The Glade 4.0

A really good friend of mine, with whom I usually exchange gifts, is being deployed to Afghanistan in like January/February, and I'm wondering what I should get him for Christmas that he would (a) be able to take with him and (b) find useful/enjoyable to have over there. Anything up to like $250 range works. Not sure if it makes a difference in terms of practical gift ideas, but he's a doctor going as a GMO (General Medical Officer) in a forward area, so while I don't think he'll be heading out on patrols or anything, he also won't be in a full-on hospital/base in one of the cities either.

Anyway, suggestions would be appreciated!

An iPod. One with a lot of memory, and a gift card to iTunes so he can load it with fun apps/games and music.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

The iPod is great if he doesn't already have one. Whatever you get him, keep it small (as in physically small). They load you down with enormous amounts of gear and you're only allowed so many bags to pack it in. Physically bulky items are not good.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

The most enjoyable thing for me was a PSP. I could play games, watch movies, surf the net (when there was a wireless connection), listen to music, etc.

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~Tolyn~

"A penny for your thoughts; $20 to act it out."

I've got a friend who just got back from Afghanistan who really loved having an iPod around. I think she had an iPod Touch. She used it to connect to IM clients and talk to her family and such.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

I'll second the iPod, or perhaps an e-reader?

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Now that you mention it, Kaffis, an e-reader is probably an even better idea than an iPod, especially since almost everyone already has some kind of music playing gadget. Books are bulky; an e-reader is not. I wish I'd had one.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

iPod Touch + Kindle software = best of both worlds?

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All pretty pricey gifts.

For a friend, you may not want to pay so much. Find out what he has, and get him a gift card to support it (i.e. ebook gift card or itunes gift card).

He did say a $250 limit.

However, if you want to go the gift card route, phone cards are always handy. I believe AT&T gives the best ratio of actual minutes - card minutes on overseas calls, although that could have changed. Whatever kind AAFES sells is the best.

Also, please let your firend know there is a number (may be more than one, I can't remember) you can dial from a theater phone that dials into an air force base or something in Europe and thereby allows you to make your calls as if you were in the US, getting 1:1 minutes on your card. I don't know if I still have the number still lying around, if it still works, or the exact dialing procedure, but IIRC you dialed this number then went through the phone card dialing kabooky dance. If he asks around though, someone probably will know.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Missed it.

Or the Nook app. However, display size and LCD vs. e-ink both make doing your reading on an iOS or Android app less desirable than doing the same reading on an e-ink display.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

All great ideas; thanks folks. I'm pretty sure he has an iPod, but not a PSP or an e-reader, so I'm strongly leaning toward one of those.

And DE, I'll definitely tell him to ask around about that phone number.

I'm looking around for the notebook with the number in it. I know I still have it, I'll PM it to you if I find it. It may not be still active (who knows, they change stuff all the time) but I'm sure another simialr one is.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."