(Note: Due to a crisis that has come up, I’ve put a call out for contributions to help purchase the first computer on this list. If you are not comfortable making a cash contribution, you can buy an electronic gift card from tigerdirect.com and send it to me via e-mail (john @ lowgenius . com), in any amount from $10-$1000. )
I’ve had some folks mention that they would prefer to contribute anonymously to my work, and PayPal doesn’t really allow for anonymous sending of funds.
I got to thinking about it, and I realized that there’s a way to handle that – rather than funds, one could anonymously send the actual things I need by purchasing them and gifting, anonymously, through a couple of different vendors.
So I’ve set up this page as a “wish list” of things that I’d like to be able to spend money on. Some of them are really expensive, some of them are really cheap. Some of them are one-time purchases, some of them are things that I can never have too many of. All of them can be sent as anonymous gifts; if you visit the website (at the time of this writing everything is on TigerDirect), it will walk you through the process of anonymous gifting. (Note: I am not certain that you can do this anonymously, but you may be able to.)
You’ll need a delivery address. That address is:
John DeJong
100 Western Avenue #C2
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-1016
If they need a notification phone number, please use 269-350-3313
If there’s an option to send delivery information, please use the address john (at) lowgenius.com. Federal Express orders can also be sent to the local FedEx office in most cases. This is recommended, as delivery to my apartment may not always be secure and getting to the warehouse facility is a bit difficult for me due to not having a vehicle. The closest office to me is at 1550 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
So here’s some things I’ve got my eye on
- Big Stuff (over $100)
- Little Stuff (under $100)
Big Stuff
Computers:
Obviously I only need one of these, although if some billionaire is up for buying a server farm that’s always a nice option to have 
Please don’t be put off by references to “gaming” machines – the specs required for high-quality gaming are identical to those required for high-quality media editing.
- The Budget Model – this box is a good baseline media-editing machine, not the top of the line by any means, but suitable for what I’m trying to do. Upsides include dual 1Gb video cards and 16Gb of RAM; down-side is that it’s running an Athlon processor rather than an Intel, and in my experience Intel-based machines are more stable and durable. But, if I had a bit of money to spend and was trying to get the best usable box for the least investment, this one (or one with similar specs and pricing) would be the one I’d buy. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2577777&Sku=C122-12043 $999
- The Better Model – This is the box I’d pick up if I had over a grand to spend, but not enough to go really nuts. More modern and slightly faster processor, Intel-based, liquid cooling, 2x1Gb video, 16Gb memory. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3170708&csid=_61 $1249
- The “Wow, that’s a hell of a nice box” model – if I was looking in the $1500 range, this is the machine I would buy. Similar to the previous box, but with a single, 3Gb video card and the hard drive is twice the size. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3170712&CatId=114 $1499
- The “Holy crap that box is insane” model – pretty much the top of the line currently available, although actually NOT the most expensive. Big seller here is a 120Gb solid-state drive (superfast, great for media editing) and dual high-end video cards. To get a better box than this, I’d have to build it myself…and at that point, you’re talking about dropping a couple of grand *just* on the video cards. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1743870&CatId=114 $2699
Monitors
In media editing, you can never have a monitor that’s too large. Here are a couple of big monitors, any of which I’d be very pleased to own.
Storage
Naturally, editing video means chewing up a LOT of drive space. Since I work on both PC’s and Macs, the best option is a portable drive that’s compatible with either. I currently have a 1.5Tb drive similar to those listed below, and have had good luck with it so far.
(Note: Due to an emerging equipment crisis, I’ve stopped adding to this list for the time being so that I can focus on a full-court press to get a new computer. As that situation evolves, I’ll update this page, and I’ll come back to it later to add smaller-ticket items and other things like cameras and various peripherals for use in creating all the work I do. – jh 14-July-2012)