10 Holiday gifts engineers will love
Is there an engineer on your gift list? We've got just the thing.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes. It’s time to eat, drink and be merry. It’s also time to buy gifts for the people we care about. Presents will fill houses, clutter the bottoms of Christmas trees and stockings will be stuffed.
You will find that some people are harder to shop for than others. Take, for example, the engineer in your life – perhaps a perfume set, a pair of socks or a box of chocolates is just too simple a gift for the complicated mind of an engineer. The perfect gift should appeal to an engineer’s curiosity, and love of all things science and technology. Or just ask yourself, what would Sheldon Cooper like?
So, with that in mind, here are our picks for some great choices he or she probably won’t return the next day.
Ilona’s list:
1.The Samsung Biometric Door Lock
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SAMSUNG-BIOMETRIC-DOOR-LOCK/dp/B00A43Z4X6
Because it’s the kind of thing you only see in movies, like “Mission: Impossible.” The door opens only with both a fingerprint identification and a password set by the user, the perfect gift if you want some privacy while inventing the next big thing, as engineers tend to do.
2.The Fitbit Force
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2427368,00.asp
Because this might be just the thing to get that engineer in your life to the gym. And because if there’s one thing an engineer loves, it’s making boring, everyday tasks easier and more interesting. Not only does this sleep bracelet track your every step and calories burned, it also monitors your sleep.
3. A funny t-shirt
http://www.zazzle.com/engineer+gifts
Because despite popular opinion, engineers are quite humorous. They tend to have that geeky and naughty ‘inside joke’ sense of humor. And wearing a joke right there on your shirt is just plain efficient.
4. Fisher Space Original Astronaut Space pen
http://www.spacepen.com/
Because what if you need to write upside down? Or up in outer space? I suppose you could always just use a pencil. But this is more interesting! And the thing is, engineers are thirsty to figure out how things work. So you can watch them break it apart to satisfy curiosity, which makes it the perfect gift indeed.
5. HAPIfork
http://www.hapi.com/products-hapifork.asp
Because you know we’re all going to eat too much this holiday season. This fork tracks and monitors your calorie intake, and helps you keep your meals and snacks under control. (A special note to anyone who has me on their gift list: I. Need. This.)
Patrick’s list:
1. A 3D printer
It’s been the hype of the year and you’ve probably heard about it every other day. So, frankly, that means it’s about time to go get yourself one. Perhaps the most famous 3D printer is the MakerBot (http://www.makerbot.com/), a fancy, 25-pound engineering wonder.
2. The Pi bottle opener (http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pi-bottle-opener). If you’re planning on spending your holiday season in the company of good friends and a little alcohol, the Pi bottle opener is something that might come in handy. Technically, it’s just a bottle opener. But if you factor in all the joy it will bring to your holiday season, it’s more than just eye candy.
3. One acre of Planet Mars (http://www.buymars.com/). If you need to find something out of the ordinary for someone out of the ordinary (engineers of course fall under this category), this is undoubtedly the ideal Christmas present gift! (And also: buying stars is sooo 2012.) So if you really care about someone, buy them a piece of Mars.
4. A personal robot. They come in many sizes, forms and colors. And they are all good at something – there are vacuum cleaner robots, alarm clock robots (that run away from you and hide after the alarm goes off) or speaking robots (just to name a few). With this range of choice, you’re bound to find something amazing!
5. An (ABB) transformer. OK, it might be a little pricey for an individual (not to mention that it probably won’t fit under your Christmas tree), but it’s definitely a memorable present and one that will stick out from the masses. However, if you’re not that into electrical engineering, you could opt for the other sort of transformer: the toy sort. In my view, Autobots and Decepticons are timeless (I’m sure even Ilona used to play with them) and just plain classy – the perfect gift!