Ask HN: What to get for my brother's 50th birthday? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What to get for my brother's 50th birthday?

29 pointstelesilla72 comments

My brother, who works as hardware installation tech, is an absolute gem who loves communications hardware, radio and internet broadcast tech, cars, bikes, whiskey, camping. I've been looking for something magical, that he will find useful and unexpected.

Over the years I've bought him: expensive whiskey or bourbon, a metal detector, radio gear, antennas, camping gear.. I'm looking for something I wouldn't think of to surprise him. Even better, something he can do with the teenage kids.

Any ideas, of something you bought yourself or were gifted and love?

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For my 40th, my wife rented out a theatre and paid them to project my favourite film (2001 A Space Odyssey). It was all done in secret. My wife dropped me off in front of the theatre to look for parking (we were going shopping, or so she said), and then I noticed that the theatre had 2001 posters up with MY FACE photoshopped onto the characters. Talk about triggering an identity crisis! When I walked into the theatre with her all my friends were sitting ready to watch the movie. I am tearing up now just reminiscing :)

That's incredible. What a meaningful event, and a great inspiration.

For my 50th my wife rented a 13th century castle for a weekend, and got my friends to come stay the first night and my parents/brothers-and-their-families for the second. It was fantastic

Wow. This is a great idea. Terrible wifi, but great inspiration for planning mine and my wife's 50th.

Castles have bad network admins?

I'm guessing the issue is with the stone walls blocking WiFi.

A friend of mine bought me a fountain pen for my birthday. I expected to have it sit in my standard pile of pens, but no. I love that thing. I'd never have bought a fountain pen otherwise.

I've since purchased an inexpensive Muji pen. It comes with garbage ink, but I replaced that with a refillable cartridge and Parker ink. It's now my second favorite pen. (I say this simply to indicate that it doesn't have to be an expensive fountain pen.)

To follow up on the pen idea. Tactile Turn pens are popular with the EDC crowd. https://tactileturn.com/pages/shop

For a buddy’s 40th we contacted as many of his friends and family as we could find, and asked them to make a short video telling a joke/story/greeting for him. Then we hired some of his favorite TV show stars to do the same via Cameo - Billy D. Williams was hilarious! We stitched it all together in iMovie and surprised him with it.

We got folks he hadn’t seen in a decade to say hi. We got poetry, jokes, even videos with painting people made him. His dad drove to their old neighborhood and took him on a short walking tour. We got his mom to give us pictures of him as a kid to cut in (gotta include that ubiquitous tub shot!).

When we showed it to him and we recorded his reaction and set that as a screen-in-screen video back to everyone who contributed, and couldn’t come to the party (darn COVID!).

It was a big lift - lots of coordination - but as you get older, old friends are harder see and older relatives begin to pass. That video lasts forever, which is cool.

Such an amazing idea. I’m saving it.

Father, not brother, gifted me a guitar. Now, we're both amateur guitarists, as are some of my other brothers. In the last 5-10 years my dad has started to collect more guitars. He's nerdier than some of the tech details on guitars than I am (hardware, pickups, etc) but ... we both enjoy guitars.

My dad looked - for a long time - for a guitar that was made on my birthday.- same day and same year, then same month and year. He couldn't find anything that specific, but found something made the following month (which, in my mind, was probably being built a few days before, in my birth month).

So on my 50th birthday I was given a guitar with almost the same birthday as me. It was pretty cool :)

There may not be interests that align with that sort of timetable directly, but perhaps that can spark an idea. I just priced out some 50 year old whiskey, and... that may be too much :)

How about a flipper zero! https://flipperzero.one/

I love it! So many times I've could have used one of those... Unfortunately not in stock at the moment :(

Yeah, looks amazing. I was sold on the idea after reading the description, but saw it was out of stock when I went to purchase. :(

They're supposedly coming back in stock soon, fwiw

"Back in stock" - I'm still waiting on my 12 month delayed Kickstarter ;-)

Personally I love being gifted experiences. One year I got a tandem skydiving experience for my significant other and I, it was awesome. Another year I purchased my SO and I an intro to pottering throwing class that was fun too. Perhaps you could try something like an aerial tour of the area that they live in? Seeing where you live from the sky is really fun.

I once found a 2 hour introductory flight lesson on groupon that I gifted as a birthday present. They had a great experience.

This can be very dangerous - they may like it so much they end up spending $15-20k+ on a pilot license.

Only caveat with this is that it could potentially be a hindrance for someone getting life insurance.

I recently applied to a couple companies and they all asked me if I had flown an airplane in the last 12 months.

I would not have known better to even consider this. Useful to know!

Eh, if you're just doing lessons then I wouldn't count that. The instructor is the one piloting the plane. Even if you take control, they're the one responsible for the aircraft as the instructor. I would only answer yes to that question if you solo.

That doesn't mean they'll reject your application. I doubt they would reject based on a single lesson.

Some old photos of you cats together at different stages of your lives. Put them in a nice scrap book. Write a thoughtful message at the end.

Assuming "bike' means "motorcycle": Get him time and instruction on a motorcycle track. There are non-racing focused skills based track days; i was just at one with ages of participants spanning 19 to 78(!). What a way to get your head somewhere else for a day! If you give me a region, i might be able to make some recommendations.

His wife made him give up his motorbike when they had kids! She'd not appreciate that from me :)

the track is the safest place to be! everyone's going the same way, the roads are meticulously well maintained, and there are no cops!

(I know a few people who exclusively track their bikes now to the point that they're not even plated any more; it's just where they want to go to enjoy the skills, and they've kind of lost interest in road riding entirely)

> the track is the safest place to be! everyone's going the same way, the roads are meticulously well maintained, and there are no cops!

anecdotal, but in my experience with driving race cars : tracks are pretty far from meticulously well maintained.

perhaps meticulously documented; "T12s soft berm had been eroding for years, take a rain line around it.", but rarely meticulously maintained.

that said, maybe motorcycles have a different experience?

i think "significantly better maintained than public roads" is sufficient. "meticulous" might be a stretch, but for the most part, track condition is not something you have to worry about to the degree you have to keep an eye out for tar snakes and potholes and oil slicks and whatnot on the road -- and in the event of trouble, you have corner workers who will tell you about it, too!

Motorcycle tracks are a different experience. You walk the track to get rid of debris; identify potential challenges. With no cage around you it’s a different ball game. Its still dangerous but proper gear mitigates some of the risk. I’ve had a couple of low sides on the track with no long term effects.

Are you suggesting a motorcycle course within the metaverse, preferably with swords? Your nick and bio are excellent for Snow Crash fans :)

if you want to race in the digital desert, i'll be out there. But i recommend some serious meatspace time.

just .. the guy with the harley and no neck? leave him alone.

Probably extreme in terms of budget but maybe a Pinzgauer 710M to use as an adventure/radio truck. I know a few folks who've built these out and it's a whole lifestyle but it sounds like it might line up with what he likes.

Was he into tech as a kid? Maybe something vintage that got him interested in tech as a kid that he can share with his own kids.

Yes he works in tech on the hardware side, he always regretted not being a programmer but I think he has more fun than me, given how stuffed full his office is of solder irons and boxes full of random connectors. Plus he gets to go outside and install equipment.

So not useful as such, but I once had a pile of old computer and electronics magazines, and would give people their birth month edition. You should be able to find 1972 ones fairly easily; Wireless World was around then, not sure what else. They're great fun looking at predictions and adverts of the time.

Maybe some LoRa goodies. Or a book about one of those topics you mentioned that maybe your brother hasn’t actually gotten too deep into.

Here's a link if you're wondering what LoRa goodies might look like: https://www.adafruit.com/?q=lora&sort=BestMatch

I don't know your brother so it would be hard to think of the perfect gift, but I do think that the best gifts are those that let us create something with them and express ourselves. It can be something as simple as a pencil or expensive as a machine. I would think what he enjoys doing and then about a gift that would help him expand his horizon.

Victorinox Cybertool

https://www.victorinox.com/global/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Kni...

Got that as a gift about 22 years ago, still use it at least once a month.

Mine got stolen by baggage handlers from checked luggage when I first flew to France 5 years ago. I now use the Camping version I bough when I was in grade school.

Same here!

Is he into standup desks? https://www.surfmouse.io/ is something that I just discovered. Mine is still in shipping (ordered 2 days ago) so I can't review (or for that matter be sure it isn't a scam...).

A mechanical keyboard if he doesn't have one. Not everyone likes them and there are lots of different switches that fans argue about which is best about. If he hasn't tried one it is a great gift.

Out of stock everywhere, but if you can get one a Fisher-Price - Chatter Telephone with Bluetooth is one of those cute things that many people will like to have on their desk (I'm not sure if anyone will use it more than once)

I'm a little over 2 years away from that point myself.

It depends on how much you want to spend or spend with a group... but a life experience is always a great gift. maybe even a course?

I know I'd get a huge kick out of something like a blacksmithing course... or something like that.

I got a set of kitchen knives, medium++ quality. That was a great gift because I occasionally cook and never have anything appropriate.

I very much like the japanese chef knive (large rectangle one).

After that I got an electric sharpener (chef choice 15xv)

Go for a hike with him. Time shared together is most valuable in my opinion.

An FPV drone!

It's kinda like racing a motorcycle and flying. Not talking about a DJI drone, but something that's amenable to hacking and fixing because you'll crash a lot when you start. It's a wide ranging hobby, and sounds like your brother could leverage some of the skills he already has.

Depending on the budget, could start with something like a tiny whoop [0] that fits in the palm of your hand or a 4" quad that has a 20km range [1].

There are a lot of sub-genres within the FPV community, from racing [2], to bandos [3] (acrobatic flying around/in abandoned structure) to long range cinematic flying [4].

You have to have quick reflexes (so it's kind of like racing) but ultimately you're flying and getting such a different perspective. Could expand into HAM radio to get truly long range flying.

The FPV industry is going through such rapid progress and it's really fun to follow.

To start, you'd need:

- goggles (to see what the camera on the drone sees)

- Transmitter (control your drone)

- The drone itself

- Batteries and charger

I recently destroyed a motor on my tiny whoop so I had to learn how to solder. Considering the motor is the size of a penny that was by far the most precise work I've done.

It's a bit daunting to figure out all the pieces, but something like a tiny hawk bundle [5] is a great way to start.

0 https://www.getfpv.com/happymodel-mobula7-1s-75mm-analog-who...

1 https://flywoo.net/products/explorer-lr-4-v2-analog?_pos=12&...

2 https://youtu.be/bZvNLuC12R0?t=659

3 https://youtu.be/wzwW5vuuK5w?t=374

4 https://youtu.be/dIP7wWY4Znw?t=89

5 https://www.getfpv.com/fpv-quad-kits/emax-tinyhawk-iii-fpv-r...

A LM5072 Texas Instruments | PMIC - Power Over Ethernet Controller

A helicopter ride for you and him (and others if they'll fit) around where he lives or likes to camp. It's one thing to see your local places from an airplane, it was a completely different experience for me in a helicopter. If you can get one where the front seats have a window in the nose/floor and have him sit in the front with the pilot, that would probably be really cool for him.

Maybe go fly by some nearby broadcast/communications towers or something, too?

The lucky guy gets to fly on helicopters for his install jobs. I'm waiting for him to invite me on the next trip.

Ah! Darn. You should definitely try it, though! :)

Or a hot air balloon - if they have them in your area they can carry eight or more people.

Plants; favored vegetable, or tree to grow. Something ALIVE to celebrate his life!

On my wishlist ;)

Does he shave? How about something "vintage"... https://merkurshave.com/merkur-safety-razors/

if he likes cars, i'd HIGHLY recommend a 1-day course at Dirtfish up in Washington: https://drive.dirtfish.com/

caveat: i celebrated my "early" 50th this year at dirtfish. it was an absolutely incredible experience and i never realized how different car control in rally is vs on the track/street. completely mindblowing!

pro tip: if you can wait, they offer a 20% discount (+ $100 merch gift card) on black friday. :)

I know the ISS speaks to folks on Earth via ham radio - I don't know if those sessions are scheduled in any way, but talking to an Astronaut or Cosmonaut could be a treat for him.

Fortunately that's not something you can buy.

These contacts are occasionally scheduled with organizations (schools etc.), but unscheduled for the general public.

Exchanges tend to also be one short question (how does earth look from above right now?) and one short answer (earth looks beautiful), and then it's on to the next person. Not just due to congestion, but also because the ISS is only visible for a few minutes.

Find out what his first 8/16 bit computer was and get him one with some peripherals and OG games. At his age, and with the bourbon reference I’d guess a Commodore 64.

If you end up making an event out of the gift, you can always surprise him with custom realistic tickets to whatever you plan from stubforge.com

Or a Massey Ferguson 7250 DI Power Up tractor

He would love that! Pity the yard is too small to warrant the space it would take up in the garage.

Actually, if he has a power-tool brand he enjoys maybe splurge on something that uses the same batteries that he doesn't have or can't quite spend on.

For example, the Milwaukee lawn mower is highly rated but also kinda pricey.

In that area they also have some real nice tools for car working now, impact wrenches, etc. But you'd need to know what he currently has to find something nice to have.

I don’t get it. Is there something special about this tractor or why would it make a fun gift?

Born in 72 and 50 years old, hence a 7250 DI Power Up. Also yes, it looks fun.

Have the same question for the weekend. I'll give him mini gold bars, like 1 gram. For his retirement!

Nixie watch

An excellent suggestion, particularly a Round Nixie Watch from Cathode Corner, which has famous adherents including Woz. Also, how about a One Wheel?

For use in the woods, pretty neat.

A Leatherman.

A500 Mini

An arcteryx jacket

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