Guest Curator: Geeky Gifts for Guys With Josh Catone

Bleys

Story by Bleys

Published on Dec 17, 2009 in Shop

Photo by pixelthis

josh-catone_copy_copy.jpg

Josh Catone is the features editor at Mashable, one of the web’s largest tech blogs, where he manages all of the site’s features and posts from guest contributors. Prior to joining Mashable, Josh was the Lead Writer at ReadWriteWeb and the Lead Blogger at SitePoint. A good portion of his paycheck goes to feed his Etsy addiction or to support local artisans at the Providence Open Market (which runs throughout the summer in his home city of Providence, Rhode Island). He very rarely leaves home without his beard.

It’s tough being a nerdy guy, but even tougher buying gifts for one. There are a ton of great items on Etsy to appeal to the computer dork in all of us, but a lot of them are aimed at the geek girls in our lives. From Pacman rings to earrings made from RAM, there’s a lot out there for geeky girls, but what about the tech dudes in your life? This guide is full of gifts that any gadget-loving male would be thrilled to find under the tree (or menorah) this year.

 

Strappy. a leather macbook case by FULLGIVE

Your laptop is your faithful companion — it’s always there for you (unless the hard drive dies, more on that later), and it does whatever you need it to do without question, so of course it deserves a dapper case. The Strappy is one of the nicest laptop cases I’ve ever come across. With this stylish bag slung over your shoulder everyone will assume you’re some hotshot startup founder (bonus points if you actually are). By fullgive, $207.


 

9-pc Emoticons Magnets

Magnetic poetry is a lot of fun, but who needs all those words? Internet geeks long ago learned you can express pretty much any feeling with just a few pieces of punctuation, cleverly arranged to form emoticons. Mymimi‘s emoticon magnets set has just about everything you’ll need to express your mood (without all of the unnecessary language). $15.


 

Rock Dock – Nintendo Controller iPhone/iPod Dock

The iPod/iPhone is slowly becoming this generation’s gaming device of choice, so what better way to charge it than in the cradle of the choice game playing machine of yesteryear? GeekUnique‘s Nintendo Controller iPod/iPhone Dock merges two of my favorite pieces of hardware to reach a rare level of meta geekery. $39.99.

 

 

Esc Geek Chic Pillow

Sitting in front of the computer all day can be murder on your back. One thing that could certainly help is this super chic Esc key pillow. It’s perfect for a little back support, and might even come in handy when you try to “escape” work for a few hours to catch a quick nap. By diffractionfiber, $22.


 

 

Padded iPhone, iPod Touch Sleeve with Pocket – Black White Weaving

The iPhone presents a dilemma for male Etsy shoppers.  On the one hand, you don’t want to scratch up your phone’s case (and these things are made of a material with the approximate scratch resistance of a stick of butter), but on the other hand, most of the iPhone cases for sale are decidedly girly. thameowdesigns has you covered with a very masculine black and white tweed iPhone/iPod case. $22.99.

 

 

 

RECYCLED CIRCUIT BOARD Geekery LARGE CLIPBOARD LC6

Try to cast your mind back to the last time you had to write on real paper and you’ll remember one of the tricky things about it — it’s thin and hard to write on unless there is a hard surface behind it.  Enter: the clipboard! If you must use paper, there’s no better backing than a recycled circuit board clipbard. By DebbyAremDesigns, $24.50.

 

 

Rainbow Ribbon Cable belt

Decidedly less masculine is this rainbow ribbon cable belt. Made from recycled 1 1/4″ conductor ribbon cable, this stylish piece instantly adds some geek cred to your outfit and goes with anything (that’s how rainbow works, right?). By digiBling, $14.

 

 

Clock made from a Computer hard drive

I was initially supposed to submit this post last week, but shortly after I started writing it, my hard drive decided it was time to completely stop working. That got me thinking — what sorts of things could one do with a busted hard drive? The answer, according to pixelthis, is to turn those useless hunks of metal into beautiful clocks. This one would be at home on any man’s desk. $33.

 

 

QWERTY ) Bifold Wallet

At the end of a long work week it’s always nice to spend a relaxing evening out on the town. Show off your inner geek by sporting a QWERTY bi-fold wallet. The heavy canvas wallet has a standard keyboard printed right on the front. By QuietDoing, $28.

 

 

Recycled FLOPPY DISK made into a Geek Gear Notebook ORANGE

Sometimes even hardcore nerds need to go analog. The recycled floppy disk notebooks from heavensentcrafts are a great way to inject some digital flavor into old school tasks like writing on pieces of dead trees. They’re also a great stocking stuffer. $6.

 

 

Circuit board coasters set of 4 recycled geek chic

One thing you definitely don’t want next to your pricey electronic equipment is a sweating drink. The geekiest way to keep your computer (and table) safe from the pool of condensation around your ice cold glass of cola is to use one of these handy recycled circuit board coasters. By MissMotleys, $14.

 

 

Personalized Laptop Computer Key Cufflinks

I’m a blogger, so most of the time that means sitting around in my PJs and staring at a computer screen. However, on those occasions when I am forced out of the house to socialize with other fleshy beings, I want to look my best. Capitolagirl‘s custom computer key cufflinks are a way to look downright spiffy while still keeping that familiar connection to your keyboard. $22.50.

 

 

2 GB FLASH DRIVE / Qombee Blue

When I was younger, my brother and I used to play a game in which we’d smash together two matchbox cars. The car that didn’t flip over was the winner.  We called the game “Crack Up.” Why? Because we were 7, and that’s what 7-year-old boys do with their matchbox cars.This has to explain why I am so drawn to the die cast car USB drives from dhhdesign. $25.

 

 

Question Mark Block Nintendo Mario

Remember those question mark blocks in the old NES Super Mario games? You’d whack poor Mario’s head into them not knowing what you were going to get — maybe you’d grow bigger, or throw fireballs, or become invincible — you just knew it was going to be worth the headache. I’m not sure what the purpose of a real life question mark block is, but isn’t it worth buying for a chance at that elusive 1-Up Mushroom? By lostmitten, $12.


 

Looking for past Guest Curators? Check out our archive! 
Discuss: 98 comments

Related Items

98 comments

Sign in to add your own