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It's less than six weeks to Christmas.
Which means that it's time for the annual Aardvark Geek Gift column.
What will the "must have" geek gift be for 2018?
I guess Cabbage Patch Dolls, My Little Pony and Barbie are just too retro (and gender-fluid) for most geeks so exactly what would you like Santa to leave under your tree this year?
Hula hoop? Chatter rings? Skateboard? Rubik's cube? Superball?
I wonder if any of these fads of the past will resurface this year.. or at any other time in the future?
Or can we come up with our own fad idea and make a fortune perhaps?
I find it very interesting that most of the fad-gifts of the past have been very, very simple, both in design and execution.
Okay, so perhaps games consoles like the PS/1 and XBox are an exception to the rule -- but then again, they're not really "fads" are they? Game consoles are still a thing, decades after they first appeared on the market.
So what, as a computer, technology, science geek are you looking for this Christmas?
A new RTX2080ti perhaps?
Are smart-watches still a thing?
What are you thinking of giving your kids or grandkids this year?
I guess a chemistry set is no longer "correct" -- because it will lead to bomb-making and a life of crime... right? Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a chemistry set on store shelves for a very long time now.
We've already discussed Meccano recently so I guess that's still an option.
There are no more Dick Smith electronic kits -- but perhaps there are others -- do YOU know?
Of course I'm pretty sure many a Christmas stocking will have a toy drone in it this year... which must present plenty of opportunity for the recipients to get themselves into trouble :-)
Slot car sets? Are they a thing any more?
Cowboy guns? Too violent? Too sexist?
Gollywogs -- OMG!!! what was I thinking?
Noddy books (uh-oh, isn't that gay porn these days?)
Gosh, it seems that picking a gift was so much easier back in the day when every man and his dog wasn't looking for a reason to be offended.
One of the problems with living in a small town like Tokoroa is that the only toy store in town is The Warehouse and their offerings are pretty limited. Nothing outside of mainstream dolls, plastic toy cars and crap like that. I've seen no "educational" toys, nothing that really stimulates thinking or learning :-(
I guess I'll just buy the grandkids a box of DB Export and drink it for them.
Problem solved!
Care to chime in with what YOU want for Christmas and what you'll be giving your descendants?
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