Valentine’s Day quickly approaches! If you’re like me, you have a hard time trying to come up with something unique for that special someone. If you have a Geek in your life, this can be a real challenge. Today, I would like to show you some unique and fun gifts that you can get for your Geek and not break the bank!

Geek Love Poem T-shirt – by ThinkGeek

Show them your undying devotion by giving them this HEX encoded love poem shirt. This is especially good for the graphic designer/web design Geek in your life.

Star Wars Valentines – by Starwars.com

For the Star Wars fan in your life, here is a great place you can print your own Star Wars Valentines. How cute is this! Plus, it’s free! I call that a win win!

Star Wars Han Solo Carbonite Chocolate – by ThinkGeek

Speaking of Star Wars, what Star Wars fan wouldn’t want a Han Solo in carbonite chocolate bar? Let’s just hope they don’t make a Jabba the Hut if you know what I mean. Yuck!

I Love My Geek Babydoll Tee by ThinkGeek

This shirt is perfect for the girl who appreciates her Geek!

Giant Color Changing LED Desklamp – by ThinkGeek

This lamp will surely set the mood for you and your Geek. Gaze into each others eyes under the soft glow of this color changing LED lamp. It has bendy legs so you change it to look just the way you want.

I hope I have inspired you to think outside the box a little. Most of all, Geeks just want to have fun. You don’t have to throw away tons of money this Valentine’s Day. Just add a touch of quirkiness to your gift and I am sure your Geek will enjoy it! Good luck!

A few days ago, I pointed out that GeekTool, one of the most powerful customization tools available for the Mac, is now available in the Mac App Store. I promised in that article that I would do a short write up on how to use GeekTool. I know that it can be a daunting task for those who are new to the application. That’s why I have decided to show you how to set up a simple geeklet.

The geeklet, which is what you get when you place a GeekTool script on your desktop, that I am going to show you is a simple clock. It will display the time in 12 or 24 hour format based on your clock settings. It is essentially a desktop clock that shows a mirror of what is on your internal clock. Here’s how to do it.

1. Download and install GeekTool.
   That’s an easy one. You can grab it from the Mac App Store.
2. Open GeekTool and select Shell.
   You will see 3 different options when you open GeekTool. Click and drag ‘Shell’ to the desktop, and a new window will open.
3. Type ”  date ‘+%I:%M:%S %p’ ” into the Command box.
   So this window can be a little daunting. There are a ton of options that you don’t need to touch. For this step, simply copy and paste that code string into the Command Box.
4. Set the Refresh rate to 1 second.
   If you want this clock to actually work correctly, then you need to set it’s refresh to 1 second. That option is right under the command.
5. Optional: Change the Font Color and Size.
   This last step is optional, but it can make a world of difference. Towards the bottom of the Properties windows, you will see a bar that says ‘Click here to set font & color.’ Click that to do what it says.

If you did everything correctly, you will now have a working GeekTool clock on your desktop. You can move it around you desktop to wherever it works best for you. Mine is in a speech bubble in my Doctor Who comic desktop. I’ve seen them carefully placed behind image geeklets, as backgrounds and even made gigantic. The only limit is your creativity.

If you want to find more unique geeklets, I recommend you check out Mac OS X Tips. They have a great database of cool and unique uses for GeekTool. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a note in the comments below.

For as long as I have been using computers, I have been obsessed with customization. I themed all my machines growing up, giving them looks that made my father crazy. I would turn my desktop into the control deck of a Sci-Fi space ship, or give it a pirate feel. When I first bought my Mac, I thought I would never be able to do anything like that again.

Boy was I wrong.

Quickly, I learned of a huge community of Mac customization fiends, and made myself one of them. I learned the tools of their trade, including BowTie and Photoshop. Then, I dove deeper into the scene and discovered GeekTool. Once I learned its secrets, I could make my Mac desktop much more personal than any Windows machine I had ever owned.

If you aren’t familiar with GeekTool, then you are probably missing out. It allows you to create simple bits of code or images that exist on your desktop. While that sounds a little boring, allow me to assure you that it isn’t. You can create working clocks, rolling tickers for stock information, and even constantly updating weather information. The possibilities are almost endless.

Now, I have some really good news for old and new GeekTool users. Tynsoe, the developer behind GeekTool, has released it into the Mac App Store. This means that you no longer have to hunt it down on the internet, install it manually, and then try to keep it updated by yourself. The Mac App Store will take care of all those messy parts for you, leaving you to play with your new customization toy. I know that many are wondering how to use GeekTool effectively, and I promise that I am working on a handful of posts on just that subject. Keep your eyes peeled and your tabs open to Techie Buzz to find out more. Until that happens, take a look at my GeekTooled desktop, featuring the great Sci-Fi series ‘Doctor Who’.

As the motor car advances, so does its ability to show off and possess some of the most exciting gadgets available. Here’s a list of the top 5 must-have gadgets for your car whether you drive a Ford KA or a Ferrari 458 Italia.

Apple iPad

Gadget fans and Apple go hand-in-hand. They’re a team like Tango and Cash, the A-Team and Arnie and his wife oops. With the modern world’s obsession for needing to know if Justin Bieber is alive or not, it then becomes necessary to have an iPad in your car for those celebrity-fuelled moments.

With thousands of apps, games and that ridiculously clear screen, the iPad will keep your attention for the inevitable hours of traffic jams that lie ahead.

HTC Desire

For the family-man who loves his kids but would rather not hear them talk while on the road, there’s the HTC Desire. Sure, it may not be as celebrated as Apple’s iPhone, but it does come with one feature that is so gadgety and handy that you’ll thank HTC and Google forever.

It’s called WiFi Hotspot’ and it effectively allows your kids to connect to your phone’s mobile internet connection via their laptop. So what does that actually mean? Well, it means the kids can browse the internet on their computers while you drive without having to listen to Daaaaaad….

Parrot Bluetooth

Since many governments introduced new laws that ban us from using our mobiles while driving, the need to own a Bluetooth device has become paramount. With that being said, which is best? You can’t go wrong with a Parrot system; it’s trusted, well-loved and, above all, works fantastically well.

It may not be cool, but it could just save you a lot of money in fines and points.

TV headrests

So, you’ve served your biological purpose, you’ve spread your seed and it’s flourished and you’ve reproduced congratulations. Give it a few years, though, and you’ll wish you’d have never of bothered. Why? Because kids and cars don’t mix, no matter how expensive it is.

Kids, typically, become easily bored and irritated, so the best gadget you can buy to keep them amused is TV headrests. Sure, they aren’t cheap, but they will keep the kids entertained for hours and best of all, they come with headphones. Praise the Lord!

Manettino

Ok, this one is a bit of a pipedream because you can only get this gadget on a Ferrari, but it’s that good, and had to be included. The famous Manettino switch on almost all modern Ferraris has become the ultimate car gadget thanks to its design, looks and, above all, what it delivers.

The Manettino allows the driver to choose how the Ferrari performs; whether they want a smooth country drive or a raw, unplugged, pedal-to-the-metal sprint on a race track. Ok, so it’s going to cost you over £100,000 to get one, but if you truly love gadgets and cars, you’ll find the money.

==== About the Author ====

This is a guest post from Louis Rix who is Marketing Director at Netcars.com Louis has a passion for Cars, Football & SEO.

If you look up the word geek’ on Wikipedia you will find the following listed as one of the definitions:

A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream

Although in days gone by, you might have described anyone who had an unhealthy obsession with gadgets as geeky’, it would be highly inaccurate to describe gadgets to be outside the mainstream’ in this day and age. Despite an economic downturn in recent years, people are still buying gadgets like never before. In fact you might say we are living in the age of the gadget.

So how have gadgets gone from being geeky to mainstream? Here are 3 very good reasons:

1) The iPod

When Apple, then a down on its luck computer company, launched a quirky new portable music playing device in 2001 the reaction from industry analysts was one of general bemusement. The consensus at the time was that Apple had come too late to market and that the new gadget had little commercial potential, especially as the first generation was only compatible with less than 5% of the computers in the USA. At the official launch Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the assembled journalists that Apple was going to be the market leader. Few of them took any notice.

As a result of the success of the iPod, and later on the iPhone and iPad, Apple is now one of the world’s largest companies with an estimated worth of over $100 billion and a market share of around three quarters of the portable music player market. So how and why did this happen?

Essentially what Apple did was to simplify two processes. Firstly, they simplified the process of using the device itself with its easy-to-use dial system. Secondly they simplified the process of purchasing and getting music onto the device using the revolutionary iTunes software. In short, they made a music player that non-geeks could use.

A brilliant marketing campaign which the music business to promote Apple’s brand personality worked like a charm. This was a device that was easy to use. This was a device that was cool. This was a device that everybody wanted. With one product, Apple had changed the entire gadget market.

2) Celebrity Endorsements

When Oprah Winfrey gave a glowing review of The Kindle on her TV show, Amazon sold out of their ebook reader due to unanticipated demand from an army of Oprah fans. A-list celebrities from Miley Cyrus to Justin Timberlake have been photographed out and about carrying their iPads. Paris Hilton and Barack Obama never go anywhere without their Blackberries. Celebrity endorsements, especially ones where no money has changed hands, are very powerful indeed. Gadget endorsements by celebrities, both intentional and unintentional, are now commonplace.

Not only are endorsements such as these a signal of quality for potential gadget consumers, but they also appeal to a part of our brain which seeks a connection with our heroes. They have also done a great deal to spread the view that gadgets aren’t just for geeks.

3) Social Networking

The statistics regarding the number of Facebook and Twitter users are astonishing with Twitter approaching 200 million users and Facebook accumulating a mind blowing 500 million users. The enormous growth of social networking has affected the gadget market in two ways.

Firstly, as the use of such social networking sites grew, so did the demand for accessing these sites on the move. Social media addicts want the ability to let people know where they are and what they are doing at any given time. They want to live tweet events. They also want to know what their friends are up to. The integration of social media with gadgets such as mobile phones, tablet pc’s and even video cameras is now a huge selling point.

The second way social media has affected the gadget market is through the power of word of mouth’ endorsements from friends and followers. You see your friend has bought something on a social network your natural reaction is to want to buy it too. Companies have cottoned onto this and are now actively using social media in an attempt to start the conversation’ about their gadgets. Expect to see a lot more of this in the near future.

=== About the Author ===

MSM Software, is an award winning UK software development company that provides custom application design and management.

Have you ever had to help someone with their computer over the phone or using text chat? It’s not easy. You can’t be sure that they are in the right place, doing what you want them to do. That’s why remote desktop (screen) sharing applications are so great.

These applications are called by a variety of names such as, remote access, remote support, remote desktop, screen sharing, and desktop sharing. The main idea behind them is that they allow one computer to see another computer’s screen over a network or the internet.

My wife and I have many friends and relatives that come to us for PC help and advice. We’ve used a number of desktop sharing apps over the years and discovered that TeamViewer is one of the best, and it’s free!

Since I’ve been spending a lot of time using Linux lately, I was happy to find that TeamViewer is also available for Linux, as well as Windows, Mac and Smartphones. It’s almost as good as being there, because I can control the remote computer as if I were sitting directly in front of it. When I need to, I can change the direction to show my PC’s screen to the other person. It even makes it easy to share files with the person on the other end.

This image below shows how simple it is to set up. (click image to enlarge it)

One thing I can say about an Apple product is that the product’s design and build are absolutely top-notch and Apple takes good care of making sure that their products are nothing but the best.

With so many Apple products out their including Mac Book Pros, Mac Air, iPad, iPhone 4, iPod Touch and iPod Nano you can expect them to come up with several more products which re-define the way we look at the products.

While Apple is busy preparing for the launch of iPad 2, a satire site called Scoopertino; which produces fake Apple news, has gone ahead and created a new Apple product called Apple Water or iWater as we would like to call it.

Take a look at the latest product from Apple (click to enlarge image). For more such Geeky fun about Apple, visit the site at http://scoopertino.com/.

If you have a geek in your life, you may be wondering what to get them for Christmas. There are so many amazing things out there for those who have technical know-how, or just consider themselves geeks. With everything from great games that are coming out, to fun, silly items, you can definitely find something to fit the person you are shopping for. The following are the top 10 Christmas presents for the geek in your life this year. They are in no particular order, simply because each geek has different preferences!

1.) World of Warcraft, Cataclysm: If the geek in your life is a gamer, this is a must have. If they already play World of Warcraft, you may want to check and make sure they don’t already have the expansion. It was recently released, and many people upgraded that day. If the person you are buying for does not already have Cataclysm, this is a great idea for them. With new zones, professions and more, they will love the new face of WoW.

2.) Nintendo Monopoly: If your gamer enjoys board games, this is the gift for them! Combining the classic Nintendo games with the board game everybody loves makes for a fun time for all. Even if it isn’t played very often, this could be a great collection piece.

3.) Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter and Star Wars Chop Sabers: These two are tied, depending on if your geek is a Star Trek fan or a Star Wars junkie. For those who love Star Trek, the pizza cutter is made of solid stainless steel and is officially licensed by the franchise. For the Star Wars fan, the Chops Sabers are unique and useful. After all, Chinese food is a staple in the lives of many geeks, and being able to eat your orange chicken with light sabers is just plain awesome!

4.) Ebook Reader: If your geek is a book lover, they will love an ebook reader. There are many options available, but the Kindle and the Nook are currently at the forefront of the market. You can also get many ebooks for free, or at least a lot cheaper than in their paperback or hardcover forms. This is a gift that keeps giving, because you can always add more books.

5.) Xbox Kinect: This is a hot new item. Up until recently, the Wii was the leader in games that required you to get up and shake your booty. Now, there is the Xbox Kinect as well. With a variety of games that allow you to take charge of the characters with your body, instead of a traditional controller, there is tons of fun to be had!

6.) Footie Pajamas: Take your geek back to childhood with these! (Yes, there are actually footed pajamas for adults.) Can you think of a better way to do your programming or gaming? Footed jammies are a fun, warm, and even practical gift for the geek in your life.

7.) BuckyBalls Magnetic Building Spheres: Does your geek like magnets? Or just fun things to play around with? If so, these magnets are where it’s at. You can use them to make almost anything, and can mix and match the colors. You can also get more than one set to make the perfect creation.

8.) Astronaut Ice Cream: This is the way to go if you’re looking to stuff the stockings. Not only can you find this fairly cheap, you’d be surprised at how excited your geek gets when they open it up. These can store for up to three years, so stock up on them!

9.) Mana Energy Potions and Health Energy Potions: All geeks need a little pick me up sometimes, and when regular sodas just don’t do the trick, consider these energy and health potions. With almost as much caffeine as two Red Bulls in each drink, they’re sure to make a long night of gaming much easier.

10.) Anything Zombies: Zombies are coming; all geeks understand this. The Zombie Survival Guide is a great option, but anything that has to do with zombies, or surviving the zombie apocalypse is a perfect gift idea for the geek in your life.

Finding the perfect present doesn’t have to be difficult. There are so many options that are great and fun for geeks that you may have to take some time to narrow down your ideas. Just take a look around, and choose one that best fits their interests.

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This guest blog post is from Melissa at Reevoo, who are a UK based price comparison and review website focusing on electronics and of course gadgets!

If you haven’t heard about the Social Network Movie, you ought to go and watch it once. It is a movie roughly based on the life of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and how he built an empire of 500 million users.

However, the director of the movie has not fully created the movie out of facts. So how would the Social Network movie pan out if it were based on facts? No better director than Mark Zuckerberg right? Well if you said yes, here is a funny take on what the Social Network movie would actually pan out if Mark Zuckerberg himself directed it courtesy Business Insider.

So what do you think? Was this better than the original Social Network movie?

If you have been reading tech news today, you might have come across the news that Facebook was speculated to be building a Facebook phone but later denied it. Trust the Internet to make fun out of news like these and come up with some really tacky things, remember the iPad announcement?

So, if you are up for some fun, here is the first photo of the Facebook Phone created by Sean Percival, all the Pun intended .

(More from The Creator)