Best cubicle toys for programming

Question

I need some employee/co-worker Christmas gift ideas. Do you have any good cubicle toys that help you to do any of:

1. think about programming problems
2. solve programming problems by representing common abstractions
3. can be directly programmed
4. can interface with a PC based IDE to be programmed.
5. it may present problems that can be solved, to kick start problem solving.

Disallowed items are:

1. reference material in book, pamphlet, poster or cheat-sheet form, even if it has kick ass pop-cultural references.
2. edibles. [discuss separately]
3. things that need their own lab-space and/or extensive tools to be worked with.

So yes, Lego Mindstorms come to mind, but they aren't cubicle toys because they cost more than cubicle toys would, and they have too many losable parts.

comments on the answers so far: The 20 Questions game sounds quite neat as it could get you thinking; The bean balls could be used as tokens in a problem, so I can see that working. The magnetic toys like ball of whacks or the ball-and-stick ones present hands on fun of a structural nature... now can there be a similar hands on fun toy that aids in representing a solution to a problem? The Gui Mags clearly could, but they're quite utility oriented. The AVR Butterfly is less of a toy but definitely priced attractively, cheaper and more responsive than a basic stamp.

I'm not going to pick an answer; there's several great suggestions here. Thank you.

Answer 1

GUIMags are pretty cool. They're like little fridge-magnet UI widgets. You can use them for serious design mockups, or just stick them on the whiteboard (or the fridge) and make amusing shapes. Hours of semi-programming-related fun. :)

Answer 2

Thinkgeek.com has a whole section devoted to cubical toys. Caffeinated gifts would be my choice though :)

We also spent an entire afternoon playing with the 20 Questions Mind Reader toy.

Answer 3

Plush/soft toys. They can be stacked, and they can be thrown. And posed in compromising positions, (if your workplace is the sort of place where you can get away with it)

Answer 4

A friend just suggested the original non-Z2 ZipIt Wireless; which can be hacked to be a mini-linux machine; this is kind of a borderline cubicle toy, and I'm not sure how it presents anything different from using a regular laptop. But clearly implementing a server monitor app or keeping tabs on email and IM on a device you can keep on you has some application marginal to a user's work-flow. I think they may be better off developing yahoo widgets than hacking some firmware to write an app.

Answer 5

A USB drink cooler/heater or maybe a 2GB necklace for the ladies are both pretty functional and affordable.

Answer 6

Copies of Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter

Answer 7

These fuzzy beanbags are great.

Answer 8

For those times when you have no idea what you did that fixed the code: A rubber chicken. I generally shake it at the monitor when I really want a fix to work.

As far as programmable goes, I'd have to go with a USB-controlled marquee a'la ThinkGeek.

For purely keeping my hands busy during compiles, etc. I use a nice deck of Kem cards. Shuffle 'em or practice dealing moves, etc. They'll never get crappy or stick to each other (unless you spill on em).

Answer 9

I just recently got a arduino prototyping platform. I frick'n love it. I built an analog gauge that shows the real time response time of our websites here at work. If that seems a little heavy, you might try a programmable laser guided missile launcher or a Doomsday button.

Edit: This is the model I got. I then went to Radio Shack, picked up a bread board, some LEDs and some wires. Then I ripped an old analog gauge out of some A/V equipment.

Answer 10

I'm a fan of physical toys as a way to break out of a rut, and let your mind wander for a while. I had a magnetic "stick and ball" building set out in our common area for a while, though it seems to have disappeared.

I have had good success with magnetic poetry, as well. Trying to find just the right double-entendre is a good way to disconnect for a few minutes.

Answer 11

If you're in an office that doesn't provide a dry-erase board for every developer, you might consider buying a cubicle-mountable whiteboard and pen set for each. That's the non-computer tool I use the most for figuring things out, I think.

Answer 12

Ok. I've been there too and I've got quite a few toys. Here's the best one I've gotten. Magnetix. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=magnetix&x=0&y=0

They're like magnetic legos. Great to fiddle with and really interesting. Only problem is people who come to your desk won't be able to put em down. :)

Get the largest set you can afford. I promise you'll use them all at least a couple of times.

Answer 13

Rubik's cube. For an encore get Rubik's Revenge

Answer 14

a Rubber Duck

Oftentimes, you can solve a problem just by describing it to someone. Why waste a person's time when you can use a rubber duck.

Answer 15

I have a Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope. Build a little muscle while you're pondering a tough problem. Great for flexing the hand and wrist too after a long day of programming.

Answer 16

Bouncy balls. I bounce them off walls and windows while thinking. Stress balls also work well, since they bounce more quietly, and as easier to keep track of.

Answer 17

LEGO blocks!

Especially those that speak to your pop culture history, or that are particularly geeky:

• Any of the Star Wars sets
• Indiana Jones or Batman sets
• Lego Mindstorms

Answer 18

Taking your question's requirements more literally, I suggest something like the Atmel AVR Butterfly, which is a battery-operated single-board computer. The really nice thing about this board is that it has an LCD display, buzzer, light sensor, temperature sensor, and some other nice doodads that make it useful right out of the box.

It's programmable in C, but in this case, that's a plus. I find doing even simple embedded development in C forces me to think more about breaking a problem down to its essence, and think about what's actually happening in the processor when I issue my high-level commands.

If this is too expensive, there are a lot of geeky funny books out there, like:

• Extreme Office Crafts
• Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius
• How to Survive a Robot Uprising

For something more serious and software related, Donald A. Norman has an excellent series of books on why things are designed the way they are, what are the right things to think about when designing something, and a bit about HCI and usability. A great example is "The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution" or "The Design of Everyday Things"

Answer 19

A magical floating spinning top. What could be cooler than that? I've had a Levitron for at least 10 years and still think it is extremely fascinating. Of course, I believe that, by definition, programmers like any toy that involves magnets. The seeming anti-gravity display is just a bonus.

Answer 20

Either a CHIMP for that boss safe feeling, or just a box of paperclips and rubber bands to straighten and bend and ping about