Looking for a gift for the special geek in your life? Or just looking to treat yourself? Alan Cooper has a few ideas.
Audible audio books
As a busy dad, I love audio books and Audible is the source for all the best books available in this downloadable format. Until I discovered Audible, I was always feeling guilty about the books I’d planned to read but hadn’t. Now, with the app installed on my smartphone, there’s no excuse not to “read”, because I can plug in my earbuds and listen while exercising or driving.
An audio book also makes the perfect last-minute gift as it can be downloaded immediately.
My recommendation is The Martian by Andy Weir.
It tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who is stranded alone on Mars after a dust storm forces the rest of his crew to evacuate, believing him dead. He’s got no way to signal Earth and even if he could, his supplies would dry up long before rescue could arrive.
But Watney – think a combination of MacGyver and Robinson Crusoe – isn’t ready to go down without a fight. In true “boer maak ’n plan” fashion, he tackles one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will it be enough to save his bacon? You’ll have to get to the end to find out.
The Martian costs $29.99 (R372), but it’s free if you sign up for the no strings 30-day trial membership.
Google Chromecast
If you want smart TV features without forking out thousands for a new set, this thumb-sized media streaming device is the answer.
Simply plug it into the HDMI port on your TV, set it up with a mobile app over your home wi-fi network, and in no time you’ll be beaming your favourite online shows, movies and music to your TV using your smartphone, tablet or laptop.
It’s available from Takealot.com for R699. You can order it from the website, but I’d advise downloading the smartphone app as any orders made this way come with free courier delivery.
Sugru
Sugru looks like playdough, comes in a range of colours, can be shaped by hand and sticks to most surfaces like playdough. But unlike the kiddie toy, Sugru transforms into a tough flexible silicone overnight. Strong, waterproof and stable at temperatures ranging from –60°C to +180°C, it can be used to repair and/or modify almost anything you can think of.
I’ve used it to fix a pair of hiking shoes, replace a missing rubber “foot” on my laptop and revive a tablet charging cable that was starting to fray.
For more ideas and to place orders, visit Sugru.com. Prices start at £6.99 (R136) and postage is pretty reasonable for an international order, starting at £2.28.
Darth Vader business card holder
Are you a Star Wars fan? If so then you’ll jump at the opportunity to make a Force-ful first impression with this striking steel business card holder bearing the likeness of everyone’s favourite Sith lord.
In my opinion, it provides just the right balance of professionalism and geeky Star Wars aesthetic. Now, if only they’d offer a lightsaber Power Point presenter.
The Darth Vader business card holder costs R495 plus postage from Mantality.co.za, but at the time of going to press the site was offering R60 off your order if you spent R295 or more if you used the promo code DAD6T5L on checking out.
Grippy Pad
Another clever gizmo on offer from Mantality, the aptly named Grippy Pad, takes its inspiration from a gecko’s amazing feet. It will hold all sorts of things in place, all without magnets, Velcro or glue. I used it on a recent trip to hold my smartphone in satnav mode at a seemingly impossible angle on my car’s dashboard. It holds other items including sunglasses and coins just as well.
After a couple of weeks’ use it may become a little grubby and start losing some of its tackiness. When that happens, just wipe it down with a wet cloth and it’ll be back in action, as sticky as ever.
Order it from Mantality.co.za for R149 plus postage.
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