Friday, December 21, 2007

Gifts for Geeks

Find the perfect gift for the technology and science enthusiasts in your life.

By TR Editors

Not sure what to get the technophile in your life for the holidays? Technology Review's editors have selected their top gift picks, many based on emerging technologies. Whether you're a starving student or chief technology officer, we've found something for every budget.

An Astronomical Toy
Connect with the cosmos using a new device called mySKY. The handheld unit enables a user to identify stars, planets, constellations, and more. Simply point the device at the star or planet of interest and press a button. The device is equipped with GPS to determine the time, the date, and a user's location. Magnetic sensors and accelerometers determine where the device is pointing. MySKY collects this and other data it has gathered and compares it with a database of more than 30,000 celestial objects to find a match. An image of the matching object is displayed along with additional video and audio content. A user can also choose the object she wishes to see by selecting it from a menu and pressing the "go to" key. A star map pops up with an arrow pointing to the object; as the user tracks the arrow, it gets shorter until the object is reached. Guided tours are another option: the device picks out the best object in the sky for a user to "go to." MySKY was developed by Meade Instruments, based in Irvine, CA, and it retails for approximately $399.

Credit: Meada Instruments

A DNA Portrait
Sick of mass-produced art from Ikea and cheesy kitten posters? The narcissistic artist you're shopping for is sure to be entranced by a new and utterly unique work of art: his own DNA portrait. Just send in a few drops of blood, and Phil Fisette, an immunologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founder of Cell Portraits, will search your loved one's cells for an aesthetic arrangement of chromosomes to immortalize on film. The images are then custom-colored to the client's preference, generating a modern piece of art. Prices range from $250 to $500. For those who don't want to collect blood on the sly, gift certificates are available.

Credit: Cell Portraits