
Ask HN: Best birthday gifts for developer friends? - swyx
I have a best friend that has his birthday in a few weeks and I&#x27;m at a loss for gift ideas, so just soliciting some. He&#x27;s in his early 30s, and pretty much has the money to buy whatever he actually needs, so probably something fun&#x2F;frivolous&#x2F;surprisingly useful would be great.<p>I of course would prefer it to last rather than be a oneoff novelty thing, but am open to ideas!<p>Feel free to also name a good gift you yourself got.
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rdegges
I'm a developer in my early 30s, similar situation. Here are some cool gifts I
would like, maybe it'll give you some ideas!

\- A solar powered battery pack (so I can go camping and charge devices/etc.)
\- Books! If your friend is really into a particular subject, a highly-rated
book on the subject would certainly make me happy. \- Shirts. I'm a little
picky with clothing in general, but I do really enjoy funny tech t-shirts. \-
Home office accessories. Things like exhaustion mats for standing desks,
posters to hang up, a mini fan, stuff like that. \- Food! Food is a
universally great gift =) \- A zoom dinner! My family recently did this: they
ordered food for us and we all ate together over zoom. Was really a nice way
to catch up and have a good time.

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Nextgrid
A good battery pack is actually a very nice idea for an utilitarian gift that
won't just be collecting dust. I didn't really need one but got one for free
and it often proves useful. Surprisingly enough in my case I use it mostly
where I can technically get to an outlet but a charger would be inconvenient
or a trip hazard (especially if people are drinking) so a portable battery is
handy.

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philipkiely
My go-to gift is always a book. Stripe press produces beautiful, interesting
hardcovers that gift well.

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swyx
thanks Philip! I'll go dig. I enjoyed reading Will Larson's book, I think that
was stripe press

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giantg2
Thinkgeek.com has both novelty and serious tech related gifts.

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swyx
thanks! I'll look around in it.

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billconan
mechanical keyboard

raspberry pi

