Novelty level gadgets that are actually kinda neat (aka gimme gift ideas)

[peanutbutter]

So it's kind of near Christmas and there's gonna be a glut of those "Toys to Get Your Boyfriend/Whatever For Christmas" type articles that'll be full of absolutely boring shit (bluetooth earphones with the captain america symbol on them levels of naff). Was wondering if there's any fun gadgety things below <£100 that appeal to any of you right now. I've given basically everyone I know an e-reader at this point (thank you B&N) so I have to start coming up with new gift ideas now.

I just bought myself one of those Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator things cos it looked like it'd be a fun way to annoy people if nothing else (but realistically probably a lot of fun the one time I'm on drugs and pull it out each year for the next decade or so).


On the sound front again, I'm thinking of getting my brother a Korg Monotron for Christmas cos they're quite cheap, but I'm not totally convinced that it's got enough features to even be a neat novelty.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Those pocket operators, and the monotribe have both been something I've kind of wanted but not enough to stump up the cash for, for quite a while.

If you know people who have a hifi and wouldn't be interested in 'sonos' type portable speakers, a chromecast audio is a great addition to let them stream music.

Also minirig portable speakers are great, but I think there are better value alternatives now.

[QDRPHNC]

Does this count as a gadget?

The Traveler's Company fountain pen is made in Japan. When open it's an elegant, high quality pen that will last forever. When closed it's a rugged little cylinder you can throw in your pocket or your bag without worrying about it. And because it's solid brass it only gets nicer as it wears.



I bought two of those Pocket Operators, but can't make head nor tail of them. The instructions were not geared to a musical dumbo such as myself.

[NJ Uncut]

Those pocket operators look cool but I want the Nanoloop standalone kickstarter handheld thing

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I am the calculator of my Pocket Operator.

[poo]

So it's kind of near Christmas and there's gonna be a glut of those "Toys to Get Your Boyfriend/Whatever For Christmas" type articles that'll be full of absolutely boring shit (bluetooth earphones with the captain america symbol on them levels of naff). Was wondering if there's any fun gadgety things below <£100 that appeal to any of you right now. I've given basically everyone I know an e-reader at this point (thank you B&N) so I have to start coming up with new gift ideas now.

I just bought myself one of those Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator things cos it looked like it'd be a fun way to annoy people if nothing else (but realistically probably a lot of fun the one time I'm on drugs and pull it out each year for the next decade or so).


On the sound front again, I'm thinking of getting my brother a Korg Monotron for Christmas cos they're quite cheap, but I'm not totally convinced that it's got enough features to even be a neat novelty.

Thanks for this, these look amazing. Do you need to be 'musical' to get good stuff out of them, or can anyone manage it with a bit of application?

[imitationleather]

They look great. Please do not let me buy one because I will only attempt to use it for five minutes before giving up because it's complicated and putting it in a cupboard forever.

[peanutbutter]

Those pocket operators, and the monotribe have both been something I've kind of wanted but not enough to stump up the cash for, for quite a while.

If you know people who have a hifi and wouldn't be interested in 'sonos' type portable speakers, a chromecast audio is a great addition to let them stream music.

Also minirig portable speakers are great, but I think there are better value alternatives now.

Monotribe looks like a top level toy! (if we ignore the Teenage Engineering OP-1, that is). Bit too close in price to a Microkorg or Mininova to justify buying ahead of one of them though, surely? (same issue applies for the Volca models as a casual purchase) Monotribe + midi keyboard = fulll fledged synth though?

I probs need a bluetooth speaker for my kitchen area actually, what made the minirig ones good?

I bought two of those Pocket Operators, but can't make head nor tail of them. The instructions were not geared to a musical dumbo such as myself.

Which two did you get? Tbh the main reason I paid a bit extra for PO-33 was because it looked like it'd be fun on an obnoxious level even if I never figure it out.

They look great. Please do not let me buy one because I will only attempt to use it for five minutes before giving up because it's complicated and putting it in a cupboard forever.

They likely cost a good bit more than you're imagining, I paid £55

[imitationleather]

They likely cost a good bit more than you're imagining, I paid £55

Oh, you clearly do not know me at all!

[Dex Sawash]

So it's kind of near Christmas and there's gonna be a glut of those "Toys to Get Your Boyfriend/Whatever For Christmas" type articles that'll be full of absolutely boring shit (bluetooth earphones with the captain america symbol on them levels of naff). Was wondering if there's any fun gadgety things below <£100 that appeal to any of you right now. I've given basically everyone I know an e-reader at this point (thank you B&N) so I have to start coming up with new gift ideas now.

I just bought myself one of those Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator things cos it looked like it'd be a fun way to annoy people if nothing else (but realistically probably a lot of fun the one time I'm on drugs and pull it out each year for the next decade or so).


On the sound front again, I'm thinking of getting my brother a Korg Monotron for Christmas cos they're quite cheap, but I'm not totally convinced that it's got enough features to even be a neat novelty.

Can not imagine what that does but I want one.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Monotribe looks like a top level toy! (if we ignore the Teenage Engineering OP-1, that is). Bit too close in price to a Microkorg or Mininova to justify buying ahead of one of them though, surely? (same issue applies for the Volca models as a casual purchase) Monotribe + midi keyboard = fulll fledged synth though?

I probs need a bluetooth speaker for my kitchen area actually, what made the minirig ones good?
Which two did you get? Tbh the main reason I paid a bit extra for PO-33 was because it looked like it'd be fun on an obnoxious level even if I never figure it out.
They likely cost a good bit more than you're imagining, I paid £55

Possibly. I really should play with the Alesis Micron a friend left at mine years ago and never could be arsed collecting.

Minirigs are good in that they're small, robust, loud and sound good for what they are and have decent battery life. They've clearly got some dsp funkiness going on that makes them sound bigger than they are.

[kngen]

This seems to be as good a threat to post this query in as any:

I remember playing with a handheld sort of Kaoss pad thingy, prob about 7 or 8 years ago. It was about 9 inch by 9 inch, cream coloured and had a grid of small rubbery buttons lit by LEDs. It seemed to some sort of half music/half arty thing. You could draw patterns and it would create rhythms and melodies to coincide with the pattern. In other modes, the lights would act bounce up and down like LED meters, but measuring tempos of each loop you were creating (the X row being sound, the Y row being tempo) - there were lots of other fancy things it could do (presets with crazy patterns etc). In my limited time spent with it (about 15 mins) I couldn't work out if it had any actual musical use (although Keigo Oyamada has probably written a triple-LP with it), and it was eye-wateringly expensive, but it was a lot of fun.

I'd like to think it's like one of those pin sculpture executive toys that were ludicrously expensive when they first came out, but you can buy for pennies now, but I've a feeling that it was already super-limited when it I came across it, and now is worth even more money.

Anyone have the faintest idea what the fuck I'm talking about?

[thelittlemango]

I've got one of the Pocket Operators (the arcade version) and it's great, really simple to use and program and fun to put in your bag (buy a case as they're quite fragile since it's just a circuit board) and mess around with headphones on train journeys. You can link up different devices so that they synchronise which is fun too.

[NJ Uncut]

Pocket operator, play track number nine?
if you can sync with Caustic I will surely make you mine!

[Sebastian Cobb]

This seems to be as good a threat to post this query in as any:

I remember playing with a handheld sort of Kaoss pad thingy, prob about 7 or 8 years ago. It was about 9 inch by 9 inch, cream coloured and had a grid of small rubbery buttons lit by LEDs. It seemed to some sort of half music/half arty thing. You could draw patterns and it would create rhythms and melodies to coincide with the pattern. In other modes, the lights would act bounce up and down like LED meters, but measuring tempos of each loop you were creating (the X row being sound, the Y row being tempo) - there were lots of other fancy things it could do (presets with crazy patterns etc). In my limited time spent with it (about 15 mins) I couldn't work out if it had any actual musical use (although Keigo Oyamada has probably written a triple-LP with it), and it was eye-wateringly expensive, but it was a lot of fun.

I'd like to think it's like one of those pin sculpture executive toys that were ludicrously expensive when they first came out, but you can buy for pennies now, but I've a feeling that it was already super-limited when it I came across it, and now is worth even more money.

Anyone have the faintest idea what the fuck I'm talking about?

Sounds like a Yamaha Tenori-on.



Little Boots uses one. Seem to go for around £400 used, so not toy prices.

You an get a teenage engineering opz for that, or cheaper controllers to use on a computer.

[kngen]

That's the one - cheers!

[kngen]

teenage engineering opz

... and there's another thing to add to the big list of shit I shouldn't buy but really, really want to.

It all seems an awful long way from the QY10 I got to spend a weekend with in 1991. (I still have the Detroit techno-style song I made with that on a tape somewhere. I was very proud of that ...)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Less gadgety, but I treated myself to this lamp a few weeks ago. £13, IKEA.

[Twed]

Is it behind the owl?

[peanutbutter]

I've got one of the Pocket Operators (the arcade version) and it's great, really simple to use and program and fun to put in your bag (buy a case as they're quite fragile since it's just a circuit board) and mess around with headphones on train journeys. You can link up different devices so that they synchronise which is fun too.

ebay is saying cases are a minimum of £20... can I just wrap it in bubble wrap instead?

[thelittlemango]

A case isn't essential if it's just for home and tucked in a sturdy bag pocket or something, but if it's rattling around a bad then it could get fucckkeeddd uppp. Or turn it self on and start bleeping away.

[Blue Jam]

Meat thermometer

[Blue Jam]

Does this count as a gadget?

The Traveler's Company fountain pen is made in Japan. When open it's an elegant, high quality pen that will last forever. When closed it's a rugged little cylinder you can throw in your pocket or your bag without worrying about it. And because it's solid brass it only gets nicer as it wears.

Want... How smoothly do they write? I got a lovely Cross fountain pen for Christmas last year but could do with a "beater" for everyday use and which will look nicer and more steampunk as it wears.

[QDRPHNC]

Want... How smoothly do they write? I got a lovely Cross fountain pen for Christmas last year but could do with a "beater" for everyday use and which will look nicer and more steampunk as it wears.

They write wonderfully well. I watched a couple of reviews on Youtube (here's one) before I bought mine, and even a few people who test $500 pens for a living said this quickly became their favourite everyday writer.

I actually found the pen through getting into the Traveler's Company notebooks. They're leather covers which hold various types of paper and other bits and pieces in place. Much like the pen, you buy them once and they'll last forever.

[Blue Jam]

Cheers for that QDRPHNC, I may ask Santa for one of those.

Mr Jam got me a Build Your Own Synth Kit from Technology Will Save Us and I loved it and went and bought an Arduino kit to go with it:

https://www.techwillsaveus.com/shop/educational-gifts/

Educational for kids, fun for nerdy adults.

An Arduino Uno is also an option if you're buying gifts for an über nerd. The Arduino Cookbook by Michael Margolis is a good manual to start with:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arduino-Cookbook-Michael-Margolis/dp/0596802471

[studpuppet]

They write wonderfully well. I watched a couple of reviews on Youtube (here's one) before I bought mine, and even a few people who test $500 pens for a living said this quickly became their favourite everyday writer.

If you want something similar there's also the Kaweco Sport - a 1930s 'pocket pen' design that went out of production but came back in the nineties, and now is made in plastic, aluminium and brass versions - the plastic ones are particularly good value.

[TrenterPercenter]

Right so i've treated myself with some birthday vouchers to a PO-33 KO and I have a question I know i will need answering before i will be able to do anything with it.

I was looking at this guide https://brianhilmers.com/projects/misc/po33/ko.php

and it says

Pattern Chaining

Press and hold pattern and select which patterns 1-16 to chain by pressing the corresponding key 1-16. Up to 128 patterns can be chained. One pattern can be selected multiple times, for example: 1,1,1,4 plays pattern 1 three times then moves on to pattern 4. After the last pattern is played the sequence will start over again

Basically what does the author mean by "pattern" are they considering each number is a "pattern" i.e. a sound (or 4 sounds layered) so you sequence 16 "patterns" and save it to number 1 or is a pattern a whole sequence of numbers/keys across the 16 keys. (therefore the 128 chained patterns are actually just 8x play throughs of the 1-16 sequence).

I suspect it is the latter considering the size of it.  It just seems ambiguous how the author has written it.

[boki]

Cushions that look like friendly poos.

[boki]

Oooops, thought this was Google.

[peanutbutter]

Right so i've treated myself with some birthday vouchers to a PO-33 KO and I have a question I know i will need answering before i will be able to do anything with it.

I was looking at this guide https://brianhilmers.com/projects/misc/po33/ko.php

and it says

Basically what does the author mean by "pattern" are they considering each number is a "pattern" i.e. a sound (or 4 sounds layered) so you sequence 16 "patterns" and save it to number 1 or is a pattern a whole sequence of numbers/keys across the 16 keys. (therefore the 128 chained patterns are actually just 8x play throughs of the 1-16 sequence).

I suspect it is the latter considering the size of it.  It just seems ambiguous how the author has written it.

Ehhh, so I have barely read how to use it yet, been enjoying blindly playing with it, but I think it's that you can do 16 individual patterns, each of which can use 4 of the 16 sounds across it's 16 beats, then you can sequence them but I'm not sure what the limit on sequencing is


It's really fucking fun though, really easy time sink. I've mostly been just putting fragments of songs onto it and trying to recreate them so far