圣诞老人的五大高科技神器

为了更好地完成在平安夜派送礼物的伟大任务，圣诞老人决定买一些高科技玩意儿武装一下自己，毕竟与时俱进才是王道嘛。你会建议他买些什么呢？

Every year， the North American Aerospace Defense Command （NORAD） tracks Santa Claus' location on Christmas Eve， to the delight of millions who visit the military's website that night. If a high-tech military operation can track Santa， couldn't technology also give the jolly2） old elf a hand in finishing his rounds3）？ After all， Santa isn't getting any younger， and Christmas Eve isn't getting any longer. So what should be on Santa's wish list this year to help him guide his sleigh4） from the North Pole and get presents to all the good girls and boys of the world？ Here are a few suggestions.

1. A 3D Printer

Manufacturing is a tough business， what with5） outsourcing6）， supply problems， and the cost of labor. Perhaps Santa's elves could stay competitive if they caught up with the 3D-printing craze7）. Desktop 3D printers for home use are just coming on the market， and they're capable of turning digital instructions into 3D gizmos8）. Santa and his elves could even move beyond plastic as a material with a new， open-source 3D metal printer.

2. An Updated Naughty/Nice List

Parchment9） and paper are so 20th century. Santa needs something a bit snazzier10）—perhaps a tablet11）？ LAPTOP magazine's Avram Piltch suggests Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1. It comes with a pen and note-taking applications， so Santa won't have to take off his gloves to swipe at the screen （nor will he have to worry about tablet typing with chubby12） fingers）. The tablet allows users to open two apps at once， so Santa can keep his naughty/nice list open while consulting Google Maps for directions to his next stop.

3. High-tech Gloves

Santa's white gloves provide a nice contrast to his bright-red suit， but they won't do for the tablet era. Who wants to have to take off their gloves to use a touch screen or open an app？ Dutch designer label Mujjo sells a line of touch-screen gloves that register13） on smartphones and tablet screens just fine. There are even double-layered gloves for chilly climates like the North Pole， and the gloves are super-stretchy14）， so the aforementioned chubby fingers shouldn't be an issue. These gloves would ensure that if Santa were to drop his stylus15） from the sleigh midair， he'd still be able to access his list and directions.

4. GPS Capabilities

Rudolph， with his red nose so bright16）， may do just fine at keeping Santa's sleigh on course. But a little backup couldn't hurt. Santa needs to take advantage of the global positioning system （GPS）.endprint

GPS has been around since 1995 and is now so ubiquitous17） in phones and cars as to be taken for granted. Originally a military project， GPS uses satellites positioned in orbit that transmit18） periodic19） messages with the time and their location to Earth. GPS receivers on the planet's surface capture and triangulate20） these space-based messages in order to pinpoint21） a location.

An emerging line of GPS trackers can even help Mrs. Claus keep an eye on her husband. These devices can show where someone is and where they've been—perfect for Christmas Command Headquarters.

5. Protective Gear

One disadvantage to entering the digital age is that most tech gadgets aren't built for the cold. Apple recommends operating its devices only between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit （0 degrees and 35 degrees Celsius）.

What's an Arctic-based elf to do？ A Kickstarter22）-funded company has a possible answer. Salt Cases uses NASA-developed materials that protect spacecraft from the chill of space and the heat of a launch to keep smartphones， laptops， and tablets cozy23）. The thermal24） layers in the cases refract25） heat away when it's hot and reflect warmth into the device when it's cold. The company even offers appropriately Christmasy red cases.

每一年的平安夜，北美防空司令部（NORAD）都会追踪圣诞老人的位置，这让当晚访问该军事机构网站的数百万人十分高兴。如果高科技军事行动能追踪到圣诞老人，那么现代科技是不是也可以帮助这位极为古老的精灵完成他满世界送礼物的工作呢？毕竟，圣诞老人年纪越来越大，而平安夜的时间也不会越变越长。那么，今年圣诞老人的心愿单上应该列上些什么样的科技产品，好帮助他驾着雪橇从北极出发把礼物送给全世界的所有好孩子呢？以下是几个建议。

1. 3D打印机

制造商品没那么容易，因为涉及外包、供应问题以及劳工费用。如果圣诞老人的精灵伙伴们也赶上如今的3D打印热潮，他们也许就可以保持很强的竞争力了。家用台式3D打印机刚刚上市（编注：英文原文发表于2013年12月），它们能把计算机数字指令变成实体物件。若使用一种新型开源3D金属打印机，圣诞老人和他的精灵伙伴们甚至还能不受仅用塑料为原料打印的局限。

2. 新型“谁乖谁不乖名单”

羊皮纸和纸张属于20世纪，太过时了。圣诞老人需要装备些新潮点儿的东西，或许可以来台平板电脑？《LAPTOP》杂志的阿夫拉姆·皮尔奇推荐三星的Galaxy Note 10.1。该款平板电脑配有一支触控笔，还内置一些笔记功能应用软件，这样圣诞老人无须脱下手套就能在屏幕上操作（也不必因胖手指在屏幕上打字不方便而烦恼）。……