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What to Get My Geek for Valentine's Day? 1034

A reader writes "Help!!! I've been dating my geek for three months and I'm in a bit of a dilemma. So I thought I'd ask the men of Slashdot what they would want as a Valentine's Day gift. I'm looking for something out of the ordinary that will knock his socks off. Somthing clever, crafty and unique. The budget is $100. My geek's interests are typical geek fare, games, computers, music and gadgetry. So! You, men of Slashdot, tell me what you would want to recieve for Valentine's day and help me make my geek happy."
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What to Get My Geek for Valentine's Day?

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  • Blow job (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:26PM (#8212584)
    give him a blow job
    • Re:Blow job (Score:5, Funny)

      by strictnein ( 318940 ) * <strictfoo-slashd ... m ['oo.' in gap]> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:30PM (#8212637) Homepage Journal
      How is that off-topic? Every (male) geek wants one of those for valentines day.

      Who are these mods?
    • Re:Blow job (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:46PM (#8212810)
      Sort of related to that . . .

      While in a sex store buying stuff for one of my friend's bachelorette party, I saw some instructional tapes. One of them was simply labelled "Fellatio." I had the idea of buying it for my girlfriend on Valentine's Day. I think it might be fun . . . .

      And if she doesn't like it, I can just say, " That's alright, I just got it as a gag gift."
    • Re:Blow job (Score:5, Funny)

      by wittyesotericmoniker ( 743663 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:55PM (#8212900)
      Yay, we found one job that will definitely cost more if outsourced.
    • by dmayle ( 200765 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @05:42PM (#8214098) Homepage Journal

      It's pretty simple... V-Day is on a Saturday, which means no work (hopefully), so it's perfect.

      Arrange ahead of time to take the first half of the day for V-Day, and let him have the second half. Take him to the nearest arcade, with $40-50 worth of quarters, or go-kart racing, follow it up with lunch at something cheap but not fast food (maybe Bennigan's or Chili's), then to a movie he wants to see (maybe The Butterfly Effect, or Cold Mountain, but you know better), and have popcorn and icees/slushies or that 128oz. monster size soda.

      Next, let him take over, hopefully he'll have something planned for you (remember you arranged ahead of time, so that's a good reminder for him).

      When you get back, he'll have had an incredible day, hopefully you'll have had an incredible night, finish it off by taking him home (your place or his), for some intimate time. Do something with him that you've never done before, whether that be letting him get to second base, or your first time having sex in the shower (or the kitchen table, washing machine, etc. ;) )

      As for me? My gf and I are currently seperated by that little pond we call the Atlantic Ocean, so I'm having flowers delivered to her, as well as a DVD player (she doesn't have one yet), and the complete Family Guy collection (I know my girl). I'm going to pick up some candles, break out the webcam, and we're going to have a candlelit dinner some 2000 miles apart...

    • Re:Blow job (Score:5, Informative)

      by khoward1 ( 171460 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @06:12PM (#8214296) Homepage
      Give him a Simpsons Valentine [web-goddess.org]. It says "I Choo-Choo-Choose you", and there's a picture of a train!
    • by managerialslime ( 739286 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @08:02PM (#8214969) Homepage Journal
      If you really care and your significant other is really a Geek,
      a great gift is to let him know what you want him to get YOU on the holiday as well as where to eat.

      How can YOU prevent the following conversation?

      "Honey," (he begins ever so sweetly), "Where would you like dine?"
      "Oh, I don't know dear, surprise me."
      "But dear, my love of food means that there isn't a restaurant on planet earth that I don't like and you were so unhappy the fourth time Christmas week I took you to MickeyDee's, there was no lovin' for weeks after."
      "Just pick a romantic place, OK?"
      "Bunchkins, just name one or two or three you like, and I'll be more than happy to pick one."
      (Tone at this point turns icy.) "That is NOT romantic. I want you to surprise me with a romantic choice."
      "My love, when I surprised you on your birthday with a McFlurry and a hot McPie with a candle on top, I thought you would appreciate the originality. Instead, I obviously did something wrong when you threw it at me. Please just tell me what you would like."
      "What I would like is for you to have a romantic thought. And since you want advice, make sure your gift is romantic, but not too flashy or ostentatious."
      "Dearest, I am just too Geeky to translate the word 'romantic' into the most appropriate gift and dinner. I know you love me despite my geekiness. Couldn't you just give me a note with the details of what to get you and where to take you?"
      "If you ever want affection even once in you life after the holiday, I suggest you drop this conversation now and do what you need to do."
      Geek mutters under breath, "I should have slit my wrists a long time ago."

  • The Best Store (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rockwood ( 141675 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:27PM (#8212599) Homepage Journal
    That's easy, almost anything from Think Geek [thinkgeek.com]
  • by bstil ( 652204 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:27PM (#8212603)
    Check out the ThinkGeek Valentine guide [thinkgeek.com].
  • by YoYofella ( 184938 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:27PM (#8212618) Homepage
    stop calling him GEEK every other sentence. That's a start.
    • Re:one suggestion (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dszd0g ( 127522 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:55PM (#8212903) Homepage

      Hey, some of us are geeks and proud of it. I have no problem with someone calling me a geek when it isn't done in an insulting manner. Even then I often take it as a compliment.

      This is a good thread. My gf has a hard time shopping for me sometimes. I maintain a list of DVDs I want, and she often snags something off that list. A lot of geeks maintain a wish list somewhere. Other times, it is just something I've mentioned I've wanted.

      Although, one time I had been mentioning wanting an umbrella for a while, but hadn't gotten my butt to go shopping for one. So she hands me this blue-purple umbrella. For some reason, women seem to think purple works for guys. I had to be careful not to offend her, but I ended up going to the store and returning it for a nicer black one.

      I do have some male friends that like purple, but most of them are gay. The general advice about shopping for men, still applies to most geeks.

      The difference for geeks is they like cool toys and often care a lot about quality. If you get something that normally comes in a cheap plastic, but they make a nice shiny metal one. Most people might not care, but a lot of geeks will like the nice shiny metal one. I wish I had an example, but I hope I got the idea accross.
    • by rs79 ( 71822 ) <hostmaster@open-rsc.org> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:18PM (#8213087) Homepage
      If your geek has a girlfriend he doesn't need a present too. Buy chocolate for yourself.

  • by PollGuy ( 707987 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:28PM (#8212622)
    and get yourself some coded underwear [thinkgeek.com].

    Just don't get it backwards-- wear the 200 ones when you are gearing to go.
  • Hmm.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ZeroConcept ( 196261 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:28PM (#8212624)
    Dress as:
    - Seven of Nine (Star Trek)
    - Princess Leah (You know, the mini stuff)

    What else? ohh...he might wanna have sex with you but our kind is used to rejection so it should be ok.
  • Lucky bastard... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thedoktor ( 526726 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:28PM (#8212627) Journal
    It's not enough that he has a girlfriend, she has the brains to get him a geek toy too. Like i said - lucky bastard
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:29PM (#8212628)
    I'm sure most men here would just like a girlfriend at all.

    Maybe you could get him some soap, a razor or decent clothes.

    A room that is NOT in the basement would probably be good, too.

    Sunlight is also a good possibility.
  • by jdepew ( 192259 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:29PM (#8212629) Homepage
    If he's anything like most of us geeks, we'll buy the geek toys ourselves to make sure we get exactly what we want.

    So, my suggestion is, get him something non-geeky that he'd like or has commented on that shows you realize he is much more than just Geek.
    • by lcde ( 575627 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:53PM (#8212877) Homepage
      I would have to second this comment. I think if my gf bought me a HD or a thinkgeek t-shirt i would be kind of disapointed because those are things that i would just go out and buy if i need. I would rather have something that would remind me of her whenever i see it.
    • by coolgeek ( 140561 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:00PM (#8212939) Homepage
      And I hate to say it, most geek toys cost more than $100.

      Here's an idea: get him something that is not geek-oriented at all. He will probably treasure it more than something destined to end up in one of his techno-junk piles or handed down to his "lower-tech" buddies.
    • by jpmkm ( 160526 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:42PM (#8213273) Homepage
      Damn straight. Get him something you want to get him. Don't look for something that he wants or needs, because if he wanted it himself then he would have already bought it. I know I would have. If I haven't bought the item then it's probably too expensive, in which case my girlfriend couldn't afford it either.
      The whole idea of setting aside certain days of the year to give gifts just pisses me off to no end. I have no problem with getting gifts for people, but only if I feel like it and I want to. I just absolutely hate the feeling of obligating to get gifts for people. The problem is when people expect gifts and then I don't get them somthing, they are disappointed and then it makes me feel bad. They never fuckign seem to take into account that I'm a poor college boy and I can't afford all that shit. Am I supposed to not eat so that I can buy shit for people? I'm sorry guys, but I have to think of myself first.
      uh, sorry about that rant, but it's that time of year and I'm pissed off about it.
      • by KingJoshi ( 615691 ) <slashdot@joshi.tk> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @07:01PM (#8214612) Homepage
        I wish I had mod points (time expired yesterday).

        But I can't agree with you more. I don't give christmas gifts, birthday gifts or whatever. If I see something in the store that reminds me of someone and think they'd like it, and I can afford it, I'll get it for them. I hate the attitudes of people of expecting something, and thankfully, my family is understanding of my philosophy. If it's about giving, why hold it to a particular day (here's your christmas gift, I got it weeks ago but you can't enjoy it until a certain day). How idiotic is that? Then, it becomes more about making yourself feel better about giving than the actual giving.

        And as others have said, dont get me "geek" stuff unless you know I want it. I always appreciate the thought, effort put into gifts and the caring by the other person, but if I had wanted to buy an mp3 player or whatever, I would've. Maybe I want the Rio instead of an iPod. Maybe I care more about the RPM than HD size. Even if you get expert advice from other "geeks", their values and tastes can (and tend to) differ.

        The best thing about a relationship, imo, is the intimacy. Spend valentines day together playing games that you both like or watch some movies that you guys like or whatnot. Plan the day together and lose yourself in each other's company and love.
    • by iabervon ( 1971 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:07PM (#8213476) Homepage Journal
      As a particular suggestion along these lines, geeks tend not to pay much attention to the ergonomics of their computers. It is pretty likely that you could get him something cheap that he'd never think to get that would substantially improve how he feels after a long coding session. Good candidates include lighting, comfortable indoor footwear, and a good chair.

      You can also generally find better keyboards and mice, but you'll want to have him try a bunch and pick his favorite, because different ones feel better for different people.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:29PM (#8212630)
    She asked what _her_ geek, who HAS a girl, would like. Not what YOU want so badly.
  • Tools! (Score:5, Informative)

    by JoeCommodore ( 567479 ) <larry@portcommodore.com> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:31PM (#8212651) Homepage
    $100? How about some useful tool or hardware necessity. First thought would be one of those Keychain USB drives. If you want him to think of you often get him something he finds useful and will use a lot.

  • Hrm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GigsVT ( 208848 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:32PM (#8212660) Journal
    This story is kinda fishy.

    "A Reader" writes... A reader of Slashdot that doesn't know what a geek wants as a gift, Okkaaay.

    This whole thing seems like a big shill story to get people to post links to ThinkGeek, which is of course owned by the same company as Slashdot.
  • by Dolohov ( 114209 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:32PM (#8212667)
    It's easy to give a geek gifts. ThinkGeek.com alone should satisfy you there. For V's Day, you might want to look for something you'd both enjoy, so that his immediate response isn't "Must go off and use new gadget alone!" Two-player videogames you're willing to play with him, DVDs you'll both like, that kind of thing. Stuff like books or single-player video games can wait until his birthday.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:33PM (#8212681)
    All geeks would love an Windows XP license or subscription to MSDN.

    (I'm jealous and trying to break you up)
  • by armando_wall ( 714879 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:35PM (#8212694) Homepage

    Well, lady, just typing "the perfect present for a geek" [google.com] in google gave me some interesting links...

    This one might help you [presentpicker.com].

  • by Aaron England ( 681534 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:36PM (#8212705)
    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    All of my base
    Are belong to you
  • by slothdog ( 3329 ) * <slothdog&gmail,com> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:37PM (#8212717) Homepage
    Amazon has a well-hidden Early Adopers Store [amazon.com] that has all the latest gadgetry and toys. Lots of fun stuff there....
  • Love (Score:5, Insightful)

    by LamerX ( 164968 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:38PM (#8212723) Journal
    Being a lonely geek myself, I would say that I would be happy just getting to spend my day with a girl I love. The only thing that I would ever want would be her company for that day. There is no material object on the planet that would make me as happy as just getting to spend time someone I love. Just to hold her in my arms, and enjoy her company. Maybe sitting out in a park bench in the middle of the night looking out over a lake at the cityscape.
    • Re:Love (Score:5, Funny)

      by aanand ( 705284 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:44PM (#8212797) Homepage
      Not even an iPod? Dude, they've got 40GB ones now.
    • Second that. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by weston ( 16146 ) <westonsd@@@canncentral...org> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:42PM (#8213728) Homepage
      A few years ago I was student teaching (for those who've never done it, that's a pretty big time of stress, because you're essentially learning the ropes of a more-than-full-time job while not getting paid a thing and, in fact, having to pay tuition. So combine no income and no time and going back to high school. Fabulous). When my birthday came around, my girlfriend came and picked me up as soon as classes were out, pulled me away from the stuff I probably would have been doing, and we just went walking in the hills for a few hours, and then to dinner. I did have to be back at parent teacher conferences that night, but those few hours were remarkably refreshing. Just time. It's a great gift.
  • by GoofyBoy ( 44399 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:38PM (#8212724) Journal
    Unfortunately "give him sex!" comments are getting modded down.

    Seriously, healthly people like sex. Good caring sex, more so.

    You get him $100 worth of somethng from ThinkGeek and its something anyone could give, really lacks creativity and will be forgotten in a year.

    Hot, wild monkey sex with a liberal dose of caring and understanding towards your partner's needs will blow his/her mind away, is going to be unique to each other and will strengthen your relationship.

    If, for your personal reasons, you are waiting to get married or whatever, then head over to ThinkGeek.
    • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:56PM (#8212908)
      Hot, wild monkey sex

      Monkey sex? Pff, I'd rather just have an army of monkeys. With that I could take over the world and get sex whenever I wanted.
  • by MonkeysKickAss ( 735143 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:40PM (#8212748) Journal
    You need to be original, so what you should do is not buy him just anything but you should give him a memory. Things can break, but a memory is alwayys there so plan a roantic dinner with candles, inscence, rent his favorite movie, and prepare a home cooked meal (if you can't cook buy something and make it look as if you prepared it). You don't want to out do him because then he will hate himself, and after dinner go for a walk and then finally go back to your place put on the movie, cuddle up next to him and just enjoy. Thats the best present you can give him, because a memory like that is priceless. Hope I helped and good luck
  • March 14 (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gothmolly ( 148874 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:40PM (#8212756)
    More importantly, what happens on the 'other' holiday [steakandbjday.com]? Don't 'stiff' your geek on that day either! (pun intended)
  • One Sugestion (Score:5, Insightful)

    by greysky ( 136732 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:40PM (#8212760)
    Call me old fashioned, but even though I am a geek, I don't really want or expect geeky gifts for valentine's day. That's what Christmas and birthdays are for. Is it just me or are gifts for this occasion suposed to be romantic in nature and not practical? That said, $100 would probably cover the tab for a nice romantic dinner out at a nice restraunt. Or, if he's geeky enough to still live in his parents' basement, you could always rent a hotel room...
  • by JMZorko ( 150414 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:41PM (#8212764) Homepage
    ... are the things that meant the most to me. Spend some time with him, go somewhere really cool, have an incredibly wonderful and intimate conversation, witness a beautiful sunset, stay up all night and contemplate the stars, the planet, and the joy of being with one another. Sing him a song if you're inclined!

    These all last much longer, and go much deeper, than any consumable, in my opinion.

    Regards,

    John

  • Something special (Score:5, Insightful)

    by reignbow ( 699038 ) <a.m.steffen@[ ].de ['web' in gap]> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:43PM (#8212782)

    Well, so far everybody has suggested some kind of sexual favour... but either it's happened already or you have reasons why not. Oh well. Here are ideas you can actually tell him about in front of your parents:

    • take him to the luxus sauna for a day. Complete relaxation, total comfort. Gets you off at 60$
    • Get him a nice piece of decoration he can use to brighten his computer/workplace/shrine with. Good modern art, some kind of astronomy picture, something to focus his eyes on when he needs to calm down after some bughunting
    • Any book he always wanted but could never afford? Get it and a few tidbits from the left-over money.
    • Invite him to dinner to a nice restaurant. Something classy, but not necessarily posh. Good food is a must.
    • Organize a surprise network party for him
    • Music or a game he likes.
    • I think you get the drift. Do
    • not give him a bulk network card, no matter how useful it would be, because, while it would make him happy, it would also lack the certain something. What's important is something that makes the gift seem thoughtful, so either good presentation or a truly original idea are necessary. Hope I could help :)
    • Re:Something special (Score:5, Informative)

      by Dalcius ( 587481 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:10PM (#8213021)
      "Get him a nice piece of decoration he can use to brighten his computer/workplace/shrine with. Good modern art, some kind of astronomy picture, something to focus his eyes on when he needs to calm down after some bughunting"

      As cheesy as some might think it, most geeks I know would appreciate a lava lamp. I've got one on my desk at work -- it's relaxing after a long coding session to lean back and stare at the globs rising and falling and smacking into each other.

      Just a thought. :)

      Cheers
    • by sylvester ( 98418 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:24PM (#8213134) Homepage
      You know what?

      Go look at the slashdot hall of fame. It's a long shot, and it depends on the guy, but get him something political. A tiger, or an acre of rain forest, or whatever. Or a donation to the EFF, or Debian, or Gentoo, or Fedora, or Blender or Wikipedia or Mandrake or any of hundreds of worthy projects that he probably takes advantage of on a daily basis.

      Geeks have money, and they buy exactly the toys they want when they want. You can't win buying him a gadget.

  • Victoria Secrets (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rossz ( 67331 ) <ogre&geekbiker,net> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:44PM (#8212796) Journal
    Something that you wear. Trust me, this would be better than any gadget you could possibly purchase.
  • Asking on Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GrouchoMarx ( 153170 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:53PM (#8212883) Homepage

    It's Valentine's day. Save the hardware and gadgetry for his birthday, Christmas, etc. Valentine's day, for one day, you can be sentimental, even to a techie. The geekiest you'd want to go would be, like, "his and hers" memory cards or something. :-) Something you've made yourself, even if it is tech-related, is best.

    Of course, you could just let him see this thread. A girlfriend who likes her geek beau enough that she'll ask the nexus of geekdom how to best make a geek happy? Just the knowledge that a girl cares that much and knows him that well is a major gift in itself. Maybe frame the thread or something. :-)

    • Widget from ThinkGeek: $30
    • New iPod: $300
    • New gaming rig: $3000
    • A girlfriend willing to say "I love my geek and want to show it" on Slashdot: Priceless
  • by Marvill ( 457378 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:57PM (#8212918)
    Speaking as a geek in a long term relationship (defininition: over a year, no rings yet though), Valentine's Day is one of the most difficult holidays to deal with. I had intense social anxiety in high school, but even now, years and years later, there are still some things that trigger it for me. Number one is my fear of getting lost--if I have to go to a new place (say, a restaurant) and worse, I have to get there by a certain time (say, a reservation), I'll worry about it for days unless I take a drive during my free time before the event to memorize all the markers and distances. Number two is crowded places with no places to walk around (I usually solve this one with frequent trips to the bathroom or bar.) At Valentine's Day, though, every restaurant is going to be absolutely packed, and there will be no space at the bar.

    I'm not saying your geek has any of these problems, but chances are, he's still feeling the stress of his first V-day in a relatively new relationship. The absolute perfect gift for me would be for my girlfriend to show up at my place on February 13th, tell me she had cancelled my reservations, and drive me to dinner. (Regardless of who pays.) It would show that she understands my problems. (And she does--she's been a huge help getting this far, and it was her suggestion that we take Friday off and spend the weekend with my recently divorced mother.)

    As for presents though, every guy honestly really just wants the same thing--a great night in bed with no distractions. Pay any roommates to be conviently not there if necessary. If you want to get him something physical though (ah-ha), consider a framed picture of the two of you for his desk at work. Guys like pictures. Honestly. We're just too lazy to get a nice print, frame, etc etc.

    This works nicely because guys NEVER ask other guys what they got for Valentine's Day. The only people who ask are women, and women will appreciate you for the thoughtful gesture and will respect him for having such a wonderful girlfriend.
  • by morzel ( 62033 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @02:58PM (#8212928)
    Give him a leatherman tool (provided he doesn't already have one)... A lot of choice in your budget range: for $100 you can get a nice one.

    For the 'crafty' 'unique' bit, you may want to consider some special kind of packaging that is challenging to actually open... My little brother always gets the same gift for his birthday (money), but he never got a gift from me that didn't take at least 15 minutes get fully open.
    One possible example: present him his gift in a box closed with a couple of padlocks, and make him earn the keys with some fun assignments (up to you to think of those).

    WRT all the 'sex' postings: sex is not a 'gift' or something you should 'give'. On valentine, you should most importantly make time for each other and enjoy being together in whatever way you spend the day/evening.

  • Something classy (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ShawnDoc ( 572959 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:03PM (#8212968) Homepage
    One of the biggest problems geeks have is that they have no sense of class or taste. If it doesn't have a million blinking blue leds on it, they don't buy it.

    So buy him something nice and classy. For $100 you can buy him a nice analog watch or maybe a nice shirt or two.

    He may not appreciate it at first, but this way when you drag him along to a social function or he has to work with someone other than a fellow geek he'l have something to wear that actually looks good and he'll be able to fit in. After he gets a few compliments on his watch or clothes he'll want to wear them every time he goes out.

  • LEGO!!!! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Trejus ( 87937 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:08PM (#8213004) Homepage

    Too many people have thier heads in their pants to think of the one true geek gift, the all-mighty LEGO set. I can't think of any geeks that don't love them.

    Granted, nowardays the selection isn't that great, but for $100 you can get a reasonably complicated one.

    And as an added bonus, the gift is somewhat romantic as you can spend some time that day putting it together before engaging in more traditional romantic endevours.

  • by dougthonus ( 651712 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:14PM (#8213064)
    First, most of the geeky ideas are right out. Yes a USB keychain flash drive, or mp3 player or something would be very cool. The problem is when it comes to computer devices or things like that, I'd probably so much rather pick it out unless you really knew what you were doing and did a great job of feeling me out on exactly what i wanted. If you did that, then it'd no longer be a suprise and probably wouldn't work well.

    Secondly, the ideas about sex and whatever are all great. However, these sound like ideas from people currently not getting sex. If you're sleeping with your boyfriend already, then sleeping with him some more on valentine's day is probably something that will happen anyway and isn't a great gift. If you wanted to turn sex into a gift, then I think you'd better be doing something that's more fantasy based or something unusual (a trip to VS or a night at the sybaris (or one of those sex hotels if they don't have the sybaris by you).

    As for just spending the day together, while that is beautiful and I really want to spend the day with my wife on valentine's day, it's something that's going to be done anyway, and you'd probably feel pretty silly saying my gift to you is spending time with you. (I can't think of many things that would sound more conceited). Since basically, he could reply the same way.

    So with those things in mind, here's a few ideas:

    1) Take an interest in something he loves that you normally have no interest in. It depends on what kind of things you normally do together, but if you hate action movies renting one of his favorites, or watching star wars even if you hate it, or playing some multi-player games you don't like are all great ideas.

    2) Get tickets to an event. This is even better when combined with item #1. If you hate sports and he loves them, he'll really appreciate tickets to a basketball, baseball, or hockey game. Tickets to a comedy show, or some other show (as long as it's something he'd like, and not something you'd like, but he'd hate) would also be great.

    3) Agree not to make valentine's day a big deal. He's probably stressing out about what to get you for valentine's day, because he wants to do something special for you, but it's hard to feel special buying the same stuff everyone else is (you are obviously feeling somewhat of the same challenge). That being the case, agree to not buy each other gifts, but instead mutually plan an evening together. Go out to see a show, get some nice dinner, maybe plan some bedroom sports for afterwards that are a little spicier than normal (if you are doing that kind of thing that is).

    Anyway, just some thoughts!
  • by harlows_monkeys ( 106428 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:32PM (#8213199) Homepage
    OK, let's think about this. A Valentine's gift should be something that is unique to you, and somehow shows your love or symbolizes your relationship.

    My suggestion for a three-month relationship: give him the high order 32 bits of the prime factors of the modulus of your RSA private key.

    Give 96 mores bits at your 1 year anniversery. 64 more bits at your engagement, and 192 bits at your wedding.

  • by DF5JT ( 589002 ) <slashdot@bloatware.de> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @03:41PM (#8213260) Homepage
    A discussion on slashdot devoted to him.

  • by zapp ( 201236 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:01PM (#8213435)
    Speaking for myself (a geek with a 2+year lasting relationship) ... I like to get the geeky stuff myself.

    What my girlfriend usually gets me are some clothes that make me look good (I have a tendency to buy comfortable clothes), which i can wear to nice events or dates. This works out because I hate spending more than $20 on a pair of pants or shirt (or clothes in general), because she has better taste than I do, and because it leaves me to pick my own geeky self-presents.

    Seriously, if you wanna make your geek happy, buy him some clothes that you think make him look hot and then tell him how great he looks in them. :) Of course, you have to know a bit about his taste too.
  • Together (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cervo ( 626632 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:15PM (#8213543) Journal
    Well valentines day is not about material gifts, it's about celebrating love and each other. If you two aren't at the "love" stage yet then focus on each other. You mention you have been dating your "geek" for three months so you must have some insights into his character. Think of something that he as well as you would enjoy to do for valentines day, and then do that.

    I've noticed many different answers ranging from sex to thinkgeek to romantic dinners, and that is because each "geek" is different. If you go to slashdot and ask a question like this, you'll get diverse answers from the diverse user base. The truth of the matter is that you know him better than anyone, you have all of the customized knowledge of your "geek" who is really just a normal person like everyone else. There is no greater expert than you except maybe for his family members.

    But keep in mind Valentines day is not like a Birthday or even Christmas, it isn't about getting or giving gifts. As I stated above it is about love and celebrating it. Really the day is not about him or you, it's about the two of you. Getting him a gadget or something may be okay for Christmas or his Birthday because A) it is HIS Birthday so the day is about him and B) Christmas is about exchanging gifts....but Valentines day is about the two of you.

    Some of the standard type ideas to get you in the right frame of mind:
    • Day at couples spa
    • Romantic Bed and Breakfast (if you're gonna do sex make it special
    • candlelight dinner
    • Go see a movie you both would like
    • Romantic night time walk together if he is into that thing
    • Quiet evening at home working on some geeky project you both would enjoy together [Well you posted to slashdot so he is probably not the only geek in the relationship....]

    Some ideas are lame, some are good, but all of them involve not just him and not just you, but the two of you.

    Well you get the idea, I don't want to give away any specifics lest certain other people read this and are not surprised.....But don't underestimate the gift of your company. It goes without saying that you should try to spend all the time with him on Valentines day that you can. If you could take the day off from work and so could he (or school or whatever) and spend it together, that in itself would be a great gift.
  • Nothing (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Patik ( 584959 ) * <.cpatik. .at. .gmail.com.> on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:23PM (#8213585) Homepage Journal
    Don't bother celebrating a holiday that has no meaning for either of you. Save these suggestions for your anniversary. And if you just want to give him something, do it when you think of it, don't wait for a specific day (especially an arbitrary one like 2/14), just go ahead and do it. He'll appreciate the spontaneity and the fact that you were thinking about him far more than he'll appreciate any gift on 2/14.
  • Lingerie (Score:5, Interesting)

    by siphoncolder ( 533004 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @04:51PM (#8213782) Homepage
    I don't know a single guy out there that doesn't dig lingerie, or chicks wearing scanty clothes. If you have any clues as to what might tickle his fancy, get it and SURPRISE him with it. I would go into more of a description, but that would be giving too much away - it'd be *MY* fantasy, not his.

    Really, geek toys are for Christmas. This is VALENTINE'S day coming up, the day of non-material gift-giving.

    (Though I suspect he'd dig either the blowjob and/or threesome ;))
  • by Trolling4Dollars ( 627073 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @05:01PM (#8213842) Journal
    ...he's into sex, but pretends not to be. At least until he gets to know you better. If you are aware of what some of his interests/fantasies are, you could indulge him a little in that way. Rather fitting for Valentine's Day.

    Dressing up in something a little sexy and waking him up that way one morning might just fit the bill.

    The supposed lack of interest or opportunity related to sex is largely a myth. Geeks have very strong sexual desires and usually can be quite "open minded" once they are comfortable with their partner.
  • by holzp ( 87423 ) on Saturday February 07, 2004 @05:08PM (#8213887)
    he has the thing most geeks want but cant get already.

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

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