Holiday Gift Ideas

Recomendo - issue #439

Spinning planet

I love my Mova Globe. This is a globe that slowly spins without batteries or wires. Its silent revolution is powered by ambient room light, and it will spin forever even from the light of a desk lamp. Internally there are two layers, the visible layer which spins inside a seamless clear shell, which sits on a clear tripod. Mova comes in 5 sizes, and 5 different forms, such as Mars, Moon, a map Earth, or a photorealistic Earth. I have the 4.5 inch (19 cm) version of the realistic Earth which spins next to me as I work. It is drifting right now. Since it isn’t cheap ($218), it makes a great gift for the right nerd. — KK

Seaweed-based skincare

OSEA is a clean beauty brand that specializes in seaweed-based skincare products. I’m slowly working my way through their entire product line and all of their lotions and oils feel incredibly luxurious. You really can’t go wrong by gifting any of their sets. My favorite rebuys are the Vagus Nerve Trio and the Body Hydration Heroes. — CD

Leather zipper wallet

I bought the Pueblo Leather Round Zipper Card Case from SOT when I was in Japan in 2018, and it's one of my favorite possessions. Mine holds a few cards, some paper bills, a band-aid, an ibuprofen pill, and an Apple AirTag. After six years, it shows no signs of wear besides a natural patina on the leather. I think the only way to order it is from the SOT website, or Amazon.jp. Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, it’s about $100. — MF

Nerf blaster mod

Modifying a toy nerf blaster to make it faster and stronger was a standard teenage hack. You can now buy hot-rodded nerf blasters online that rapidly shoot magazines of darts 150 feet (45 m). A good choice is the Dart Zone Max Omina Pro ($60) which is equipped with two magazines of half-length darts. It shoots in such a forceful direct line that I can have fun with soda can targets. Ideally you want two of them. Warnings: its battery-powered engine is loud, and you obviously need eye protection (included). — KK

Perfectly-sized portable speaker

The JBL Go 4 bluetooth speaker is the perfect size for personal use, and its sound quality has proven to be good enough for having a dance party with friends. It’s so easy to take anywhere and connect to instantly, that I find myself listening to music all the time now. Right now it’s priced at $40 and available in multiple colors. It would make a great gift or stocking stuffer. — CD

A gift of wonder and weirdness

Looking for a unique holiday gift for your favorite curious person? A premium subscription to my long-running blog, Boing Boing ($45/year), is like giving them a year-long ticket to a cabinet of curiosities. Your gift recipient gets our new ad-free site and newsletter covering tech, art, and wonderfully weird cultural phenomena. It's the gift that delivers fresh surprises every day. — MF

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Recomendo is an authentic, hand-crafted, human-written weekly newsletter that is free, but not cheap. Consider supporting our work with a paid option, now at the low price of $45 per year. Paid subs enable us to keep making it free for others. Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Just 1 Question, Books That Belong On Paper and Book Freak.

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