A scientist wants to buy a toy. . .what does he buy?

[omegapandor]

So. . .I like learning. I like science. I like progress. But I rarely feel like I'm getting anywhere. Sticking my head in books and tutorials gets old after a while. I'm ready for something hands-on. For late christmas. A toy.

What do I get?

I'm a computer science / biotech double major, so those are the things I'm interested in. Mostly computer science right now.

I see things like the Thames and Kosmos microcontroller kit, and it looks cool, but it costs so much, and it's hard to find reviews. There's also that Lego Mindstorms stuff which looks ultra cool, especially the newer one, but costs even more. The price really isn't an issue any more than that I can only get one thing, though.

Any recommendations under $200 (Ebay included, of course)?

Thanks!

 

[exponent]

I find great inspiration from old technology. You might consider an old cray magnetic memory core.. its basically iron rings and wires... pretty neat.. sometimes you can find them for $30 or so..

 

[Premiere]

Rubik's Cube and the new improved handbook for solving in under 15 seconds. Will keep you entertained for about 3 months for less than $50.