TILLMANS WISH LIST
The Season of Presents
To aid those folks who would like to shower me with gifts (thanks!), I've put together a wish list of things that are pretty appealing to me. Reading through this list, you should get a feel for what I like and what I'm interested in these days. I'll even try to keep the list somewhat up to date :-)
Books
Note: Some of these books might seem kind of ``dry''. Don't worry about that; if a book is on this list it's because I really want it :-).
- The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type, a highly recommended book on graphic design and typrography
- The Tao of Network Security Monitoring: Beyond Intrusion Detection, by Richard Bejtlich. ISBN 0321246772.
- Revising Prose by Richard Lanham, ISBN: 0205309453
- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll
- The Hot Gates, a book about the story of the battle of Thermopylae.
Music
Note that I don't have a record player, 8-track player, or casette deck, so I'm pretty much limited to CDs, MP3s, and anything from the iTunes store or that iTunes can play. iTunes rocks. Also, if you have access to nas.seekingfire.prv, you can see what I already have in electronic form.
- Music from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dread_Zeppelin
- Anything by Lord Buckley, a crazy cat from the 1950s
- The Lords of Acid (you'll probably have to check second-hand stores)
- Tom Waits, Blue Valentine album (I love the '29 Dollars (and an Alligator Purse)' song)
- Blues: Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker
- iTunes stuff
Movies
Note that I don't have a VHS player, so all movies need to be on DVD or Blu-Ray.
- Anything Muppets related. Jim Hensen was a genius. I've got the first 2 seasons already.
- Wizards
- Flashback
Toys
- A sextant and a book on how to use it for navigation. Be careful if buying a used one -- if it's been dropped and the arc is even slightly bent, it'll be inaccurate.
- Really nice contoured in-ear headphones, like the stuff from Shure. They sometimes have free shipping specials which are worth keeping an eye out for. Another brand, 6i Isolator is supposed to be really good too.
Computer Stuff
- A Kodak digital picture frame, the wireless models (W820 or W1020, 8 inches and 10 inches respectively). These are really cool. They wirelessly grab pictures from my file server and display them like a photograph in a frame. FutureShop carries them in Regina, so quite possibly BestBuy does too.
- A Mac Mini for the TV. These are one of the best inventions ever for a second computer, and I already have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to use with it from the couch ...
- Mac games. A good place to get them in Canada is amazon.ca ... click on 'software' at the top, then on 'Mac games'.
House & Home
- That gentleman's clothes horse thing at the Antique Mall. I like to lay my clothes for work out the day before, and this is perfect for that.
- Wool sweaters. I'm starting to really like wool, and winter is a good time for sweaters.
Tools
Cooper Tools is a good place to get quality stuff in Regina.
- An accurate mechanics micrometer, good up to at least 5mm (about 0.2 inches).
Motorcycling & Camping
Dennis Kirk is a reasonable web site to buy motorcycle stuff from, though since they ship from the States there's often Duty. Motovan also comes recommended though their site is harder to use as they're aimed more at dealers. For local dealers, I have a great relationship with Thunder City. I've heard that ProItalia is a popular place to order Ducati accessories from online, and I've ordered stuff from DesmoTimes with great results. For wearable gear, NewEnough has great prices and has been reliable.
- Coconut socks! Get them at Roadgear. They're supposed to be super comfortable and all-natural fibers. And they're made out of coconuts, how can you go wrong with that?!
- Ducati carbon fibre parts, especially the bit that goes around the key switch on the front of the tank ("tank cover") and the bit for the instrument surround ("dash trim"). Ducati sells some of their own "official" stuff, and for the aftermarket the folks at the Ducati.ms forums seem to like the quality of the Feathercarbon stuff (though long delivery times and a lack of communication have been mentioned by some folks) -- the ST Tank Cover and Heel Plates would fit on my bike.
- Really nice goggles to wear with the half-helmet. I did a quick Google seach (gah, google and goggle -- easy to typo) and it looks like there's lots of nice goggles in the $30-$50 range.
- Heated handgrips kit for a standard 7/8 inch handlebar.
- A back-support belt, like the Back-A-Line
- Some form of bike mounted video camera system so I can take videos of my rides. I'm not sure what's good these days ... there's probably some reviews out there that are more recent than my outdated knowledge. Maybe check webbikeworld.com for current reviews.
Mechanical Watches
I've always loved mechanical watches. They're less accurate than a cheap dollar-store quartz and require ongoing maintenance, but they have a sense of craftsmanship, a human feel much like the engine of a classic motorcycle. I know that these watches are semi-outrageous gifts and so they're meant for those really big once-in-a-lifetime events. Watch prices tend to vary wildly, so it can really pay to shop around. Also, second-hand watches that have been recently serviced can often be a good way to get some classic pieces.
I tend to prefer very simple and clean designs, with long thin hands and a white or black face, and the main body tending towards thinner and less featureful (though a power reserver indicator or a partially exposed movement is pretty cool). I like watches that look good with plain leather straps (usually black) rather than metal bracelets because I have a metal allergy.
- Smaller private-label brands (tend to be rarer and cheaper):
- Major brands (tend to be easier to find but more expensive):
- Tag Heuer, "Carrera" automatic series
- IWC Portuguese, especially the Portuguese Automatic in white with the blue hands and the Portofino automatic series
- Jaeger LeCoultre, "Master Control" series automatic
- Blancpain, "Villeret" series automatic
- Corum Golden Bridge
- Piaget Altiplano with the round case and white background
Outrageous Stuff
These are meant for those of my friends and family that happen to win the lottery :-)
- Ducati 900SS or SP (more or less the same thing) or FE (Final Edition, same thing and the last year made) but not the SS CR, from the years 1992 to 1998. The last few years are likely better from a maintainance point of view since there was lots of incremental improvements over the years.
- Ducati bevel-drive 750ss or 900ss from the 1974/5 timeframe. These are extremely rare and beyond "collectible" ... they're a piece of motorcycle history.
- A trip to see the Isle of Man TT
- A tour of the Alps or New Zealand on a motorcycle, through a company like Edelweiss
