A Very Geeky Christmas

Yes, it was a very geeky Christmas for me (again) this year. Under the Festivus pole were:

• An Alesis MultiMix Firewire 8 mixer that I use for simultaneous multi-track recording with Apple's GarageBand. Technically, this was an early gift as I've used it to record two episodes of On Digital Media already and am very happy with the results.

• An AKG Perception 100 Studio Condenser Mic. (Arrived with the mixer as part of a bonus pack. Needs a shockmount...)

• A 5.1 Home Theatre System. Inexpensive and only 80 watts, but it does the job in our small living room.

• A SanDisk Cruzer Micro 1 GB USB Memory Stick. (My brother thought it was a good stocking stuffer...)

And finally, the geekiest (but really, most practical) gift I received this year:

• A CampCo Safari Photographers Vest with a bazillion pockets.

This is a must-have for business travel. I can fit nearly every gadget, wallet, sunglasses, watch, notebook, iPod, book, keys, tickets and other paperwork in this thing and not have to worry about getting through security. I just take the vest off, stick it in one of those silly plastic tubs that the TSA gives me and send the whole thing through the x-ray machine. Done.

I have a Scott eVest Fleece that I use most of the time but sometimes, the weather is just too warm to wear it. (For instance, my upcoming trip to CES in Las Vegas, where I'll be speaking on a panel about podcasting.) Yes, I'll look like a big dork getting to and from the airport, but it's so convenient, I just don't care.

;)

[tags]Gadgets, Alesis Multimix Firewire 8, AKG Perception 100, SanDisk Cruzer Micro, CampCo Safari Photo Vest, Durabrand, Home Theatre System, Surround Sound, Recording, Audio, Podcasting, Scott eVest, Travel, Business Travel, CES, Las Vegas, TSA[/tags]