2013 Nerd Gift Guide - Adam

Bad Religion's 'Christmas Songs'

Epitaph Records (available to buy)

I really don't need to discuss anything about this except to ask you to conjure up in your minds the idea of Bad Religion doing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman' and 'Little Drummer Boy' without changing their sound one jot.

Done it?

Now you're buying it. 

Aren't you? 

Ye-ssssss, good puppets....

Xmas gold dust.

I'll be lopping this bad boy all week whilst stuffing my face with chocolate. That's good Yorkshire chocolate. Like Terry's Chocolate Orange, which has to be smashed open. How Jesusy is THAT? And their ad slogan is "It's not Terry's. It's mine". Only the great Creator could have come up with that. Praise be.

If any room left I'll maybe scoff a little Green and Blacks. And Lindt. But none of that nasty, doesn't melt properly Herseys rubbish. But maybe some Oreos. Though that's not really chocolate in the strict sense. Plus, they don't have Santa-shaped Oreos. Or Snowman Oreos. 

Wait, do they? 

If they do - on the list.

So it's basically a thrash ska punk shouty carols album and mythical Oreos from me. And maybe an xbox one please. Thanks.

Have happy, nerdy holidays my fellow geeks and freaks!

The true spirit of Christmas...

Zhaoyun's Fantabulous Nerd Gift Guide

This year, to spice up the holiday season with some unusual presents, I looked in some pretty unconventional places, including clothing megacorporation Uniqlo, Amazon Japan, and a toy company I'd never even heard of. I was able to find and purchase two out of the three gifts highlighted below, but it kills me to admit that my favorite of all, the toy, I couldn't get my hands on, try as I might. It'll have to wait until next year, I suppose!

One clarification: you will probably notice that all of the items on my list this year are from Japan, and naturally, this being Nerds of a Feather, they're all pretty weird. However, hard as this may be to believe, I'm not presenting these three items as a way of mocking Japanese culture for producing weird stuff--quite the reverse, actually. I actually bought two out of the three, and find all three awesome ideas! And herein lies the true nature of the Nerd, perhaps.

Without further ado, the Best Edible Treat, Best Toy, and Best Clothing gift ideas from yours truly:

Best Edible Treat: The Mokolet 

(This is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for the onomatopoeic sensation of sudsy bubbly fluffiness, mokomoko, and 'toilet', in effect a "bubblet".)

   Yes, you're seeing this correctly--it's a small cup shaped like a toilet, into which you pour some dried powder and shake it up into a frothy beverage, and then you drink the concoction directly from the toilet bowl.

   Whether the thought of drinking a frothy sudsy drink out of a miniature toilet makes you jump for joy or squirm in horror, one thing is certain: this is one gift that's certain to get you lots of attention. Sure, the range of people for whom this gift would be anything but grossly inappropriate is minuscule, but if you happen to find someone who'd actually appreciate this (and whose parents wouldn't try to strangle you afterwards for giving such a weird gift), you will be the coolest 'wacky uncle/aunt' ever!

Also, believe it or not, according to evidence on Youtube (I haven't tried it yet because I bought it, on Amazon Japan, as a gift for someone else), the drink is supposed to be pretty good, and comes in a few different flavors too!

Best Clothing: The Fist of the North Star Sound Effects T-shirt

Remember Fist of the North Star? Ken punches someone with a satisfying, meaty 'thwack!' and then drawls contemptuously, "don't you know? You're already dead!" whereupon the punchee's head swells and then bursts like an overripe melon. Sometimes Ken would freak out and go into Bruce Lee mode, punching everybody for miles around all in like five seconds. The show, and the movie, were all about improbable violence, so for fans of Fist of the North Star, this would surely be the ultimate gift. It's quite simply a shirt with all the punching and kicking sound effects written out (in Japanese), so stuff the equivalent of "bam!" and "pow!" but with a lot more variation. I bought this a few months ago at Uniqlo, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find. This Christmas, get your boyfriend/husband/brother (because who are we kidding? Girls are too sensible to like something this juvenile and gratuitously violent!) the gift that keeps on punching!

Best Toy: The Obama Action Figure

First, a question! What do you get when you combine this:

With the current President of the United States?

Answer: this!

Actually, a couple of different companies make Obama figurines, but none quite like this. It pains me to no end to admit I wasn't able to locate and buy one (or more!) of these, because honestly, who wouldn't want an eight inch tall Obama with a full panoply of microphone, necktie, handgun (!), Uzi (!!), or katana (!!!!?!). The best stocking stuffer ever! So if anyone has one of these Samurai Obama dolls, or knows where they can be found or purchased, please let me know!



Happy Holidays to all, and to all a toilet bowl full of bubbly goodness!

2013 Nerd Gift Guide - Vance

Last year I went kind of broad with Star Trek, Back to the Future, and Cthulhu (but seriously, you have to check out the Cuddlethulhu), so this year I've decided to focus on the micro. I've picked three gifts that are almost mind-bogglingly specific, so it's possible no one but me will be interested in them. But believe me, they're all excellent and will be worthy gifts for that special nerd in your life.

For Writers/Word Nerds: Shady Characters [Buy the book or download for Kindle .]

We are huge advocates here at Nerds of a Feather for independent authors and literary voices that fall outside of the mainstream. But we also understand that many (so, so many) independent works are bedeviled by spelling and punctuation errors. That got me thinking about Keith Houston's surprisingly engaging Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks. As a type and design nerd, the idea of learning the history of these marks I use every day was quite alluring. I mean, what the hell is up with that paragraph symbol, anyway? If you watched and enjoyed Helvetica, you can't go wrong with this.

For the Film/Animation Nerd: Cartoon Modern [Buy it today.]

This had been on my wish list for a long time, and I'm thrilled I finally got my hands on it. I grew up watching a lot of animation, I still do, and have even done a little myself. While I'm impressed as hell with the work that big shops like Disney have always done, I've been far more inspired by folks that undertook this hugely labor-intensive artform with very few resources, an idiosyncratic vision, or a hunger for experimentation. All of those things flourished in the 1950s, as artists began to break away from the "centerline" school of animation at the same time that TV networks and advertising outfits embraced animation for mass audiences. Cartoon Modern does a very thorough job of profiling all of the animation companies that were active at the time, including tons of amazing production and pre-production images, and puts everything into a larger cultural context. Also, many of the films are available on YouTube if you look, so you can enjoy a DIY multimedia extravaganza!

For the Beer Nerd/Snob: Beer-of-the-Month Club (Sign up here)

No doubt, this is not the cheapest way to buy beer, but if you know a beer nerd who enjoys supporting microbreweries and trying as many different styles and variations as he or she can find, then this is a great way to go. It was the first time, for instance, that I had heard of and was able to try a Milk Stout, of all things. Also, the newsletter they include is interesting, with a little background on each style and brewery. Needless to say, this is only for nerds of legal drinking age.

And on that note, all this typing is some thirsty business. I think I'll see what I've got in the fridge...

2013 Nerd Gift Guide - The G

Some of us nerds of a feather have distinct specialties, but I'm the jack of all trades. So it should come as no surprise that I've cobbled together an eclectic array of gift ideas for that special nerdy someone or someones in your life. Follow the links to purchase...

For Music Lovers: Black Metal by Dayal Patterson [Buy the book or download for Kindle.]

If you like black metal as much as I do, and chances are you do not, then you won't want to miss this. I mean, where else can you read the true stories of everyone from Necrobutcher to Necrocock? This ain't no tabloidy bullshit like Lords of Chaos--this is a real history of the "most evil" form of music ever made, in all its absurd glory. Though full of unintentional comedy, Black Metal is written by someone with both an appreciation for both the music's value and full understanding of how ridiculous it can be. This is easily the best music book I've read since England's Dreaming.

For Fantasy/Gaming Enthusiasts: Lords of Waterdeep, a D&D themed board game [Buy the game and the expansion.]

Do you know someone who waxes nostalgic about his/her days as a Dungeon Master, but doesn't have the time or inclination to plan/execute a dungeon drawl? How about that friend who loves both Settlers of Catan and Game of Thrones? Well, you're in luck, because Lords of Waterdeep promises the nerdy goodness of AD&D wrapped in the streamlined package of a European-style board game!

For "Your Kids": Collectible Darth Vader Taking Plus Toy Figure [Buy this awesomenes.]

Sure your kid asked for Rescue Bots/Sophia the First/a pony, but you know what's best for them, right? And this isn't just a gift--it's a hyperspace ticket to a lifetime of awesomeness! And who cares if it ends up in your room instead of theirs? You're just keeping it in good condition for them! They'll definitely appreciate that when they're older. No question. 

2013 Nerd Gift Guide: Mike

Our series of nerdy gift guides debuts with some ideas to get the comic book fan in your life.  You could always get them a trade paperback of a series they like or a variant cover, but that would be boring.  Here are some fun ideas that should be appealing to most comic book fans.

For the Age of Ultron fan: Battroborg 3-in-1 Battle Arena [Buy It Now]  
If you have ever wanted to take control of a robot ala Real Steel (great movie by the way), then you are in luck.  With the Battroborg, when you punch, your robot punches.  A light on the back of your robot lets you know his health and once the battle is over, simply press on the face and you are ready to fight again.  You can play with it in the arena, or if you are like me, you can set up a bunch of superhero action figures and go Ultron on them!  Never has punching inanimate things with my kids been so much fun!  The robots are easy to control and are fun for both the parent and the kids (I have been having a hard time sharing them).  The controls are easy, the battles are fun, and there is simply something extremely satisfying about punching robots.  Pure fun in a box!

For the Walking Dead fan: Zombicide and expansions [Buy Zombicide and Toxic City Mall Expansion]

Assume the role of Rick and crew as you team up to survive wave after wave of the undead.  Of all of the Zombie board games I have played, this is by far my favorite.  I picked up the Mall expansion that introduces the player to both toxic zombies and allows deceased players to remain in the game as zombivors.  Make sure you pick up the base set first, but if someone you are shopping for has the base set, I highly recommend the Mall City or Prison expansion.  One of the most frustratingly difficult, but absolutely entertaining games I have ever played.  Be prepared to die a lot, but have fun in the process.

For the comic fan who likes everything: Loot Crate subscription [Buy it Now]
Sometimes nerds can be very difficult to shop for.  You buy something for them, but it is the wrong version, color, etc.  For the tricky nerd on your list give them the gift that literally keeps on giving.  It will feel like the holidays all year long as he or she will be treated to new crate each month.  There is a new theme with each crate and the kind folk at Loot Crate pack a lot of value, and love, into each shipment.  For under $20 shipped the special nerd in your life will be delighted each month.