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5 Father's Day Gifts for the Techie Dads in Your Life

Listen: Dad doesn't want a tie and he doesn't even want breakfast in bed. He wants something cool but he won't admit it. While these items may be a little pricier, many of them are things Dad would never expect to get on Father's Day and, more importantly, they're fun for the whole family.

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Here are my top picks for techie papas everywhere.

Makerbot Replicator - I literally just bought one of these for myself and I think your hubby would get a kick out of it. It's essentially a 3D printer that lets you create little objects in hard plastic or even sugar. What's it good for? Everything and nothing.

3D printing is a technology that is still in its infancy, and the Makerbot is probably the best printer on the market. Handmade in Brooklyn, New York, the Makerbot will teach your kids how to make cool action figures and doodads, and it lets Dad pretend to be an engineer.

A Nixie Tube Clock - If your S.O. ever wanted to feel like James Bond, this Nixie Tube Clock kit will help him do it. Priced at about $300 for the basic kit, the Nixie clock uses 1960s technology to display the time on small vacuum tubes that contain incandescent wire. This lets Dad and the kids build the clock together, and it will find a place of pride in your living room or office. It's a great conversation starter and it looks like something Dr. No would attach to a nuclear bomb to make it go off in the jungles of Borneo. It is, in short, the best of both worlds.

Buffalo CloudStor Drive - Dad doesn't know he wants a 1-terabyte hard drive, but he does. 1TB is enough to store thousands of movies and songs, and it's a great way to hold onto memories and media for the long haul.

The best thing about this particular drive, however, is that you can access it remotely. For example, you can drag all your important documents to it, and when you're on the road you simply call up the CloudStor account associated with the drive. This account lets you view and download anything on your drive anywhere, making it a great choice for folks who travel.

You can also back up all your data onto the drive wirelessly, ensuring that all the laptops in the house get the star treatment. It may be geeky, but Dad will love it. The drives start at $139 -- and remember that bigger is always better.

A CanvasPop Canvas Photo - Why give Dad a framed photo of you and the kids when he can have a huge canvas copy of your favorite vacation shot for his office wall? CanvasPop specializes in making great canvas prints of almost any photo, even images taken with a mobile phone. You can browse Facebook and send photos to the service directly; prices start at $30 for unmounted photos.

The Benarus Sea Snake - Here's a watch that any dad - high-tech or not - can enjoy. The Sea Snake costs about $730 and is a great, entry-level diving watch that looks good with shorts or a suit. It's not amazingly geeky, but it will last a long time and is a nice keepsake that he will remember for decades.

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Although a bottle of booze and a nice hug and kiss will keep Dad happy until next Father's Day, any of these gifts will definitely tickle him pink.

What are you planning to get the dads in your life for Father's Day?


Written by John Biggs on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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