little more original. I used an online bar code image generator to generate a Code 128 barcode. I chose this standard because it’s easy to scan. The bar code should actually scan as “Joe” and the numbers underneath it spell out “Joe” in binary. These tattoos are just a small part of a much bigger plan.
Other geeky and nerdy tattoos
There’s a ton of geeky tattoo photos out there on the net, but I just grabbed all these from the Geeky Tattoos pool on Flickr. I had been planning a Matrix port tattoo to go with all my other ports, but I think it needs to be just a bit lower than the one below. I love the Tank Girl tat, because I’m a big Tank Girl fan. Of course, there’s the binary and the HTML-like tags (which are also on my list). Finally, there’s a bigger version of the FireWire logo, proving I’m not the only one crazy enough to ink that into my skin, and the “OMG LOL” tattoo, which has me thinking, well, “OMG! LOL!”.
Now I have questions for you.
1. Do you have any ink? If so, how many, what are they, and where on your body? (picture links are welcome)
2. What’s the geekiest (or your favorite) tattoo you’ve seen?
3. Any plans for geeky tattoos?
I’ve been through a few skins and cases for my iPhones, but I really like this one. It’s got some extra flare to it and comes in some eye-catching colors. (read my review of this product)
This is a simple little item that takes cords and untangles them. You put any (well any small) cord in it and it retracts like my travel mouse does. Pretty cool.
This is a great little item that does a simple task. It keeps your cords from sliding off your desk. This happens to me all the time, so if anyone wants to put these in my stocking, I need two of them at least.
The newer iPod Nanos look awesome and now capture and play back video, but this poses the problem of having to hold it steady both during recording and playback or while watching a video podcast. The Kickster is like a kickstand for the Nano and is a pretty cool addition to the Nano if you know someone who’s getting a Nano from Santa this year.
Scratch ‘n’ Scroll is a mouse pad that you can write on. Remember those little pads you’d get as a kid where you could scratch in a design with a plastic stylus or even your fingernail and erase the design by just pulling the top layer away from its backing? This is the same concept built into a mouse pad.
Recently, I was able to review this bag and really liked it. It’s probably going to end up a present for a special someone on my list this Christmas. It’s a very compact bag that accommodates a 13 inch MacBook or a netbook, paperwork, cell phones or other small gadgets and a couple small devices or CDs. It’s durable and very stylish.
One of the items I reviewed recently was this Eye-Fi card. You do a little simple setup with it and then throw it in your camera and take photos. Depending on your settings and proximity to your wireless connection, it can automatically upload photos as you take them or when you’re done, but either way, you never plug the camera into the computer again. Great for someone who takes lots of photos.
Even the ever popular iPhone has room for improvement. For example, trying to take non-shaky video, or watching a movie on the iPhone can be a challenge because of the smoothly rounded edges, but Joby introduced this GorillaMobile tripod to help. It’s not something I’ll use every day, but it is useful. Even though it’s around $40, it could be a nice little stocking stuffer, too. (read more here)
If you own an iPhone or have even just seen the recent Droid commercials, I’m sure you’re aware of one of the missing iPhone camera features, a flash. Beamer is an iPhone case that has a build in light to work as a flash. Incredibly simple, yet the first product to solve this problem (that I’ve seen, anyway). It’s a great little gift for anyone who takes a lot of club or party photos with their iPhone.
If the geek on your Christmas list is like me, he or she either has this or wants it badly. Arduino is a popular electronics learning and prototyping platform for developing small devices. The kit has everything needed to jump in and start getting geeky. This is on my own wish list this year.
Last year, for Christmas, my wife got me a little home brew gaming kit called Meggy Jr. This kit comes from the same company and I’ve had my eye on it for a while. It’s a pegboard of LED lights that can be programmed by its maker and is a really cool electronics project.
I can think of at least one thing better than taking a book with you on vacation or a long trip, and that’s taking a bunch of books with you all crammed into a slim little device like the Kindle. Better still, you can get your JoeTech.com fix on the Kindle!
It used to be that the G1 was the only solid competition for the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the G1 is an awesome phone, but I still prefer the iPhone and now Verizon has competition of its own with Droid in its corner. Currently on review loan from Verizon, my droid is shaping up to be a really nice phone and the iPhone has already proven itself as a great phone. Either would be the gift to make the geek in your life jump for joy.
Although it’s no iPhone or Droid, this is a phone that makes waves. More than just a phone, it has a projector in it. I got hands on with an original Bolt 1.0 unit a while back and loved it. The 1.5 looks sleeker than ever and I spoke with the CEO a couple weeks ago who promises even more good stuff coming up.
