Holiday Gift Guides: 2009

It’s the holiday season again, so that means it’s time for the most sacred of rituals: Tech holiday gift guides. So far, I’ve offered up some ideas on two episodes of the MacJury podcast, and part 1 of The Mac Observer’s holiday gift guide is ready for your reading pleasure, too.

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The MacJury podcast episodes (Part 1 and Part 2) were loads of fun thanks Chuck Joiner’s ability to throw together just the right mix of people to ensure an, um, eclectic mix of gift ideas. I was lucky enough to get to rub virtual elbows with author Joe Kissell, Jean MacDonald from SmileOnMyMac, TUAW’s Steve Sande, Pat Fauquet from MacMouseCalls, Julio Ojeda-Zapata from the Pioneer Press, and TMO’s own Nancy Gravley.

The holiday gift guide over at TMO includes staff picks for the Mac, iPod and iPhone lover in your life — and it’s only part 1, so there’s more to come.

Even if you don’t celebrate any gift giving holidays, the lists still include some fun ideas for tech stuff you can pick up for yourself. And if anyone is keeping track, I don’t have a TARDIS USB hub of my own yet. *Cough*

Periodic Table of Elements, But Cooler

Our ability to categorize and catalog our surroundings is pretty amazing, and the periodic table of the elements is one of the best examples of how we’ve used those traits to add structure to the chaos that surrounds us. Imagine my delight when a friend gave me what I consider to be the coolest periodic table I’ve ever seen. Yes, it’s on the wall in my office so I can check it out every day.

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The PTE Charles gave me is actually a photographic table, which adds the extra coolness of being able to see the elements instead of just referencing their properties. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that elements like Rutherfordium, Meitnerium and Einsteinium actually look like real people. Amazing!

You can pick up your own photographic PTE at periodictable.com. It’s available as posters, 3D lenticular posters, place mats, and decks of playing cards.