Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2014/11/28/giftguide2014.html
Welcome to this year’s Gift Guide, a piling-high of our most loved items from 2014 and beyond. Books, comics, games, gadgets and much else besides!
There are lots of good ideas here, but I have to figure out how to have fewer things, not more of them. Bah and humbug.
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uh…not for kids.
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Do you have affiliate links for Amazon UK?
I couldn’t find the opinel knife for $8. Link to amazon is for 15. Am I missing something?
I highly, highly, highly recommend the Anthology of American Folk Music!
And if you’ve already got that, there’s a sequel also compiled by Harry Smith:
Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, Volume 4
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The Amazon Universal Travel Case is currently listed as unavailable.
According to its Amazon page, the Universal Travel Case is not available.
Food and/or experiences. Even works for kids: concert or stadium tickets are big winners.
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It’s an Opinel number 8 knife, not an $8 knife. So called because the blade is 8 cm long.
It is a really really nice knife. At some point I will probably replace the paring knives in my kitchen with Opinels - a #8 and a #7 would be just right.
I’m afraid not, but we will do in future stuff. Thanks, though!
Not trying to be a dick, but isn’t it a little gauche to plug your own books in a gift guide?
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[quote=“dragonfrog, post:10, topic:47093, full:true”]
It’s an Opinel number 8 knife, not an $8 knife. So called because the blade is 8 cm long.[/quote]
Although $8 wouldn’t be out of the question. On German Amazon it is EUR 7 (~$8.70), including tax (from Amazon itself.)
[quote]
It is a really really nice knife. At some point I will probably replace the paring knives in my kitchen with Opinels - a #8 and a #7 would be just right.
[/quote]Do you, or does anyone else here, have any experience with Opinel’s kitchen or table knives?
I didn’t even know they made kitchen knives - all I see here in Canada are the folding ones. Makes sense that they would though…
It looks like their kitchen knives are stainless - the reason I’d switch to the folding ones in the kitchen is that they’re carbon steel, which is a bit more maintenance to avoid rust, but takes a really nice edge.
Well, are you saying they’re bad gift recommendations?
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What If was already on my purchase-for-others list for this year. 
Glad to see it here. The tea maker caught my eye but then I saw the price. Everyone getting gifts from me is going to stick to infusers. D:
To add my own suggestions (which will mostly be flavored for the crafty folks in your life):
- Ryonet Print Shop Table Top (goes unavailable frequently so check every few days) - $99 USD - As far as I can tell, this is the best way to get started screen printing without building from scratch (mine hasn’t arrived yet but I did a lot of research and I’m fairly confident). It’s more expensive than the speedball kit but your recipient will have a lot fewer surprise purchases (need a lamp for the bulbs and a board or a wood work bench to screw the hinge into) for what looks like way better results.
- Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Deluxe Interchangeable Long Tip Knitting Needle Set - $58 USD - Not enough needles on the thick end but a damn fine set nonetheless and I’m enjoying the hell out of it.
- Cocoon GRID-IT Organizer - $13 USD - If you know someone who has to carry around a lot of cables and electronic ephemera, I highly recommend this. It took my overnight bag from a jumbled mess I had to struggle to get anything out of to a simple and easy to maintain thing of beauty.
- Salsar Magnetic Flat USB cables - $12 USD for 5 - Pairs great with the GRID-IT and helps end cable tangle too.
On that same note, I second the recommendation for the Anker USB thingy. I bought three (one for home, one for work, and one for my overnight bag) and it’s turned into one of the best decisions I made this year. They’re inexpensive, don’t have a light to keep you up all night, work fabulously, and cut down on the number of plugs you have to carry with you. I do have one complaint though. If you buy through Amazon, Anker will send you an email or two asking for you to say nice things about them.
This is not the first experience of this type I’ve had this year (nor is it likely to be the last but it’s the only thing on this particular list that has spawned this sort of thing) but I really hope this trend stops ASAP. When I bought a drive bay, the company sent me an email thanking me for buying it and letting me know that Linux formatted drives couldn’t be read on Mac or Windows without special software. Sellers: Don’t. Do. This. If I bought a drive bay for that purpose, I should be expected to know.
I don’t need or want an automated “personalized” touch, thanks.
I have no direct experience with this item, but some folks we all know swear by a DaVinci handheld vaper. They told me: “Every member of the team here…who has tried Da Vinci’s digital hand-held vaporizer, the Ascent, has remarked at how well made the device is, and how good it feels in your hand.” Gotta be good stuff, amirite? (I’d tell you the name of the reviewer, but I can’t seem to find it right now; sorry.)
It’s been a few decades since I did silk screening, but I cannot remember ever using light bulbs for any aspect of it. What am I forgetting?
You don’t have to if you can develop the screen outdoors on a bright day but it certainly helps. To me, that wasn’t a particularly critical part of the kit but I can’t imagine it cost them much to add it to the kit, so why not.
problem with Areaware bottle opener link 
