Two Sided Pi/Pie Puzzle

How clever is this? This 81-piece double-sided puzzle features cherry pie on one side, and a pie tin with pi carried to 400 decimal places on the other side! The puzzle is 8 inches in diameter when assembled. The only problem in terms of whether it works as a stocking stuffer is that the website doesn't give the size of the tin it comes in, but since they have other similar puzzles in small tins and the price is so low, I think it's probably small enough for a stocking stuffer. I think it would work nicely for teens or college students, or anyone into puzzles or math.

What: Two Sided Pi/Pie Puzzle
Where: Archie McPhee website
How much (as of today's post): $6.95 (plus shipping)

Christmas in July !

I don't know who started the "Christmas in July" trend -- well, actually, I imagine Hallmark and/or some other retailers started it with their mid-summer Christmas clearance sales and ornament previews. In any case, I'm back from my virtual vacation to celebrate Christmas in July with a new stocking stuffer every day of the month!

Let's start with a geeky one (my favorite kind!): App Magnets from ThinkGeek.com. There are 18 magnets in the set, each measuring 0.875 inches square. Each one has the logo of an app for an iPhone (or eye-phone, as ThinkGeek is calling them). These are perfect for someone who is attached to their iPhone with an umbilical cord!

(By the way, ThinkGeek participates in Mr. Rebates, with a 4% rebate.

What: App Magnets
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $12.99 (plus shipping)

Star Trek Enterprise Webcam

My husband and I are off to another science fiction convention, so in honor of that, today's luxury stocking stuffer is a Star Trek Enterprise Webcam from ThinkGeek.com. I've never used a webcam before, but I've been hearing more and more good things about Skype, so perhaps it's time to take the plunge. The product info page says it's compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Mac.

To be completely honest, even though this is smallish, in its box it might be a tight squeeze for a stocking stuffer, so I hope you'll give me some slack. Of course, you could always put the DVD of the new Star Trek movie in the stocking and make this a paired gift by putting the webcam under the tree.

By the way, ThinkGeek.com participates in Mr. Rebates, if you happen to use that program. I did a lot of Christmas shopping at ThinkGeek, so I'm looking forward to a few small rebates. Nothing big... but every little bit helps!

Warp speed ahead!

What: Star Trek Enterprise Webcam
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $22.99 (plus shipping)

JoCo Looks Back CD

If you don't already know Jonathan Coulton's music, you're missing something fun! I was first introduced to his song "Code Monkey" by a friend, and that jogged my memory -- I remembered reading in the NY Times online about this singer who put a new song up every week for a year, allowing people to listen, download, and (most fun of all) make their own videos or artwork. My friend also showed me a YouTube video that someone made of his "Skullcrusher Mountain" song using footage from the sci-fi show Firefly.

Needless to say, I was hooked.

About six months ago, Jonathan Coulton, or JoCo to his fans, came to Houston and we went to go see him. I decided to get a CD and listen up ahead of time so I would enjoy the concert that much more. I chose the CD "JoCo Looks Back" because it seemed to have the best of the many songs he produced during his "Thing a Week" project.

What does this have to do with stocking stuffers? If you have a sci-fi geek or computer geek in your life who doesn't already know Jonathan Coulton, he or she will LOVE you if you get them this CD. The songs include (but are not limited to):

• Code Monkey (about the life of a computer programmer in the cubicle fields)
  
• I Feel Fantastic (hinting that we may overmedicate ourselves at times....)
  
• Mandelbrot Set (about the fractal and the mathematician who discovered it)
  
• Tom Cruise Crazy (making a LOT of fun of you-know-who)
  
• Chiron Beta Prime (a funny Christmas "card" from a family sentenced to a mining asteroid run by robots)
  
• I'm Your Moon (Charon singing a song to poor no-longer-a-planet Pluto)
  
• Skullcrusher Mountain (a mad scientist/supervillain sings to the girl he's captured trying to woo)
  
• I Crush Everything (a sad sea monster laments the fact that he accidentally crushes the pretty boats he loves so much)
  
• You Ruined Everything (a love song to his newborn baby)
  
• Re: Your Brains (an office memo from a zombie to a former co-worker)
  
• The Future Soon (a geek looks forward to the future in which he'll take over the world)
  
• The First of May (warning! this song is very adult in nature -- about something we might want to do outdoors instead of indoors at the beginning of spring....)

Anyhow, my absolute favorites are Code Monkey, Skullcrusher Mountain, Chiron Beta Prime, and Re: Your Brains. (And I love the "code monkey dance" video -- you can find it on YouTube.)

What: JoCo Looks Back CD
Where: CDBaby.com or Amazon
How much (as of today's post): $13.99-$15.00 (plus shipping)

Doctor Who Tardis USB Hub

For today's luxury Friday stocking stuffer: The Doctor Who Tardis USB Hub! Just as the tardis is Doctor Who is much larger on the inside than on the outside, this tardis hub lets you connect more USB devices to your computer than you otherwise could. At 4.5 inches high, it should fit into a stocking, and with the revival of Doctor Who in the last few years, it's perfect for both sci-fi fans and computer geeks!

(You might try shopping around to see if you can find a better price on this -- it's bound to be carried by lots of other companies too.)

What: Doctor Who Tardis USB Hub
Where: Gifts for a Geek website
How much (as of today's post): $29.99 (plus shipping)

80s Cube Clock

I grew up amidst the Rubik's Cube craze, and even (after reading a how-to book) learned to solve it. So this 80s Cube Clock from Vat19 gave me a wave of nostalgia! It's a little pricey for a stocking stuffer at just under $20, but it's both fun and functional, and would be cute for kids, teens, college students, or geeks of any age. You rotate the top to change modes from clock to alarm to calendar to temperature. It's three inches high and requires one AA battery. Pretty clever, don't you think?

What: 80s Cube Clock
Where: Vat19 website
How much (as of today's post): $19.95 (plus shipping)

Animusic DVDs

It's kind of difficult to explain the Animusic DVDs to anyone who hasn't seen them. I first encountered them at a Christmas party a few years ago, held in a funky warehouse loft apartment. The host was a computer and techno whiz, and he had these DVDs set up to project on the wall, looping over and over for background ambiance. I've since also seen some Animusic on PBS, of all places!

So what is this all about? Basically, both DVDs contain several tracks of computer-generated animated instruments playing different types of music. For instance, a bouncing ball may land on the correct synthesizer keys to plunk out a melody, while in the background some robot percussion instruments keep the beat. Shoot, I knew it was going to be impossible to explain! There's no way a simple description can get across how fascinating and hypnotizing these animations are. They're visually fascinating, and the whole time you're watching them you can't help but think how incredibly clever they are!

There are two volumes for sale on Amazon, Animusic and Animusic, Vol. 2. Even the customer descriptions on Amazon don't really do these justice, but every single customer review as of today is a five-star rating. In any case, these would make terrific stocking stuffers for just about anyone. They're suitable for kids, great for teens or college students, and definitely perfect for computer and science fiction geeks. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't find this fascinating.

What: Animusic DVDs
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $19.99 (plus shipping)

Emergency Computer BackUp Pencil Holder

Got a technophobe in your family or your office? This emergency computer backup pencil holder would make a great stocking stuffer! Alternatively, it could make a great gag gift for your favorite computer geek, the one who might not even know how to operate the sophisticated technology that is The Pencil! The holder measures 4 by 2.12 by 3.25 inches, which, as the Perpetual Kid website notes, is large enough to hold other emergency items, like extra ketchup packets and spare change.

What: Emergency Computer BackUp Pencil Holder
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $14.99 (plus shipping)

Geeky Badge Holders

Living in Houston, I know a lot of people who work for NASA, which means they have to wear work badges a good deal of the time. These badge holders from the Think Geek website would make a fun stocking stuffer for men or women who wear work badges. The options are ninja, pirate, or the plain and simple "geek". At $5.99, they won't break the bank, either!

What: Geeky Badge Holders
Where: Think Geek website
How much (as of today's post): $5.99 (plus shipping)

Floppy Bookies from Etsy Seller Contexto

I love gifts and products that take something destined for the landfill and turn it into something with new life. If you're eco-minded as well, here is a perfect stocking stuffer for just about anyone -- but especially for anyone computer-oriented! Ana from the Contexto Etsy shop has taken computer floppy disks and turned them into cute, useful little notebooks, each with 70 pages and seamless metal rings to bind them. The rings allow the pages to be flipped completely around for convenience, and you can even buy refills so the floppy booky can be used for a long time to come!

These little notebooks would also be great for teens, who will probably be astounded that we used to save our computer files on these things.... you know, back when we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways!

What: Floppy Bookies
Where: Contexto (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 (plus shipping)

The EarPod

Here is a not-too-expensive stocking stuffer that can work for just about anyone: older kids and teens, men and women, and especially college students and computer geeks. The EarPod is a felt-lined earbud case with a door that rotates open, and eight wire notches so that you can store your earbud headphones without them getting all tangled in the bottom of a pocket, purse, or backpack. The notches also let you shorten your earphones' cable, and it includes a removable belt clip. It's useful and modern, and I can't think of many people who wouldn't enjoy finding this in their stocking.

What: The EarPod
Where: Vat19 website
How much (as of today's post): $8.50 (plus shipping)

Case Logic 6-Capacity Flash Drive Holder

Sometimes I'm looking so intently to find suitable stocking stuffers to list, that I almost don't see one when it's staring me right in the face. Fortunately I saw this one last week, when the woman sitting next to me in a computer training class pulled it out of her handbag. It's a little (5.25 x 3.75 x 1 inch) case that holds six flash/jump drives; even the ones with lanyards can go in there. Since I am always digging around in the bottom of my large tote bag for the handful of flash drives that are hiding somewhere in there, this would be perfect for keeping them together and making them a lot easier to find.

And it's cheap! The Case Logic website regularly lists these for $6.99, but it's currently priced at $3.99. Naturally, there would be shipping, so it might be just as well to go to Office Depot or Office Max and pay a few extra bucks there, but not have to pay for shipping.

Don't forget Father's Day is coming up, and this would make a nice little gift if your father is into computers. It would also be great for college students. But really, this would work for anyone from teens on up who happens to use computers a lot. You can even "pre-load" it with a flash drive or two -- the prices are dropping all the time -- to make it an extra special stocking stuffer.

What: Case Logic 6-Capacity Flash Drive Holder
Where: Case Logic website (or any office/computer supply store)
How much (as of today's post): $3.99 (plus shipping)

Einstein Energy Bar

Naturally, I wouldn't think for one minute that this Einstein energy bar really makes anyone any smarter, but it's a fun and different stocking stuffer, especially for the computer geek or the college student. I found this on the Shakespeare's Den website, where the description notes that this 4.25 x 2 inch bar is high protein, low-fat, and chocolaty. (I note that it contains soy and milk, and is manufactured in a facility that uses wheat, peanuts and tree nuts.) Your budding Einstein will love it!

What: Einstein Energy Bar
Where: Shakespeare's Den website
How much (as of today's post): $2.95 (plus shipping)

The Linux Fish

If you haven't yet gotten in on the Jesus Fish versus the Darwin Fish debate, here's a totally new direction for the computer geek in your life: the Linux Fish. With the disaster that is Microsoft Vista, there are more anti-Microsoft devotees out there than usual -- not to mention folks who think operating systems should be open source anyway.

Trust me, the computer geeks in your life will get it!

What: The Linux Fish
Where: Think Geek website
How much (as of today's post): $2.99 (plus shipping)

Digital Soaps

In case you've fallen into the habit of thinking that Etsy products are only good for flowery, sentimental occasions, think again! There are all manner of creative items available, including gifts for those hard-to-buy-for male teens, college students, and even grown men (who we all know are really little boys at heart). Etsy seller Digital Soaps offers a wide array of soaps in the shape of video game controllers, ranging from Xbox to Playstation to Nintendo to the now ubiquitous Wii. Some of the soaps are a clear glycerin, and come in various scents, while others, such as the Xbox controller soap pictured above, go all out for realism.

Whatever your loved one's video poison, you're sure to find a matching soap here. Trust me, your guys -- and their gaming friends -- will love it. If your guy is just a techie, but not a gamer, there are even iPod, keyboard, and cell phone soaps to choose from. And don't forget there are girl gamers and techies out there too!

What: Digital Soaps
Where: Digital Soaps (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): varies from $5-18 (plus shipping)

Super Kid USB 4-Port Hub

If you've got a computer in the house that has a distinct lack of USB ports, or if the ports are inconveniently located at the hard-to-reach back of the computer, here's a stocking stuffer gadget that you and your family will find useful. It's a "Super Kid USB 4-port hub", otherwise known as a port that lets you hook up to four USB devices to your computer at the same time, via the same port. I found this at the Gadget4all website, and it's currently on sale for $12, down from $14.

Cute, isn't it? ;-)

What: Super Kid USB 4-Port Hub
Where: Gadget4all website
How much (as of today's post): $12.00 (plus shipping)

Swarovski Heart Ware USB Memory Key

This is much more expensive than the type of products I normally feature, but for this last Friday before Valentine's Day, I wanted to feature a "luxury" item that could be purchased in person, as opposed to online. And this USB memory drive has the added bonus of truly being two gifts in one: a Valentine-themed pendant that's pretty in its simplicity and a practical 1GB flash drive. If pink isn't your (or her) thing, it also comes with a silver-shaded clear crystal and a beige silk cord.

Our mall happens to have a Swarovski store, but even if yours doesn't, many of the better department stores carry the Swarovski line. I don't know for sure that they'll have this pendant/USB drive, but you can always call ahead to make sure you don't waste a trip. (Not that I really expect that people reading this blog are really going to spend this much on a Valentine's Day gift!)

Tomorrow's post will feature just the opposite: inexpensive last minute Valentine's Day ideas. But today is Friday, so it's all about the luxury!

What: Swarovski Heart Ware USB Memory Key
Where: Swarovski stores
How much (as of today's post): $180

Star Wars USB Drives

Also called flash drives, jump drives, and thumb drives, these USB devices are a wonderful portable way to back up your computer files. Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you already know that jump drives are far more reliable than floppy disks, and they store a heckuva lot more. Prices have been coming down ever since they were invented, and it's easy to find a lot of gigs for your buck.

For today's "Friday luxury item," the prices certainly reflect that you're paying for the characters in addition to the hardware, but they are adorable, and perfect for the Star Wars fan in your life. And they're also useful, coming in 1, 2, 4, or 8 gig options. Pictured above are Princess Leia and C-3PO; there are other Star Wars characters available, as well as a large variety of other "designer" drives.

What: Star Wars USB Drives
Where: Mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives
How much (as of today's post): $39.95 for 1GB up to $109.95 for 8GB (plus shipping)