This is it for us. The final couple days of summer vacation, and the dog days of summer are firmly entrenched…really meaning that the kids are struggling with boredom. The video games have been mastered, the TV shows are old, and with a bunch of people taking last-minute vacations this weekend there aren’t a lot […]
Continue ReadingIn busy times, it takes a certain combination of inspiration, spare time and a little cash to stop dreaming and start making. I was inspired to make a cheap solar light back in June based on an Instructables post involving deconstructing solar garden lights and reinstalling them in mason jars. My inspiration held out long […]
Continue ReadingNotice the new portraits on the right of the layout? Well, the Twitter posse of GeekDads caught wind of a fun trend that has been sweeping the nets: manga avatars. They’re a lot of fun to make, and if you’re a 30- or 40-something guy with a few more pounds and a few less hairs […]
Continue ReadingIn 1970′s rural Minnesota, my parents let me ride my bike. I made jumps out of wood scraps, regularly rode 2 miles alone to the library and rode back loaded with books. The ape hanger handlebars and a banana seat were cool, but not as cool as my brother’s Evel Knievel knobby-tired bike. We had […]
Continue ReadingWith swim lessons over, summer camps a distant memory and the specter of school still several weeks distant, cries of "There’s nothing to do!" are becoming more and more frequent. We, at Geekdad, sympathize — that’s why we’ve come up with a list of 21 low/no-cost activities that’ll engage your kids quicker than they can […]
Continue ReadingThe slightly off-kilter person or people behind new blog 1000 Awesome Things has been a bit hit-or-miss from this reader’s perspective. I mean… broccoflower? Really? Today, though he/she/they hit a real home run with Awesome Thing #980: Old, Dangerous Playground Equipment. Until I became a GeekDad, I didn’t really notice the slow mutation of the […]
Continue ReadingI think that one of the best parts about being a dad is that it’s incredibly easy to make my kids laugh. Children crack up at the silliest things, as my wife will readily attest (while she rolls her eyes at me). And, while I have a tough time understanding the humor in their jokes, […]
Continue ReadingYou don’t usually expect potty humor from us, but this Spaceref post about a very special study was impossible to ignore. (Background: Orion is NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle project.) Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 3:00 PMSubject: Urine Collection Study Donor RequestWho: All Houston-SLS Associates, employees at 2200 Space Park, and any visitors to the […]
Continue ReadingI’m a water gun curmudgeon. It takes forever to fill the old-school guns with the t-shaped tab that retains the cap. Cheapo carnival squirt guns never shoot straight. I refuse to buy squirt guns that take batteries. A backpack reservoir seems a little too ‘Ghostbusters‘. The pressurized jobs can take more time to pump than […]
Continue ReadingIn the suburbs of Atlanta, there is a natural wonder with a storied history and a very unique ecosystem. Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock with rocky roots reaching out to several surrounding Georgia counties. It’s quite a sight to behold: a huge blank slate of granite, visible for miles around, which makes it […]
Continue ReadingLet’s get one thing straight: juggling is geeky. It’s ubergeeky. In my experience, learning to move objects—props, as jugglers call them—through the air in a controlled fashion is a talent reserved for carnies, clowns, and extremely geeky fathers. Therefore you owe it to yourself and your kids to learn how to juggle. It’ll amaze kids […]
Continue ReadingThe Neumeier GeekMom has been without a cell phone the past several days. The reason? It went in the washing machine, and was only discovered as the clothes made their way to the dryer when the cell phone dropped to the floor. Along with one of our cordless phones, the cell phone was put on […]
Continue ReadingYou could call it "Still Life with iPhone and Minifigs", or it might be an epic tale of (plastic) humanity overcoming our one-button technology overlords. Or maybe it’s just plain awesome. Whatever you call it, Flickr user ntr23 created a photoset of LEGO minifigs unpacking his new iPhone for him, including the challenge of taking […]
Continue ReadingIn the continuing saga of the GeekMom and I introducing a new generation to the TV series we watched as kids, they have now been exposed to Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It’s James Bond meets Star Trek in the opening titles with obligatory song. Only you won’t recognize the singer (or song), and […]
Continue ReadingI just had to pass this one on to my fellow geeks: Worth1000 does weekly photoshopping contests (as if you didn’t already know). This week’s has to do with modern gadgets as advertised in classic print. The ones for the game consoles are particularly amusing. Link to the Worth1000 contest entries.
Continue ReadingWe’ve seen Simpsonize me, and the high-kicking elves (thanks Russ). Now, Irish Spring has joined the fun for Saint Patrick’s Day. Their Get Irish Now site will let you insert a picture, customize your own Irish character, and write a limerick for the animation to read. Then you can send it to folks, embed it […]
Continue Reading<!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –> OK. I’m envious. I didn’t get an Asteroids birthday cake when I was growing up….but then, I didn’t have an Atari – I had an Intellivision (please note my nose held slightly higher in the air as I type, and […]
Continue ReadingEach Saturday evening I try to cook dinner for just the kids, and then later, cook dinner for just the GeekMom and I…(but that’s a future post). This morning, I told the kids what I would make them – macaroni and cheese – to "yeahs" and "all rights".(and no, it’s not from a blue box […]
Continue ReadingThe first "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" movie trailer went live yesterday on IndianaJones.com and Yahoo! Movies. Mark May 22nd on your calendar and break out the popcorn for the first teaser trailer: If that’s not enough to get us retro-geeks excited, there are also the many hours we can look […]
Continue ReadingRomance is all well and good, but I think we can agree that it could do with some not-so subtle geeking up. With that in mind, Ironic Sans has posted a fine selection of heartfelt greetings for you to share with the object of your dorky affection: Scientist Valentines. Motivated by a glaring lack of […]
Continue ReadingThe Craft Magazine blog recently posted a video of Bonnie Burton talking about how to make Star Wars crafts. These ideas coud fuel a fun Dad+geeklet (or Mom+geeklet, or whole geek family) craft day. Click To Play Read the Craft blog post and check out the StarWars.com Kids section for more.
Continue ReadingIf you have children between the ages of 2 and 22, chances are you’ve watched your fair share of Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants and, quite possibly, become a fan along the way. At this year’s Annie Awards, the cast presented a video montage of their reinterpretations of scenes from classic cinema. Hilarity ensued. Via Boing Boing
Continue ReadingThe Way of the Geekdad is about being a geek, but it’s also about being a dad. And nothing screams "Dad" as loudly as… facial hair. That’s why I’m going to participate in International Mustache Month: The idea is simple: grow your beard throughout February, then shave back to a glorious mustache for a gala […]
Continue Reading….at least according to the family GeekTeen….All because I chose to activate the nostalgia center and download some songs from the 1980′s – you know…when MTV stood for MUSIC television (with real, live VJ’s and music videos)… Things like Adam and the Ants and Men Without Hats. Apparently I’m not alone – since the YouTube […]
Continue ReadingAdmittedly I’m a few weeks late for a post of this nature –my bad… Better late than never, though. I was in Toronto last week and had a chance to duck out of the office during a break and check out what the Silver Snail comic shop had been up to with their holiday window […]
Continue ReadingWow. This and so much more at A Little Hut. Asha Dornfest is the publisher of Parent Hacks.
Continue ReadingOkay….just a bit of fun. I think I’ve done the first mash-up on GeekDad. Way back in August, Ken introduced the Simpsonized Denmeads. He made use of the SimpsonizeMe website. Now that the holidays are fast approaching, another site is making the rounds – Elf Yourself. So, without further delay, I bring you the Dancing […]
Continue ReadingBonus points to anyone who recognized the Teeny Tiny quote from The Neverending Story, but that was a bit of a canard. In fact, we’re talking about actually racing snails. This sounds like one of those things that occurs to most creative parents at some point. “Gee, wouldn’t it be cool if we raced (insert […]
Continue ReadingNewly expanded: DadLabs, the go-to source over-the-top product reviews, humorous parenting debate, and general mayhem. I had the pleasure of filming a DadLabs segment with Clay and Brad when I was in Austin for SXSW, and I can tell you that they are as serious about the business of fun as they are genuine and […]
Continue Reading……Greg and James Schmidt! What a tough contest this was to judge. Speaking on behalf of the GeekDad contributors, you guys put together some fantastic videos. Every GeekDad mentioned how hard it was to pick a winner. So, hats off to Team Schmidt. We’ll work out the details for getting the Lego Star Destroyer to […]
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