Ideas from Mark Stout

Last time we talked about gifts for adults.  What about younger people fascinated with technology? What gifts can nurture an interest or spark an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM?  Or best of all, show off the wonder of the world? I’ll champion high tech gifts in a bit, but for showing off the wonders of the universe there is no better gift than a  telescope . You can find entry-level telescopes starting at about $40.  I still recall my first view of the moon through a telescope as a life-shaping event. So much of what I had learned in school became much clearer.  Today, you can use a phone app to help point your telescope at planets and other celestial bodies. Looking the other direction at the universe of life --in a drop of water-- is even easier today. There are  microscopes  that hook into a PC and let you manipulate them through software, as well as capture images. Of course, links for these, and...

The best kind of gift, someone once told me, is one someone wants and would never buy for themselves. That theory works well in choosing gifts for the geeks on your holiday gift list.  I’m not using geek as a pejorative, but rather to refer to someone who enjoys technology, clever gadgets, superhero stories and science fiction.  When you look at how many people watch “Star Wars” and the movies with Marvel and DC heroes, you realize geeks are all around. So how can you buy them gifts they will enjoy? The good news is you can, and should, avoid the big ticket items. We geeks are extremely choosy about our phones and laptops.  We have to choose those ourselves. And we will put more effort into that than we did into choosing a college. The most expensive things I’d suggest would be an  Amazon Echo  or a  Google Home . Both are small devices you place in your home. The device hears your commands when you call it by name, and y...

Dear Santa, I realize I am a bit old to be writing to you but I thought perhaps you would like a few suggestions on what to give self-professed geeks like me. Apparently, we are not easy to shop for. Not everything we covet is expensive. For example, Google Cardboards begin at $5. They are cardboard headsets – much like the old View Masters – that hold your phone. It lets you watch 360-degree videos. Youtube even has a special section for the videos so they are easy to find. Cardboard lets you experience something close to Virtual Reality for just a few dollars if you already have a smartphone. Where it can get expensive is if you want to begin making your own videos or have 360-degree photos. Ricoh makes the Theta S, a small camera that does just that. It cost about $350. If your records show anyone coming close to being naughty for cursing about the phone battery giving out too soon, you may want to consider giving them a spare battery and charger for their Android phone, if it has a...

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