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Gifts that any Girl / DJ / Musician / Business Owner / Nerd / Event Producer / Designer / Technologist would dig (read: Stuff Liz Wants)
Here’s a list of a bunch of stuff I’ve been digitally collecting and hoping for IRL versions for a while: Liz McLean Knight’s Wishlist. Some highlights:
Back in the day, way before Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, there was a rhythm game that had you getting down to Latin grooves and shaking your maracas. That game was Samba de Amigo. Grab yourself a Dreamcast on Ebay, score the special maraca controllers, invite some peeps over and you’ll have a party that’s worth blogging about in the days to come, not to mention some hilarious photo opps.
Ah, the warm yet fashionable addition of intersected integers makes an outfit complete. This cool little company (literally Little Factory) based out of Hong Kong churns out a typographical phantasmagoria of laser-cut accessories (you can get uppercase or lowercase letters instead of numbers if you prefer to roll ASCII). Downside is that you have to wait a week after ordering for your stuff to ship, which is assumably so that all the little laser gnomes have time to cut out your design from a sheet of ultrasuade.
Bigger events obviously require more money but that doesn’t necessarily have to come from ticket sales alone. If you’ve got a targeted demographic within your audience you’ve got an asset to other businesses who would love to ride along on your coattails to awesomeness. This book delves into doing all the things that appeal to the things that corporate wants to see. Good to add to the reference shelf.
Triumph of the NerdsAlthough the ending is a bit dated on this 1996 talking heads documentary (re: future potential of the Internet), it seems to be an insightful yet playful documentary on the start of the PC revolution. It features interviews with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak and interesting bits of trivia along with highlighting the accidental nature of the revolution (it’s based on the book Accidental Empires). If you prefer a more dramatized version, go with Pirates of Silicon Valley (which I own. thanks, Beth!)
1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs
When I’m in product design or promo / marketing mode and need to come up with something physical that’s extra special this would be the go-to book for me. It’s a design inspiration book that focuses on the small, yet exciting details of a piece. In the 1,000 series, this book focuses on embellishments available to graphic designers across all kinds of projects, from books to brochures, invitations to menus, CDs to annual reports. And it’s organized by type; if you are trying to come up with an unusual binding, turn to the “bindings” section to see some ideas. I own the 1,000 Greetings book and it’s gorgeous so I can drool over this one in anticipation.
Sure does look like one, though? Well it’s actually a ceramic cup with a heat-resistant silicone lid that you can use over and over again, unlike the actual version that’s made out of paper and just adds more trash to the planet. Anyone who does anything thought-intensive and in front of a computer realizes the value of caffeine to the process. A hilarious mobile coffee delivery system will make the perfect gift.
What the Bleep!? – Down the Rabbit Hole (QUANTUM Three-Disc Special Edition)
If you’re the armchair physicist sort who flips out over the metaphysical ramifications of Schrodinger’s cat and yet still likes to be entertained then you’ve got to snag this highly produced documentary. Yeah it’s got the sensory-challenged Marlee Matlin as its dramatized protagonist (which can make for some giggle-stifling moments, for the sake of brutal honesty) but it’s likely a choice based on some higher motifs. And when you can toss discussion about motifs into a documentary that’s downright special (and not as in -education) and posits theories that uses the assumptions behind quantum physics as its springboard it’s nerdy yet fun. And how often does that intersection happen?
OK this is a blind rec here–the title and cover did it for me. As long as there is plenty of glossy aspirational photography count me in.
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
If you DJ or–in some fashion–support those who do, this book will be a great way to contextualize the profession. This book provides a history of the DJ and the music forms that DJs have profligated since the advent of vinyl as a medium of auditory stimulation and satisfaction. The history that this book attempts to recount isn’t an end-all-to-be-all, but it covers enough ground to satisfy even the most discriminating electronic music lover like yours truly.
Really, who couldn’t find a use for ten grand?
