This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
For many of us around the world, the holiday season is right around the corner!
You may find yourself struggling what gift to get for your friends and family. Chances are that they will want some ideas for you too! My family certainly does, and I have to come up with twice as many ideas since my birthday is also in December! :grinning_face_with_sweat:
This inspired me to reach out to a few of my techy friends to ask what product would be at the top of their wish list if they didn’t already own it. The result? An awesome mix of geeky gadgets and some products that are just for fun.
Please note: This list is not an endorsement of any product nor are we getting compensated for any of this. It’s all just for fun! :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
1. A copy of GitHub for Dummies that’ll come in handy whether you are looking to learn more about GitHub or want a useful gift to inspire a new developer!
Review: “GitHub is the largest open source community and with the knowledge of how to use GitHub, it opens the doors for folks to contribute to open source projects, collaborate with people on their own projects, and learn from others. I co-wrote this book with Phil Haack because we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to join communities that matter to them. I love that this book not only introduces GitHub features, but also Git on the command line AND how to continue to engage in communities outside of GitHub through conferences and events.” – Dr. Sarah Guthals, @drguthals
2. Whether you are new to coding or a seasoned pro, the Raspberry Pi 400 is bound to bring out your inner geek!
Review: “The Raspberry Pi 400 should be on everyone’s wishlist! It’s a Raspberry Pi in a keyboard similar to the computers I grew up with like the ZX Spectrum. Just plug in a mouse and TV and away you go! Another bonus? It runs VS Code natively! :party_popper:” – Jim Bennett, @jimbobbennett
3. An Instant Pot that essentially cooks your food for you don’t have to order takeout food for the 6th time this week ;)
Review: “Working from home can be hard. We may find ourselves working weird hours and extra to achieve the same level of productivity, and still wanting to eat healthy and home-cooked food. That’s when an Instant Pot may come handy. It is a pressure-cooker and slow-cooker in one device. I have found it especially useful during those long days when I have lacked motivation to cook. Just put your ingredients in the pot and fire-and-forget. I have enjoyed making vegetables, meat stews and lentils in my Instant Pot.” – Orko Momin, @orktopus
4. The Scott Hanselman recommended ‘Nintendo Switch Travel Pack’ that will get you set up for gaming on the road or on the couch
Review: “I’ve had a Nintendo Switch since launch day and let me tell you, it’s joyful. Joyous. It’s a little joy device. I love 4k Xboxen and raw power as much as the next Jane or Joe Gamer, but the Switch just keeps pumping out happy games. Indie games, Metroidvania games like Axiom Verge, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (worth the cost of the system) and now, super Mario Odyssey. Even Doom and Wolfenstein 2 are coming to the Switch soon! I’ve travelled already with my Switch all over. Here’s what I’ve come up with for my travels – and my at-home Switch Experience. I owe and use these items personally – and I vouch for their awesomeness and utility.” – Scott Hanselman, @shanselman
5. An Italian chopping knife – aka a Mezzaluna – to cook up something delicious after a long day of coding. Buon appetito!
Review: “For all the lovers of Italian food, this curiously-shaped knife (mezzaluna means half-moon) is perfect for chopping vegetables and making that perfect soffritto for your ragù, meatballs, or my personal favorite, my mom’s famous risotto! Sorry – the recipe is top secret :speak_no_evil_monkey:” – Alessandro Segala, @ItalyPaleAle
6. An Elgato Stream Deck to help you start or step-up your streaming game
Review: “The Stream Deck is a small programmable external keyboard with LCD buttons that comes with an initial configuration to help live-video streamers run their shows without having to change applications, type, or move their mouse. It can help you by automating interactions with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), play sounds, launch applications, manage media player applications, send key strokes, and interact with services like Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube. There are built-in tools to run a whole series of these actions with a single button push, and every button can have a custom blog of text or image to represent its functionality. Developers LOVE the stream deck because it is very extensible through a WebSocket API using JavaScript, HTML, or even C# to build plugins that will allow you to create animations, macros, and interactions with your favorite tools. We’ve seen folks set up buttons to start and stop applications as well as to automate features in their favorite development tools.” – Jeff Fritz, @csharpfritz
7. A good ole’ fashion fountain pen that’ll make you actually want to write out your to-do list
Review: “I love the way a solid, old-school, pen compels me to write things down. Because I like writing with the pen so much, I started evaluating my days in a Self Journal even planning what I want to accomplish the next day. It’s been semi-therapeutic as well during our funky pandemic time where everything seems to roll together oddly: this helps me see progress and helps with purpose.” – Seth Juarez, @sethjuarez
8. A mini handheld fan that is perfect for maker/DIY projects or even just to cool you down during never-ending meetings 🤷:female_sign:
Review: “This fan has been one of my favorite recent purchases! Not only does it keep me cool/give me wind-swept music video hair while on streams/Teams meetings, but I use it around the house, too! I recently put together a maker cabinet (for all my crafts, IoT projects, etc), and this fan has solved the problem of waiting for paint/glue/soldering projects to dry and cool. The wrapping stand also makes it easy to clamp onto whatever surface (computer/desk/DIY station) you need!” – Chloe Condon, @ChloeCondon
9. A heated vest to keep you warm during the cold months of the year or on your next plane ride (whenever that may be) :fire:
Review: “Back a long, long, time ago – when I was still traveling by plane on a frequent basis (aka up until January 2020) – I saw a woman wearing a glowing vest while waiting for her luggage, so naturally, I had to ask her about it. I wrote down the brand and ordered one for myself while I waited for my ride. The vest is cute, good quality, and most importantly, warm. It has three different heat levels and the battery lasts for hours on a single charge (the battery can also double as a portable USB charger). The vest comes in men’s and women’s styles and the company makes other heated products too like sweatshirts, parkas, gloves, and yes, even socks. So, if you are perpetually cold like me, or know someone who is, I highly recommend checking these out!” – Morgan Mitchell Bell, @livelovegeek
So, that’s it! What caught your attention? Is there anything that you’d add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Oh, and while you’re here, make sure you follow along with #DevDecember on Twitter. We will be sharing cool content, fun activities, and more throughout the month of December. If you want a sneak peek of some of the fun we are planning, check out our #DevDecember homepage (plus, we’ve already posted some of the digital swag 🤫).
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
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