#2: One of Those Click-Clacky Things with The Metal Balls
(image: Dominique Toussaint)

Last week I suggested some High-Tech Gifts for Low-Tech People -- easy-to-use gadgets to drag the neo-Luddite in your life into the digital age. But what if you're the neo-Luddite in your circle of friends? (Hint: if you've recently needed to get a dial tone to get online, it could be you.) Or worse, what if you're not even "neo-"? (Hint: if you've recently smashed a 19th-Century, steam-powered industrial sewing machine, it could be you.)

If you buy some "futuristic" gizmo for a high-tech friend, it's a fair bet he already got one six months ago on his annual toy-shopping trip to Tokyo. If you get her Version 1.4.1, guaranteed she's already got Version 1.4.2, and is about to download the Beta of 1.4.3. So what's a non-techie to do? What cool gifts will celebrate your gadget geek friend's plucky spirit, love of science and not be obsolete by the time you finish reading this article? Why, these, of course:

7. DIY Music Box Kit

Kick it old-school -- like, Napoleonic Wars old school -- with this do-it-yourself music box, built upon the non-electronic tradition of fine Swiss watchmakers. Besides the actual 2-octave box, you also get one pre-punched paper strip with "Happy Birthday," a hole punch, and three blank strips to create your own music. (It's easy enough to make your own replacement strips, though.)
ThinkGeek.com, $12.99 (ThinkGeek.com also has emailable gift certificates, for last-minute gifts.)

6. Keyport Slide

Okay, so in Phase 2 of my exhaustive research on this product (i.e. clicking the "Features" link on the website), I found out this gift actually is fairly high-tech, boasting "RFID," a feature represented by this radio wave-looking symbol, so I'm guessing it's pretty advanced. (The good news is that this product made its world premiere just a month ago, which is only about 3 years in Geek Time, so you might still be in the clear.)

RF stuff aside, though, this thing is basically a clever case to hold your specially-made keys, allowing you to slide each one out as you need it, and not worry about a bunch of loose, jagged metal scraping the other, better gadgets in your pocket. Bonus: if someone else in your buddy's IT department has one, they can each flip out a "blade" for a rousing game of "Jets vs. Sharks" (sheet music and jazz shoes not included.)
key-port.com, $295

5. Gadget Hip Holster

Speaking of pockets, they can be cramped and crowded places, especially if your friend's gadgets are more than 45 minutes old, and therefore huge. Why not help him free up some space and make him feel like the rogue smuggler who made the Kessel Run in under 5 parsecs? Nice! Now his pockets are free to thrust his hands into as he avoids eye contact and sheepishly explains what a "parsec" is.*
ThinkGeek.com, $49.99

4. Dot-Matrix Wallet

Opening this wallet will bring back your friend's fond memories of printing out term papers 20 years ago, or of helping you print out this gift's accompanying card 20 minutes ago. Made of tough, fibrous Tyvek, this wallet looks like it just came out of a 9-pin dot-matrix printer, complete with sprocket holes on the edges (you know they make printer paper without those now, right?)
ThinkGeek.com, $14.99

3. Wooly Willy®

Hearken back (or hark back, your choice) to a gentler, simpler time, when metal shavings were a delightful children's plaything, not a potential lawsuit. Let your friend get creative in a kitschy, oh-so-mid-20th-Century way, then when he's not looking, use the magnetic stylus to erase the data on his fancy-schmancy RFID thingie, rendering him as technologically helpless as you.** Who needs an upgrade now, smart guy?
Smethport Specialty Co., various retailers, $1.99

2. One of Those Click-Clacky Things with The Metal Balls
...Or a "Newton's Cradle," as it's officially known (boy, did I get some weird search engine results trying to find that one out!) This nifty little device (pictured at the top) has been a classic piece of executive desk decor for over 40 years now. It's also based on the classic physics of Sir Isaac Newton (hence the name -- that second one), demonstrating conservation of momentum, or dispersion, or some science-y type stuff like that. I dunno, ask your geeky friend when he unwraps it, I'm sure he'll know.
Amazon.com and other retailers, $9.95 and up

1. Kite Aerial Photography Camera Rig

This old-school-but-cool contraption simultaneously celebrates the milestone discoveries of three prominent scientists: Louis Daguerre (photography, 1839), Benjamin Franklin (kite-flying, 1750) and Oog (ice, ca. 400,000 BCE.) This kit allows you to attach a disposable camera to a kite, then take an aerial photo once an ice cube melts, tripping the shutter. As of this writing the actual kit was sold out, but you can still buy the plans -- a bargain at $5 -- for a fun DIY project. (If you go this route, though, splurge an extra $1.79 for an ice cube tray, too -- you don't want to look cheap, do you?)
MTM Scientific, Inc., $44.50 (when available)

*Lighten up, sci-fi nerds, I'm sure you actually do "got much game" with the ladies in this quadrant.

**I don't think this will actually work on an RFID item, but you were really going to try it, weren't you? And during the holiday season, too. Tsk, tsk.

Posted by Jim 2.0 | tagged: toys, gadget, gifts, tips, holidays, games