Gift Ideas (For You)
I don't know about you, but whenever someone asks me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, I rarely have an answer for them. There aren't a whole lot of things that I want that I don't just go out and buy for myself as soon as I want them (usually, it's books) and I know better than to ask people for money.
Here are some random gift ideas you might ask for, the next time someone pops the question: what do you want for your birthday? (These are not Amazon affiliate links.)
Automotive Code Reader - When your "Check Engine" light comes on, your car is basically telling you the computer logged an error. If you want to be able to determine what the error is without taking it to a repair shop, you can buy one of these things, plug it in under your dashboard, and easily find out yourself. They can be somewhat cryptic by themselves, but a little Googling should help you determine how urgent the problem is. I was one hour into the six-hour drive from LA to Vegas when my check engine light came on...thanks to this gadget I had in my trunk, I was able to gauge that I didn't need to find a mechanic right away. (Note: cars older than 1993 require a different type of scanner.)
Sony Digital Voice Recorder - If you're an idea person, you can't always count on being close to pen and paper or a computer, or being able to get your ideas down before they vanish from your head. The quickest way to log ideas is by recording them down as quick as you can. I own this exact one I've linked to, and I use it daily. (Some days, I use it hourly.) This one is great quality, and you can dump the audio files from the device directly onto your computer in MP3 format. I'd highly recommend this for any aspiring musicians.
External Hard Drive (USB) - For anyone who's ever had their computer's hard drive take a crap, this one needs no explanation. Get your hands on one of these, and back up all your music, video, photo, and document files for safe keeping somewhere other than your computer. You can thank me later.
Here are some random gift ideas you might ask for, the next time someone pops the question: what do you want for your birthday? (These are not Amazon affiliate links.)
Automotive Code Reader - When your "Check Engine" light comes on, your car is basically telling you the computer logged an error. If you want to be able to determine what the error is without taking it to a repair shop, you can buy one of these things, plug it in under your dashboard, and easily find out yourself. They can be somewhat cryptic by themselves, but a little Googling should help you determine how urgent the problem is. I was one hour into the six-hour drive from LA to Vegas when my check engine light came on...thanks to this gadget I had in my trunk, I was able to gauge that I didn't need to find a mechanic right away. (Note: cars older than 1993 require a different type of scanner.)
Sony Digital Voice Recorder - If you're an idea person, you can't always count on being close to pen and paper or a computer, or being able to get your ideas down before they vanish from your head. The quickest way to log ideas is by recording them down as quick as you can. I own this exact one I've linked to, and I use it daily. (Some days, I use it hourly.) This one is great quality, and you can dump the audio files from the device directly onto your computer in MP3 format. I'd highly recommend this for any aspiring musicians.
External Hard Drive (USB) - For anyone who's ever had their computer's hard drive take a crap, this one needs no explanation. Get your hands on one of these, and back up all your music, video, photo, and document files for safe keeping somewhere other than your computer. You can thank me later.