My favorite geek in the world turns 66 next week, and I have no idea what to get him for his birthday. When asked what he wants for his birthday, he says, “The love of my wife and children is enough for me, but if you must get me something, I would like happiness for my children.” Whatever. Not helpful, dad!
I really, really would like, just once, to get him a great gift. The problem is that there really is nothing that he wants or needs. Unlike my mother, who has a running list of things she’d like but that are too “dear” for her (a whole $10?!?!? I can’t spend that!), if my dad wants something, he buys it.
I know I’m just going to crap out again and get him an amazon gift certificate. Or socks. I could get him some socks.
My father is a geek, too. So my mother got him something he’d always wanted: A Galileo thermometer. Art, and function. And geekiness out the wazoo! (Not cheap, alas.)
Dad, circa 1986: “I don’t know why you want to go wasting your money on air conditioning for a car. You’re only looking at summer temperatures between 100 and 115. Just do what I do – roll down the windows. Once you get going really fast you hardly notice the heat!”
Dad, circa 2006: “Do you mean to tell me that, not only does your car not have GPS, you don’t even have seat warmers? Wow. I just couldn’t be in a car like that every day.”
OtakuLoki, I did score one year with a binary clock. That thermometer looks interesting…
Have you checked out ThinkGeek yet? They have all kinds of nifty toys and gadgets there, for all kinds of geeks. There are several I’d like to have, and quite a few I want to get for my dad and brother too.
There are three occasions for ties, in dad’s opinion: weddings, funerals and graduations. The next family graduation is, I think, at least two years away. The next family wedding or funeral even longer. So no need for a tie.
I spent some time today at REI, thinking maybe something would leap out at me. He hikes about once a week (and never seems to bring enough water), so I thought maybe a new backpack or something. Didn’t find anything that appealed to me, though.
Why couldn’t he at least be a drinker? Drinkers are so easy to buy for.
I have the same problem with my Dad. He has a PHD in math. He’s a fairly big geek.
My parents can buy anything they want and never actually need anything. So ThinkGeek is my first stop when looking to buy my Dad something. They have tons of cool stuff. The last thing I got him was a shirt that said 2+2=5 (for very large values of 2).
There are some other interesting things out there for the geeks. If he is a math geek a Klein Bottle might be cool. Since he hikes a geocaching kit might be cool, especially if he travels a lot. Levitons are also cool.
Get the newest biggest Swiss army knife (eBay). Or, a small folding attractive damascus steel knife (A.G. Russell). Guys like knives, and guys like toys. Both run around $100. But you *can *spend more on the damascus. Just about any guy would like these. Even better if he already has a good SAK, thus he’d never spring for a newer bigger one, so you can.
Another idea is that now large faced watches with large glow-in-the-dark numbers and hands are in style. The two swiss army knife companies make some of these (again, ebay). They look cool, and they are easier to read for aging eyes- but don’t tell him that part, just say they are now in style- which they are. There is also the Victorinox Swiss Army Night Vision Watch, which has several light features, including a small emergency strobe that could save his life. This last is rather expensive, but you didn’t give a dollar figure, so…
May I suggest browsing American Science & Surplus? Or a gift certificate to same? These weirdos buy all sorts of odd lots, with emphasis on science and “gee whiz!” items. There’s a lot of trash in their inventory, but a lot of treasure, too. The inventory changes constantly. At least make sure to tell Dad about the website. I’m sure he’d like to browse it.
I almost always get my dad some luxury food items…things like smoked turkey, or first quality nuts (he’s particularly fond of cashews, but he likes all nuts). One time I got him a Dremel, and my mother said that he wandered around the house for a couple of weeks carrying it, searching for things to fix or improve with that thing. Another time, I bought a trio of grape vines. This is because he kept trying to grow grapes when my sibs and I were kids, and we kept killing them. So he was happy that I’d remembered about that.
Or just buy him something silly, but that you think he’d have fun with. A sock monkey, perhaps.
For next year, I suggest a personalized night sky poster. My father is also impossible to buy for, and refuses to create a wish list anywhere or give anyone any ideas, so he’s getting one of these for his birthday this year.
Now I’m going to spend all day surfing instead of accomplishing anything… Let’s just hope I can stay focused on the fact that it’s not my birthday. 'Cause some of that stuff is really neat.
How about a kick-ass massage? If he’s too shy for that as a male, (I’m in the same boat), then maybe what worked for me…a kick-ass massage for him and his wife together?
So no need for a tie.
