Wish List

Welcome to the table of contents of my avarice!

Unless otherwise noted, the items below are specified without regard to place of purchase. The places indicated by the links below often aren’t the only place to find the item in question. If you’re seriously considering giving me any of the gifts below, then I certainly like you enough to allow you to find a better deal on it if you can.

Also, the following is by no means an exhaustive list. Surprise me if that’s your thing.

Gift certificates (Don’t and Do)

In general, I personally think you shouldn’t, for me or anyone, waste your money on 1:1[1] gift certificates or cards. They’re just pre-spent, inflexible cash that’s harder to enjoy than the real deal.

However, here are some good alternatives if that sort of thing is what you’d like to give.

  • U.S. currency is the gift certificate of life. If you ask me to spend it a certain way, I will generally honor your request.
    • “Buy one of whatever that is”: Many of the more technical items below are complicated or difficult to buy. Also, materials for individual projects tend not to even make this list because the orders are too complex, awkward, and or transient to properly transcribe (even for me). Feel free to use this option when in doubt.
  • Regifted gift cards: If you think a gift card you already have would be better dispensed on me, by all means, have at it.
  • Discounted gift cards: Several businesses around here have 2:1 (e.g. $50 for $25) gift card offers especially around the holidays. This is also awesome.

Registries

Individual items

This section of the list mostly contains items that are, for availability reasons, not on my Amazon list (see above).

Wilder Dreams

The sane will normally want to skip this part. But if, by some incredible farce, you’d like to spend a whole lot of money on me at once, here are items that I don’t already have primarily because sums of money $200 and up are painful to part with all at once.

  • Graphtec paper/vinyl craft cutter: Probably the most popular example of these at the moment is Cricut (we have one), but I’d prefer to have something that can cut my own designs instead of somebody else’s.
    • The Graphtec CC200-20 is of particular interest because there is Linux support for it. It is reportedly also sold under all of the following names:
      • Graphtec Craft ROBO
      • QuicKutz Silhouette
      • Xyron Wishblade
    • Newer Graphtec models are still of interest even though Linux support isn’t available (I can use Windows if I have to):
      • CC300-20 (fine) or CC330-20 (better)
      • Silhouette CAMEO

Polymathics

  • Magnifying visor (example)
  • Materials for photosensitive circuit board creation. Most of the materials below are covered by MG Chemicals’ kits 416-K (boards, developer, etchant) and 416-X(exposure lamp kit), but the separates approach would go as follows.
    • Presensitized boards (example): Larger boards can be cut into smaller ones. I can make use of both single- and double- sided ones; each is good for a different sort of project.
    • UV exposure lamp (example)
    • Developer (positive) (example) Not necessarily needed; I’ve read that a solution of caustic soda and “water glass” works better than the commercial stuff.
    • Tracing paper in 8.5″ × 11″ sheets so I can run them through my laser printer
    • (NB: I don’t need etchant; I use a reusable copper chloride solution instead of ferric chloride.)
  • Materials to start messing with FPGAs (a suitable starter kit): After having messed with discrete electronics and microcontrollers, FPGAs look like they could also be a lot of fun. They’re basically the Play-Doh of computer processors.
  • MakerBeam: Think of it as a deluxe Erector set with standardized measurements. 10mm extruded aluminum beams with connectors to match, and relatively easy to design custom parts for.

Books

If you do get me a book:

  • Don’t hesitate to buy used. A 100% new book may be a waste of your money.
  • The audio-book version is worth so many extra points to me if one is available. My concentration is tricky and the printed page isn’t quite as nice to me as CDs or something else I can put on my (non-iPod) MP3/OGG/FLAC player.
    • This doesn’t generally apply to technical manuals, which make more sense on paper and/or in PDF format than spoken.

Toys

  • Help Computer! In late July 2010, a lightning bolt hit our coaxial line and took out along with two TVs, my desk computer. Using old parts, I’ve managed to partly revive the remains, but the rig now holding the extra guts is a computer I originally built around 2002. Here’s the brief version of what needs replaced:
    • PSU (e.g.) preferably 550W or higher. No glow-in-the-dark necessary; the case of my computer is opaque.
    • CPU (e.g.). I’m not even sure exactly which I need right now, but it would be replacing an Intel Core 2 Duo somewhere in the T3xxx range (from 2007). The Quad Core Athlon IIs might be fun, too.
      • Motherboard (e.g.) has to match the CPU. Preferably without built-in video card. Support for PCI Express x16 (I think) is needed for my video card.
        • RAM (one reference). The RAM has to match the motherboard, which has to match the CPU. I believe that the RAM I have still may work, so I’ll post the model soon.
    • Apart from the replacements above:
      • Hard drive (e.g.) 1TB or more, SATA, 7200RPM or better. Would just be nice.

Games

GameCube…er…Wii

I’m interested in some of the GameCube games it can play. Here are a few. Look for them used and you could be looking at a five-or-more-for-the-price-of-one situation!

Retro stuff
  • Mega Man Anniversary Collection (e.g.)
  • Namco Museum (e.g.)
  • Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (e.g.)
Somewhat less retro
  • Sonic Adventure DX (e.g.)
  • Sonic Heroes (e.g.)
  • Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (e.g.)
Nintendo DS

I also have a DS (Lite)! Similar fare is of interest.

For example…

  • Sonic Classic Collection (e.g.)
  • Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (e.g.)
    • (In that vein, I do already have Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure.)
  • I’m no stranger to Pokémon, either. Juuuuust sayin’.

Miscellaneous

  • My First Bacon: A plush strip of bacon that talks. What more do you need to know? Video of it on the website. Yes, it really exists.

Consumables (and consumable-related items)

Yes, I eat and drink.

  • Soda syrup/concentrate: I’ve got a SodaStream that I’ve been using to make fizzy juice. It came with a bunch of syrups, too, but they weren’t very good (a bit heavy on the artificial sweetener taste) and I’ve wanted to try some from other sources to see how they compare. My preferred caffeine fix these days is Cherry Coke, but it’s a prohibitively expensive habit.
  • Pocky: Try some yourself; you’ll understand.
  • LOTTE Koala Yummies/Koala’s March: These things are ridiculously addictive.
  • Alcohol: I really don’t drink all that much, but when I’m among others who are drinking, it is generally also time for me to drink.
    • Amaretto sour: Amaretto liqueur and sour mix. Sour mix concentrate would be even better since the stuff goes bad and I don’t drink all that often.
    • Mike’s Hard Lemonade (and most other Mike’s flavors—the berry and pomegranate ones especially).

Pragmatic notions

  • Pencils with 1.3mm leads, and in particular the Staedtler 771. After having used such a beefy lead, I can’t stand the constant snapping of 0.5mm and 0.7mm leads. The Staedtler is a super-serious mechanical pencil, with a barrel big enough not to cramp my hand and the mother of all twist erasers. My mom actually once got me one, and it was the most awesome pencil I’d ever had…for the week I had it before I lost it. D’oh! (I’ve since contrived loss prevention strategies.) My brother also got me a set of four 1.3mm Pokémon pencils which have served me quite nicely. But I do need more of them. More.
  1. [1] i.e., worth $1 per $1 paid. ↩