A Very Nerdy Christmas: Gifts for your geek

The holidays are approaching and once again it's time to buy a gift for that special nerd in your life. They're usually the hardest to shop for. Everything they like is expensive, confusing, and they usually have really harsh opinions on brands, features, etc. Plus, any gadgetphile worth their salts probably already has one of whatever you're planning to get them. But fear not, your blog captain will guide you to some inexpensive (most under $100) gifts almost sure to give your geek a happy holiday experience.

Roku Streaming Media Player

Let's face it, your nerd already has Netflix and probably already has it set up to stream to their game console, work computer, and phone. But is that really enough? I'm sure there is a TV or two in their life that doesn't give them access to the holy grail that is Netflix. In addition, Roku will connect to several other streaming services for a wide variety of content. Best of all, prices start at just $59.99

Botanicalls Kit

The Botanicalls Kit involves soldering, social networking, and talking to plants. There's no way a nerd can resist. This is a DIY kit that creates a network connected device that when inserted in a plant will detect moisture levels and send out a Tweet when it needs some help. Your plant will tell you when you last watered it, if it needs water, or if it is over-watered. You'll need a soldering iron and some basic tools to assemble it but your geek should already have those. Throw in a potted plant and you've got yourself a fun and unique gift.

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Something has got to keep a nerd awake during late-night Firefly marathons and it might as well be good. The AeroPress will produce some of the finest coffee around. It has the rich, smooth taste of a french press without the sludgy leftovers lurking at the bottom of your mug. Quick, delicious, gadgety coffee.

Nixie Tube Clock Kit

Nerds like to build things. Nerds like to build potentially dangerous things. Get them a Nixie Tube Clock Kit and let them fashion a piece of desk candy with some awesome vintage looks. Nothing looks better in a guitar amp than a set of glowing vacuum tubes and the same holds true with clocks. Soldering, customization, and the risk of electrocution = awesome.

Free Stuff You Should Download v1.2

The Mobile Geek: Holding yourself accountable

Look at you. You're a mover and shaker in the world who can't be bothered with the doldrums of traditional financial responsibility. Who has time for checkbooks and utility bill statements? Insert Pageonce Personal Finance. With just a quick glance at your smartphone you'll know if you have enough cash in your checking account to cover that next overpriced pint of microbrew (smugness included in price), enough space on your credit card to finance that vintage Apple-1, and whether or not you remembered to add every episode of Mystery Science Theater to your Netflix Instant Queue.

From Pageonce:

If you find it difficult to remember the username and passwords for all of your online accounts, or are looking for a solution to help coral all of your accounts in one place to make online management an easier and less stressful experience - look no further – Pageonce Personal Finance is the answer to organizing your online life! Aggregate your bank accounts, portfolio information, credit card transactions, Netflix information, cell phone usage and even flight information onto one easy to use dashboard. Say goodbye forever to the hassle of going to multiple websites to keep an eye on your accounts!

It's free, it's good, and it's available on most mobile platforms. Check out the link for a full list of features and then head off to your respective app store.

Pageonce Personal Finance

Windows Phone 7 launch event is today at 9:30am

Microsoft is taking over NYC just like TRL back in the glory days. But instead of introducing awful music videos and dating Tara Reid they're going to be announcing details of WP7 launch dates and available devices. That's right, a launch event to highlight the launch of a product. Redundant? Absolutely, but we all know how us nerds feel about single points of failure. For those of you without jobs, important jobs, and lives Engadget is hosting a live blog session. Hit the link to check it out.

Engadget LiveBlog here!



I hope Microsoft can get a better spokesperson than this guy from now on.

Nerds-on-the-prowl get a new tool to find girls!

Be A Single Nerd No More!

I just don't get it. I have intense computer skills, a usb rocket launcher, and an original Empire Strikes Back metal lunchbox but I still can't seem to find the perfect girl. You'd think all of my pop-culture references and my movie-riffing ability would drive the ladies wild. Who would have thought that most girls don't like riveting conversations about "who shot first" and ultra-awesome simplified deployment of Windows 7?

Luckily the computer casanovas at TechCrunch have sniffed a great website. Wheretheladies.at uses Foursquare updates to in fact tell you where the ladies are. There's no better way to improve your odds than to increase your sample size (insert male enhancement joke). Check it out, find some ladies, and get to creepin'. There is bound to be one that will appreciate your sci-fi screenplay and acne.

Wheretheladies.at

"19 Gadgets That Changed The World"

Take a quick break from your work day and read an article on InformationWeek.com titled "19 Gadgets That Changed The World".

Check out "19 Gadgets That Changed The World"

Periodic Table of the Elements. . . .HTML5 Style

Perk up web devs, HTML5 is here and bringing some new tags along with it. The nerd superiors at DownloadSquad.com have rooted up a cheat sheet of HTML tags formatted in a way sure to make your inner-geek swoon. A guy named Josh Duck put this together and it's definitely worth a look. Check out his blog too. He's got some great posts mostly themed around programming.

Click here to check out the Periodic Table of the Elements

"Own Your Space--Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online" Digital Book for Teens

The fearless leaders at Microsoft have decided to send down from Mount Sinai a digital book on computer and internet safety. I read through a couple chapters and I'm pretty impressed. This is the kind of thing I wish users at companies would have to study and be tested on before they were unleashed on the network.

The guide is geared towards teens but the easy-to-understand writing is perfect for the not-so-tech-savvy among the population. Best of all, the guide is free for download in friendly PDF format. Check out the link and let the Gods of Redmond, WA drop some knowledge.

Click here for the Microsoft download page