Hive mind help? Gift for young man... microscope???

[Paladin3]

I generally like presents for children and teens that lead them to productive activities of some kind. A fishing pole, football or microscope, combined with the drive and interest to use such, is a far better gift than a video game. I had a bunch of different interests as a young man that I never pursued to any real extent since I was mostly left to my own devices in my early teen years.

Will your young man maintain sufficient interest in biology to warrant an expensive microscope? The last time I got interested in peeking at the microscopic world I spent the day watching Youtube videos on the subject and satisfied the urge, but if as a kid I had been taken out to, say, a local pond to catalog the microbiology by an adult it might have helped spark a life-long interest. If you have an interest in microbiology, sharing that will be as much of a gift as the physical microscope itself. But it will be a waste if it ends up forgotten in a closet.

And $2k for an Apple computer is nuts. $500-$600 will get you a PC that will do everything any Apple computer will. I love my iPhone, but unless you need to run some exotic software that isn't Windows compatible stick to PC.

 

[randay]

He can just use his new mac book to google images of things under microscope. Get him a $400 pair of shoes instead.

 

[sdifox]

22 posts and no one has suggested hookers and blow. I'm so disappointed in you fellows.

Lol, did you look at post 22?

 

[sdifox]

Oh, cool. So that's something the kid might really like... that's good to hear. I mean, I just dreamed this up based on what I remember from back then. I had fun with that tiny microscope.

Most of the gifts I got then made almost no impression on me. Money, you forget who gave you money. I think someone gave me a cheap hand held telescope, the kind you see in movies about 1800's sailing ships! There's not a lot you can do with one of those! I was also given a ring by my uncle who sold diamonds to jewelry shops. It had a tiny diamond in it, my uncle called it a "chip!" Don't know what eventually became of it. I wore it for a while. I got a lot of cuff links, tie clips, and a little leather circular case you keep those in! I still have that. But I don't use cuff links or tie clips, so ....

Err that was like 36 years ago. Pretty sure kids are into different things now.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

That's the right answer. A microscope is a GREAT gift for .001% of boys that age and a complete waste for everyone else. If you're not completely sure which group he's in pass.

I was that kid and got a microscope and telescopes. I can say that cheap is suck for either but there are a couple exceptions

Reviews besides amazon's are good too

 

[Muse]

I generally like presents for children and teens that lead them to productive activities of some kind. A fishing pole, football or microscope, combined with the drive and interest to use such, is a far better gift than a video game. I had a bunch of different interests as a young man that I never pursued to any real extent since I was mostly left to my own devices in my early teen years.

Will your young man maintain sufficient interest in biology to warrant an expensive microscope? The last time I got interested in peeking at the microscopic world I spent the day watching Youtube videos on the subject and satisfied the urge, but if as a kid I had been taken out to, say, a local pond to catalog the microbiology by an adult it might have helped spark a life-long interest. If you have an interest in microbiology, sharing that will be as much of a gift as the physical microscope itself. But it will be a waste if it ends up forgotten in a closet.

And $2k for an Apple computer is nuts. $500-$600 will get you a PC that will do everything any Apple computer will. I love my iPhone, but unless you need to run some exotic software that isn't Windows compatible stick to PC.

I totally agree with you. I've personally never bought anything Apple (uh, that didn't grow on a tree!). Been PC since I bought a used Windows 3.1 desktop about 1993. I wouldn't bother trying to convince my relatives to abandon their preference to Macs. Macs have always had certain advantages for certain users, e.g. graphics designers, certain media types.

I hardly ever see those kids. Besides, I don't have any kind of education in microbiology. Their dad is an M.D. So was their grandfather and great grandfather. It would surprise noone if those kids are interested in life sciences. It doesn't bother me to think a gift microscope wouldn't be used by them. I figure kids should be allowed to develop their own way. I don't have kids. I figure having kids is a monumental challenge, one that hopefully allows you to grow in your own way and your kids to grow in their own way.

I don't remember how I found out you could observe one celled animals with my microscope. It really was easy. Somebody probably just told me in a couple of minutes. It was fun, but I didn't pursue it, never took any classes in biology. I was too busy making my way in the mathematical sciences, at least for major academic focus. I did take lots of electives at the U, but they weren't in science.

 

[fralexandr]

Fyi Stereoscopic/dissection/inspection microscopes plus some surgical/fine point tweezers are also good for removing splinters hah. I don't know about you, but I got quite a few splinters as a kid. I still have some in my hands.

 

[Muse]

Fyi Stereoscopic/dissection/inspection microscopes plus some surgical/fine point tweezers are also good for removing splinters hah. I don't know about you, but I got quite a few splinters as a kid. I still have some in my hands.

Ah, good point. I suppose a ~20x stereoscopic microscope is a good one for removing splinters. I have good tweezers, various magnifiers, nothing like a scope for that.

 

[Muse]

I was that kid and got a microscope and telescopes. I can say that cheap is suck for either but there are a couple exceptions

Reviews besides amazon's are good too

That's a nice looking scope, just checked it out a bit. Stereo is nice. Maybe I'll get him that one, and one for his younger brother. I suppose it's easier to use, potentially more engaging than that binocular scope. Optional battery operation too, so can use "in the field."

 

[Muse]

He can just use his new mac book to google images of things under microscope. Get him a $400 pair of shoes instead.

Having the hardware is fertile ground for imagination. Just googling? It's not "hands on." It's relying on other people's work.

 

[randay]

Having the hardware is fertile ground for imagination. Just googling? It's not "hands on." It's relying on other people's work.

completely disagree. youre wrong. the computer opens the whole universe to him. the microscope is much more narrowly focused(get it haha). its like comparing access to a public library and a single flathead screwdriver.

 

[snoopy7548]

completely disagree. youre wrong. the computer opens the whole universe to him. the microscope is much more narrowly focused(get it haha). its like comparing access to a public library and a single flathead screwdriver.

Also, there isn't porn on a microscope.

 

[IronWing]

Also, there isn't porn on a microscope.

You ain't seen Boomer's sex tape?

 

[snoopy7548]

You ain't seen Boomer's sex tape?

I did, but I thought it only came on microfiche...

 

[robphelan]

i would have loved a telescope more than a microscope.. also, some sort of drone might be cool. gift card to Amazon or iTunes.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hes turning 13, he will be a man.

Get him hookers and blow.

/thread

I was going to say porn but this works too.

 

[IronWing]

i would have loved a telescope more than a microscope.. also, some sort of drone might be cool. gift card to Amazon or iTunes.

Mount a microscope on a drone. It will look like some kind of giant mosquito, freak people out.

 

[Muse]

OMG, I'm getting almost no flow toward my microscope gift concept. Gonna try rethinking this. I was leaning toward the stereo scope concept, i.e. this one, plus the 25 sample slide box, both from Amscope.

This <---- ???

Seriously, porn? Gift card? Drone? No mac? Nobody likes the ideas I had or was given. Well, almost.

 

[Muse]

completely disagree. youre wrong. the computer opens the whole universe to him. the microscope is much more narrowly focused(get it haha). its like comparing access to a public library and a single flathead screwdriver.

OK, then, the family's talking (decided) on giving him a ~2k Macbook...just contribute $400 to that? I'm not going to try to talk them into giving him a PC.

 

[IronWing]

OMG, I'm getting almost no flow toward my microscope gift concept. Gonna try rethinking this. I was leaning toward the stereo scope concept, i.e. this one, plus the 25 sample slide box, both from Amscope.

This <---- ???

Seriously, porn? Gift card? Drone? No mac? Nobody likes the ideas I had or was given. Well, almost.

That scope looks okay. The 80x will likely be useless as the depth of field will be very thin and low end scopes have the optics you pay for. The 20x and 40x should be okay. Built in lights are nice.

 

[randay]

OK, then, the family's talking (decided) on giving him a ~2k Macbook...just contribute $400 to that? I'm not going to try to talk them into giving him a PC.

Or you could give him something fun and cool. something noone would buy for him. something a 13 year old has no practical reason to own. basically figure out the dumbest use of your money and then figure out if a 13 year old kid would use it and then buy that thing. hence my original suggestion of $400 sneakers. or maybe $400 headphones. Just go look up some rappers with the tattoos on their face and see what they are doing with their money.

 

[sdifox]

Or you could give him something fun and cool. something noone would buy for him. something a 13 year old has no practical reason to own. basically figure out the dumbest use of your money and then figure out if a 13 year old kid would use it and then buy that thing. hence my original suggestion of $400 sneakers. or maybe $400 headphones. Just go look up some rappers with the tattoos on their face and see what they are doing with their money.

So a macbook pro.

 

[Muse]

Or you could give him something fun and cool. something noone would buy for him. something a 13 year old has no practical reason to own. basically figure out the dumbest use of your money and then figure out if a 13 year old kid would use it and then buy that thing. hence my original suggestion of $400 sneakers. or maybe $400 headphones. Just go look up some rappers with the tattoos on their face and see what they are doing with their money.

Headphones, well, if he's really an Apple guy, AFAIK (please inform me if wrong) they don't even have headphone jacks anymore.

Sneakers, gee whizz, I have no idea what kind of sneakers he'd like, or what his foot size is, and he'll probably outgrow them in 6 months anyway. A stereo microscope he could use HIS WHOLE LIFE if he has any interest in expanding hi vision. A microscope is an extension of your eyes. I'm not saying I'm right here, not saying you're wrong. Maybe both kids would leave the damn thing boxed up and never give a thought to using them.

Hey, these kids are in an exceptional family. Basically, everyone is a professional. Everyone gets a college education, most a higher education. Doctors, lawyers, a bank executive, executive civic administrators.... If the kids don't use their gifts, it's no kind of tragedy.

The easiest thing for me would to just add $400 to the Macbook kitty. I may give them each the ~$200 stereo scope and another $200 into the Mac kitty. I figure I have about another week to decide.

 

[Muse]

So a macbook pro.

Yeah, maybe just do that, simple. The scope may be a dumb idea.

 

[Sgt. York]

What kid wouldn't like an electric scooter? He could zip over to his best buddy's house and he could play games on the Mac you didn't contribute to.