truly inspired holiday shopping

These are my top 10 picks for some truly unusual, beautiful, and possibly educational gifts for the hard-to-please....

Perfect for the science geek on your list, or the admirer of absurd-but-elegant things:

1) the acme klien bottle
buy it, and many variations of, right here:http://www.kleinbottle.com/

The same sort would also like:

2) Ferro electric Fluid (and a strong magnet)

available here: https://www2.carolina.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s

Youtube has many videos that give you a glimpse of the wondrous

possibilities of this substance...

For the Knitting or math fanatic:

3)Making Mathematics with Needlework :

Ten Papers and Ten Projects
by sarah-marie belcastro (Editor), Carolyn Yackel (Editor)

available here: http://www.akpeters.com/product.asp?ProdCode=3318

an exciting and unusual book for math enthusiasts and knitters alike!

For the Crafty, the mathematically minded, the arcane book-lover or the feminists on your list:

4.) A Field Guide to Hyperbolic Space:An Exploration of the Intersection of Higher Geometry and Feminine Handicraft

by Margaret Wertheim
For two thousand years mathematicians knew about only two kinds of geometry – the plane and the sphere. But in the early nineteenth century they became aware of another space in which lines cavorted in aberrant formations. Offending reason and common sense, this new space came to be known as the hyperbolic plane, in homage to its abundant excess of parallel lines. Though the formalities of this space were known for 200 years, it was only in 1997 that mathematician Daina Taimina finally worked out how to make a physical model of the hyperbolic plane. The method she used was crochet. Here, IFF director Margaret Wertheim presents a brief history of hyperbolic space and a field guide to its crocheted manifestations. This book is individually hand-made at the Triage Bindery.

available at:http://www.theiff.org/publications/index.html

Purchasing this book is an EXCELLENT excuse for trawling through the institute for figuring's many fascinating web pages of articles and images- a true gem.

For the Gardener, political mal-contetent, or any teenagers on the list, consider:

5.) environmental agit-prop tee shirts from

black sheep heap

available at:http://www.blacksheepheap.com/tshirts.html

Jennifer Harris' original designs are the latest in enviro-cool, and each one is lovingly hand-silk screened onto organic cotton shirts- support small-scale artistic enterprises!

For the Crafty, the tool-minded, or lover's of elegant utilitarian design:

6.) Hand Made 6" Fairtrade Sewing Shears!!!

These GORGEOUS shears are sure to please, and are a bargain.

Here's what they say:
"Finally, you've found the last pair of scissors you'll ever have to buy. And they're Fair Trade! These highly functional scissors work very well and are comfortable to use with strong blades and large finger rings. They were made in India by a family that has been making scissors for generations. The blades are hand-forged carbonized steel, and the handles are cast brass. Each pair is signed by the maker. "

to purchase a pair go to
http://store.gxonlinestore.org/scissors.html

This fairtrade online store has many intereseting fair-trade and recycled goodies for the loved one's on your list...

including:

For the ethically-minded jock on your list:

7.) Fairtrade sports balls!!!

yes, beautiful, professional-quality equipment made in good, non-sweatshop conditions by people who make a decent living wage. now your loved one can go out and have fun on the field guilt-free!

well,

almost.

Anyway, such items, glossy and new are available from the same people who bring you the scissors, above at: http://store.gxonlinestore.org/index.html

or go directly to the source at:
http://www.fairtradesports.com/gearshop/
for full line of footballs, soccer balls,volley balls, frisbees etc.

For The truly World-Weary and Jaded, or the nice and concerned on your list:

8.) Donate to a good cause in their name!

maybe they are hard to shop for because they have all they need, but so many others do not!

my favorites:

OXFAM UK has a lovely range of giving options, from beehives and mango trees to clean drinking water and cattle for those who need it most. The UK site offers nicer options than the US one...

• KIVA allows you to give a loan(or part of one) to an entrepreneur in the developing world. As they pay it back, you can re-invest in someone Else's project, or recoup your money.

• Second Harvest of Acadiana and New Orleans (http://www.no-hunger.org/) gives food and more to those who need it right here in the USA. After Katrina the need for their services has doubled, and they have continued to fight the good fight undaunted.

• There are, of course, other branches of Second Harvest around the country, and a donation to a local one would also make a good gift...

• Amnesty International fights for the rights our very own country tries to deny.
  
  
  For the Romantic, the music-lover, or the stressed, harried and over-worked:

9.) A CD of really wonderful guitar music by Alec Stone Sweet!

He has two solo recordings, out on Solid-Air records, "Memory&Praise",which is a collection of mostly celtic music, and his latest "Tumblin' Gap" which features appalacian mountain music played clawhammer-style on the guitar! both are unique, virtuosic, and infectious listening!

For more info on Alec's guitar playing go to: http://islandia.law.yale.edu/alecstonesweet/guitarpage.html

and to buy CD's try: http://www.solidairrecords.com/

Lastly-And my family should skip this section, because it lists what you are ALL getting for Christmas and will spoil your surprise-

For anyone dreaming of other places, for those counting the days, and for the disorganized(that's ALL of us, right?):

10.) A lovely calendar packed with gorgeous, original photos all taken by me,

from this year's travels.There are pictures from Venice, Dijon, Thailand, Cornwall and more!

The "Places Far & Near "Calendar is available for perusal and online purchase at:

http://www.zazzle.com/elaboratory/product/158551237367217160
and is the perfect solution for that hard-to-shop-for loved one...