Stuffed Plush Dice for Gamer Geeks

ThinkGeek has had a pair of plush d20 dice for hanging from your car's rear-view mirror for a while, but I just saw that Amazon has this plush 8-sided die (as well as 4-sided, 6-sided, 10-sided, and 20-sided models). "Can be rolled anywhere, or can be used to discipline misbehaving players."



The same company (Toy Vault) also makes a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons themed stuffed plush products, including a plush Cthulhu.

Technocrati tags: Dungeons and Dragons plush

Nintendo DS Lite

The Nintendo DS is pretty amazing. I've been surprised how many adults enjoy playing games on a DS. Even Gabe from Penny Arcade's grandmother plays.

It's a lot of entertainment for $130. What's even cooler is that it simplifies gift-giving once someone has one. A $20-40 DS game is right in most people's price target.

It comes in red-n-black, black, white, and pink.

Out of Time

Here it is, less than a week before Christmas, and you've blown it. Again. Me too. What do I do? Head to the mall and do the zombie shuffle with 50,000 people, looking for the perfect gift when I have no idea what to get them in the first place? Or is it really down to standing in line to buy a Best Buy gift card?


One option is a Netflix gift membership. I have some huge movie buffs on my list that, as far as I know, haven't even tried Netflix. I know they like buying DVDs and rent from places like Blockbuster. I think if they tried Netflix they'd see how good it is for getting through your "I've been meaning to watch that" list.


One of my favorite places to get gift certificates from is Amazon. I've used it for books of course, but I've also bought backpacking stuff and electronics there. It's easy to redeem the certificate online so it credits your account, then you can spend it later in the year without having to dig for it. Now they're even better since you can apply them to Amazon's MP3 downloads. That'll let even the snottiest teenager fill their new MP3 player no matter what brand it is.

My other last-minute option is to negotiate the "no gift" agreement. It's pretty lame to do this on the 20th! but I've done it before and I'm doing it again this year. If you're having a hard time buying for someone, chances are good that they're having an equally hard time buying for you.
If you really want to give them a gift, let them off the hook. Or agree to exchange the best thing you can find for $1.

Netflix

You'd have to live under a rock to have not heard about Netflix.com by now. But what amazes me is how many of my friends and family haven't tried it and still have basic questions about how it works. For $2o you can let them try it for 2 months (unlimited) or for 4 months (restricted to 2 DVDs a month). That's 8+ movies for $20. Where else can you get that sort of bargain? If they hate it, hey, it was only $20. Or you can go really cheap and buy them one month of 2-at-a-time for $4.99. Or buy that for yourself just to get a copy of A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to play over and over and over for the kids in the car DVD player on your long holiday drives.

USB Mini Greenhouse

This is the kind of product I love Geeks.com for. It's a USB-powered mini greenhouse. It looks like a great desktop toy.

Photo Frame and MP3 Player

I like this combination of a digital photo frame and MP3 player. It'll also play videos.

LED Belt Buckle

This may be the ultimate in geek cred. A scrolling LED sign belt-buckle. It's so geeky it might actually be cool. It could be the perfect gift for your friend that's studied every episode of The Pickup Artist and is ready to go try his nerdly charm on the ladies at the bar.

Collapsible Travel Chopsticks

These $25 collapsible chopsticks have been a hit at a few offices. No more splintery disposable sticks.

Pirate vs. Ninja gets physical

Oh, you just know I have to get all my Facebook geek friends a set of these $3 pirate or ninja batteries. Except my kids will fight over the pirate ones. Arrrr.

Office Pranks Gone Wrong

Ok, now this is almost too devious for the every day cubicle prank. It's the
ThinkGeek Annoy-a-tron. It magnetically clips onto any metal surface and emits randomly timed beeps sure to take that guy in the next cubicle to loony-town within a day.

Remember on The Office when Jim put Andy's cell phone in the ceiling and kept calling it? Andy punched the wall and had to go to anger management class. That's the sort of reaction you can expect. You were warned. Don't end up on a Bob Saget Stupid Office Tricks Gone Wrong Funniest Home Video show.

Cube Toys

I first saw these little cube dwellers on someone's desk last year. They're interactive LCD toys. Even cooler, when stick them together, the little LCD guys interact with each other. Great stress relief toy for cubicle workers.

Singing Coach

Ok, I admit it. This is something I want for myself. It's singing coach software for your PC. I doubt it'll land you in the winner's circle on American Idol, but a little instruction would go a long way. It's a perfect gift for about half the people you know in church choirs. Unfortunately the other half would be deeply offended by it. But you probably didn't want to talk to that half anymore anyways, did you?

Why Do Men Have Nipples?

Sometime's it's the little things in life that bring the most joy. Last year someone gave my boss a copy of The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas. I thought surely I was finally going to see him pee himself laughing so hard. I don't know if Why Do Men Have Nipples? has a chance to finally get him over the top, but it's worth a shot.

Emergency Donut

My boss has been to traffic school 3 times in 2 years for speeding tickets. This is going to be perfect for him. It's an emergency anti-ticket donut in a can.

Stumped on Gifts for Grandma

My grandma has me stumped. Amazon's gift idea list says that I could go with slippers or bath soap. I think if I did that she'd throw either of those at me.

I could go with a weather station and atomic clock combo. That'd go real well. She hasn't had to be anywhere on time or cared what the weather was since she stopped playing golf.

I might have to go with the LARGE PRINT edition of The Reader's Digest. I hate that magazine. Every month she thinks she's got some new disease, needs some new medication, or is worried about some new scam. At least she gets new jokes out of it. If only she could remember them.

Hitch Hands

I finally found something for my uncle Pete. Hitch Hands are poseable to match your mood, from an angry bird to flirtatious shocker.

Finally there's something for 'necks to stick on their trailer hitches besides Truck Nutz.

Flickr Pro

Give the gift of Flickr. For $25 you can buy a gift card that gives the recipient a year of Flickr Pro. Unlimited uploads and storage and some other neat things. If you're already a Flicker Pro subscriber you get an additional 3 months on your account for each gift card you buy.

Get Started on Your Journal

This book has been on my wishlist for a while. Like most people I've tried to keep a journal and just haven't been able to get started and keep going. A couple of people have recommended this book to me and it'll probably make a decent gift for anyone you know that might be struggling with journaling as well.

Shake your sillies out

This huge-sounding MP3 player is about the size of a salt shaker. It's perfect for kids for a couple reasons. The controls are easy and sort of fun to deal with (you shake it to change tracks). It has a built-in speaker so kids can enjoy sharing their musical taste with you. Over and over and over again. Until the single AAA battery wears out.

Netflix.com

You'd have to live under a rock to have not heard about Netflix.com by now. But what amazes me is how many of my friends and family haven't tried it and still have basic questions about how it works. For $2o you can let them try it for 2 months (unlimited) or for 4 months (restricted to 2 DVDs a month). That's 8+ movies for $20. Where else can you get that sort of bargain? If they hate it, hey, it was only $20. Or you can go really cheap and buy them one month of 2-at-a-time for $4.99. Or buy that for yourself just to get a copy of A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to play over and over and over for the kids in the car DVD player on your long holiday drives.

Moleskine Journals

Loved by both productivity geeks and artistic types, Moleskine journals and sketchbooks have been hot for the past couple of years. They come in everything from plain paper, grid-ruled, music staff, city versions with maps, and even a red-covered planner / diary.

Fight Like a Pirate

I can't believe we haven't had any serious injuries from my kids fighting with all the different hard plastic swords that have appeared in our house. We've definitely had some bumps, welts, and scratches from them. Then we found these foam swords. They feel about like a pool noodle. You can whack a kid almost as hard as you can with one of these and get nothing but laughter. The first pair we bought lasted about 4 days before breaking in half. The second pair have gone 3 months because the kids don't completely abuse them. I think someone took a bite out of one.

FRAGILE - It must be Italian

For years now I've been meaning to buy my father-in-law a genuine leg lamp from A Christmas Story. Maybe this is finally the year. They're all over eBay in many different forms, from full-sized replicas to nightlights to Christmas tree lights or ornaments to an inflatable light-up one for on top of your trailer your front yard.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

MANGROOMER Do-It-Yourself Electric Back Hair Shaver

I can't write anything funnier than this Do-It-Yourself Back Hair Shaver's own product description (and pictures). You have to see it yourself. We're chipping in and buying one for our tech support guy at work.

Or on a more serious note, you could buy them a credit at a laser hair removal place like Ideal Image.

Mini RC Helicopter

The other night we were standing around outside in the dark waiting to get into one of the kid's Christmas plays when some tween kid fired up one of these $20 mini RC helicopters. With a flashing LED on it, it took about 3 seconds before every kid out there was chasing it and asking for one for Christmas. They look like a big hit this year.

I Want Ice Cream

This ice cream maker soccer ball thing is a sweet little producer-consumer problem solver. Keeping the ball moving for 20 minutes will heat up the kids and deplete their blood sugar. Right when they're ready to drop from the hyperthermia and hypoglycemia combination, they'll have ice cream.

Inkjet Cartridges

Last year for Christmas we gave our kids inkjet cartridges and just let them print whatever they wanted. 300 pages of My Little Pony and Power Rangers and Microsoft Paint creations. Hours of entertainment for $30.