GEEKNOTE:  This week, I'm going to give you 10 great ideas for the computer owner on your list.  Some are very expensive, some not expensive at all. Enjoy.

1.  A new computer.  I can't tell you how many people I know who are nursing along an antique computer five to 10 years old.  They complain about how slow the Internet is when in reality, it is the fact that they are using a gig of the 256 meg of memory their computer came with way back when.  Whether you get them a notebook or a desktop, you will make their day Christmas morning if you swap out that boat anchor they have been using all these years.

2.  A new monitor.  If that special person on your list has an old tube display, this is a no brainer.  Big flat screen displays are very affordable and don't generate near the heat those old things do.

3.  A new keyboard.  I like the "natural" one I have at home, but some folks don't like them.  New keyboards start at $15 or so and go up.  You might even consider a nice wireless keyboard / mouse combo, but be sure to install the batteries for them before Christmas morning.

4.  A new mouse.  I go through mice regularly.  It may have something to the hardwood floor under my computer desk and how often I send the mouse sailing floorward.  Mice come in a variety of styles, colors and both wired and wireless. We even have pink ones if your geek is a "geekette".

5.  A backup software package.  These generally run about $50 a year and will save your special person a lot of pain WHEN their hard drive croaks or when their machine becomes so eaten up with bugs that it needs to be completely redone.

6.  A support subscription.  If you are the person they call when something breaks, you might consider this a gift to yourself.  With a support subscription, they get to call someone else when things aren't working quite right.  We've got the tools to make this easier for us than you.  I've got some senior customers on support agreements for whom  I can generally remote in and fix their problem before then can finish telling me what isn't working.

7.  A notebook skin.  These are stick on graphics that adhere to the top of a notebook and dress them up.  There are a bunch on the market and there are some companies that will even take your photo and create a custom skin for you.  Other than the custom skins, these are quite inexpensive.

8.  A mousepad.  These come in all sorts of styles and often have pictures.  These qualify as inexpensive stocking stuffers.

9.  A cable management system.  Relatively inexpensive, these kits let you gather up that tangle of wires and make things look a little less like a rat's nest.

10.  An idiots guide to computers.  These come in a variety of topics and I'm not too proud to tell you that I own one of them myself.  The "Complete Idiot's Guide" series are great books and they will help your special someone learn all the stuff that wasn't in the instruction manual that the computer manufacturer never included.

There are no doubt lots of other possibilities.  Leave any gift questions in the comments section below and I'll be happy to address them.

As always, feel free to drop me a note or give me a call if you have any questions about your computer or the Internet.

Rob Marlowe, Senior Geek, Gulfcoast Networking, Inc.
http://www.gulfcoastnetworking.com

(Rob also serves as deputy mayor of the City of New Port Richey. Opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily represent the position of the city.)