This is my latest technology column for the Yaletown View magazine:
It’s that time of year we all love, and love to hate. As anybody with a Visa card and a heartbeat knows, Christmas is a time for peace, brotherhood and shopping ‘til the wee hours. If your family’s anything like mine, you’ve got at least one geek to buy for. He’s a tricky case—his musical tastes are obscure, he doesn’t watch sports and his taste in clothing is, well, unsalvageable.
What’s a brother, mother or great uncle to do? Read on, flummoxed gift-buyers, and rejoice that I have bestowed on you not frankincense and myrrh, but twelve gifts for your favourite nerd:
Trinity Action Figure
The Matrix is a favourite movie amongst the digerati. Let no cubicle go undecorated with Neo’s ass-kicking, sun-glasses-wearing love interest. Who doesn’t want seven inches of leather-clad hotness to show off to your friends and, uh, bathe with.
Fatport Subscription
Fatport is the first wireless Internet provider to hit Vancouver. With about 15 locations downtown and more on the way, it’s become the de facto choice for WiFi workers around town. Mind you, if you can find a café that offers free service, then just buy your geek a month’s worth of lattes.
ASUS Pocket PC
This hefty device just screams convergence. Not only is it a cellular phone and a pocket PC, but it also supports Bluetooth and WiFi. I wouldn’t recommend watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas on its 240-by-320 display, but it’s good enough for email anywhere on the planet.
Halo 2 Video Game
Okay, it’s not available until April 25, 2004, but this is the most highly anticipated video game release since, well, the first Halo. Having seen some videos from the game in development, I can confirm its geek appeal. In the meantime, just buy your nerd some Amazon gift certificates and tell them to just hold out another 5 months.
The 20-inch iMac
In my previous column I said that bigger isn’t always better. In the case of Macs, it is. Apple has just released “the largest display in an all-in-one computer.†Yes, the thing still looks like a desk lamp, but, despite its massive monitor, the whole computer only takes up 10 inches of desk space.
Razer Boomer Speed Mouse
If your geek’s serious about his online gaming, he’s probably already got one of these. Designed with hardcore PC gamers in mind, this mouse claims to have twice the accuracy and speed of a regular mouse. It ought to for US $80 retail.
Those are the first six geek-friendly gifts. Come back in two weeks for the second half. Good shopping!
DarrenBarefoot.com 