Buying a gift for a person who doesn’t have the same interests as you can be very hard. You want to get them something that they will enjoy and relate to, but it is so far out of your comfort zone or knowledge sphere that it almost seems impossible. So where do you start and what do you get? Well, one such category of difficult to buy for people is the nerd or the technologically obsessed. These people are usually men.
They are love gadgets and technology and they are often incredibly hard to buy for, because it is not just about the gadget, it is about the size of the memory or engine or, more specifically, the technological specs that are so important to them. If this type of person is somebody for whom you need to buy a gift, then here are a few ideas to help get you started.
Dress up the machine
A computer doesn’t have to be a boring box, painted black or grey. For many people that is exactly what a computer is, but the reality is that those are people who are only familiar with the bottom of the range, cheap solutions. The best computer cases, as they are called, are available in a range of materials, colors and designs. Many have an array of lights as part of their design.
The point is that computer cases are like art and they have the ability to change a work-station’s feel. It is also something easy to gift because it is the aesthetics that count more than the specifications – it is a place that allows the less tech savvy people to intersect comfortably with their technologically minded friends.
Subscription
A magazine subscription is a great way to go. This doesn’t need to be a hard copy, that is very old-school. But an online subscription to a publication that will be of interest to your person will almost certainly be appreciated. Something like Popular Mechanics or a computing magazine will almost certainly hit the spot. What is also worth mentioning is that the gift of a subscription is something that lasts a year. In other words, each time the new edition becomes available, your person will remember you and the gift that you bestowed on them.
Retro wins
There is something cool about finding some old technology and gifting that. As much as the tech savvy love to be up-to-date with the latest gadgets and inventions, there is also a certain cachet about being able to show off products and things from a by-gone era. The key here is to ensure that the retro items are sufficiently old to be ironic or interesting.
Think floppy disks or early personal computers like the ZX81 or Spectrum. These items will all have great novelty value and will be used for display purposes or as conversation starters. You will probably need to hunt long and hard to find them, but they will almost certainly be appreciated. These are probably the type of gift that you need to keep your eyes open for throughout the year – you won’t find them on a quick shopping trip the week before a birthday.