Geekend's Black Friday Shopping ListGeekend's Black Friday Shopping List

8 Tech Turkeys To Avoid As Gifts

Happy Black Friday, folks. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here at Geekend, my Black Friday tradition has been to post my personal wish list of geek toys. Obviously, Cyber Monday would be more befitting such a list, but since Geekend comes out on Fridays we're forced to be traditional. I'm not sure this list will help you shop, as you'd have to be buying a gift for someone crazy like me. But hey, a lot of people who read the Geekend are crazy like me.

First up is the strangest sounding gift of all, 2D glasses. "But Dave," you're saying, "if I wear those, won't I start running into walls? Don't we live in a 3D world?" A very astute observation, but these 2D glasses are actually for 3D movies. You know how if you take your 3D glasses off at a 3D movie, you see a blurry image? That's because 3D film layers images to create the effect. Some people get really dizzy from 3D movies because of the layering. 2D glasses allow you to watch 3D movies in 2D so you don't get dizzy. Granted, this is actually for a small subset of people. You have to be someone who goes to movies with people who like 3D movies, but can't stand them yourself. It is actually perfect for parents I think. I don't like 3D movies myself, but my kids prefer them. Think of them as a stocking stuffer.

While we're on smaller gifts, no list of geek gifts is complete without a Star Wars gift. Anyone can have his and hers towels. But if you really want to live the greatest romance from a long time ago in a galaxy far away, you need these towels.

(Image: Thinkgeek.com)

The only thing missing is a wookie crying in the background. Personally I'm sad these weren't around when I got married.

[What happens at the company party does not stay at the company party. 10 Holiday Party Attire Atrocities.]

Speaking of wedding gifts, no wedding registry is complete without a waffle iron. No geek should be without this keyboard waffle iron. If you're already married, grab it for Christmas waffles. It is still only in Kickstarter, and it isn't close to goal, but if enough people buy-in, for $60 you, too, can enjoy the taste of melted butter and warm syrup melting into your space bar.

(Image: Chris Dimino)

Another great Kickstarter I want to see funded (so someone will buy it for me for Christmas) is 6th Finger. OK, I lied. 2D glasses didn't sound nearly as strange as 6th Finger. 6th Finger has a very unusual use, but if you are a tablet or mobile gamer, you'll see the value. Put 6th Finger on the mobile screen and gaming apps will think you're tapping and moving your finger on the screen. This will keep the game from falling asleep on you -- which is nice for a few specific kinds of games. Here's a video of it:

From Kickstarter to plain old kicks, I need someone to buy me this pair of shoes. The shoes have a built in GPS and they will actually help you find your way home with LED lights right in the toes. How cool is that? Sure, you've got a phone, but when you're not in Kansas anymore, what better way to get back home?

Last but not least, this is one of my favorite products I've ever put on a Geekend gift list. From Om Audio come the world's first levitating speakers. That's right. They're Bluetooth speakers that will play your best streaming audio but they float in the air. Right in your living room.

What would rock your New Year's Eve Party more than some floating speakers belting out your latest Spotify playlist?

I hope you see something you like on the list. And I hope you had a really wonderful Thanksgiving. Stay safe out there when you're shopping, and if you see anything out there you think should be on my list, let me know in the comments. And if you think anything on my list is silly or stupid, I want to hear that, too.

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