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This year’s holiday season took me by surprise. It felt like I went straight from September to mid-December. Due to the gifting (and sales!) that occur during December, I felt like I might share some gift ideas for anyone who might be interested in getting themselves (or a significant other) a nice gift. I will split these ideas up into 3 tiers - cheaper, mid-range, and more expensive gifts. That being said, I will not be mentioning specific products, so within each range there’s the chance of some outliers.
Cheaper Gifts For anyone who has almost everything (or perhaps whose budget is stretched a little thin), I can offer the following suggestions: • Mouse bungee. These are small stands that can lift a wired mouse’s cable off your desk - thereby avoiding it getting caught on edges or clutter. As my desk is almost always covered in notes, containers, pens, etc, being able to keep my cable from getting stuck is a bit of a blessing (not to mention I no longer need to keep a space cleared). These are pretty cheap (between 10-20€), though I would make sure whichever one you buy has a good non-slip stand. • Phone stand. I always have my smartphone sitting next to me as I work, so I can track notifications and missed messages/calls. Originally, I just let it sit on my desk - but that doesn’t make it easy to read the screen without stopping what you’re doing. Instead, I was gifted a small wooden stand to place my phone on. It can also work with a tablet (though it does depend on the tablet and the stand). I also own a Logitech gaming keyboard that comes with an integrated phone stand - so keep that in mind if you’re gifting another. • Grid-It Organizer - These come in a variety of sizes and price points, but are essentially a grid of elastic straps. I use it for managing my cables, USB sticks, carrying guitar capos, and so on. They have loops on them, which I use along with a hook to keep them hanging neatly. When I need to head out somewhere, I just grab my travel-sized one and throw it in my bag. • Linux - This may sound like a joke, but I am quite serious. A friend of mine gave me access to his Linux laptop in high school (running Ubuntu), and ever since I’ve always used Linux on at least one device. You can offer to set up Linux for a friend who’s frustrated with Windows/macOS, or donate an old device with Linux to a good cause or a friend in need. Naturally, this may not appeal to some people, but it could just as easily inspire a new person to adopt Linux.
Mid-Ranged Gifts These gift ideas do require a little more of a budget, but are still fun! • Mini Bluetooth speaker - when I say mini, I do mean mini. The one I have is an Anker Soundcore Nano, which measures 5cm x 5cm x 3cm (width x depth x height). It’s small, rechargeable, and has decent sound quality. It’s also made of metal, meaning I don’t worry about it taking a beating in my bag. • Anti-Theft Backpack - I backed the XD Design Bobby Backpack on Kickstarter, and have been using it non-stop since receiving it. It’s a compact bag that fits perfectly under airline seats (yes, even in Economy class), it’s cut proof, and offers a TSA lock and kensington-style cable for securing it to your chair or desk in a public space (i.e. coffee shop). There are a variety of companies that offer bags like this, so I won’t claim to be expert on them all. • A poster from Displate - Displate is a terrific little company that makes metal posters. They have posters covering almost any topic you can think of, and regularly offer sales. I don’t know too much about shipping (as the ones I own stayed within the EU), but the quality and price of the products are top-notch. Their method for hanging them is also clever - they are shipped with one large magnet (with adhesive backing). Just pop the magnetic square on the wall, and stick the poster to it. I own two japanese-style posters in this format, and they have been hanging since I got them. Alternatively, some traditional posters (hung up using adhesive poster strips) have frequently fallen off the wall.
Expensive Gifts • Game console/games - if you (or someone you know) is an avid gamer, these sorts of gifts will never go unappreciated. I have owned a great many consoles (starting with a PS1), but spend most of my (admittedly limited) free time on my Nintendo Switch or my PS4 Pro. If you’re on the fence about the Switch, I recommend making sure you’ll find at least two or three games that appeal to you before purchasing - though the library is constantly expanding. • Mechanical keyboard/mouse - After switching to a mechanical keyboard (with Cherry MX Brown switches) 5 or so years ago, I’ve avoided buying any membrane keyboards since. I prefer the feel of the mechanical switches, and find I am both faster and more accurate typing on these keyboards than others. I’ve long since been eyeing a split ergonomic keyboard (ErgoDox), but have unfortunately not yet found a cost-effective way of getting all the pieces (or a pre-built keyboard) without paying for import costs. • Monitor - I’ve had an item on my to do list for nearly 3 years - “replace desktop monitors”. I have not yet done so, even though I use my desktop daily for many hours at a time, and both my monitors have a few quirks (one doesn’t always accept input, and one has a few broken plugs/color issues). However, I frequently can’t justify the price of a new IPS monitor over something else I need to replace (most recently: my very broken tablet that I use for work). Naturally, monitors are a very subjective thing - but still a worthwhile gift if you can find a good way to pick one! • Speakers or headphones - Stop me if this seems familiar to you: You have a great pair of headphones, until suddenly one ear (or both) stop working…occasionally. I frequently put up with the fiddling of cables or headphones until they stop working completely (or don’t function around 80% of the time). I’m adamant I’ll get my money’s worth out of them before ditching them and moving onto something new. Similarly with my speakers. I lived with a persistent hum and buzzing for a good year before I found a suitable replacement at a price point I could live with. So if you know someone suffering through broken headphones or speakers, you could always be their knight in shining armor!
Naturally, this list is not exhaustive (or, indeed, very specific). But if you’re looking for ideas to spend your money on (for yourself or others), I hope my suggestions can inspire you. If anyone wants to share their favourite geek gift with me, send me an email at lswest34+fcm@gmail.com. Feel free to send me an email if you have questions, suggestions, or article ideas for me as well!