Halp! Need Retirement Gift For Nerdy Old Curmudgeon!

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
That's my dad. He's retiring after 50+ years of working. He has always been an awesome dad. I cannot for the life of me think of a retirement gift for him. He loves everything to do with computers, robots, electronical doodads, really long fantasy novels, and Baen military science fiction novels (Honor Harrington, Miles Vorkosigan, ad infinitum). He also really likes books about building and making stuff (boats, robots, sheds, trailers, etc), but he seems to never make any actual stuff. He's also very shy and nonsocial, though he has a small circle of friends. He already has an ereader and really cozy slippers. And every tool known to mankind and every issue of Make Magazine. And a Robbie the Robot, a Robosapien, and a Dalek.

What would be a good gift? I like to sew and I am pretty handy with a hot glue gun, and I would make something if I could figure out what. I already sewed him a very cozy fleece blanket with Pogo embroidered on it. Advice PLZ!
 

Vespertilion

Flying blind on a rocket cycle.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
1,862
Reaction score
5,794
A theremin? Because who doesn't need to play crazy-scientist music with an instrument that's played with crazy-scientist gestures?
 

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/753d/

for keeping whippersnappers off his lawn.

Nice! Yeah, ThinkGeek is a good place to search. Sonic Screwdriver Toothbrush! Bat'leth Letter Opener! Sale on t-shirts! *stocks up on nerdy clothing for herself*

ETA: ROFL! "I failed the Turing test" is basically the perfect shirt for him. :D http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/aa00/

Have you checked out Makezine. And Makerfaire? Stuff to make and stuff to start him making. Good luck!

Good call. Their top article is gift guide for Raspberry Pi. I don't know what a Raspberry Pi is, but my dad talks about it all the time. I know he has one. I will have to investigate further.
 
Last edited:

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
A theremin? Because who doesn't need to play crazy-scientist music with an instrument that's played with crazy-scientist gestures?

LOL! Not a bad idea, though he's not very musical. When I was 12, he took me to Exploratorium in San Francisco and they have a theremin you can play. Best science fictional instrument EVAR!
 

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
7,063
Reaction score
1,642
I don't know, but I think I would like to marry your dad.
 

Caitlin Black

Wild one
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
44,834
Reaction score
2,928
Age
39
Location
The exact centre of all of existence
I'm not up-to-date with geeky tech stuff, but what I did for mum's Christmas present was to write down the authors she has tons of books by, take that list to a book store, and ask for suggestions for similar, but other, authors.

My reasoning was that she'll undoubtedly buy any book she comes across by her favourite authors that she doesn't have yet, so why not turn her on to a new writer? In the end, I got 4 on clearance sale that she hasn't read anything by, as far as I know. I'm giving them to her as a sampler.

A few years ago, I did the same thing, but got 2 books by 1 author. She now reads that author quite often. So hopefully she'll like at least 1 of the authors I've got in my sampler.

Anyway, maybe you can do something similar? Write down the authors of the big fat fantasy novels he already has, and then find a handful (however much seems appropriate) by other authors, but which are also big fat fantasy novels.

If he loves one of them, suddenly he'll have a new author to keep him entertained while he's retired. It's the gift that keeps giving. :)
 

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
56,217
Reaction score
18,303
Location
A dark, evil place.
Well, krap. When I saw the thread title I thought you were getting something for me. :(
 

mirandashell

Banned
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
16,197
Reaction score
1,889
Location
England
If you can knit, I have a pattern for a Cyberman jumper. You'd just have to size it up.