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Paul's 2020 Holiday Gift Guide |
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by Paul Arnote (parnote) I don't know which I'm happier about: the arrival of the holiday season, or the fact that the dreadful, awful, catastrophic year of 2020 is about to come to a merciful end. Of course, there's no guarantee that the dreadfulness of 2020 won't carry into 2021, but then there's always hope that it won't. Afterall, a COVID-19 vaccine is JUST AROUND THE CORNER, or so they say. It would probably be the greatest gift of all to everyone that a New Year will bring in a fresh, new start. Then, we can leave 2020 behind, diminishing in our "rear view mirror." I'm always happy for the holidays, as I watch the excitement, amazement and wonder in my childrens' eyes. From their joy of being visited by Santa Claus, to their eager opening of wrapped presents, it truly is what makes the holidays special. This year, as for the past 11 years that I've been the magazine's chief editor, we bring you our annual holiday gift guide. These are 10 selections that each of us (Meemaw, YouCanToo, and me) think might make good gift ideas. Add in additional selections from Patrick Horneker, and you should have more than enough suggestions for even the most difficult-to-buy-for person on your holiday gift list. All of the prices are expressed in U.S. dollars, and all of the items are available in the U.S. to U.S. residents. Your mileage may vary, however, in other countries, depending on import/export restrictions, and other such nonsense. So, below are my holiday gift suggestions. There should be something to fit into virtually every budget, as I've tried to provide as broad of a selection as possible.
Wavlink ST334U-Red Hard Drive Docking Station - USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay HDD Docking Station for 2.5" & 3.5" HDD/SSD SATA I/II/III  If you're like me, you just can't have enough storage options. As such, I have a small collection of hard drives that serve as data backup drives. They are an assortment of 3.5 and 2.5 inch form-factor drives. THIS item makes it easy to hot-swap those drives into and out of use, almost effortlessly. I say almost, because you DO have to physically insert the drive. Hooking up to a USB 3.0 port (and backwards compatible with all previous iterations of the USB standard), this hard drive docking station will read any SATA drive you want to put into it. But, it will also do more than just read them. With this device, you can clone one hard drive to another, use them to perform data backups, or even duplicate a hard drive. This device supports two hard drives, up to 8 TiB each. With this hard drive docking station, you can more easily backup your data, leaving your data secure in a separate location. When a catastrophe hits (and it probably will, some day), you can rest assured that your precious personal data and files can be reliably restored.
Rosewill Armer RX200-APU3-25B External 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure - SSDs / HDDs, USB 3.0 Connection, 100% Screw-less  If the hard drive docking station isn't your cup of tea, or if you just need more portability for your data backups, perhaps a USB external hard drive enclosure will meet your needs better. You can also use a separate USB external hard drive enclosure, with a hard drive installed in it, to move large files (think large video files or an entire song collection) from one computer to another with ease. If you couple this with an inexpensive SSD hard drive, you have a VERY affordable storage solution for backups and all of your personal data and files. Very recently, I purchased a 256GiB 2.5" SSD hard drive for under $25. Placing that SSD into this external USB hard drive enclosure gives me a very spacious and efficient way to share files between computers, for under $50.  Pop up some popcorn! How about planning a movie night with the family? Or, how about having some friends over (with social distancing) to watch movies or the "big game?" With the coronavirus pandemic raging on for nearly a year now, it's a bit difficult to get out to theaters. In fact, it's difficult to do ANYTHING social. This outdoor video projector will display the image as small as 30 inches (76 cm) and up to 200 inches (508 cm) in diagonal measurement, from a variety of sources. Those sources include HDMI input, SD card, USB flash/thumb/hard drive, a TV set top box, a PC or laptop, a smartphone, a DVD/BluRay player, etc. You can even connect via wifi, Bluetooth or a corded adapter. The projector utilizes a 24 watt LED bulb that produces 4500 lux, and is expected to have a lifespan of 50,000 hours. It sports a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and supports up to 1080p display resolution. Despite its small size (7.87 x 5.5 x 2.7 inch/2.25 lb or 20 x 14 x 6.9 cm/~1 Kg), it had built-in stereo speakers. You can also hook up a home theater speaker system, via a 3.5mm audio output.
 Ok. This one may be a little bit pricey, but you have to admit that this has a pretty high "cool factor." Using "technology" similar to the inflatable bouncy houses that appear at a kid's birthday party, this inflatable theater projector screen would be a PERFECT accompaniment to the previous item in my gift guide, the compact outdoor video projector. The entire inflatable theater projector screen measures 12 ft (366cm) wide, 9.5 ft (290cm) high, 63.6 inches (161.5cm) deep, and 14 ft (427cm) diagonally. It comes complete with the blower motor to keep it inflated, and ropes and stakes to secure it to the ground. Overall, it weighs 10 lbs (~4.5 Kg). The display screen itself is made of white polyester fabric, allowing for maximum brightness when displaying a projected image.
Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper - Original Silver  I actually OWN one of these! And I have to attest that this thing makes the MOST PERFECT popcorn I've ever had. If you like popcorn, you owe it to yourself to give the Whirley Pop Popcorn Popper a whirl. This truly makes "movie theater" popcorn! The model listed here has metal gears for the crank. Place the six quart aluminum pot over a stove burner, place in the oil, salt and popcorn, and close the lid. Turn on the burner to medium-high, and turn the crank at the end of the handle to keep the contents of the pot in motion throughout the heating. In no time at all (usually around three minutes), you will have all the popcorn you might want. To enhance your popcorn "experience," check out the other items in the Whirley Pop Shop, too. I strongly suggest the coconut oil and Flav-A-Col popcorn salt (hint: both are used to pop that delicious movie theater popcorn) as a place to start. For my popcorn, I just use the cheapest yellow popping corn I can find at Walmart or my grocery store. Also, contrary to the "instructions," I place my Flav-A-Col popcorn salt in with my oil and popcorn kernels. This way, the popcorn salts itself as it pops and as it is agitated with the stirring crank. When I'm done, there are fewer unpopped kernels than I've ever seen, even when compared with premium microwave popcorn.
18-Volt ONE+ Hybrid LED Spotlight (Tool Only) with 12-Volt Automotive Cord  If you are a DIYer around your home, you have probably at least seen, if not even own, some of the Ryobi line of 18 volt cordless tools, sold exclusively at Home Depot. I know they've got me hooked. I have a drill, a cordless circular saw, a couple of different air pumps, and a finishing nailer. They are all very capable, durable tools, especially for all of my DIY uses. They all also use the same 18 volt LiON battery to power all of the tools in their cordless tool lineup. How convenient! Well, this spotlight in the Ryobi line is a powerful beast! It produces over 2,500 lumens of light, from seven three-watt Cree LEDs, and casts a beam of light for 700 yards (640 meters). The light will run up to five hours on one of the 4.0 AH 18 volt LiON batteries. It also comes with a 12 volt automotive cord, so you need not be trying to change a flat tire or work on your malfunctioning car late at night in the dark. If you don't already use the Ryobi 18 volt cordless system of tools, this light is also available here, complete with a 2.0 AH 18-volt LiON battery and charger, for $129.
Bayou Classic 0880-CS, Stainless Steel Beercan ChickCAN Rack (2 pack)  If you haven't heard of "Beer Can Chicken," you need to give it a try! You place a 12 oz can of your favorite beer (or soft drink, if you like ... Dr. Pepper works GREAT!) in the center, place your whole chicken over the rack with the beer/soda can in the middle (yes, the can of beverage is also inside the chicken), and then you place the whole apparatus on your grill (gas or charcoal), in your smoker, or in your oven to cook. The beverage inside the can keeps the chicken meat moist while "seasoning" it with tons of flavor imparted from whichever beverage you choose to use. This two-pack (two racks) is made of stainless steel, and cooks a four pound (~2 Kg) chicken with ease. Its circular base means that the rack(s) will rest securely, even on a grill grate. The stainless steel construction also means that it is very easy to clean up after use.
Revolution OS (DVD)  This documentary film explores the beginnings of the GNU/Linux movement! One reviewer put the summary of this film perfectly: Excellent (now-historical) exploration of the beginnings of Linux - the operating system that you all use in some form or another in order to read this review. Famously it is the basis for the original Google and Amazon servers (and other services), and used on the major stock exchanges of the world for its reliability vs the Win/Apple alternatives. It is also the vital kernel inside the globally dominant Android OS - and now Google Chrome OS - which is set fair to repeat the success of Android on laptops (Chromebooks) desktops (Chromeboxes) and various ubiquitous USB sticks. You have to see this movie to appreciate what a monumental U-turn has been made by Microsoft when Satya Nadella (Who? - the latest MS boss) declared publicly "I love LInux." He pretty much has to now. This story covers the early days - from the first tentative steps by a confident young student (Linus) who argued with the professor of computing - and went on to prove his point - all against the solid background of RM Stallman's long-term GNU project that made everything possible by providing the tools and other software for Linux to thrive. The credits say: Linus Torvalds (Actor), Richard M. Stallman (Actor). And there are many, many others involved - Bruce Perens, Eric S. Raymond of "Cathedral and Bazaar" fame, but none of them are actors. All of them are participants in this story that affects everyone from the owner of the simplest of smartphones or tablets to the head of CompSci at any University. They truly changed the world of computing, for free. No wonder Ballmer hated them so vocally! This should pique the interest of every Linux user on your holiday gift list!
PCLinuxOS 17 oz Latte Mug  Tall durable white ceramic with easy grip handle, this mug has a 17 oz. (502 ml) capacity, to hold your favorite morning beverage. It measures six inches (15.24 cm) tall, and 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) in diameter. It's the perfect size for your favorite morning beverage or late night brew, and features a large, easy-grip handle. This mug would make a perfect gift for any PCLinuxOS user on your holiday gift list. Also, purchases made from the PCLinuxOS Online Store also benefit PCLinuxOS, since a portion of the proceeds from each sale go to help support continued development and production of PCLinuxOS.
PCLinuxOS Unisex Classic 2k7logo Dark T-Shirt  Increase your wardrobe, and help spread the word about the BEST Linux out there, PCLinuxOS! Shirts sized from small through x-large are $21.44. Shirts size from 2XL through 3XLT are $24.44. Features including lay flat collar and shoulder to shoulder tapering will make this your new favorite t-shirt. It is made with 100 percent preshrunk cotton heavyweight fabric (gray colors are a cotton/polyester blend), and is offered in a classic unisex style. It also features a tagless neck label, for your increased comfort (no itchy tags to drive you crazy/crazier). This shirt would make a perfect gift for any PCLinuxOS user on your holiday gift list. Also, purchases made from the PCLinuxOS Online Store also benefit PCLinuxOS, since a portion of the proceeds from each sale go to help support continued development and production of PCLinuxOS. Summary There you have it. Ten holiday gift ideas for those on your holiday gift list ... or for yourself, even! We here at The PCLinuxOS Magazine wish you a happy, safe winter holiday season, regardless of which holiday you observe, or even if you don't observe any of the winter holidays at all. It still remains a season when goodwill seems to be in abundant supply, more so than at any other time of the year. And after the year that we've all endured, we could all use a good cup of cheer and goodwill! |
