The CTO Gift Guide (for the Buyer Who Procrastinates)

If you’re reading this with a dozen Amazon tabs open, and a vague sense that you’ve forgotten someone important on your Christmas list… 

Welcome. You’re among friends.

This week, I’m doing something a little different: a CTO Gift Guide for the buyer who procrastinates. It’s a roundup of my favorite things from the past year (and a few additional gifts thrown in for good measure) that I genuinely love, use, and would happily receive again if someone accidentally bought me a second one.

The “I Forgot and Now I Need a Win” Gift Guide 🎁 

1. Daylight DC-1

If you’re shopping for a friend who reads constantly, takes notes obsessively, and complains about eye strain… this is it.

The Daylight DC-1 looks like a tablet, but it behaves like paper. Its “Live Paper” display is reflective (like e-ink), but buttery smooth at 60fps. Writing on it feels incredible, reading is easy on the eyes, and it works beautifully in direct sunlight.

Is it expensive for a grayscale Android tablet? Yes.

Is it totally worth it? Also yes.

2. AirPods Pro

This one is simple: they just work AND you can even pick this up on your way to the holiday party.

Great noise cancellation, seamless Apple integration, and frequently discounted enough to feel like you pulled off a small heist. Perfect for travel, deep work, or tuning out Slack notifications for 30 blessed minutes.

This is for the procrastinator looking for a “safe bet” gift.

3. Nomatic Backpack

I travel a lot, and I’ve owned more backpacks than I care to admit. The Nomatic is the one that stuck.

Thoughtful compartments, waterproof exterior, clean design, and tough enough to survive airport abuse. If the person you’re shopping for carries multiple laptops, chargers, cables, and questionable snacks, this bag earns its keep.

And, it delivers from Amazon before Christmas.

4. Combustion Predictive Thermometer

For your tech-y friend who decompresses by cooking.

This is a wireless thermometer with eight internal sensors, an app, and freakishly accurate completion predictions. It removes all the guesswork from roasting meat and appeals deeply to anyone who likes data, making a perfect roast chicken, and knowing they’re doing things correctly.

Cooking, but make it nerdy.

5. Zojirushi Rice Cooker

Quietly one of the best appliances I own.

The Zojirushi rice cooker proudly sits on my kitchen counter, churning out perfect rice every time. It’s an absolute workhorse and keeps the rice warm for hours. If your household eats rice all the time like mine, this thing will become indispensable.

Bonus points if you pair this gift with a wok and a jar of chili crisp!

6.MiSTer FPGA

This one is for a very specific kind of CTO. The one who grew up on Commodore, Amiga, NES, or arcade cabinets.

MiSTer is an FPGA-based system that recreates classic computers and consoles at the hardware level. It’s nostalgia done right. Warning: this gift may trigger new side projects, 3D printing, and the acquisition of obscure CRT monitors.

7. TRMNL

TRMNL is an elegant, battery-powered e-ink display that lives quietly in your home, showing calendars, dashboards, reminders, and integrations with tools like Google Calendar, Salesforce, and more.

It’s open source, it’s tasteful, and it even lets you hack your own firmware. 

8. GE Power Cube

Here’s a great stocking stuffer for your friend who is a practical traveler. 

Airplane power outlets are terrible. These little cube adapters actually stay plugged in and give you extra outlets if you’re sharing. Toss one in a backpack and forget about it until it saves your day.

It’s the “underrated hero gift!”

9. Baseus Picogo Power Bank

There are few things more stressful than watching your phone battery tick down while you’re on the move, especially at conferences, airports, or long days of meetings. I’ve been carrying the Baseus Picogo power bank, and it’s become a staple in my bag.

It’s small, lightweight, and just powerful enough to give you a meaningful top-up without adding bulk. I’ve started traveling with two or three of them, which tells you everything you need to know. A perfect last-minute gift that will actually get used.

10. Ferrari Amalfi (Optional, Stretch Goal)

Is this realistic? No.

Is it funny to include? Absolutely.

Ferrari’s new Amalfi is outrageously good-looking, wildly impractical, and priced somewhere north of “don’t ask.” If you pull this one off as a last-minute gift, please reply and tell me how.

Final Thought

Good gifts don’t have to be flashy. They just have to be useful, well-designed, and slightly nerdy.

If you knocked this out at the last minute… no judgment. You still crushed it.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Jonathan 👋