by norm stovall
norm@904skate.com
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Depending on what your music listening habits are, Apple’s has you covered. With the iPod Shuffle, you get a compact music listening device that is great for listening on the go. With the iPod Nano, you get a compact music player with a color screen, and If you want to go all out, you can get the standard iPod, which features 30 to 80 gigabytes of memory and full-fledged audio, video, and gaming support from iTunes. With the iTunes music service, you can download thousands of files (videos, films, music and games) via the iTunes music store. You can also import all of your favorite albums from cd into iTunes. Very easy to use, an iPod makes a great Christmas gift.
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Nintendo is probably the most innovative developer of handheld gaming platforms, and it really shows with the Nintendo DS. Featuring a flip top lid much like a laptop computer, this small gaming machine has two screens in addition to all the standard gameplay buttons. The bottom touchscreen can be used in conjunction with a stylus to really involve you in gameplay in ways that other game systems can’t. You can draw a path for Kirby to follow in Kirby’s Canvas Curse, You can practice your learning skills, keeping your mind sharp with Brain Age, and you can run, jump and shoot fireballs using the standard controls in New Super Mario Bros. Using the Nintendo WiFi online multiplayer functions are a breeze, all you need to do is take your Nintendo DS to a local Wifi Hotspot. The Nintendo DS is great fun for all ages, good enough for my tots and good enough for me, too.
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If you are looking for a small, accurate GPS system for your vehicle at a good price, you should definitely check out the Garman StreetPilot i-series. Even though the system is a bit diminutive in size, the ease of use and simple to read interface more than makes up for it. Additionally, all maps can be easily transferred via your home computer via USB or memory card for your convenience. The only drawback is the input method for addresses when entering info on the unit itself. It has a tiny scroll knob and 2 buttons, so it takes a few minutes to type in an address. Otherwise, this product is amazing and can really help you get around at a good price.
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The newest version of the sidekick comes with a medium resolution screen, a built-in keyboard for text messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, along with EDGE support and a mini SD card slot. It has an easy-to-use interface and is great for text messaging in a hurry via the built in keyboard, and the built-in MP3 player is also a nice thing to have if you don’t have a separate device for that. While the speakerphone is probably not the best feature on this device and the screen doesn’t feature the best resolution around, the T-mobile Sidekick 3 is still a worthwhile purchase for the tech-needy young adult in your life.
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This two-speed automatic turntable features easy-to-use push button controls and a built-in preamplifier. While not the most robust sounding and player for the discerning audiophile, it is still great player for the average listener who has been craving to listen to his or her vinyl collection but doesn’t have the means to do so. Conveniently, this item can be used with any computer sound card, HTIB, or receiver.
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This device packs a good number of features and a great LCD screen, and has a very small footprint as well. The integrated DVD player works remarkably well, and you can also use this machine to watch DivX, MPEG videos, and photo slideshows from the memory card reader, along with being able to listen to MP3 files. With the monitor, you get VGA functionality along with Component, S-video, and Coax inputs, and the screen really does look quite nice.
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If you happen to be the watch collecting type, or you know someone who is, this is probably the watch for you this year. (Or them) This watch features a Stainless steel case and a black rubber strap, and includes such functions as an alarm, date, a stop watch, and other standard features most watches have these days.
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Leica is a name known by most camera fanatics. With the same familiar design of the previous M-series models, this new digital version features all of the quality you’d expect from the name brand, with overwhelming image quality at 10-megapixels. The Leica M8 digital camera has too many noteworthy features regarding image quality to mention here, so check it out at the website (www.leica.us) if you are interested.
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by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
Traditionally, the joy of the holidays is supposed to come from those cheery moments spent with your family around the Christmas tree, watching the people you love most in this world light up as they unwrap their gifts. Another joy of this season, however, is watching the face of a friend, enemy, or co-worker as they unwrap a well-thought-out gag gift. From White Elephant gift exchanges to simply making a point to someone once a year through a clever gift, gag gifts have many uses, but rarely are they practical. Their use derives mostly from the laugh you get after they open it.
I was notorious, at one point, for finding one gag gift that I would purchase in bulk and give to everyone across the board. Imagine my family’s joy when they each unwrapped their very own The Clapper, enabling every family member the convenience of lights and appliances that can “clap on, clap off.” I have also been responsible for Chia Head Christmases and the switchblade combs. Those gifts, although hysterical to me, didn’t really brighten anyone else’s holiday. Unless you count the fact that our Christmas tree lights could be clapped on.
So I scoured the Internet and some local stores to find a fun array of great gag gifts for this holiday season. It is getting pretty close to Christmas, so Internet purchases may not get to you before your holiday work party. If this is your situation, put down this paper and go straight to Einstein’s Kitsch Inn in Five Points. From Jesus action figures and plush Ghandi dolls to catapult toys that fire pigs and other small items across the office, Einstein’s is loaded with clever gifts for the quirky giver, and they are all affordable enough for a coworker. And, as is always the case, your money is better spent in local, independently-owned shops, because then the money you spend stays right here in our economy.
But if you have a little time there are some great ideas online. For years A Christmas Story was the kind of movie that people overlooked. It was never embraced by wide audiences, in spite of being one of the funniest Christmas movies ever made, but this year A Christmas Story stuff is all over the place. Go to www.baronbob.com/leglamp.htm to find a variety of lamps like the one that Ralphie’s father wins in the movie. If you know someone that is enthusiastic about A Christmas Story, this gift is the perfect find. It will make them laugh all year and some will fit right on a cubicle desk or a table at home.
For customized gift options, check out cafepress.com. On this site, you can design any item yourself and then order it. Create a slogan T; you write the slogan. Do you constantly get in political arguments with someone at work or at family gatherings? Create a shirt that says “I believe the liberal media.” Regardless of their affiliation, for or against, that makes a funny gift. At Café Press you can also make coffee mugs, aprons, even thong underwear that you customize with your own message or image.
The Internet is littered with gag gifts that are uncreative and incorporate fart jokes, but finding the right one is always a unique mission. You must get the person you are shopping for in your mind and find that inside joke between you that can be exploited with a perfect gift. The best thing you can do for an inside joke is give it a prop. The other option is to think about what they really hate and get a gift that rubs that hatred in their face. Either method is equally effective. (continued on page 20)
Do you work in a cubicle environment? Go to bn.com and check out the book and gift set called Pimp My Cubicle. It comes with some decorative features, including a gold “bling” button for their keyboard and a disco ball to hang from the desk lamp, as well as a book full of totally pimpin’ décor ideas. Go to cubedoor.com to get a door for someone’s cubicle if they talk to much or tend to sneak peaks at dirty websites and try to make you look.
Another great gift for the cynics around the workplace, are the “Demotivators” you can find at despair.com. These posters are designed to look like those ridiculous motivational posters known as “Successories,” only instead of lauding corporate slogans and promoting positive attitudes, they appeal to the cynic at the workplace. Here are some of my favorites:
“Apathy. If we don’t take care of the customer, maybe they’ll stop bugging us.”
“Discovery. A company that will go to the
ends of the Earth for its people will find it can hire them for about 10% of the cost of Americans.”
“Mistakes. It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.”
You can design your own calendar by selecting your 12 favorite Demotivators, and Despair Inc will then produce the calendar for as little as $25. They also have a DIY section wherein you can provide the slogan and the image to create your own customized Demotivator.
When it comes to gag gifts for the family, the options are limitless. Again, you have to know what will make the person receiving the gift laugh and give the two of you something you can laugh about later. Siblings are usually the most receptive to gag gifts in the immediate family, but often in-laws can appreciate a gag gift and it saves you from having to find out what they really like. A ridiculous Christmas sweater is always funny. Places in the mall, Spencer’s Gifts and Hot Topic, usually have gifts that skew young, but a punk rock T-shirt, hair dye, or body piercing gift certificates can make a hysterical gift for the military in-law or the older brother-in-law that dresses like he’s fifteen even though he’s over thirty.
It’s important to remember that gag gifts are usually a little mean-spirited, so make sure you are not giving them to someone that is overly sensitive. Ordering Girls Gone Wild video’s for your new brother-in-law when you know your sister is especially insecure, could lead to a divorce. On the other hand, is there anything funnier than signing up your uber-conservative father for a subscription to Mother Jones magazine? Or what about that frat boy jerk at your work that is always telling you about his sexual exploits? What better way to get him back than with a subscription to Playgirl. Better yet, International Male. Sometimes spreading holiday cheer just means making yourself laugh, and if you aren’t trying to make new friends, gag gifts can be very liberating.
by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Christmas shoppers are divided into two main groups–the caffeine-wired mall rats who love going to stores to Christmas shop (this is the same group that hums Christmas carols and wears Santa hats) and then gets into the spirit of gift-giving and enjoying the season, the people like me. We would rather be run over by a semi than go to a mall or a big department store. For years I was forced into the annual hassle of Christmas shopping at stores because of the feelings of guilt. If I didn’t go through the brutal ritual, God would strike me dead. But then a miracle happened—the Internet exploded as a place to buy anything. I embraced it with the zeal of a religious fanatic.
In the last ten years, Internet shopping has burgeoned in product availability and usage. Mainstream stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart have greatly improved their websites to make them easier to use and with much more merchandise availability. Then every brand name seller realized the importance of maintaining viable Internet websites with plenty of merchandise to sell. In some cases, sellers offer special online discounts to encourage online shopping.
Bang, zoom, I had found my shopping Nirvana, not only for Christmastime, but all year-round. To me buying online is stress-free, saves gas, and it’s much more convenient and easy to choose what I want. Groceries and cars are still items that one can’t buy online. If you try to buy a car online, your request becomes a lead funneled into a major dealership. A salesman will call and deliver you to their tabernacle of deceit. However, anything else can be purchased online. Heck, I buy my underwear directly from Jockey.com, hats from Hats.com, shoes from Zappos.com, etc.
Basically, all the big department store chains have excellent websites. Dillards sells quality clothing usually at premium prices. But in the long run, it pays to buy quality merchandise–it lasts longer and I keep clothes until they disintegrate. Gift-giving depends on one’s budget. I limit my gift-giving to immediate family—wife, two dogs, two daughters, and three grandsons. One grandson, Joe, is 17 and a drummer. I buy him anything to do with drumming online, and there are innumerable websites for musicians. Just Google whatever musical instrument you want and a plethora of websites come up. The other grandson is 18 has everything geeky–X-Box, computers, video games, etc., but he’s going to college, so I just give him a Visa Smart Card for a certain amount and let him choose. Oh, I know he’ll blow it on beer and laughs, but hey, I was young once too.
For electronics there are many great sites such as CicuitCity.com, BestBuy.com, CompUsa.com etc. For discounted electronics, TigerDirect.com is a diversified site to buy computer gear or audiophile equipment at discounted prices. Home theater is the big new thing, and the sky is the limit. Again, it depends on one’s budget. Large flat panel monitors are suddenly popular, with duel capabilities of serving as a computer monitor and receiving television signals. Dell’s 32-inch flat panel monitor with built-in HDTV is one of the best. Since webcasts are now skyrocketing in availability and popularity, these large monitors are perfect for that purpose.
Amazon.com is a great site for buying gifts–especially books and CDs. They even offer The Shopaholic’s Guide to Buying Online: Your Guide to What’s Best on the Web. Or, go to Amazon.com then click on their Internet Gift Buying Guide. Of course, there is always eBay. I’ve bought and sold a ton of stuff on eBay. But a word of caution, eBay has a dark side. Although I’ve never had any problems, make sure the person or store you are dealing with is listed with a good rating and always use eBay’s payment method through PayPal to be safe. Never circumvent the eBay channels by sending directly to E-mail addresses. It’s a sure way to get ripped off. One can buy literally anything on eBay and save money, but just be careful. Professional or amateur camera gear is pervasive on eBay at greatly reduced prices. You name it, it’s listed.
The advantages of buying online are many, especially when one is sending gifts out of town. It’s easy to send the gift to the intended person, and you can even have it gift wrapped for an extra charge. Shipping prices are minimal if you send the gift in plenty of time–not on Dec. 23rd. No one will think less of you if you use the Internet to buy and send them gifts. If you are stumped, just Google a specific gift or just gifts in general and a whole world of gifts will pop up.
So get out on the Internet super-highway–your gift is just a click away–and it’s stress free.
by norm stovall
norm@904skate.com
Gears of War
Gears of War is another one of those games in which you fight an alien race determined to take over your planet. This third-person shooter has a plethora of must-see moments and an amazing multiplayer environment, including Deathmatch and online co-op play.
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata is a colorful and eccentric game from Rare for the 360. In this title, you take control of a Piñata (or Piñatas) of your choice, and raise them in an environment that really becomes their own. This game has tons of personality and is great for all ages.
Zelda: The Twilight Princess
This is the staple Zelda game. Winning rave reviews from many places, this game features an innovative control scheme and the familiar gameplay you remember from the Nintendo 64 days. You really should check this game out.
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Do you ever wonder what it would be like to remove a tumor? How about rebuilding an arm with a shattered bone? With Trauma Center: Second Opinion, you can do all these exciting surgical procedures, and more! It’s a good bit more fun than it sounds on paper, actually.
Resistance: Fall of Man
So, you own a PS3, but you say you don’t have any worthwhile games to play on your 600-dollar machine? Well, maybe you haven’t played Resistance: Fall of Man. This title follows the similar scheme of a battle with alien creatures determined to ruin your life. The game is actually pretty fun, and supports up to 40 (!!) players at a time in an online match. I haven’t actually seen this many players online, but I’m sure that when the Playstation 3 console becomes more readily available, more people will show up for online matches.
Contact
Contact is one of those great-but-overlooked titles that features fun gameplay, an interesting story, and a great sense of humor. Think of it as ‘Earthbound meets Final Fantasy meets Secret of Mana’, if you will. If you are looking for a portable RPG Adventure game to take up some of your time, check this one out.
Final Fantasy III
In my opinion, Final Fantasy 3 for the Super Famicom System (a.k.a. Super Nintendo in the US) was the best Final Fantasy game ever. With an all-new 3 dimensional remake for the Nintendo DS, you can now play this game in the US, and you don’t have to worry about translating Japanese text. The gameplay in this game is tops, featuring hundreds of combinations of jobs for your four party members. Featuring bright graphics and great character design, this is definitely an RPG you don’t want to miss.
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals is a great Sonic game that features fast-paced 2D gameplay that made our favorite hedgehog famous, and it’s rendered in sharp-looking 3-D graphics. Sonic Rivals plays like a dream, and the nostalgia factor really kicks in after playing through the first level. If you love sonic but can’t seem to get into the more complicated and convoluted next gen versions, pick this one up.
Guitar Hero 2
There is no avoiding Guitar Hero 2. The original Guitar Hero game was nothing short of amazing, with a novel yet surprisingly fun guitar controller used to play your tunes in time with the game. Guitar Hero 2 brings back all of that fun, with new modes such as leads and rhythm multiplayer along with a ton of new songs by familiar and up-and-coming artist. Hell, they even threw in a song from Spinal Tap, which is nothing to scoff at. Well, maybe it is, but in a good way. This game gets the Entertaining U award for Awesomeness.
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