I'm a software developer which means that my first instinct for any problem is "how can I solve this with code?" That's a good instinct to have in the workplace; less good at home. My wife hasn't come home to robots changing the kids daipers but its only a matter of time now!

My secret Santa got me an Arduino starter kit. "What the hell is that?" you might ask? An Arduino is a tiny programable computer. You can get little widgets for it -- WiFi connectors, servo motors, magnetic sensors, radiation detectors. Ok, probably not radiation detectors, though I haven't looked.

Long story short these let software developers like me come up with cool ways to use computers in small, task-oriented ways. I could rig this thing up to bolt my door when my phone leaves the WiFi network or set it up as a build monitoring device at work. Or maybe a baby monitor that turn on lights in the hallway.

The possibilities are limitless but what's for sure is that it's a new challenge and a new skill to learn, so thank you, Santa, for the gift of new opportunity and new things to learn.