10 Cheap & Awesome Gifts for the Nerd in Your Life
I bet you’re a smart and sassy girl! Chances are, then, you know a nerd, you love a nerd, or you ARE a nerd. And all three possibilities mean you might be shopping for this nerd, or series of nerds, this holiday season. Worry not though. Nerds practically run and own the Internet, and with some careful clicking, you’ll be able to find plenty of good gifts that won’t break the bank. Behold!
Four Eyes Pillowcase Set
This will look so sharp on someone’s bed — and maybe even encourage them to do that ever adult thing, make their bed. There’s even another version with a guitar and amp, for the mod or rocker in your life. Perfect for a friend who has been using the same bedding since college.
USB 8 GB Flash Drive
Like to smoke? Like to store data? Done and done.
Design House Stockholm Carrie Bicycle Basket
Here in Los Angeles the biking craze really took off in 2009 and, lo, did the hipster nerds take to the streets! Zero MPG trumps a Prius any day of the week! So if you know a girl who’s riding her bike everywhere nowadays, this is the perfect gift for her.
Trust Me I’m a Jedi T-Shirt
I am not ashamed to say I own this. Okay, so maybe I’m a little ashamed. But it’s a great conversation starter. Nerds will literally crawl out of corners of a bar to come and say hello to you. And if you have more $$$ to dish out to your beloved nerd, you might want to consider this Tauntaun Sleeping Bag too. I’m sorry, **waves hands vaguely** — you WILL consider this Tauntaun Sleeping bag. The force is super strong with me. Right?
Jonathan Adler Shoe Butter Dish
This is so ludicrous it’s awesome. I’m not sure what it has to do with being a nerd, but nerds seem like the sort of people who probably don’t own a butter dish. Besides, I bet Nikita Khruschev would just destroy this thing. Now there’s a nerdy remark.
Family Guy (OR South Park) Christmas Ornaments
Wiseacres aren’t usually into Christmas. Halloween is more of a wiseacre holiday. But look, some genius in Fox’s merch department seemed to know sarcastic humans need Xmas ornaments too. Oh, but wait, I see, in the great Cartoon Wars you support the South Park point of view? Well, look, I got some stuff for you too.
My Other Car is a Pynchon Novel bumpersticker
There’s lots of other stickers in this pack, but you’re buying this for your bookish friend. And for THIS bumpersticker. With this bad boy slapped on the back of your ride, strangers driving behind you will now, undoubtedly, know that you’re nearly 97% more literate than them. And snobby. And nerdy.
Das Kapital Safe
We’ve all read Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital” right? Yeah, sure we have.
Bacon Watch!
In case you were living in a yurt this year without the Internet, one of the biggest memes of 2009 was BACON. Nerds couldn’t stop Twittering about bacon, dedicating websites to bacon, and ruining their arteries with bacon. Are you worried for your foodie nerd friend? Get them this watch. It might placate them for a day or two.
Lomography’s Diana Camera with Petite Paparazzi Film
Anyone with a thumb can use a digital camera. And we’ve all seen enough blurry, so-so iPhone photos to last a lifetime. Photography junkies know the Diana (and it’s cousin, the Holga) as the light-leak camera, producing interesting lo-fi effects, blurriness around the edges, strange colors — and pure picture magic. A Diana will set you back $60 and the film another $17 or so, but this is the go-to gift for an anal photographer nerd friend who needs to lighten up and embrace the uncertainty of art and life.
