Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

[Snowblind]

The holidays will soon be upon us, so to modify an old thread slightly, what things would you tell "non-technosavvy" people to get as presents for the technologically inclined? In other words, if you had to give advice to a clueless relative or friend, what (realistically priced) innovative or unique products would you recommend? What mind-blowing tech product have you been dying to share with others?

(I'm trying to get away from the typical iPod speakers, plastic disks shooters, and www.thinkgeek.com stuff. Nothing out of one of those "Wired: Top 10 Tech Gadgets," "CPU" magazine or the like, either.)

Anything come to mind?

[Floydr47]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Personally I like gift certificates, that way the person is always sure to get what they like or need. "Non-tecnosavvy" people usually have the annoying habit of giving me things I either don't need or can't use, then I have to put on the false face of surprise and joy. For instance a very close friend gave me some games last year, they are not games that I play and for that matter don't even run on my OS, but I feel obligated to display them in my game cabinet so that if my friend comes over she will see them there. I feel like I am lying to her....
So the best course of action is when someone asks you what you would like for Christmas is just to say, "I really don't know but I could use a gift certificate to _______(favorite gadget store)", problem solved.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

it's funny... everyone has widely varying beliefs when it comes to gifts. my g/f and i both hate getting "bad" gifts from people... but on the other hand we don't really like gift certificates, either. i used to call them "i don't give a crap about you certificates" because that's how i tended to feel when people presented them to me. they're a "gift" that takes the minimal amount of effort possible, short of giving someone cash outright.

the way she and i solved this pickle was to realize one year (almost simultaneously) that what was wrong with the holidays was the element of surprise. once you're no longer a little kid... surprise isn't a requisite part of holiday cheer. in fact, it's the cause of needless headaches. now all our relatives know... when the holidays approach, they are to ask us outright what we want. we make up lists of the things that we could use but do not presently own, and people know that they are to confine themselves to our wishes... not their lame-ass ideas. sure, the first few years generated a few moans of "oh, that's too boring! i'm not getting you cookware" or some such shit... but when we explained that "it's either get us a boring gift that we can acutally use or get us something that we don't want and will shove in the basement" that people got the idea.

the best gifts for techy people?... they are (in my opinion) things that these people have outright asked for (many folks have amazon wishlists... start there)

[Vyrus]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

part of this is why they call it "shopping", if you go to jinx or thinkgeek and realize you dont know enough to pick somthing for the person your buying for, go into a tek store of ANY kind, and ask the people who work there, chances are they can help you more than you think :D

[Snowblind]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Interesting replies. I guess I will have to flat-out tell my relatives and friends what I want, then... This is why I asked the question. The problem is that I really don't know what it is I want this year.

Am I the only person that this has happened to? Surely there are some techy people who left the creative gift-finding tasks to their peers when they felt uninspired.

[Samurai Drifter]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

See, I'm very careful about what I tell my relatives (most of which are very non-technically inclined) to get me tech-wise. Odds are they have no idea what I'm talking about, and are apt to get me something I didn't want or have no use for. Thus, I personally tend to ask for stuff that panders to my non-technical interests for Christmas and buy the other stuff with my own paycheck, so I can be sure I get what I need.

[astcell]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

I tell folks no gift cards, I appreciate them thinking, even if they get me something as simple as their hometown newspaper it shows a little thought. Otherwise we all go spend $20 on gift cards at places we like and give them to folks and they don't shop there.

Alcohol is always good.

[eris]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Am I the only person that this has happened to? Surely there are some techy people who left the creative gift-finding tasks to their peers when they felt uninspired.

When I asked for an mp3 player one year, prior to the advent of the iPod, I received a Yepp.....Leave the techy gifts to something that you buy for yourself, is my two cents.

[astcell]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Maybe we should ask folks for clothes that match. :>

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Also, Amazon.com has some techy stuff, and they also have a wishlist thing you can use and send around.

[DaKahuna]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

We have a very short list of people we give gifts during the holdiay season. For the majority of them AST's comment about alcohol is our gift of choice. I find a good bottle of wine a nice gift for those that like wine. Quality chocolate also is appreciated by most of the women we know. Of course games and clothes go for the grandkids.

As for ourselves, my wife and I buy what we need when we want and that passes for our Christmas, anniversary, birthday or whatever occasion.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

someone sent me a link to this outstanding product and i felt it warranted mention here. very suited to our community, whose members tend to have a healthy and relaxed attitude to sexual norms, a fascination for techy goodness (particularly engineering that mates one technology to another, perhaps someone disparate one), and general delight in getting the most out of one's music.

enjoy!

[patsprou]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

Interesting replies. I guess I will have to flat-out tell my relatives and friends what I want, then... This is why I asked the question. The problem is that I really don't know what it is I want this year.

Am I the only person that this has happened to? Surely there are some techy people who left the creative gift-finding tasks to their peers when they felt uninspired.

Personally I would like one of these: http://www.radiolabs.com/products/an...fi-antenna.php
I'd mount it on my truck and have a hay day.
Just a suggestion.

[signcarver]

Re: Holiday wishlist, with a twist...

I agree with wine and chocolates... I had some excellent chocolates from a company in Austin, Texas at one of the computer/networking conventions in vegas this year... I plan on ordering these for a few people this year.

Personally I don't mind gift cards that much as a couple of years ago eight people all got me some to the same store (by coincidence ?) and I combined them to make a nice gift for myself.