2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Nerds (various)
Hello and welcome to my 2021 Holiday Gift Guide!
And a very happy Thanksgiving to my US frens.
I thought a gift guide could be helpful for us nerds (and/or our families) this year. It was a fun break from writing essays with words like “therefore.” Please forward to any family members who struggle to shop for you, the nerd in your family.
Yes, some of these are affiliate links. No, that does not change my level of endorsement or affect their inclusion in this list. Supply chain crisis this year people gotta get your shopping done early!
Holiday Gifts for Business Nerds
Acquire
This board game is like Monopoly on Steroids. Similar to monopoly, money is the goal of the game. Unlike monopoly, this game actually ends before all players die of old age. Acquire is built on mergers, acquisitions, insider information, stock prices… a super fun business-themed game.
Note: If reasonable, buy the “Wizards of the coast edition” (blue box) not the Hasbro version (purple box) — the design is just wayyyy better.
Readwise
For big kindle readers, this is a godsend. Upload all of your kindle highlights and get daily emails with some of your favorite highlights. Keeps retention high and reminds you of the great things you’ve read.
Books - Always books.
Already wrote a few posts collecting business book recommendations — check those out here.
Holiday Gifts for Health Nerds
AlgenAir
Indoor air quality has a huge effect on health and brain function. We forget, CO2 content is 2x higher inside than outdoor air. When it’s not possible to have windows open, we need to create more oxygen inside, and nothing is more effective than algae. This beautiful little algae tank looks like a lava lamp, and it produces the Oxygen of TWENTY FIVE house plants. Which keeps away headaches, keeps you alert and healthy all day.
Use my code, JORGENSON25 to save 25% on your AlgenAir Aerium order. Discount good for up to the end of the year.
Whoop
My favorite fitness tracker, and something I wear 24/7 365. It monitors sleep, workouts, heart rates, repository rates, and more. The new version (4.0) even monitors blood oxygen and skin temperature. This all feeds into an app that helps you track habits, workouts, and your rest/recovery/activity cycle.
Field Guide to Urban Gardening
Grow your own organic veggies in any sized space. Nothing more healthy (physically and spiritually) than fresh, local vine-ripened veggies.
This book was written by friend and podcast guest Kevin Espiritu, if you want to get the whole backstory.
Holiday Gifts for Crypto Nerds and Crypto Curious
If there’s someone in your life who won’t shut up about Crypto and you don’t know what to get them… here are some ideas.
(If you are the person, like me, who confuses and terrifies normal people with long, earnest explanations of the blockchain… just send this to someone who might be shopping for you.)
Hardware Wallets 101 - Wallets are like your “personal bank” in crypto. They keep your coins in your own personal little safe, which you can protect and store. These are more secure than browser wallets like Metamask.
Helium Miners - Might be tough to get your hands on, but guaranteed to be a hit. Earns $HNT (Helium Network Token) by being a part of a network of lofi antennas. Pricey, but can be reasonably expected to pay off within a year or two (or less) depending on placement and token price. (NFI, DYOR)
Coinmine - A simple crypto miner. Just plug into your wall, and get bitcoin in your wallet. Not cheap, but mine has had a great ROI. Extra worth it if you can plug it in somewhere that someone else pays the energy bill 😬👀 (NFI, DYOR)
Bankless Swag - Bankless is one of the most popular media companies in crypto, and they have a store with some merch. There are new things popping up and selling out here all the time.
An NFT - Go to Opensea (or Rarible or Superrare) and start browsing. Buy anything that looks like you and the recipient would think is cool. This will take some work if you’re not already into crypto.
Digital Picture Frames for NFTs
There are also digital picture frames for displaying NFTs on the wall like art. Jason Hitchcock had one behind him to show his cryptopunk and other NFTs when we did our podcast episode.
The Meural is a great option. And if you/they don’t have personal art or NFTs to display, you can buy a subscription to famous artwork on your frame to support artists and pick favorites for anyone in the family. Very cool.
Photo from Meural’s website
Holiday gifts for anyone else
Aura - This is the digital picture frame I always wished digital picture frames would be like. Excellent build and quality, beautiful look, and a great app for remote photo management. Give all the kids access to add their photos to the parent’s frame anytime!