Omss-Culture



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culturebox Eureka Lost How the Internet has destroyed the thrill of the hunt. By Matthew J.X. Malady Posted Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, at 3:12 AM ET Back in December, at the urging of a certain perpetually disappointed family member, I decided to jettison my "Snuggies and sweaters" approach to holiday gift giving for a more thoughtful, individualized alternative. I kicked things off by purchasing a Disneyland jigsaw puzzle, circa 1965, for $15 on eBay. I thought it would make a nice gift for my Disney-obsessed younger cousin. Thereafter, in a Mountain Dew-fueled, 45-minute spurt of good cheer, I bought six or seven more gifts online, each one masquerading as some kind of rarity: a 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins yearbook, a heretofore elusive, 408-page tome on motorcycle parts, and so on. The gifts, when presented, had the intended effect. "Where on earth did you find this?" my relatives asked, one by one, excitedly. My response was consistent and coy: "Don't worry about it." To continue reading, click here. Matthew J.X. Malady is a writer and editor living in Manhattan. Follow him on Twitter. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Huffington Post Is Really Good at Suckering Search Engines Into Delivering Readers. For Now. Julie Taymor's Spider-Man Is a Wild, Sexed-Up Act of Artistic Hubris A New Biography of Humphrey Bogart Explains What Made Him So Great	Advertisement
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Now playing: *Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V* at www.slatev.com.
culturebox Eureka Lost How the Internet has destroyed the thrill of the hunt. By Matthew J.X. Malady Posted Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, at 3:12 AM ET Back in December, at the urging of a certain perpetually disappointed family member, I decided to jettison my "Snuggies and sweaters" approach to holiday gift giving for a more thoughtful, individualized alternative. I kicked things off by purchasing a Disneyland jigsaw puzzle, circa 1965, for $15 on eBay. I thought it would make a nice gift for my Disney-obsessed younger cousin. Thereafter, in a Mountain Dew-fueled, 45-minute spurt of good cheer, I bought six or seven more gifts online, each one masquerading as some kind of rarity: a 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins yearbook, a heretofore elusive, 408-page tome on motorcycle parts, and so on. The gifts, when presented, had the intended effect. "Where on earth did you find this?" my relatives asked, one by one, excitedly. My response was consistent and coy: "Don't worry about it." To continue reading, click here. Matthew J.X. Malady is a writer and editor living in Manhattan. Follow him on Twitter. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Huffington Post Is Really Good at Suckering Search Engines Into Delivering Readers. For Now. Julie Taymor's Spider-Man Is a Wild, Sexed-Up Act of Artistic Hubris A New Biography of Humphrey Bogart Explains What Made Him So Great	Advertisement
Manage your newsletters on Slate Unsubscribe \| Newsletter Center \| Advertising Information Please do not reply to this message since this is an unmonitored e-mail address. If you have questions about newsletters, please go here.
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to newsletters@slate.com. Copyright 2010 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC \| Privacy Policy Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive \| c/o E-mail Customer Care \| 1150 15th Street NW \| Washington, D.C. 20071

Culturebox: Eureka Lost