gifts

This might have been more timely a week or two ago, but there's always Boss's Day (October 16th in case you were wondering) and the inevitable birthday. Regardless of the occasion, giving and receiving gifts are typically joyous experiences for both parties.

But when it comes to an employee giving his or her boss a gift, well, let's just say there might be a whole lot more going on there than meets the eye.

Your boss will likely think you're sucking up; dysfunctional executives love that sort of thing. But in fact, you're sending a … Read more

The buying is done, the presents have been unwrapped, the after-sales have yet to begin. I've dragged myself out of my Christmas-dinner-induced food coma long enough to ask which Christmas gadgets were hits, and which were disappointing lumps of coal?

Good thing this is a family blog because most of our gadgets were toys. Our 8-year old loved the WowWee Flytech Radio Control Dragonfly. She was able to overlook the fact that this toy was marketed to boys. After all, who wouldn't love a dragonfly? I spent the day wondering whether we'd make our way up the learning curve to work the controller before the dragonfly self-destructed during normal use. Yes, the dragonfly has to be ultralight, but with a styrofoam body and plastic fasteners (key elements that repeatedly popped off on "landing") we'll be lucky if the dragonfly lasts until New Year's Day. I was truly unimpressed by the remote control's engineering, particularly the connection between the remote's power cord and the dragonfly's body. The microscopic connection was hard to see and difficult to engage. Within a couple of hours I had to straighten out the connector pins. The good news is that dragonfly does fly, and one one spectacular run I actually got it stuck on our house's roof. My bad--thankfully we were able to back it out of the gutter via remote. My daughter is thrilled with the toy. I found it disappointing but maybe that's because at $40 a pop I am wondering how many minutes of fun we'll get out of this purchase. … Read more

Innovative gifts that can be ordered on the Internet can help to avoid shopping and dropping from the stress of loud, crowded stores. Plus, Web 2.0 presents can be tailored to individuals' tastes. Here's an assortment of some of the brightest gift ideas from Webware's writers.

Personal touch

This collection of gifts for Internet addicts, such as goodies for Second Life avatars or a year's worth of Web hosting, can enrich both virtual and offline worlds. These 20 sites crank out customized T-shirts, so friends and family can wear your heart on their chests. Feeling crafty? … Read more

If you're not sure what to give this holiday season, consider software. The benefits are compelling--here's a chance to connect hobbyist users with top programs they'll love, but may not buy on their own. Sponsoring a download for a friend or family member does you a favor, too, by avoiding the dense, grasping crowds at the electronics store and easing your worry that a boxed product bought online may arrive too late. Did we mention all the resources you save by ditching factory-made packaging?

Now that you're thoroughly convinced software downloads are the way to go, … Read more

It's that time of year in the U.S. when frenzied Christmas shoppers flood the malls, winter storms wreak havoc throughout the country, and singles fret about finding the perfect date for New Year's Eve.

Like you, the staffers at CNET Download.com aren't immune to our own year-end holiday distractions, but we hope to lighten your seasonal load with helpful gift ideas, winter desktop treats, and do-it-yourself tech projects perfect for family gatherings.

First off, there's only one week left until Christmas, but whatever you do, don't panic! If you've got someone on … Read more

The folks over at Make magazine are nutty and brilliant. Witness their open-source gift guide, inspiring for the electronics geek in us all. It's not the guide that's open-source, it's the gifts themselves: They're all hackable, and they're also (largely) on the cheap.

In essence, it's an irresistible gift guide for the serious tinkerer. Make your own LED menorah, modify a teeny Linux computer to your heart's content, or start your four-year-old out on her very own microcontroller board.

Read the fine print at Make: "Open source hardware gift guide"

We bet you know someone who does everything online, from banking to making friends, to kicking back. If you're stuck trying to find great gifts for the constant blogger, video vulture, or online socialite in your life, take a look at this virtual gift guide that shows you get it, and you care.

In the spirit of making holiday gift giving unnecessarily complicated, match each Internet player with his or her longed-for presents:

Xeni Jardin, Phil Torrone, Jimmy Wells, Ray Kurzweil, Timothy Ferriss, Amanda Congdon, Kevin Rose.

A Kindle, a retina-mounted "real reality augmenter," an iPhone, a home Hadron collider, a hybrid Mini, a better spam filter, a portable Mac.

Check out the full story with photos at Popular Science: "What Web celebs want"

It's getting down to the wire for holiday gift-giving. I am afraid I missed the boat for making recommendations in time for Hanukkah, and I am just starting on my Christmas list. With online shopping, I go right down to the deadline that regular shipping service can handle.

I've been looking for some cool gift ideas for the grandparents in our lives. The seniors I know are fairly tech-savvy in at least one area of their lives, if not totally enamored with gadgets. My Mom still doesn't like her cell phone but she is an eBay maven, … Read more