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Gifts For An Analog Holiday |
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Time’s running out to snatch up the year’s hottest digital gadgets — I know because of the 10 foot high pile of paper ads fattening the Sunday paper. My favorite is the personal digital assistant. It’s the kind of gadget that you want even before you realize that you have no idea what it does. The PDA stores “addresses,” which once consisted of a street name and town and were important prior to the invention of e-mail. You also can make notes on the PDA, using a “stylus” to poke letters on a keyboard designed to induce blindness. In order to make notes, though, you need a rather rapid stylus. I tried it and came up with “flubbifffhew madronix.” But fear not. There are “analog alternatives” to digital gadgets that are not only less expensive, but don’t require the consumer to own stock in Duracell. Your “retro chic” friends will be delighted when you present them with… • The “pencil.” Featuring a slim, futuristic tubular design that is bound to be popular for years, the pencil uses a graphic filling to record “words” onto “paper.” Available in a variety of colors including yellow, the pencil can not only record, but if you change your mind, simply turn the pencil upside down and it erases with the aid of a “rubber gum.” Ingenious. Some users love their pencils so much that they gnaw on the wood or chew on the eraser — try doing that with your PDA. • The “date book.” This slim, portable analog device delivers a graphic representation of each of the 12 months. Analog records can be kept for each day of the month using stylus “pencil.” Thrifty gift hint: Hallmark version generally free during the Holidays. • The wooden cell phone. A gag gift? Not when you consider that the wooden cell phone doesn’t require charging, won’t annoy fellow diners in restaurants and doesn’t require user to say “Can you hear me now?” every five seconds. Comes in pine, oak, and spruce for holiday giving. • Oral synthesizer (also known as “harmonica”). The synthesized sound of the Eighties is so over. Roots is what’s important now, and what’s more rootsy than this analog synthesizer. In a couple of weeks you’ll be able to play classic hits like “Jimmy Crack Corn,” and “Camptown Races.” The oral synthesizer needs no batteries or nine volt power supplies and fits in a shirt pocket. • Interactive, portable treadmill. Explore the often scary world of 3-D reality in these aerodynamic treadmills worn on the feet. Once known as “sneakers,” the appeal of IPTs now extends beyond their athletic origins that livens up everyday chores like going to the store, and appearing on stage at Carnegie Hall. Can also be used as a fossil fuel free form of transportation. Take that, Saudi Arabia. Rich Acello is a syndicated columnist; you can reach him at richace@cox.net
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