Elsewhere > Gifts For Your Nerd

Posted 2009-12-16 on viget.com

Shopping for a nerd this holiday season? A difficult proposition, to be sure. We are, after all, complicated creatures. Fortunately, Viget Extend is here to help. Here are some gifts your nerd is sure to love.

A silver key with a rectangular head and a small round hole, shown upright with the blade pointing down against a white background. Lacie iamaKey Flash Drive ($30)

If your nerd goes to tech conferences with any regularity, your residence is already littered with these things. USB flash drives are a dime a dozen, but this one’s different: stylish and rugged, and since it’s designed to be carried on a keychain, it’ll always around when your nerd needs it.

A hand presses down on the plunger of a tall, clear coffee maker positioned over a glass mug. AeroPress ($25)

A simple device that makes a cup of espresso better than machines costing twenty times as much. Buy this one for your nerd and wake up to delicious, homemade espresso every morning. In other words, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. If espresso gives your nerd the jitters, you can’t go wrong with a french press.

A gray T-shirt with a black battery icon containing a lightning bolt. SimpleBits Charge Tee ($22)

Simple, vaguely Mac-ish graphic printed on an American Apparel Tri-Blend tee, no lie the greatest and best t-shirt ever created.

A brown rectangular object rests on a shallow silver tray against a dark background, with small red lights nearby. Hard Graft iPhone Case ($60)

Your nerd probably already has a case for her iPhone, but it’s made of rubber or plastic. Class it up with this handmade leather-and-wool case. Doubles as a slim wallet if your nerd is of the minimalist mindset, and here’s a hint: we all are.

A white poster featuring small close-up photos of bare skin across the top and a larger cropped photo of a bare torso below. Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod ($16)

Give your nerd the motivation to finish that web application he’s been talking about for the last two years so you can retire.

A closed black notebook with cream-colored pages on a wooden table. Moleskine Notebook ($10)

What nerd doesn’t love a new notebook? Just make sure it’s graph paper; unlined paper was not created for mathematical formulae and drawings of robots. Alternatively, take a look at Field Notes. As for pens, I highly, highly recommend the Uni-ball Signo.

Black Canon compact digital camera with an extended lens and raised flash, viewed from the front. Canon PowerShot S90 ($400)

Packs the low-light photographic abilities of your nerd’s DSLR into a compact form factor that fits in his shirt pocket, right next to his slide rule.

Newegg logo with overlapping egg shapes and partially cropped “Gift Card” text on a white background with orange corners. Newegg Gift Card

If all else fails, a gift card from Newegg shows you know your nerd a little better than the usual from Amazon.

A white and black motorcycle parked on pavement beside a rocky hillside. Moto Guzzi V7 Classic ($8500)

Actually, this one’s probably just me.

If your nerd is a little more design-oriented, check out Viget Inspire for ideas from Owen and Rob. Got any other gift suggestions for the nerd in your life, or ARE YOU YOURSELF a nerd? Link it up in the comments.