

Ask HN: What should I buy a "mentor" for a gift? - brianmcdonough

I want to buy a gift for a programmer who advised me as I learned rails and built www.lumeo.com over the past six months. It's kind of crazy, looking back now and the way things are going, and I want to show my appreciation. What would be a good gift?
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oboizt
Does he have a lot of little knick-knacks in his workspace? If so, you could
get some sort of geeky toy, like a usb rocket launcher. If not, get something
edible so he doesn't have another thing sitting around.

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brianmcdonough
I've never met him and never skyped with him so I'm not sure, but that's a
good, useful suggestion, the usb rocket launcher.

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brianmcdonough
Thanks for the great suggestions. After some searching, I went with an indoor
outdoor remote controlled helicopter and the message, "thanks for helping get
Lumeo off the ground."

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subrat_rout
It depends on your budget. Something like a good quality pen or a book wont
hurt. But for book you have to ask him for his taste though.

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mb_72
Perhaps some variant of a buckling spring / clicky / mechanical switched
keyboard? It's a lifetime-lasting gift.

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staunch
I like this. I don't know a programmer that wouldn't appreciate a high quality
keyboard, mouse, mousepad, chair, desk, monitor, speakers, headphones.

But..it can be tricky since people are so opinionated about these things.

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OafTobark
Ones that already have the ideal setup are usually not looking for a
replacement. It ideally would be something he would like but doesn't already
have.

These type of things are only good if what he got needs replacing or there is
a better product he's hesitant to upgrade to.

