I know, Halloween has barely passed and here I am providing holiday gift giving guidance. But every year I vow to get my shopping done before the crush, and if you want to ease the stress, here are some hot tips for everyone on your list.
The art of handwriting is still cherished by many, even if they have stopped teaching cursive in grade school. I have come to love a well-balanced rollerball pen, and Cross is the progenitor of a fine series of writing instruments. Building on over a century of innovation and tradition, the Peerless 125 celebrates two great landmark moments in the brand’s history: the 1889 debut of the original Peerless Pen and the introduction of the iconic Century line in 1935. The TrackR Quartz Blue is a stunning example of blending the analog and the digital: you can track your pen’s last known location via a smartphone app that sends a notification if your pen gets separated from your phone.
As so many of our digital activity moves to a mobile device, have you often wanted to swipe your laptop screen? This cool device accomplishes the task in an elegant way. It is not a replacement for the trackpad, but it is designed as an accessory that allows users to interact with their laptops in a cool new way. The sleek, lightweight device emits an invisible light field over a laptop screen that senses touch from any finger, stylus, paintbrush, etc. The AirBar is compatible with most PCs running Windows® 10, as well as MacBook Air 13. The plug and play design requires no software installation for the PC, but the Mac does. The device will use one of the laptop’s USB ports.
With the spate of great rock documentaries and photo books comes this hardcover celebration of the greatest rock shows in 1970’s Southern California. That was the era when rock became indelible, when crappy sound systems and minimal stage presentations were eschewed in favor of groundbreaking gigs by Led Zeppelin, Queen, Heart, ELP, Jethro Tull, Elton John, The Who and Genesis among myriad others. Author Doug Harr was one of the kids who was in the right place at the right time to experience these shows. At nearly 400 pages and over 500 images, this book gives you a firsthand glimpse of what went down at venues like “The Fabulous Forum,” Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Long Beach Arena, Universal Amphitheater, Shrine Auditorium and Civic Auditorium Center in Santa Monica as well as Dodger Stadium, Anaheim Stadium and more intimate venues as the Whiskey a Go Go and Roxy Theater. If you grew up in Southern California, these venues are etched in your brain. If you grew up elsewhere, as did I, you read about these shows with more than a modicum of jealousy.
Daily we read about hacks and security breaches. We know that the best security starts at home, but how to choose from the myriad solutions? CUJO is a smart firewall that protects connected homes and Internet of Things (IoT) devices from criminal hackers and web threats. Leveraging a combination of cloud services, machine learning and mobile apps to manage your network, the CUJO security solution gives home and small business users peace of mind while online. The Los Angeles-based company has offices in Europe and South America, giving it access to the pulse of security threats across continents. The company’s signature product builds a firewall to detect and block malicious sites, viruses and hacks. After winning the prestigious “Best Security Solution” at this year’s CEDIA industry gathering, Einaras Gravrock, CEO of CUJO affirmed “The explosion of IoT devices on the market is creating a vast security hole for consumers. Just covering PC’s, Macs and Android devices is not enough in today’s connected world.” The solution’s key features are business level network security, device identification with user-friendly names, and parental controls.
NewerTech NuGuard Keyboard Cover
One thing that drives Santa crazy is when his sticky hands gum up his keyboard. It is hard to make a list and check it once or twice when cookie crumbs make typing difficult. The solution? A colorful NuGuard Keyboard Cover, with a smooth surface feel for easy typing while protecting Santa’s laptop delicate keyboard from wear and tear, dust and crumbs from Mrs. Claus’ cookies. Santa even steps up when it is time to clean the cover with simple rinsing and drying. Santa is considering switching out keyboard covers daily during the twelve days of Christmas, as that is how many colors are available for all MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina laptops. At under $10, Santa will be stuffing lots of stockings with these.
Socks are the most requested item at homeless shelters, and the great folks at Bombas are following the impressive model of donating 1:1. In this case, for each pair of socks bought, Bombas donates a pair. They recently hit the mark of 5 million pairs donated, which warms every Santa’s heart. The company recently teamed with the estate of Muhammad Ali to further their mutual goals. Ali had myriad memorable quotes, but this one is superb: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Santa will be giving lots of Bombas socks this year. They are comfy and come in a a range of styles, from conservative to perky. With a rock solid customer satisfaction guarantee, Santa can give knowing that all his elves will be toasty.
Santa has plenty of elves to watch over, and he has noticed that the elves are becoming more athletic and fashion conscious. Indeed, the elves are taking after celebrities like Jenni JWoww Farley, Jessie James Decker and Ashley Tisdale in sporting ‘streetletic’ attire almost 24/7. Blending high-end athletic active-wear with a street style flair, Attitude Apparel’s line is perfect for hitting the gym, going for the fashion-forward street look, or simply lounging around the workshop. Mrs. Claus loves that this line incorporates high-end fabric made mostly recyclable materials. Santa loves bringing the NYC sensibility of these products to folks everywhere. Santa loves that Mrs. Claus smiles when Santa is wearing his compression pants from Attitude Apparel.
The proliferation of coffee choices is mind-boggling. If you want to be a Santa giving a unique coffee product, this is your ideal choice. This eclectic combination of ingredients is a ketogenic recipe that the maker claims “burns fats, not carbohydrates, for sustained mental clarity, weight management + metabolic energy for hours.” The recipe includes coconut oil MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), ghee (organic grass-fed clarified butter) to curb cravings and a blend of turmeric and ashwagandha (touted as superfood ingredients to stave off stress). There is no sugar added, and a line of savory butter creamers are also offered. Flavors range from Hazelnut and French vanilla to mocha. They are gluten-free and non-GMO, but neither are an issue for me. or Santa.
Santa has been delivering boxes of chocolates from the usual suspects for eons. He is getting a bit tired of dropping these overpriced boxes on folks that also eschew fruitcakes, so Santa was very pleased when he discovered a healthier alternative. A bunch of supplement geeks, led by a double board certified medical doctor and surgeon, all with a chocolate obsession combined their passions and developed a range of seemingly healthy chocolates. With conceptions ranging from energy, sleep, calm, vitamin D2 and turmeric, all the elves will be satiated. These supplements collectively address three common ailments: sleep, energy and anxiety. If non-GMO is important to you (Santa is not convinced), these ‘chocolates with benefits’ make great stocking stuffers.
James Sherwood’s Discriminating Guide to London
I have it on good authority that Santa’s favorite city is London. He will be giving this book to his favorite Anglophiles. Sherwood is the noted author of a number of definitive publications on English sartorial style. He has collected advice and understated hot tips not readily collected elsewhere. Sherwood has acquired firsthand knowledge of some of the most exclusive and eclectic spots in London. Sherwood comes to the delightful task having penned such tomes as Savile Row: The Master Tailors of British Bespoke (2010), Fashion at Royal Ascot: Three Centuries of Thoroughbred Style (2011) and The Perfect Gentleman: The Pursuit of Timeless Elegance & Style in London (2012). Cementing his authority, Sherwood has edited the Louis Vuitton Guides to London for seven years and commentated for the BBC on fashion at Royal Ascot for eight. I want to party with this guy.
As Santa gears up for his busy holiday season (and after he indulges in all the holiday cooking by Mrs. Claus), he needs a great set of headphones with which to work out. The latest offering from the elves at Soundwhiz offer the right balance of sturdy design, deep bass and Bluetooth connectivity. The nanocoating process ensures the headphones are completely protected against sweat, rain, accidental immersion as well as the sleet and snow kicked out by the reindeer. Indeed, the clever noise reduction circuitry eliminates much of the roar on the sleigh and the buzz in the toy shop. But the voice activation allows for Apple or Android pairing to two devices. Always an issue on those long runs from the North Pole, the Turbo sports a long lasting battery; play time to about eight hours and then recharged in two hours. And to top it off, the engineering elves at Soundwhiz are so confident of their work they offer a remarkable twelve month replacement warranty.
As you can discern, Santa has a growing affinity for excellent sound reproduction. The elves at Cleer have developed a great set of wireless headphones that are perfect for listeners of all ages. Santa is convinced that kids especially should be introduced to superior sound; they are too readily acclimated to hearing music directly from a smartphone, or via the barely better sub-optimal earbuds shipping therewith. The DU Wireless features dual 40mm neodymium drivers for rich, deep sound and an internal amplifier for outstanding fidelity. The folding alloy design provides a lightweight framework, for hours of listening pleasure. Indeed, the battery life approaches 20 hours. With Bluetooth for easy pairing, these headphones are the hot tip for discerning Santas everywhere.
Santa does not recommend stacking up various products on your turntable, but he wanted to show the design sensibility of PodPocket. If you are using the Apple issued AirPods, storing them in a stylish carrier is a must. Santa will always bend toward anything that reminds him of his 45 singles, so the unit shown is ideal. Also on offer are an array of colors, each reflecting the soft, curved, minimalist look proffered by the acolytes of Steve Jobs. Protective padding and a key ring are thoughtful elements as well.
Contrary to popular opinion, Santa really enjoys cooking. But especially in the run up to his Christmas world tour, Santa finds it difficult to assemble all the right ingredients for a healthy variety of dishes. With Mrs. Claus becoming more frazzled looking after the elves, she is likewise stretched pretty thin when it comes to culinary activities. The folks at Green Chef provide the ideal solution, and Santa is looking at a year-round subscription. Green Chef delivers all the ingredients, pre measured and accompanied by helpful recipe instructions. Green Chef is the first meal kit company to receive Gluten-Free Certification through the Gluten Intolerance Group’s GFFS program. Green Chef pioneered alongside the USDA to become the first certified organic meal kit company. They are also GMO-free, which is not a big issue for Santa. Santa prepared a smashing butternut squash chili one evening, and Mrs. Claus reciprocated with a mustard-spiced chicken, which featured roasted sweet potatoes and a grape pan sauce with thyme. Both were excellent and gluten-free. Mr. and Mrs. Claus look forward to checking out the variety of dishes across Green Chef’s offerings in paleo, vegan, omnivore, carnivore and vegetarian.
Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE
Santa has been a consistent supporter of STEM and STEAM activities; his annual deliveries have steadily steered away from mindless gifts and toward gifts with a long-lasting educational value. Hence, Santa will be stuffing many stockings with the TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator. Newly designed by the wizards and elves at Texas Instruments, the unit affords users with a boggling array of features. The sleeker, slimmer design retains much of the look and menu design of the classic TI-84, but Moore’s Law continues to benefit all sectors (the TI-84 Plus CE is 30% thinner and 30% lighter than its predecessor). The vibrant backlit screen and pre-loaded apps provide greater utility, as does the rechargeable battery. The hi-resolutiuon screen lets the user visualize concepts clearly and make faster, stronger connections between equations, data, and graphs in full color. Students appreciate that the unit is approved for the critical alphabet soup of exams: PSAT, ACT, SAT and AP. The growing field of robotics can be explored with the TI-Innovator Rover, a robot for use in middle and high school STEM classrooms. Students can connect to Rover through the TI Innovator Hub with a TI-84 Plus CE and learn how to program the robot to draw, dance or perform other tricks. Santa wishes he learned about coding, but he is happy coding is within reach of more kids today care of the TI-84.
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