Holiday Gift Guide... for Geeks

Gifts ideas for the gamer, techie and all-around geek in your life. by Carrie Tucker


So you've asked him, "Hey, what do you want for the holidays this year?" and gotten the standard, "I dunno, whatever" as his eyes stayed glued to the computer monitor. Never fear, the geek gift guide is here!  Remember, above and beyond most anything, geeks and nerds want something that is FUNCTIONAL; something they will USE - preferably something they can use for hours. Here are a few suggestions, broken down by type of geek.

 

For the Gamer
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller in pink
$49.99

This is a tough one.  If your guy is a true gamer, then he already has everything a "gaming gift guide" could recommend, even if he's a geek on a budget.  (Because no self-respecting game would be without Left 4 Dead or Gears of War 2 - dude, he's supposed to meet a bunch of friends online tonight to play!).  The best gift in this case?  An extra controller (I happen to heart the pink one) and a request for your own Xbox avatar. 

 

 


For the Classic Nerd

Morse Code Watch from Tokyoflash
$89.99
Can you look at this watch and tell me what time it is?  Yeah, didn't think so. That's because it's in MORSE CODE.  Your nerd will love it.  Plus, it's from Japan!  (Most nerds love Japan.)

 

 

 

 

 

For the Gadget Nerd

EyeClops Night Vision Goggles
$89.99
Oh my god, it's an upgraded version of Cliff (you know, Anthony Michael Hall's sidekick in Sixteen Candles) the geek's archaic night vision goggles.  These are not a toy; you can see up to fifty feet in complete darkness. So ninja!

 

 

 

For the Socially Challenged Nerd

How to Talk to Girls by Alex Greven and Kei Acedera
$9.99
If the geek in your life still thinks that a sweet compliment is "Nice avatar!" and a night out consists of meeting up in Azeroth, you might wanna slide this book his way.  Never mind that author Alex Greven is nine years old!  Kid's got skills, and doles out advice your geek can learn from, like:  "Comb your hair and don't wear sweats."

 


For the Comic Geek 

Watchmen (Absolute Edition) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
$75.00 (www.amazon.com)
Best graphic novel ever.  (Well, one of them, at least.)  In honor of the book's 20th anniversary, DC has released this hardback edition with 50 extra pages of material and re-mastered color. Yes, these things are very important to your geek, even if he's poured over the soft cover version five hundred times.  The movie comes out in March 2009, so you might  want to take a peak at this beforehand, because you know you're being dragged to opening night. 



For the Japanophile

Yen Plus, one year subscription from Yen Press
$49.99
Forget Pocky and those "Learn To Speak Japanese" t-shirts.  What your cute otaku actually wants is a subscription to Yen Plus magazine, a monthly round up of hard-to-find manga like Soul Eater and Jack Frost.  Listen, just trust us here. 

 

 


For the Techie


Slingbox PRO-HD from SlingMedia
$300.00
Now when your significant other is on call at the office because the server keeps crashing (congrats on landing Tom from the IT department, by the way), he can alleviate server room boredom with Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD.  This handy device streams HD content from anywhere - his home television, DVR, or DVD player - and delivers it directly to his computer or mobile phone.  My god, isn't technology wonderful? 


Carrie Tucker is a freelance writer and the style editor for Alternative Press magazine who lives in Brooklyn, NY with her boyfriend and their French bulldog Walter Cronkite.  Her current pastimes include exploring the nuances of Captain Malcolm Reynolds' heroism in old Firefly episodes, ghost hunting, and needlessly torturing her boyfriend with her LEGO Batman skills.  I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook is her first book.
 

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