Chris Pirillo » stocking-stuffer

Santa Claus Email

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:26:42 +0000

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Santa sent me a video email! Can you believe it?! I didn’t know he did things like this! Oh, I hope I’m on the Nice list! I’ve tried so hard to be good this year. I only asked Santa for one thing. If I’m lucky, I’ll find it in my stocking on Christmas morning!

Wait, what? Santa says I haven’t been good enough? That is a load of hooey! I’ve been a model citizen this whole year! I’ve been good, I swear it! What’s the deal?! That list is rigged, I’m telling you. Someone is telling lies about me!

Are you on the naughty list – or the nice list? What do you think you’ll find in your stocking on Christmas?

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Santa Claus Email

Gifts for Geeks

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:46:20 +0000

Gifts for Geeks

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‘Tis better to give than to receive, so they say. It’s true, though. I like to give more than I receive. When it comes to Christmas, I love stocking stuffers the most! How much fun is it to stuff a bunch of things into a big sock and then give it to someone?! They get a whole bunch of presents all at once this way! I’m going to share some stocking stuffer ideas with all of you. All of the following products (other than the LEGO) were sent to me by the manufacturers for review purposes.

Mathmos Color Changing Decorative Lighting – This cool little gadget stays lit up, letting you use it for mood lighting – or even a night light! It’s beautiful, and fades in between different colors. It soothes me! Geeks love glowing objects!
Griffin Simplifi 3-in-1 – The Simplifi is a great way to save space on your desk. It serves as a dock/charger for your iPod or iPhone. It works as a USB hub. And, best of all.. it’s also a media card reader! It also charges itself via mini-USB!
SmartSwipe Card Reader – If you’re worried about security (as you should be these days!), then using the SmartSwipe when ordering something online is a good idea. It’s only available for Windows right now. If you are going to use your credit card online, run it through the SmartSwipe, and let the software transmit your information directly to the website. This eliminates the worry of something like a keylogger capturing your information, because there are no keystrokes entered in conjunction with your card!
RetroLink Game Controller – This cool Nintendo NES game controller works on either Mac or Windows systems. Plug it in, and play your favorite games! It works really well, and takes me back to the days of games that I totally miss! I LOVE this!!!
IPEVO Point 2 View USB Camera – This is another gadget that I really like. It’s a webcam that works on both OS X and Windows. The cool thing about this particular camera is that it pivots in nearly every direction you can think of! No more messing around for hours on end, attempting to get the perfect angle. This baby makes it easy for you to get it right the first time.
SoundClip iPhone Audio Booster – For the iPhone holders in your family who may watch movies or videos on their iPhone, you may want to consider one of these! It plugs in to the bottom of the iPhone, and gives you a much better sound experience. It focuses the sound towards you, instead of away… and amplifies the sound with no batteries needed.
MeteorLight LED K9 Ball – This little toy works well for Geeks who like bouncing things with lights… or for the dog in your life! There are little LED lights inside this hard rubber ball, and they’ll change to all the colors in the spectrum when bounced! They’re also waterproof – and float!
Superlooper Crossover Adapter – You know that a regular ethernet patch cable will connect your computer to a router, hub or modem. However, you may one day need a crossover cable in order to connect two computers together in order to transfer data. You cannot connect them using a regular old ethernet patch cable. To turn one of these patch cables into a crossover cable, you only need to clip the Superlooper onto one end of the patch cable! Voila! You now have a crossover cable!
AC to DC Power Converter – Let’s say you have something powered by DC – say something that would plug in in your car. You likely don’t have a DC plug in your home… you probably only have AC outets! Just plug this nice little adapter in in your home outlets, and you can convert the DC to AC with ease!
EvilTron – This diabolical little toy is so much fun – and so annoying to others! It’s easy to hide, and comes pre-loaded with six creepy sounds, including a “gasping last breath”, a door creaking, and even a sinister child’s laugh!
LEGO Mini-Figs – I collect them! I love them! I WANT MORE OF THEM!!! If you have any that you aren’t using, I’ll be happy to take them off of your hands!
Throwboy Lockergnome Pirillow! – My income percentage of these pillows is 20%… however, I am not keeping any of that! ALL of my proceeds for the sales of these pillows are going to the Seattle Humane Society. These are handmade by Roberto and his team over at Throwboy. They’re fun, they’re cool – and they’re helping out a very worthwhile cause!

I want to hear what YOU think. What do you hope to find stuffed in your stocking this holiday season?

[awsbullet:lego mini fig]

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Gifts for Geeks

Cutting it Close? Here are Some Last Minute Gift Ideas

coupons — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:16:18 +0000

Cutting it Close? Here are Some Last Minute Gift Ideas

Cutting it kinda close there, don’t you think? If you leave right now, you’ll have a lot of last-minute people just like you to fight over the last stocking stuffer or cheesy-last-minute-thing with. But, with any hope, you might just get lucky. Here are some ideas I found that might help you:

Netbooks – The Acer Aspire One is on sale at Best Buy for $299. These are on sale until Saturday.
Flowers – Say you decided not to exchange gifts this year. Flowers aren’t a gift, but you can show someone you love them anyway. Use FTD and they just might get them today, even if they are far away!
Gift cards – OK, if you’re out of ideas you might be out of options too. If you can figure out their favorite store, or a store they could at least find something useful in, get a gift card. Be sure to let them know they need to use it immediately to retain the original value placed on the card. Nearly any store you walk into will have gift cards for other places including their own.
MP3 players – be wary of the cheap ones; however, if you’re buying for an 8-year-old, a cheap one probably is a better idea than an iPod Classic. Use your best judgment – choose an age appropriate size and brand. Something like the iPod Shuffle is perfect for a stocking stuffer or a gift bag because of the size. The price doesn’t hurt, either.
Cell phones – you can use one as a stocking stuffer outside of the box, or wrap the box and put it under the tree. Either way, it’s a great gift. If you’re getting your teenager their first cell phone, you might want to double your minutes and your text limits preemptively – you will be unpleasantly surprised at how fast they run through limits of your calling plan, so be sure to set some limits with them so they do not rack up high overage charges on your bill.
Fruit baskets – you might be putting the basket together yourself this late in the game. Check your local grocery store to see if they have any – if not, choose appropriate fruit for your basket. You could even put a can of hot cocoa on the top with a bow. You don’t have to use fruit for just baskets – they are quite useful in stuffing stockings as well, especially if you are on a budget. Fruit is economical for the body and for the wallet, and will literally “fill” the stocking. If you’re lucky, your local Edible Arrangements might even be open.
Stuffed animals – any size animal would make a great gift for children or for your girlfriend. Your mom… not so much – I’d probably pick something else. Small stuffed animals are great as a stocking stuffer, too. Not only do they take up space in the stocking, but they also have the “aww” effect (being a cute and tiny thing).
Hot Wheels and Barbies – great choice for younger kids. The die cast cars are very inexpensive, and you can get smaller versions of Barbies or Bratz dolls (or other doll-type figure) that would be perfect for a stocking stuffer.
Card games – you should try to keep the receiver in mind when purchasing, as a 6-year-old girl would be much happier with Old Maid than your 36-year-old brother; likewise I’m sure you don’t want your 10-year-old daughter to begin hosting the weekly poker game.
Handheld electronic games – inexpensive and fun for everyone. Most of these you have a choice between stuffing them in the stocking or wrapping them up to place under the tree.

Did you remember to get gifts for your pets? Please remember the 4-legged family members too! Anything will do – treats, toys, sweaters – just be sure to show love to them as well. Pets are very perceptive to the things that go on around them and know when they are being left out.

Do you have other ideas? Quick, tell us – the time is running out!

Cutting it Close? Here are Some Last Minute Gift Ideas

50 Geek Gift Ideas (My Wishlist)

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 10:44:17 +0000

50 Geek Gift Ideas (My Wishlist)

I’ve worked my fingers off over the past day, updating my personal wish list with all the latest interesting gadgets and gizmos (not to mention a few stocking stuffers thrown in for good measure). Without further ado, I give you a semi-official and almost-complete wish list – which could be good for just about any ol’ geek:

BTW, if you order anything through OverStock.com before December 1st, you can save an additional 12% (saving as much as $125).

Did I leave anything out?

50 Geek Gift Ideas (My Wishlist)

Mobile Stocking Stuffers

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 05:20:34 +0000

Mobile Stocking Stuffers

Every year, I struggle to find great stocking stuffers for Ponzi. My fiancee is difficult to shop for, despite what she claims. It’s frustrating, but every year I manage to pull it off without showering her in chocolate (which never gets consumed, anyway). I’ve tried little books, but they remain unread. I’ve tried arts and crafts, but they never get assembled. Geeks are so much easier to shop for!

My wish list of “wants” and “needs” is rather extensive, but I just added six Proporta items to it tonight. Expect even more gift suggestions (and accompanying links) in the coming weeks. Who wouldn’t want these?

These recommendations aren’t linked through any affiliate program, by the way – I make them because I’m sure you’re struggling to find something for that special geeky someone, too.

Mobile Stocking Stuffers