Since it is that time of year when people start asking what you want for Xmas/Yule/Birthdays/Groundhog Day I am putting my list online. This is really just a extension of a list I maintain of "Stuff Alan Wants" so many of the items are far out of gift price range, but this is a easy way to keep the list up to date. At least this list doesn't include the Shelby Mustang with 600HP :^).

Motorized Bicycle Kit
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Freeloader Solar Charger
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Aluminum Hard-Side Wallet
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Exposed Flip Clock
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A T-Shirt that says "Paddle Faster, I hear Banjos".
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Dead Space Xbox 360 Game
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Settlers of Catan board game with any random expansions.
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Any Carcassonne expansions I don't have.
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Xbox Elite
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Mac Mini
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Cool or Nifty Watches
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Sunglasses that won't look like garbage on me :^)
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The 30% my 401k has lost during 2008..
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Gift Cards from:
Wal-Mart
Fred Meyer
Bestbuy
Gamestop
Kit's Cameras
Gotschalks
Costco :^)
Amazon.com
Thinkgeek.com
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A set of good quality Binoculars
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Cool LED-based lights... Mathmos is one example of a manufacturer.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens - ~330
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Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash  ~270
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Chumby ~180
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MyKey RFID Door Lock - ~350
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Mathmos Light - ~90
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Neat Receipts Scanner for Mac - ~180
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Drobo 2nd Generation Storage Appliance ~400
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Canon EF 28MM f/1.8 USM Lens ~400
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Surveillence Camera Kit w/ network support - ~400 through ~800
Examples:
Costco Site 1
or
Costco Site 2

Superbrace Fork Brace

What it does: It is a aluminum plate that bridges your two front forks in the middle holding them in place. It’s goal is to stabilize the front end of the motorcycle, providing better tracking and less flexing in the fork.

Installation: Easy and quick. 10-15 minutes from pulling it out of the package to having it installed.

Why did I pick it up?: I was skeptical of this product but after reading other people’s reviews and finding a good deal I decided to try it, especially with the addition of more weight on the back of my bike in the form of panniers since people had reported that their front ends in some cases would start to get squirrely after adding panniers.

My opinion: This is now my single highest regarded modification.  The handling difference is pronounced and immediate. The front end of the bike feels much more substantial, like it wants to track straight now. It reacts faster, tighter and stays going in the direction I point it. Amazing how a small piece of aluminum can make such a difference.

A Tank Slapper is when your front handlebars on a bike start to oscillate back and forth with an increasing level of force each time. If it sounds dangerous, it is. While looking for information on other topics I ran acrossthis website in a forum post over on the Stromtrooper forums. The website linked not only describes the situation, but also links to a video where you can see it occurring. Scary stuff.

While searching around for economical motorcycles I ran across this blog entry, it has a list of motorcycles of model year 2008 that are <$9000. There is a pretty big selection available.

It'll be a few seasons before I consider adding another bike to the stable but the Harley Davidson Night Rod Special sure is sexy. I'm sure it comes with the standard H.D. add an extra "0" pricing model but it is definitely nice looking.