The holidays are a perfect time for sharing media.
This year you can alleviate some of the problems of your computer-surrounded roommates, friends and family. There are lots of useful ““ and dare I say ““ economical, gifts that you can buy that go well with free sources of existing media, so you can, as the saying goes, “give a gift that keeps on giving.”
These are several thoughtful ways to show the people you care about ““ who happen to be slightly enamored of computers, technology and media ““ that you care about them. After all, it’s not like we college students can buy everybody we care about an iPhone, Rock Band or a 3GB external hard drive.
At the top of the list is a wrist rest, and they come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. They will ergonomically enhance the computer experience for your roommate, sibling or parent’s wrists now and potentially even save them medical bills later. They run about $7 to $15.
You can give them a Digg account to go with their newfound ergonomics. What better way to enjoy comfortable wrists than to view a news-sharing Web site and vote on what news is relevant for other viewers?
Tiny flash drives come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. You can fill a drive with the photos you have been meaning to share.
I recommend the nondescript keychain models, as they are inexpensive ($10 to $15) and invaluable during finals week for transferring documents in order to print them. They are nice because you can carry your work with you, without necessarily having a laptop.
“It’s always been one of those things it would be nice to get, but you never go and get (one) for yourself,” said Simon Hall, a fourth-year political science student.
But just because you’re in school doesn’t mean you have to give school-related gifts.
Music is an important part of our daily digital lives and so headphones and car adapters for mp3 players are always a good idea. Headphones do have a wide range of prices, but you can get a decent pair for under $20, and a car adapter can run for as little as $30.
There are more expensive versions of both of these, but the inexpensive versions work fine. These may be a bit tricky to give as gifts, as they’re only the perfect gift for the friend with broken headphones and nonexistent mp3 player for the car. Also, make sure they have a car.
Sarah Joslin, a fourth-year Spanish student said if she had a car adapter for her mp3 player, she would be able to listen to her music in her car as well, instead of just listening to it while walking around.
In our day to day lives, the computer’s keyboard can become more of a dining room table than a writing device. Do your roommate a favor and get them a tablecloth ““ in other words, a plastic keyboard cover. They’ll thank you next time they eat soup next to their mechanical dinner companion.
But if you’re looking out for one of your gadgets, consider the one you’re attached to at the hip.
Phone chargers are always necessary. Get the person you talk to the most a second cell phone charger, for the car or backpack, or just for travel.
“Traveling, I know a lot of people forget (cell phone chargers), so if you just had it packed with your toothbrush, it could be useful,” said Greg Ching, a second-year business economics student.
Digital cameras get a lot of unnecessary impact in backpacks and pockets. Get your favorite photographer a digital camera case and a (free) Flickr or Picasa account to go with it. Now they’ll have somewhere to put the camera, and a place for the photos, too.
If nothing else, you can always make them a photo album especially for them ““ on Facebook.
E-mail Rood at Drood@media.ucla.edu.