Gift Card Conundrum

Technology has given us the ability to sling a plastic card at someone and avoid the time consuming and sometimes arduous task of Christmas shopping. How sad.

Like most people, I enjoy receiving gift cards because they allow me to buy the "gift" that I want. Under certain circumstances, however, I believe that giving and receiving actual gifts provides more pleasant holiday memories than an impersonal piece of plastic.

Call me old fashioned, but when I look under the tree on Christmas morning, I don't want to see a collection of envelopes staring back at me. I want my pictures to show a large collection of nicely wrapped presents with colorful bows and ribbons.

When buying for close friends or family members, I believe that you should take the time to determine what the person wants and then go buy it for them. Under these circumstances, buying a gift card is just lazy shopping.

Despite my partial disdain for gift cards, they have become a wildly popular gift. According to a recent study by the Tower Group, gift card sales for the 2006 holiday season are expected to eclipse $80 billion. This is a 20 percent increase over 2005 holiday sales.

This year, my son asked for an iPod. After a visit to the Apple store to determine which model he wanted, my wife and I decided to skip the gift card and buy the iPod so that he could have the excitement of opening the package on Christmas.

Even though he knew what was underneath the wrapping paper, my son was quite excited when he opened the package and saw the iPod. We were able to open the box right away and spent quite a bit of time fawning over the sleek new device.

Had my wife and I took the easy way out and just purchased a gift card, Christmas day wouldn't have been the same. We would have all missed out on the memories of spending the time ooh-ing and ahh-ing over his new geeky gadget.

I think that gift cards are quite useful when shopping for people that you don't know very well or who don't live close to you.

To make the holiday season truly memorable for yourself and those you love, take the time to visit the mall or your favorite on-line retailers so that your Christmas tree is surrounded with packages.

If you do, I'm certain that the memories of opening gifts on Christmas day will be ones that you treasure for a lifetime.

E-Quran an Odd Step for Intel

Intel recently stated that they are partnering with two Saudi Arabian software companies to develop a device, called the E-Quran, which will do little more than play a recorded version of the Islamic holy book.

While I am glad to hear than an electronic version of the Quran is being created, I wonder why semiconductor titan Intel is making this foray into the world of dedicated portable devices. It seems to me that a professionally designed podcast or audio file that could be played on a variety of platforms would be a more efficient means of distributing the holy book.

With companies such as Microsoft trying to grab market share in the lucrative mp3 player market, a dedicated device like the E-Quran seems like a step backwards towards the ill-fated e-book phenomenon that never materialized.

Computer users and uber-geeks quickly realized that reading an electronic document is much cheaper if you use a device that you already own, such as a computer.

The same can be said for an audio recording. Mp3 players abound, and in the already crowded field a dedicated device that plays one collection of files seems incredibly outdated.

Intel should have partnered with Apple, or another mp3 player manufacturer, to distribute their devices and then made available a recorded version of the Quran that could be played on any platform.

Snow Robot

This weekend folks in the Midwest received our first measurable snowfall of the season. In Milwaukee we have about 10 inches on the ground, which has brought back memories of when I was younger and we actually had this much snow on a regular basis.

For some reason, my ancient relic decided to take the day off after teasing me a few weeks earlier when it's throaty roar filled my garage. After reliving my youth by wielding a shovel to clear my 160 feet of sidewalk, I began to wonder if there was an easier way to get rid of the snow.

I've been looking at robot vacuum cleaners recently, and while I sat on my couch waiting for the Advil to kick in I started wondering if someone had engineered a robotic snow blower. I Googled a number of search terms, but couldn't find anything resembling a robotic snow removal machine.

Starting at just $149, The iRobot corporation has designed an impressive collection of home and industrial robots that clean carpets and floors. Helpful, but not exactly what I had in mind.

Insipired by visions of R2-D2 and Rosey on the Jetsons, I began wondering why nobody has attempted to design a robotic snow removal device. Certain issues such as temperature, water, and traction crossed my mind, but none of these obstacles seemed to be difficult to overcome.

While I may be in the minority at this point, I'm hoping that others may begin talking about a snow removal robot. I'm sure that this type of device will be readily accepted in most areas where regular snowfall is possible.

I would be willing to pony up a few hundred of my hard earned dollars for one if it would prevent snow shoveling flashbacks from becoming recent memories once again.