When it comes to presents, most of the time I have no idea what to get. If you're still ruminating on what to get for your friends, associates and clients, maybe something a little unusable will be just the right thing for the people on your gift list, or possibly yourself if you want to make sure you receive something even if you're not on anyone else's list this year.
I had a Polaroid camera for years until they stopped making them and the film. Fairly recently another company bought the name and technology, and they're available again. They've been terrific to have at an office and still are. Whenever there's a gathering or party, everyone wants a picture of themselves or others. While not quite the same, HP's Sprocket Studio Plus is a great replacement. It's not a camera with self-developing photo paper, but it's pretty close.
Most of us these days use our phones or tablets to take pictures. The cameras are right there in your pocket and the photo quality is usually terrific. The only problem is you need to send the photo to a printer to have something you can stick on the fridge with a magnet. The HP Sprocket Studio Plus is a small dye sublimation (dye sub) printer that connects to the phone via Bluetooth and quickly prints an excellent quality hard copy photo. Most printers these days are either lasers or inkjets. A dye sub printer heats the color dye in the print cartridge and vaporizes it. It doesn't go from a solid to a liquid, but bypasses the liquid phase completely. This produces a terrific-looking photo. The Studio Plus connects to the phone using Bluetooth and sets up in minutes. You'll need the Studio app on your phone (Android or iOS). The photo paper is a bit expensive, but it's worth it. The Studio Plus costs about $150, and paper for it costs just under $50 for 108 4 by 6 sheets. (
If you have a crafter in the firm, or you or the staff have one in the house, a Cricut Joy is the perfect gift. The Cricut Joy Xtra (the machine, not the insect) is a cutting machine that lets a user create a design, or download one from a library of designs, download it to the Cricut, and the machine then cuts the design out of vinyl or cardboard. I had a Cricut years ago and had a ball finding designs to make cards and stickers. I had to donate it when I sold my house and moved to an apartment, but it hurt to give it away. The more experienced can create designs on special vinyl that has sublimation ink that can be transferred to T-shirts, or even coffee mugs with an optional mug press. Other materials have backing that lets you stick them on various projects. The Cricut Joy Xtra is priced at $149. More info at
I'm always fixing things or trying to put things together (sometimes successfully). One problem that I faced fairly often is that I didn't have the right tools, especially when it came to small screws, many of which required a hex wrench or very small screwdriver. If you or an associate likes to assemble electronics like 3D printers, or upgrade laptops, or repair phones, OWC (One World Computing) has an answer. If the 72-Piece Advanced Toolkit doesn't provide what you need, you'll probably need to MacGyver a solution.
The set includes 58 interchangeable bits, but that's just the start. Also included are a utility knife, an anti-static wrist strap, anti-static tweezers, a SIM card ejector pin, LCD suction cup, a triangle plectrum, plastic and metal spudgers (which are pretty much guitar picks and used to pry open the case of a phone or other small electronic devices), a stainless-steel ruler and a cleaning brush. To make it easier to use the huge variety of bits, and to make it easy to access hard-to-reach screws, the kit includes a telescopic, flexible shaft (adjustable to four different lengths and a variety of angles). I have other kits with larger bits, but the OWC set has saved my bacon more than once.
One last thing: I hope that you and yours have a great and happy and healthy holiday and New Year's. Until next time.
