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“Generic” geek gifts are easy to find; there’s hundreds of dedicated online and offline stores. But when it comes down to a certain subdivision of geekiness things get harder. Which is why I am here to help with a clock for someone who likes math.

The Pop Quiz Math Clock may look complicated for the poets among us, but in fact the mathematical bits featured are among the simplest there are. If you’re familiar with the subject, that is. After all, it’s just a couple of equations, some radicals, a couple of fractions and some operations, right?

The good thing about this is that the rest of the household won’t hate it, either. If you can see where the hands of the clock are, you’ll be able to tell what time it is. And maybe even learn some math in the process.

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $26.99 on ThinkGeek.com
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I’m starting to have fun with all these wacky alarm clocks. I’m going to start collecting them - well, not physically, just the links. Who knows when the loud-cell-phone-near-my-ear method will stop working.

Today’s clock uses the old “make them get out of bed” trick. The idea behind it is that once you leave the comfort of your blankets, you’ll be less likely to crawl back and go to sleep. To wake you up, the Puzzle Alarm Clock buzzes and, at the same time, throws the 4 puzzle pieces somewhere around the room. It will keep sounding the alarm until you put them all back together and, hopefully, by the time you’re done with that you won’t be that sleepy anymore.

It’s admitedly not particularly good-looking, but hey, if it does the job…

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on Gadget4All.com.

If you ever felt your kitchen was missing something… maybe it was an ugly timer!

Yes, a timer is a very useful thing to have, especially if you have a tendency to get distracted and wander off while the roast is burning in the oven. But, if you’re going to get one, you surely can do better than this Whimsical Telephone Kitchen Timer…

It’s not exactly bad, but the idea of a large(ish) old style telephone in a kitchen just doesn’t work for me. It clutters the counter unnecessarily. Personally, I don’t like the design either, but that’s just a matter of taste in the end.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$19.30 on DeCuisine.co.uk.

Via Coolest Gadgets

I hope you were a nice son or daughter and already have a present ready for your dad. But, in case you don’t, here’s some suggestions you might find useful. It’s a bit late to be ordering online, but read on and you might get some last minute ideas.

5. If your father is into DYI and swears he can fix anything around the house, get him a Voice Recording Tape Measure. He won’t need to carry around that pen and paper (which he always loses anyway), because he’ll be able to record himself.

4. For the dad who is always in a bad mood in the morning, a Throw Alarm Clock. This clock requires physical violence to be turned off; it must be very satisfying to throw the troublesome noise making device to the floor. There’s 4 ball styles to choose from, so make sure you get the one for his favorite sport.

3. The Grilling Tool Light is perfect if your father likes barbecues. If he’s happily grilling something in the back yard and it gets dark, it might be a problem. Burnt meat and well done meat look the same at night. This flashlight for the grill makes sure dad - and all the guests - get to eat proper food.

2. Again for the fixer-dad. The Lil Guppie Multi-tool is a many-in-one tool for the crafty person, and it won’t make you stoop under its weight (have you ever tried carrying your whole toolbox with you, just in case?).

1. I don’t know about other people’s parents, but once every two days our house would get turned upside down: dad lost his remote. Now I moved out, so it doesn’t get on my nerves anymore, but I should’ve got him the Find One Find All key finder and remote locator. Any two devices from the range can find each other, so you can find your keys with your remote, or your remote with your keys, and so on. Just as long as you keep at least one of them in a place you can actually find it.

This was going to be a review saying, in short, “You don’t need it, but it looks cute.” Then I watched the video.

The USB Washing Machine Alarm Clock does look cute (though that might just be my love of miniatures). It doesn’t do anything special: it’s just a digital clock. The only catch is that, when the alarm goes off, it also vibrates, just like a real washing machine.

Does that sound fun? Watch the video on the product page. I could only listen to that alarm for 10 seconds. The clock kept vibrating and moving on the desk. Aaargh. As anyone who’s ever left a vibrating phone on the edge of a desk knows, the result usually is that it falls to the floor. I feel bad when that happens to my phone, but I would wish for this washing machine to fall and break beyond repair…

Alarm clocks are used in the bedroom, not the office. And they should ring, not vibrate. Also, who uses an alarm clock anymore?! I stopped doing it when I got my first cell phone.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.00 on Brando.com.hk.

Via Pocket Lint

We’ve come a long way since the simple alarm clocks that just rung or beeped. Technology has been very friendly to the oversleepers and companies keep coming up with the most cunning ways to make sure you get up.

The Laser Target Alarm Clock requires you to be awake enough to aim at a bull’s eye with a laser, which makes sense. I know I couldn’t do it when I’m sleepy, so by the time I could really see the damn clock that’s disturbing my sleep, I would already be awake. Since it’s difficult to impossible to create a reflex to accurately aim a laser, this has potential of working in the long run, too. I just wonders what happens if the remote runs out of battery… You might end up with an alarm that never stops. Would a laser point work?

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Via UberReview

I’ve seen many pointless bathroom gadgets, so a clock for my shower just sounded like yet another one. Buuut… I think I was mistaken.

The Shower Clock is actually a very good idea. I can’t count the times when I went for a “quick shower” just to discover that I had spent much more time in the bathroom and I was late for work. If I had a clock right there, in front of my eyes, it would be easier to keep track of time. I know that some people can just take their time and relax, but I am very bad at time management, so I’m always in a hurry.

The clock is waterproof, of course, used one AA battery and attaches to your wall with a suction cup (and it hopefully won’t fall on your head while taking a shower).

How much under $29.99?
A lot: ~$9 on BoysStuff.co.uk.

All of us morning-haters have wanted, at one point or another, to throw the alarm clock to the floor. It’s not its fault we need to wake up at an ungodly hour, but since we can’t get our anger out on another thing… What usually stops me is the fact that I use my cell phone as alarm clock, and it would be a bad idea indeed to break it.

The Throw Alarm Clocks make our poor anger management their selling point. What can be better than an alarm clock that needs to be throw to be turned off? Beside offering a way to deal with the horror of waking up, these clocks also make sure you won’t just go back to sleep. It might be easy to reach out a hand and push a button, but when you have to throw a ball hard enough to make the alarm stop you’ll probably be half awake already.

You can choose one of four styles (cricket, golf, and football or footbal special edition silver) and they have all the standard features: time, date, LCD display, alarm/hourly chime. Just don’t throw them too hard, because they can still get broken.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$17.95 on BoysStuff.co.uk.

Via Coolest Gadgets

I love seeing many-in-one devices that are at least partly useful, since most of them could only serve successfully as paperweights.

I could actually use this USB 4-Port Hub with Thermometer and Clock. I don’t have to explain why a hub is useful, of course. The thermometer… not useful per se, but I’m curious like that and I’d like to know the temperature I have in my room. And you might say that a clock is pointless since you have the computer to tell the time, but what about when the PC is turned off? (Yes, there is such thing as turning off your computer.) Plus it has a much bigger display so you can see it from any corner of the room. Works for me.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.99 on USBFever.com.

Via Gadgetizer

With few exceptions, I don’t see the appeal of retro things, so I’m not exactly qualified to judge this clock or its companions.

The 60s Refrigerator Alarm Clock Radio is either very cute or very tacky, but either way it would fit right in among other 60s memorabilia. This digital clock disguised as a retro fridge conceals another surprise: the door opens and reveals radio adjust buttons.

The design is not brilliant, the display has nothing special going for it and the radio probably doesn’t offer crystal clear sound, but it could make a nice addition to a kitchen. It’s not like you invite guests in there, and you can barely hear the radio over the pouring water anyway.

If you don’t like the fridge, you can choose from four more models: blender, iron, stove and washer.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $17 on Homeloo.com.

Via Chip Chick