Kindle Books: Kinda Hard to Wrap
December 1, 2011 9:31 AM Subscribe
Christmas gift brainstorming: nerdy engineer dad edition.
I am coming up blank on ideas for Christmas gifts for my father, and I need your help.
About Dad: Engineer (systems and network, over the course of his career), mid-60s, life-long southern Californian. He thinks xkcd is hilarious. He reads a lot, but only on his Kindle anymore. He spends a lot of his weekends snoozing on the couch and half-watching old Steve McQueen movies on TV while he debugs his data-analysis programs or writes a database program to track their wine collection (but thinks wine-related accessories are fussy dust collectors). He's a pretty down to earth fellow.
Extremely successful past gifts: Battlestar Galactica DVDs. Neal Stephenson novels.
The mystery gift will be a supplement to my annual sentimental gift: a small book of photos of what I've been up to over the year - I live far from my family, so I've done this yearly for all of the parents and grandparents since 2000.
The only thing I've come up with so far are a couple of books I could give him in Kindle editions (11/22/63, as he's a big Stephen King fan, and The Information, for reasons that are likely apparent). But given that I did this last year, and for his birthday back in August, it feels a bit stale.
So... are you familiar with someone like this dad? Are you this dad? What do you think would be a hit with this dad for Christmas? I'm looking to spend around $50.
I am coming up blank on ideas for Christmas gifts for my father, and I need your help.
About Dad: Engineer (systems and network, over the course of his career), mid-60s, life-long southern Californian. He thinks xkcd is hilarious. He reads a lot, but only on his Kindle anymore. He spends a lot of his weekends snoozing on the couch and half-watching old Steve McQueen movies on TV while he debugs his data-analysis programs or writes a database program to track their wine collection (but thinks wine-related accessories are fussy dust collectors). He's a pretty down to earth fellow.
Extremely successful past gifts: Battlestar Galactica DVDs. Neal Stephenson novels.
The mystery gift will be a supplement to my annual sentimental gift: a small book of photos of what I've been up to over the year - I live far from my family, so I've done this yearly for all of the parents and grandparents since 2000.
The only thing I've come up with so far are a couple of books I could give him in Kindle editions (11/22/63, as he's a big Stephen King fan, and The Information, for reasons that are likely apparent). But given that I did this last year, and for his birthday back in August, it feels a bit stale.
So... are you familiar with someone like this dad? Are you this dad? What do you think would be a hit with this dad for Christmas? I'm looking to spend around $50.
Sounds like a wander through the ThinkGeek catalog might be in order. Particularly the Geek Toys and Gadgets sections.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 9:53 AM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by McCoy Pauley at 9:53 AM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/bb2e/
Teasing ... but you might want to look over the rest of that site...
posted by smidgen at 10:08 AM on December 1, 2011
Teasing ... but you might want to look over the rest of that site...
posted by smidgen at 10:08 AM on December 1, 2011
Have you seen Boing Boing's Gift Guide?
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:10 AM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:10 AM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
XKCD T-shirt, nice headphones, small robot (maybe something like Hex Bug)?
posted by chickenmagazine at 10:21 AM on December 1, 2011
posted by chickenmagazine at 10:21 AM on December 1, 2011
Does he like to make things? Backyard Ballistics is an awesome book for every grown man's inner 12 year-old, and happens to be available for Kindle.
posted by usonian at 10:41 AM on December 1, 2011
posted by usonian at 10:41 AM on December 1, 2011
Does he like Richard Feynman? I'd go with Gleick's Feynman book before The Information.
posted by dgeiser13 at 11:04 AM on December 1, 2011
posted by dgeiser13 at 11:04 AM on December 1, 2011
Best answer: Hey, I have an engineer dad! Here are some things I've gotten him that he's liked.
Buckyballs.
Extendable magnetic flashlight. Good stocking stuffer...he has found a silly number of uses for this thing.
Helicopter kite.
Shirts with some of his favorite science fiction references: Klaatu Barada Nikto, for instance.
And the best of all, MeFi's own jscott's fascinating documentary Get Lamp. Your dad is about the right age to remember the scene when the early Zork/Dungeon games were first traveling around labs and shops, as the whole setting was the world of electronics engineering. My dad loved it.
posted by Miko at 11:17 AM on December 1, 2011
Buckyballs.
Extendable magnetic flashlight. Good stocking stuffer...he has found a silly number of uses for this thing.
Helicopter kite.
Shirts with some of his favorite science fiction references: Klaatu Barada Nikto, for instance.
And the best of all, MeFi's own jscott's fascinating documentary Get Lamp. Your dad is about the right age to remember the scene when the early Zork/Dungeon games were first traveling around labs and shops, as the whole setting was the world of electronics engineering. My dad loved it.
posted by Miko at 11:17 AM on December 1, 2011
My similar-sounding dad really enjoyed when we got him a boxed set of Firefly, which he had never even heard of before.
posted by vytae at 11:21 AM on December 1, 2011
posted by vytae at 11:21 AM on December 1, 2011
The Tools and Toys Christmas Catalog might be worth perusing.
Does he like coffee? I'd vote for an aeropress if he does.
Maybe a Netflix subscription and/or something to watch it with (like an Apple TV, or Boxee).
I'd not be surprised if he enjoyed an Arduino starter kit, and accompanying book/manual.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:33 PM on December 1, 2011
Does he like coffee? I'd vote for an aeropress if he does.
Maybe a Netflix subscription and/or something to watch it with (like an Apple TV, or Boxee).
I'd not be surprised if he enjoyed an Arduino starter kit, and accompanying book/manual.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:33 PM on December 1, 2011
I was gonna recommend a Curta, but hot damn they've gotten really expensive recently.
posted by Sphinx at 1:11 PM on December 1, 2011
posted by Sphinx at 1:11 PM on December 1, 2011
My engineer dad and his engineer friend love their remote control helicopters- except they break easily.
posted by bquarters at 1:16 PM on December 1, 2011
posted by bquarters at 1:16 PM on December 1, 2011
Out of sheer desperation, a couple years ago I got our family's supergeek the Klutz book of paper airplanes..... turned out to be his very favorite gift, and he's STILL thanking me for it. YMMV!
posted by easily confused at 2:43 PM on December 1, 2011
posted by easily confused at 2:43 PM on December 1, 2011
If you think he'd appreciate some retro engineering, consider the Shoot the Moon game. Deceptively difficult, fun for all.
http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/carrom-shoot-the-moon-in-walnut
posted by bricksNmortar at 6:03 PM on December 1, 2011
http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/carrom-shoot-the-moon-in-walnut
posted by bricksNmortar at 6:03 PM on December 1, 2011
Response by poster: You guys are fantastic. Vytae, he loved Firefly when I gave him that last year. And bricksNmortar, he's got the Shoot the Moon my grandparents bought when he was a kid on one of his bookcases. And RolandofEld, he actually used to make puzzle boxes. Miko's t-shirt site wound up being a total winner, and I've placed an order. Thanks for all of your help!
posted by amelioration at 9:47 AM on December 2, 2011
posted by amelioration at 9:47 AM on December 2, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
If he drives much then there's some really amazing Stephen King audio books out there. Specifically look for the ones read by Frank Muller are outstanding enough to warrant SK playing a big role in setting up a non-profit to aid Muller and his family after he was in a debilitating auto accident.
If he's the thinking type how about a puzzle box of some sort? If I recall correctly there was an post on a maker of really great wooden puzzle boxes here on askme or maybe even the front page...
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:44 AM on December 1, 2011