If you're looking for inexpensive gifts to get me for Christmas (and aren't you?), look no further than my latest at GeekDad: 10 Geeky Gifts for Under $10:

Sure, geeks love expensive gifts. But if you can't afford a Hadron Collider for your geek this year, let alone a flying alarm clock or netbook, consider this: it doesn't take much to entertain us. And for less than $10, here are ten gifts that are sure to make the geekdad in your life giddy this holiday season.

1. Rare Earth Magnets - For $8.99 at Amazon, you can purchase a space-age tube of Rare Earth Magnets. These incredibly strong little magnets have a multitude of applications, from household use to affixing different weaponry to a Warhammer 40K army. You'll watch in wonder as your geek ambles around the house attaching and, with some effort, detaching the magnets from any possible surface. Warning, though: keep away from children, computers, and fingertips. Nothing spoils a good present like a visit to the ER... or the Genius Bar.

2. Buzz Magnets - Okay, two magnets in two suggestions, but bear with me. For $4.43 you can give your geek a pair of buzz magnets, magical and mysterious objects that, when tossed up into the air, buzz. Really, it's absolutely amazing. Wow your friends, or at the very least entertain your geek long enough to be able to use the Xbox for twenty minutes.

3. Government Issued Zombie Survival Guide Poster - Because really, no one can ever be too prepared. When the impending zombie apocalypse finally happens, your geek will have a quick and easy reference right above his expansive D&D minis shelf that he can look to in order to stay alive... for a little while at least. And at $8.99, it's a small price for peace of mind.

4. Darth Vader Gauntlets - For a particularly hard day at work. You'll know that you gave your geek hours of trachea-crushing fantasies with these adult-sized Darth Vader Gauntlets. Now, during stressful conference calls, your geek can pretend he's everyone's favorite villain. Would be especially cool if they doubled as oven mitts, but hey, for $9 you really can't go wrong. If the kids want a pair, they make child-sized pairs, too.

Check out the article for 6 more geeky gift ideas under $10.

Today is election day, and for those who haven't voted early, it's your last chance to have your say in this pivotal election.

I am sick and tired of the way the country is being gamed by the politics of fear and hate. I was amazed that voters could re-elect Bush in '04, after his first four years, and I sincerely cannot believe the support I've seen for the McCain/Palin ticket.

It's time for change. The polls are in our favor, but that doesn't mean anything. Until the last vote is counted, you have to vote.

Because even if Obama wins the election, we still have a lot of work to do. A lot of damage has been wrought by Cheney and his li'l buddy W and it's going to take a lot of guts to get things back in order. We are less powerful, less respected, and less free place than we were before.

It's time to fix things. Make your vote count, even if the lines are long. This is not an election to miss.

After investing a little hard-earned scratch on some of these fun toys, I've found a few products that have a permanent place at our gaming table. After just a single session with some of these things, I realized that I'd never go back to playing without 'em.

Check out Geekdad for the full article.

(Miniatures photo credit to infelix)

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