Ejaad-Nama 0x0D: The Art of the Gift
Ejaad-Nama (Urdu: Letters of Invention). A fortnight newsletter about Science, Electronics, Makers, DIY, and everything technical. We talk about lemons, acid batteries, and anything in between.
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During my primary schooling years, I read a short story written by O. Henry called The gift of the magi. I will Wikipedia the plot here:
The story starts with a girl named Della, who has only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. On Christmas Eve, with only one day left to find a Christmas gift for her husband James Dillingham Young, Della sells her hair for $20 to a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie. She eventually finds a platinumpocket watch chain for Jim's watch for $21 and was satisfied that she found the perfect gift for Jim.
Later that night Della admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present – a set of combs, useless now that her hair is shortened. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her ornamental combs. Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.
I have never forgotten that story and it has shaped my philosophy of the act of giving a gift. For me: its not the physical object that matters or its usability but the message a gift conveys is the most important aspect. However, I want that gift to be on a place where the message of the gift keeps getting reminded or it opens up a new thread of conversation when on display.
That’s why I would target things that end up on the office desks and bookshelves where visitors are frequent and start a conversation. Or on a bedside table where the last thing you look at is the gifted object before the sweet slumber takes over.
#1
I have used my 3d printer for those creations to the full extent. This includes 3d printing a catapult based on Leonardo da Vinci design which I covered in the previous newsletter. The gift was for an office colleague and my first manager in the company I work for. A catapult symbolized the slingshot he gave to my career and the mentoring he did for others.
#2
Another gift, I was proud of was a 3d printed lithophane for a very close friend of mine who was getting married in Asia. Unfortunately, I could not attend his wedding. I decided to make him a 3d printed lithophane: A 3d printed photo that uses the thickness of the 3d print to allow or block the light intensity varying shades of the gray that you could see.
Note: I blanked the faces to protect privacy.
It was the quickest project I had done: a total of 8 hours over 4 days. Maybe it was because of the deadline I had set to ship it before the actual wedding. The RCLifeOn video on 3d printing a lithophane covered all the complexities of 3d printing a lithophane. A 12V wall adapter from the I-don’t-know-what-it-came-with device, and soldered some LEDs with current limiting resistors on the perf board did the trick. The device was shipped to Asia where it did end up on the bedside table to lighten up the mood ;)
Unfortunately, a few days later the LEDs started to flicker a lot: I am pretty sure its due to overheating as I cut a huge corner on time by slapping some ballpark numbered current limiting resistors in series with LEDs. I don’t think its completely useless though: its a hack project for my friend and promote the maker spirit that we celebrate here at Ejaad-nama.
If you have access to a 3d printer, I highly recommend these as a genuinely good gift idea.
#3
Recently, I got my hands-on marble textured PLA filament for my 3d printing escapades. I did not have a project in mind to utilize it until another one of my colleagues and a close personal friend in my professional workspace decided to move to a different workplace. Not having him around everyday surely was going to disrupt my everyday office banter and I wanted to remind him of this backstabbing every day in the new office he joins. Who knows most about backstabbing other than Mr. Julius Caesar?
This 3d printed in Marble color Julius caesar penholder will perfectly remind him of the backstabbing he did to his ex-colleagues whenever he puts a pen back or the sadness of miss out on the everyday office fun of yesterdays. The marble color makes it exquisite hiding the layers lines perfectly to match the expression of the statue.
What is the most unforgettable gift that you got, and the message you derived? I would love to know the creativity in the comments below :)
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💡 Tips for Makers/Engineer #2
Hot Glue is a very cool thing (well….you know what I mean): Insulate your soldered wires, waterproof seal your 3d printed enclosures. The liquid form can fill gaps for the loose mechanical mating parts and make them stronger. You can apply some to the bottom side of your rugs/carpets, wait for it to dry and it won’t slip with the floor anymore and won’t scratch your floor either.
I am making this a regular section. If you quickly fixed your way, Send in your tricks and tips (*giggles*).
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Why do I feel there is a life lesson in the above comic?
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