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Gifts for Valentine's Day, 2002?

Telemakhos asks: "This was asked last year, and though hardware may come and go in the course of a year, the mid-February question is eternal: What's Geeky and Good for St. Val's this year? Moreover, if roses aren't yet too bleeding-edge, whence is it best to order them?" Guys, while you are suggesting presents for the ladies, aside from the obvious, what would you like for Cupid Day?

255 of 395 comments (clear)

  1. Valentines day gifts? by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mandrake 8.2 Beta 1 burned on red CD's,
    what linux geek wouldn't love getting a beta of a distro burned with love...

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:Valentines day gifts? by SilentChris · · Score: 3, Funny
      A bloody rose cast forth on a pale sliver of iron bar.

      Oh, sorry, I was in my role-playing mode.

    2. Re:Valentines day gifts? by tahini · · Score: 1

      Argent, a crown within a rose leaf wreath vert, all within a bordure engrailed azure, semé of roses argent.

      Oh, whoops. Wrong group of geeks.

  2. Best V-day present by cperciva · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Someone to whom presents may reasonably be given on Valentine's day.

    1. Re:Best V-day present by compwizrd · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Well, that's the best time to start planning your retirement. Earlier you start your savings, the more time to compound and grow.

      Usuauly, it'd be the parents that plan that though :)

  3. Hand Lotion by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 3, Funny

    My gift for Valentine's day must be hand lotion.
    Because my right hand is suffering from dry skin.

  4. love w/o wires by hrbrmstr · · Score: 1

    *anything* 802.11*a* wireless...

    maybe a new iMac too *:^)

    --
    Mind the gap...
    1. Re:love w/o wires by sketerpot · · Score: 1
      I'm sort of a fan of wires. They let you know where things go, it's hard to tap them, they have a lot of bandwidth, and they're cheap!

      Wireless can be cool too, though...

  5. Sports Almanac 2003 by neowinx · · Score: 1

    Sports Almanac 2003 would be nice.

  6. What do I want? by shaunak · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Guys, while you are suggesting presents for the ladies, aside from the obvious, what would you like for Cupid Day?"

    Well, I suppose one or two of them ladies you talk about would be nice. Do they run Linux?

    --
    -Shaunak.
    1. Re:What do I want? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Can I get a Beowulf cluster of those ladies?

    2. Re:What do I want? by spacefem · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm a lady, I run Linux. But I also think Valentine's day is RETARDED, as any logic-lovin' geek does.

    3. Re:What do I want? by neuroticia · · Score: 1

      Thought I was the only girl who ran Linux. =] Darn, now I have to find some other way to be unique. -Sara

    4. Re:What do I want? by connorbd · · Score: 2

      Think about some of his other interests. If nothing else, buy him a box of Legos. Magnetic Poetry is nice as well.

      /Brian

    5. Re:What do I want? by MrMSTy · · Score: 1

      Amen to that. Just another Hallmark Holiday. I'm sure they've made billions off of all the holidays they've created.

    6. Re:What do I want? by TFloore · · Score: 1

      Like many things, it all depends on your point of view.

      Now really... if you came home and found a vase of 6 roses from your S.O. with a nice little note "I was just thinking how wonderful you are" how are you going to react?

      Will you wonder what he thinks you caught him at, that he needs to bribe your forgiveness?

      As much as I dislike "Hallmark Holidays" they do have one nice side effect. They give you a good oppurtunity to tell that wonderful person in your life how much you love them, without instantly generating suspicion.

      Don't pass up an oppurtunity like that.

      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
    7. Re:What do I want? by fredbox · · Score: 1

      A lady who runs Linux and thinks Valentine's Day is retarded? Will you marry me, even if I still run FreeBSD?

      --
      His name was Robert Paulsen.
    8. Re:What do I want? by M.+Silver · · Score: 2

      Just another Hallmark Holiday

      What *you* said... my mother's on vacation in Spain, and she sent a valentine to my toddler son. Neato, I thought, something to put in his scrapbook (okay, the cardboard box) what with the international postmark and all. And I open it, and it says something in Spanish that I'll have to give to Babelfish but is obviously a Valentine's greeting, et cetera... and when I set it down, I notice on the back it's got a stupid little crown and "Hallmark, Made In Spain" written on the back. (In English, of course.)

      Hmph.

      --

      Slashdot's token middle-aged housewife
    9. Re:What do I want? by shaunak · · Score: 1

      "Now really... if you came home and found a vase of 6 roses from your S.O. with a nice little note "I was just thinking how wonderful you are" how are you going to react? "

      My reaction:Who are you and what are you doing placing things in my house?

      But then I don't have a S.O. so this might be a deliberate but pathetic attempt at humor.

      --
      -Shaunak.
    10. Re:What do I want? by bje2 · · Score: 1

      What do I want??? how bout her phone number...

      --

      "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
    11. Re:What do I want? by expunged · · Score: 1

      Some of them certainly do.

      http://linuxchix.org

    12. Re:What do I want? by ryusen · · Score: 1

      but you are unique, just like everybody else .)

      --

      I believe sex is highly over rated... unless it involves me
    13. Re:What do I want? by ryusen · · Score: 1

      heh.. just don't move to japan... one of the more techno-geek oriented countries, but they have two valentine's days so to speak...
      they have effectively split v-day into two days: feb14th v-day, girls are supposed to buy stuff for the men in their lives (this even includes bosees and suches) and then march 14th is "white day" where the boys must recipricate (usually with something white)
      ahhh.. marketing at it's greatest *sigh*

      --

      I believe sex is highly over rated... unless it involves me
  7. A $129 Geforce 4 Ti 4600 from Best Buy by Pemdas · · Score: 2
    Unfortunately, they didn't honor the price from their mistake. Can't really blame 'em, though!

    Still, it would have been nice...

    1. Re:A $129 Geforce 4 Ti 4600 from Best Buy by AciDive · · Score: 1

      If you have a print out of there web site or a print ad with that price on it they have to honor the price(if they don't it violates some laws i think) and if they wont one of there competitors will.

      --
      "Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect." Linus Torvalds
    2. Re:A $129 Geforce 4 Ti 4600 from Best Buy by rf600r · · Score: 1

      No they don't. The law allows exceptions for obvious errors and misprints.

      Nice try.

    3. Re:A $129 Geforce 4 Ti 4600 from Best Buy by jpmoney · · Score: 1

      BUT, if you have something like Price Protection on your Check Card (Bank Of America Platnum or AMEX Blue), you just give them a copy of the add and they will refund the difference.

      --
      unf.
    4. Re:A $129 Geforce 4 Ti 4600 from Best Buy by rosewood · · Score: 2

      go to hypothermia and sign the petition
      best buy plans on honoring the $200 discount

  8. Books! by Kozz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think it's a gift option that's always overlooked, primarily because the buyer isn't sure what the recipient would want. But I've always believed that books can be a timeless gift, treasured for years. Whether it be fiction, non-fiction, reference, or a little of each, I know that I always appreciate books. Heck, go to FatBrain to find a huge collection of technical books, or maybe to ThinkGeek for options like fiction, non-fiction, programming reference, and so on. And if you're not sure, DO get a gift certificate for your loved one at a bookstore (or even for the aforementioned websites!). Then they can pick out the books themselves, and they can't hardly go wrong.

    --
    I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
    1. Re:Books! by Hank+Kingsley · · Score: 1

      Or if you are sure which one to get, compare prices at AddALL or one of the other book price comparison sites.

    2. Re:Books! by connorbd · · Score: 2

      If you're like my mother gift certificates are the only way to go -- she's impossible to shop for because she never gives anybody a real hint as to what she wants. Of course, dating anyone like that is a challenge, BUT THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM AROUND HERE, NOW, IS IT?!

      Happy Bitter and Miserable Day...

      /Brian

    3. Re:Books! by connorbd · · Score: 2

      Okay, strictly speaking I don't. I'm just talking about gift giving in general.

      The flip side is that my mother is always saying that she's my Valentine... there are times my mother seems to be trying to give me an Oedipus complex. It's just real disturbing.

      /Brian

    4. Re:Books! by Flower · · Score: 5, Funny

      There's always the Kama Sutra. After all it is a book about geometry.

      --
      I don't want knowledge. I want certainty. - Law, David Bowie
    5. Re:Books! by j-pimp · · Score: 1

      Its not a conspiracy. Its simply abuse of the patent system.

      --
      --- Justin Dearing http://www.justaprogrammer.net/ We're just programmers.
  9. My original plan by Beowulf_Boy · · Score: 1

    was to run around school with a small plastic bow and some darts and act like a dumbass. But then I realized that I could probably get arrested for the bow part.

  10. How about no tech toys? by _PimpDaddy7_ · · Score: 5, Informative

    How about for V-day, no tech toys, but a nice evening alone with your lady? Dinner, wine, etc...

    1. Re:How about no tech toys? by sketerpot · · Score: 1

      That's one of the best suggestions I've seen so far. All the tech toys in the world can't get you a girlfriend if you're the type who carries around a vacuum tube as a conversation starter. And she isn't, that is.

    2. Re:How about no tech toys? by esden · · Score: 1

      Very good suggestion but where to get the lady?

      Let me see in the nereby store. ;-)

    3. Re:How about no tech toys? by egreB · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dinner, wine, etc...
      You mean, like, /etc? So that we (me and my fictional lady) can go trough it and optimize all the confi..
      Or did you mean something else? (-8

    4. Re:How about no tech toys? by digitalsushi · · Score: 2, Funny
      How about for V-day, no tech toys, but a nice evening alone with your lady? Dinner, wine, etc...


      what more would we expect from a pimp daddy? :)

      --
      slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
    5. Re:How about no tech toys? by Banjonardo · · Score: 1
      hmmmm, or wine.

      What are YOU emulating today?

      --

      -----

      Score 3? For what? Being wrong, at length? - smirkleton

    6. Re:How about no tech toys? by DotComVictim · · Score: 1

      This pimp daddy is springing for DRC Echezeaux 1991 for the main course, and 1995 Yquem for desert. I haven't decided on the champagne yet, though... maybe Pol Roger?

    7. Re:How about no tech toys? by Colin+Bayer · · Score: 2, Funny

      And dinner... aside from the misspelling, The New Hacker's Dictionary defines "dynner" as 32 bits. So, 32 bits from /dev/random, /etc, and a Windows kinda-but-not-really-emulator. Sounds just fine with me...

      /me gets out the CD-RW drive...

      --
      Want Linux games? HERE.
    8. Re:How about no tech toys? by jlower · · Score: 1

      Look for them in places where they're not looking for guys. This means almost any place except bars and personals ads.

      The competition won't be there and you won't wind up with some desperate wench who's dragging along a ton of baggage.

    9. Re:How about no tech toys? by Herr_Nightingale · · Score: 1

      I'd like to amend that to "a large chocolate penis for the lady, and a biiiig bottle of wine for me." Happy Valentine's Day!!
      I can't wait to see my sweet-heart's face - this romantic shit really gets her going.

    10. Re:How about no tech toys? by ryusen · · Score: 1

      you won't wind up with some desperate wench who's dragging along a ton of baggage
      but if she has any taste whatsoever, what the hell would she see in me? other than that, great suggestion

      --

      I believe sex is highly over rated... unless it involves me
  11. I don't know about you.. by RainbowSix · · Score: 5, Funny

    but I usually get death threats and restraining orders.

    --
    --------
    It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
    1. Re:I don't know about you.. by class_A · · Score: 1

      Hey! I didn't know my dad posted to Slashdot!

  12. get a megabear... by Helix150 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Megatokyo Megabear

    gotta love that

    --
    --IronHelix
    1. Re:get a megabear... by taylor · · Score: 1

      I would have to give this a strong second; mine just arrived in the mail, and it is every bit as cute as you could hope from the pictures.

      Too bad it won't arrive until after the 14th :( Apparently the last day to order for a guaranteed deliverly was the 6th. I suppose a little Fedex can go a long way here, though, as that date was based upon priority mail.

      Cheers!

  13. Get her a nice shirt by harmonics · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ThinkGeek has got a great little baby tee (God why do I love these so much!) It's all black with the words "I love my Geek."

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/apparel/5981.shtml

    Very appropriate.

    What I would love to have? Get me a nice OpenBSD tee shirt.

    1. Re:Get her a nice shirt by chialea · · Score: 3, Funny

      I don't know about you, but personally I find those shirts vaguely insulting. Little tight glittery teeshirt saying "I my geek"...

      I still think it would be funny if my boyfriend wore one, but he refuses. Not that I blame him.

      Lea

    2. Re:Get her a nice shirt by Peyna · · Score: 2

      You still have to give thinkgeek credit for trying! They are trying out items in a market that is pretty much not very targetted on its own.

      --
      What?
    3. Re:Get her a nice shirt by rulb · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That sounds like my husband. He won't let me get the shirt that says 'No I will not fix your computer'. I've been asking for that since before Christmas. I think that would be a cool present though.

      On the other hand I did convince him to get me a the SunBlade 100 for our wedding present; so I think geeky clothing is cool and is ok for presents.

      The best part about it is when your relatives ask you what it's talking about because they don't get it and when you explain they chalk it up as one of those computer things.

      One of the things I think would be neat-o to have is some of the Mindstorm Legos. I could entertain myself for hours with a those.

      He doesn't really give me ideas about what he wants for presents unless I prod him.

    4. Re:Get her a nice shirt by spacefem · · Score: 1

      Agreed - you also forgot to mention that all the thinkgeek "ladies" t-shirts are size appropriately for a five year old, and that's the XL size. They miss the boat big time with their stuff, no self respecting geek girl wears glitter on her chest.

    5. Re:Get her a nice shirt by neuroticia · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why not? Glitter's fun. Self respecting geek girls can do whatever they like. =] Even if it means writing chmod 777 on their forehead in glitter. =]

      Buy the guy's shirts. There's more of a choice anyway. Although, I'm afraid they've neglected the glitter. Such a shame.

      -Sara

    6. Re:Get her a nice shirt by Morrig · · Score: 1

      Well, it does work for those of us girls who aren't cool enough to be _real_ geeks (i'm just as nerdy, i just happen to be in a non-computer field) and have S.O.'s who are. But that's a darn good question... why don't they make a male version of that shirt?

    7. Re:Get her a nice shirt by Colin+Bayer · · Score: 1

      Although, I'm afraid they've neglected the glitter. Such a shame.

      Hey, glitter's fine with me if it's wrapped around a sufficiently powerful bit of circuitry. After all, you can always paint over it. ;)

      --
      Want Linux games? HERE.
    8. Re:Get her a nice shirt by neuroticia · · Score: 1

      grease paint? Or are we off the subject of geek girls in teeshirts? =] In which case, doesn't painting it increase the liklihood of overheating the circuitry? (might overheat the geek girl, too-- but in that case it's a positive thing.)

      -Sara

    9. Re:Get her a nice shirt by Colin+Bayer · · Score: 1

      Or are we off the subject of geek girls in teeshirts? =]

      Yeah, probably. :)

      In which case, doesn't painting it increase the liklihood of overheating the circuitry?

      Possibly. What I had in mind was painting over the glittery bits of the board (save any interconnecting bits) with a thin coat of primer then dousing it in thermal grease if necessary.

      (might overheat the geek girl, too-- but in that case it's a positive thing.)

      I've not had a girlfriend yet in life... many of those who know me would say that there are good reasons for that. Ah, well, I'm not even to college yet. :P

      -- Colin

      --
      Want Linux games? HERE.
    10. Re:Get her a nice shirt by AsylumWraith · · Score: 1

      Quality, not quantity, my friend. The right one will come. And besides, if you're not in college yet, it means you're still dealing with high school girls. And trust the voice of experience here, they're more trouble than they're worth. :p

    11. Re:Get her a nice shirt by neuroticia · · Score: 1

      The best way to attract a girlfriend: Wear a glitter tee!

      Sorry, couldn't resist.

      Wait for college, females tend to be more friendly and less neurotic there anyway. =]

      -Sara

  14. A sweet note ... by GodWasAnAlien · · Score: 5, Funny

    A sweet note telling how Emperor Claudius beheaded St. Valentine in 270 CE, and compare this to your relationship somehow.

    1. Re:A sweet note ... by kurtkilgor · · Score: 1

      In that case, shouldn't it be

      i=0;
      while(ilen_total_sex_time){
      total_sex_time[i]=total_sex_time[++i];
      }
      Quality(total_sex_time,Rose)*totalroses + Quality)total_sex_time,Dinner) = total_sex_time[i];

    2. Re:A sweet note ... by connorbd · · Score: 1, Troll

      Children, children...

      Let's be honest here -- everyone's using the same calendar, Christian and Otherwise. That's why AD is becoming an obsolete usage. You conservatives are forgetting -- this is still a secular society in this country.

      /Brian

    3. Re:A sweet note ... by megacia · · Score: 1

      and it's people like you that said "Bush and Gore are both bad, vote Nader!" and look what happened!!

    4. Re:A sweet note ... by schmaltz · · Score: 1

      Except that more than twice as many registered Democrats voted for Bush than the total votes received by Nader for the election, Democrats included. So stop blaming Nader and start looking at what's wrong with the so-called "Democratic" Party!

      --
      Big Daddy, Johnny, Burp, Aunt Zelda, Scott, Slurp, Big Momma ... where's Siggy?
  15. the perfect gift would have to be.... by Walob · · Score: 1, Redundant

    A girlfriend would be nice, (hey someone had to say it)..

    --
    -I can only program my video,ahh, I am not a gook, but a joook -The World is a theatre of the absurd
  16. For guys? by Havokmon · · Score: 5, Funny
    You mean guys actually get stuff for Valentines Day? I thought :

    (Quality(Rose)* totalroses) + Quality(dinner) = total_sex_time

    Where Quality() is a seperate program for each chick, based on past total_sex_time :)

    --
    "I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
    1. Re:For guys? by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 2

      Hrm.. You're missing a variable there. I think you got PART of it right:

      ((Quality(Rose)* totalroses) + Quality(dinner)) -
      (Quantity(StupidThingsDone) + Quantity(StupidThingForgottenAbout)) = total_sex_time

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    2. Re:For guys? by Grax · · Score: 1

      Her getting me roses or making me dinner doesn't necessarily result in my handing out more sex time. But if it is a good dinner she stands a good chance.

  17. thinks like.. by vstanescu · · Score: 1

    a sgi fuel or sun ultra 80

    a high-end gps

    scuba diving equipment

    a trip to Nepal

    a digital photo camera

    a car mp3 player

  18. The perfect gift... by Jurisenpai · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, since I already have this to match my boyfriend, nothing would be nicer than another T-shirt to proclaim my geekiness to the world.
    And, boys, don't forget to make it a night she won't forget of champagne, roses, chocolates, and patching your kernels together.

    --
    "Equal bytes for women!"
    1. Re:The perfect gift... by odaiwai · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course, if you're Australian, 'Got Root' means something completely different...

      I guess a lot of chicks would like a good rooting for Valentine's Day...

      dave

    2. Re:The perfect gift... by connorbd · · Score: 3

      The problem is that most of us geek guys see geek girls as being incredibly unobtainable. Here's my take on geek girls:

      -Invariably gorgeous, though a lot of them don't realize it
      -Usually very adventurous
      -Generally much more graceful than geek guys
      -always, but always, utterly unobtainable, at least to the average guy geek off the street

      That, and there are many geek girls who are not the least bit technically inclined. I know one who fits very much into that category -- I think she's sort of a Stevie Nicks wannabe but she has the geek nature in spades. And she fits all of the above.

      /Brian

    3. Re:The perfect gift... by egreB · · Score: 1

      Man, why aren't there more girls like you in the world? (-8 I mean, I only know ONE girl who even knows what a kernel is (and she can recompile one, too). And this girl is out of my range anyway. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy (-8

      Cool sig, BTW.

    4. Re:The perfect gift... by connorbd · · Score: 2

      So does the concept of "endemic social anxiety disorder" mean anything to you? Believe me, geeks would rule the romantic rule if they put us all on Paxil drips once we realized we were geeks...

      /Brian

    5. Re:The perfect gift... by Pope · · Score: 1

      Hence the beer poll:

      Cooper's! Got Root?

      --
      It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
    6. Re:The perfect gift... by GrouchoMarx · · Score: 2

      Then would a "root kit" be something you can only get in 21+ stores? :-)

      --

      --GrouchoMarx
      Card-carrying member of the EFF, FSF, and ACLU. Are you?

    7. Re:The perfect gift... by Krapangor · · Score: 1
      > So just remember: when you approach a girl, you're not competeing against the other guys; you're competeing against her vibrator. And she knows what it can do for her. So offer her more.

      Like two vibrators ? Or even better n+1 ?
      Sorry, couldn't resist.

      --
      Owner of a Mensa membership card.
  19. Re:hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    i think "the obvious" was referring to having your girlfriend's younger sister give you a blowjob.

  20. Magazine subscriptions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    She could re-subscribe me to a few magazines and journals. Society membership.

    I don't know what to get her, fellatio? Cunning linguists?

  21. A... by Gangis · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hello Kitty sub-notebook computer powered by the Transmeta Crusoe chip!

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/17055.html

    --
    "Black holes are where God divided by zero." - Steve Wright
    1. Re:A... by QueenOfSwords · · Score: 1

      Hell yeah!!! In fact...... Dave... are you reading this? ;p

      --
      -- INTX Grouch. http://www.midnightblue.net
  22. I only know what not to give. by Dick+Click · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Every time the People's Jewellery Ad comes up on the TV with the heart-shaped diamond pendant, she turns to me and says, "Don't get that for me. No REALLY".
    Every year, I look for something that:
    a) Is something she wants,
    b) Is something that will signify my love for her, and
    c) Is something I deem has any value.
    Every year, I don't find it, and get her flowers. This always seems okay in the end.

    1. Re:I only know what not to give. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I bought a 20 foot length of heavy chain earlier this week. I'm an old fashioned guy so I believe in making the valentine personally.

      I am going to cut four thirty inch lengths off that piece of chain, use 'cold shuts' to attach snap ends, and drape two those chains down from the dee-ring in her collar to the dee-rings in her wrist cuffs. Something special and new for valentines day. She loves that kind of stuff.

    2. Re:I only know what not to give. by anno1602 · · Score: 1

      I guess you now your SO best, but there are women who, when they say they don't wnat something, really want it (but don't assume this all of the time).

      No, I'm not confused.

    3. Re:I only know what not to give. by bwalling · · Score: 2, Funny

      Lucky you, my wife wants everything she sees!

    4. Re:I only know what not to give. by egreB · · Score: 1

      No, I'm not confused.

      I'm really confused. How would one know when a woman want something or not? You'd have to guess! And THAT can lead to some serious misunderstandings.

    5. Re:I only know what not to give. by namespan · · Score: 2

      What is a flower?
      It is a kiss from the earth to the sky
      a child of sugar and sunlight
      low brown loam and God's bright and braided dye
      love returned for love and light
      long, warm, and high.

      -- Weston Cann

      (yeah, flowers usually work just fine)

      --
      Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
    6. Re:I only know what not to give. by fotoLilith · · Score: 1
      Jesus! An ORIGINAL guy? You guys think that Geek Gals are the only unattainables here - finding an original guy who thinks past sending a Valentine's "I've got a heart-on for you" E-card is damned near impossible. ;-) And as for Dick Click - she wants that "heart-shaped diamond pendant." Not saying all chicks are out for the jewelry, but if she is *pointing it out*, then she most likely wants you to get it for her, or something similar. Never trust self-reports. ;-)

      But for all geeks/ non geeks out there, Dick Click's #2 is almost universal - making her feel special/ loved! Flowers/ Jewelry/ E-cards, etc, ain't gonna do that by themselves.

      "Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome."

    7. Re:I only know what not to give. by fotoLilith · · Score: 1
      Haha, women are among the easiest - at least when they make up their mind. You just have to not listen to what they say (sounds hard, doesn't it? ;-) ). If a woman jokes about, mentions in any way, denies she wants something, etc, odds are she wants it (to a POINT!). For instance, let's take the scenario that your gals jokes that you can use some new ill-gotten gain to buy her flowers/ jewelry/ perfume/ etc. Even if she says "Oh, I am kidding, I really don't want that"- she DOES! Another scenario, you are in Bed Bath and Beyond (hey, right next to Best Buy, you were tricked!) and she mentions that she does not have something in there. It would be in your best interest to get it for her. Is it starting to make sense now? I am sure someone can write code for this. :)

      "The superfluous is very necessary." - Voltaire

  23. All I want for Valentine's Day is ... by norwoodites · · Score: 1, Troll

    A slashdot that keeps my preferences.
    A slashdot that stops posting dup stories.
    A slashdot that is in bed with Linux but in bed with BSD.
    A slashdot that stops posing old news.

    I don't care if you mod me down to a toll.

    1. Re:All I want for Valentine's Day is ... by dagoalieman · · Score: 1

      While she prolly wouldn't be able to get that, if she were, that would be a keeper!!

      If she did that, then she could also post a Slashdot poll with some of those obvious things that aren't mentioned here that she planned to do to you later that evening...

      WITHOUT A COWBOY NEAL OPTION!!

      .

      --
      We don't need no Net Explorer We don't need no Thought control
  24. Call this "news for nerds"? by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 1

    Explain to me why I should bother wasting my time with a girl. You can't even install Linux on them!

    -Stephen

    1. Re:Call this "news for nerds"? by joebp · · Score: 2, Funny
      You can't even install Linux on them!
      This is probably the closest you'll get.
    2. Re:Call this "news for nerds"? by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

      hehe.

      My girl was getting all jealous of my work (or more like my paychecks), so she almost got Linux installed. I gave her a copy of O'Reilly's "Learning the Unix Operating System" (a cute book for beginners), and free roam of my home Linux machine. She got as far as "Login", and gave up..

      If only I could get her trained in Linux ("installed on her" hehe), she'd be so much more efficent.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    3. Re:Call this "news for nerds"? by FlowerPotAdmin · · Score: 1

      Sure, you can't install Linux on your girl, but (with any luck) you can reproduce and teach your kids to run Linux as they are growing up. Keep producing, and you'll soon have a Beowulf cluster of them!

      --
      -Justin
      That's enough posting for now lads, there're trolls afoot.
    4. Re:Call this "news for nerds"? by Grahf · · Score: 1

      Hm.

      Round 1, fight!
      . . .
      You lose!
      Perfect!

      Anyway, I'm just glad that, due to your stupidity, you will be kept out of the gene pool. The world needs more people like you. People who will never reproduce.

  25. I was given something that we both can use.... by s_fuller · · Score: 1

    Our new DirecTivo comes in via UPS on Monday :)

    --
    ---- .sigs are a waste of space
    1. Re:I was given something that we both can use.... by bwalling · · Score: 1

      Had one since November. Can't figure out how I watched TV without one. You'll love it.

    2. Re:I was given something that we both can use.... by Herr_Nightingale · · Score: 1

      I've already wrapped up the large chocolate penis for my lovely lady, and the wine is chilling even as I write this.. I figure she can use the penis until it melts all over her, then I get to enjoy it. Mmmmmm..mmmm!
      Then, I'll guzzle the wine, and SHE can use the bottle!
      The rest of it I'll just keep to meself.
      There ya go .. two gifts that we can both enjoy. I just love Valentine's Day.

  26. How about someone to spend it with. by Capt.+DrunkenBum · · Score: 1

    I became single 1 year ago on Valentynes day. The cold showers arn't working anymore... :(

    --

    Not everyone deserves a 320i

    1. Re:How about someone to spend it with. by dewhite · · Score: 2, Funny

      Amen, reverend. This, after I constructed the perfect valentines for her... Homemade breakfast in bed, dozen long stems, cards, candy and a poem. I say, give me a girl who would appreciate that for valentines, or you know... Carmen Electra or something.

      --
      -dewhite
    2. Re:How about someone to spend it with. by Capt.+DrunkenBum · · Score: 1

      Or how about just a horizontal aerobics partner. :)

      --

      Not everyone deserves a 320i

  27. Perfect place for that new digital camera. by satanami69 · · Score: 3, Funny

    A Nice musuem tour would be romantic enough, and still give me a place to make a short movie on the new DV camcorder that she can get me.

    I'm not going into details about the other movie I'll make that day, though.

    --
    I really hate Dan Patrick.
  28. Re:On a practical note by shaunak · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Now with that kind of a day, you're sure to get your significant other in the mood for love as John Lee Hooker would say. "

    With all THAT food? She/he is going to be seriously ill. Might I suggest an addition? Antacid.

    --
    -Shaunak.
  29. Nothing beats musical instruments! by thesolo · · Score: 2

    As a geek, everyone gets me stuff on every holiday for my computer, but never anything I need. ("Oh, wow, another computer tool set, thanks, I can never have too many of these!" Incidentally, I'm up to 9 sets now). But as a drummer, no one ever thinks of things to buy me, even though I ALWAYS need things! Sticks are always breaking, drum heads always need changing, cymbals always need polishing, wingnut threading eventually wears down...

    The best gifts I have ever received have all been drum-related items. Just about anything from Sabian, Tama, and Vic Firth are always welcome gifts to me! Plus, it makes me happy when the significant other in my life actually takes an interest enough in my playing to know what I need and/or want as a drummer.

    1. Re:Nothing beats musical instruments! by Peyna · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Agreed! If I need something computer related, I'll buy it. I'll be more likely to find the best deal on a product that meets my needs and requirements.

      I would much prefer to have a gift that wasn't computer related, but related to something else I enjoy doing. For instance, I skateboard in my freetime, so skateboarding stuff is good too (Although, I'm picky about that as well, bad example!).

      Anyway, the point is that computer related items do not always make the best gifts unless you provide them with a full URL to exactly the item you want, but what's the fun in that?

      --
      What?
    2. Re:Nothing beats musical instruments! by connorbd · · Score: 2

      Oy...

      Christmas time. Since I don't have a girlfriend I have to rely on my parents for a gift. I wanted a bass (I play guitar but want to learn bass) and got a scanner. The scanner still doesn't work and I think I fried my USB port in the process of installing it. The bass is still sitting in a guitar shop, and I can't afford it.

      /Brian

  30. I want... by jasamaman · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...a Router shaped like a heart!

    --
    Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill them right back!
    1. Re:I want... by bwalling · · Score: 1

      How about one that is shaped like a breast, and does wireless?

  31. If you like time to yourself... by Cap'n+Crax · · Score: 1, Funny



    If you like having a lot of free time to yourself, you might consider buying her a gift from HERE.

    Hey, I'm being serious!!

    --
    PK: 09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
  32. oooooohhhhh by EL3CTRO · · Score: 1

    Maybe some more bandwidth? A nice new internet server? Ummm?

    --
    I am me! - I'm boring like that
    1. Re:oooooohhhhh by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Maybe some more bandwidth"

      Cos every girl loves a fat pipe.

      graspee

  33. �100 O'Reilly Voucher by JohnBE · · Score: 1

    Giving me bed time, and water closet reading for weeks to come!

    --
    e4 e5
    1. Re:�100 O'Reilly Voucher by JohnBE · · Score: 1

      We use bog, or the mile high club, dependant on the circumstances.

      --
      e4 e5
  34. Just one Frickin' Good Date... by dbretton · · Score: 4, Funny
    The ultimate geek Valentine's Day gift:

    A date with the Frick-meister!

    1. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by JohnBE · · Score: 1

      I didn't realise their were women like that. Maybe she has a dark secret, I don't know an XP-Fetish or something?

      --
      e4 e5
    2. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by pgpckt · · Score: 1


      Where do I sign up for a date?

      --
      Lawrence Lessig is my personal hero.
    3. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by SGDarkKnight · · Score: 1

      Nice pic and all, but i prefer this one better. Although these are quite the stems you got... But you gotta love those toes.

      --

      ...A no smoking section in a restaurant is like having a no peeing section in a swimming pool...
    4. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 2, Funny
      One problem, from the looks of her site she never leaves her webcam!

      I dunno, she is damn fine and no beating about the bush, but isn't being immobile in front of a computer supposed to be our job?

      Nah, I'm kidding, like I'd so no or something. Anyway, geek women are kinky, in a strange sort of way. So flame me!

    5. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by frickell · · Score: 1

      um, well, thanks. i DO leave my desk, though. the floor is too hard to sleep on.

    6. Re:Just one Frickin' Good Date... by dbretton · · Score: 1

      Just a joke, kid. Nuttin serious.

  35. Hmmm... by Hydro-X · · Score: 1

    Do they make Athlon XPs in heart-shape? What about red thermal paste?

    1. Re:Hmmm... by connorbd · · Score: 2

      The new Socket H... it's an option with the Via KT69 chipset. Comes with an optional USMB (Universal Serial Massage Bus) hub connector. The southbridge is a piece of chocolate from Teuscher. And it's perfect for the oh-oh-OHverclocker in your life.

      /Brian

  36. 5$ cap by jeffehobbs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    My girlfriend proposed a 5$ cap on all (total) items purchased this valentines day -- partly to save money, party to spur creativity. Gotta love that. There's no reason whatsoever to blow hundreds of dollars on a Hallmark Holiday.

    ~jeff

  37. Unless you're married by T1girl · · Score: 2

    ... sounds like it's time to spring for the big diamond ring, buddy, if you want her to stick around till next V-Day. If you're already married, you're home free. Flowers, chocolates, a couple of steaks on the grill with a bottle of cheap wine, just about anything will do.

  38. Something fer your hunk by MrIcee · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Considering that quite a number of *geeks* are gay... shouldn't the question have asked what your getting your *lover* instead of your *lady*?

    I suggest the QueerAsFolk first season DVD set. If it's too late to get it.... order up showtime :)

    But beyond that... you can also consider gifts that are not just for valentines day... such as a trip to Hawaii (buy your lover the airplane tickets and present them)... or a cruise... or learning how to scuba... etc.

    1. Re:Something fer your hunk by MrIcee · · Score: 1
      Anonymous Coward responds to me with...

      • Lets hope you don't get AIDS for Val. day

      Nice to know your homophobic. Grow up a little. ANYONE involved in sex, regardless of it being homosexual or hetrosexual, can get AIDS. The stupdity of you, and your comment, indicate that you don't understand the first thing about love nor sex nor AIDS.

      Let's hope YOU don't get AIDS for Val. day.

    2. Re:Something fer your hunk by smatthew · · Score: 1

      Amen!!! I just wish i had a man to buy something for ;-{

      --
      slashdot username - at - email.domain.name
    3. Re:Something fer your hunk by Grax · · Score: 1

      I'm confused. I've never met a gay geek and I'm not aware of any studies showing that homosexuality is any higher among geeks than the rest of the world.

      I would think that most geeks would never think to connect an output to another output anyhow.

    4. Re:Something fer your hunk by rrrrr · · Score: 1
      it's not so difficult when you're buying for a geek - it's much more tricky if you're the geek buying something. for instance, i'm a total techie, but my b/f is not. this makes gift buying unfairly easy for him (one of: games, toys, o'reilly books, philosophy books), while i have to really stretch my imagination to come up with something. and no, it turns out he doesn't like QAF all that much... :)

      only goes to show gift-buying is a difficult problem in accurately estimating a local maximum of an unknown and underspecified evaluation function. ;)

      or you could go to the other extreme, and just agree with your s/o that the v-day is a completely ridiculous, artificial holiday, and you're going to boycott it. that's what we ended up doing... :)

  39. What not to get. by saintlupus · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's Geeky and Good for St. Val's this year?

    I'm not sure what my girlfriend is getting this year, but after her last birthday I can assure you that it won't be any sort of kitchen appliance.

    You know, you'd think that if she said so many times she wanted a toaster over, she'd appreciate it more.

    I'm such a lummox.

    --saint

    1. Re:What not to get. by linzeal · · Score: 1

      I always bought some mail order gizmo like the eggwave down at the swap meet and put a nice peice of jewelry inside it.

    2. Re:What not to get. by yoderm · · Score: 3, Funny
      I can assure you that it won't be any sort of kitchen appliance.

      I disagree! Or, perhaps, my wife is not quite normal. The first year that we lived together, she kept telling me that she wanted a blender... so for Valentine's I got her a blender. Of course, I'm not a complete idiot - the blender had 6 roses in it. She loved it.

      And NO, I didn't blend the roses! Although I must admit, it was tempting...

      -Mike

      --
      This sig no verb.
    3. Re:What not to get. by gurnb · · Score: 1

      Good rule of thumb might be....If it plugs in, it's not a good present.

      This would include, but not limited to, Washers/Dryers, Kitchen appliances, & Entertainment equipment.

      No matter how bad she wants/needs these things, they aren't considered gift items.

      --
      "This must be a Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
  40. Here's my plan... by wumarkus420 · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, my g/f's b-day is the 15th (day after valentine's), so I decided to buy us a weekend vacation to New Orleans! That way we both get something in return!

    1. Re:Here's my plan... by bofkentucky · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Good thinking, bring your girlfriend into a town that is currently filled with thousands of drunk assholes yelling "Show yer tits". But, if she does, please take pictures...and post them

      --
      09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
  41. Ultimate geek lovers' gift - not invented yet by heretic108 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I look forward to reading of someone making millions off this idea.

    Something for romantic geeks whose work causes them to spend long nights hacking separately.

    Perfect especially if one or both are putting in late nights apart slaving over hot workstations...

    2 x wireless linux PDAs
    Each PDA has a harness and can be worn inconspicuously under clothing.
    Eash PDA is connected to several unique peripherals.
    Each such peripheral is thin, flat, about 4-9 square inches, consisting of pressure pads on the top, and vibrating pads on the bottom, and can also be worn inconspicuously under clothing.

    When one geek touches one of the peripherals, the pressure pad senses the touch, and sends a message to other geek's PDA, which triggers the vibrating function of corresponding peripheral on their own body, and vice versa.

    For instance, male geek can stroke just below his navel, and in response, female geek feels caressing vibrating sensation just below her navel. Female geek then rubs below her left armpit, and male geek feels vibrating sensation under his left armpit.

    Advanced software configuration could cause random mappings between geeks, even sending telemetry about blood pressure, body temp etc.

    --
    -- In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was UNSIGNED, and the main(){} was without form and void...
    1. Re:Ultimate geek lovers' gift - not invented yet by mgkimsal2 · · Score: 2

      Why does it have to be a 'linux' PDA? If someone did this, but used WinCE, you'd not buy it?

    2. Re:Ultimate geek lovers' gift - not invented yet by Grax · · Score: 1

      Because with a Linux PDA I could modify the source to create the Ecstacy program where with the WinCE PDA I'd have to wait til version 2.0 for the thing to work and version 9.3 for the Ecstacy program. (Note that versions 3 through 6 were skipped because marketing data said people wanted higher version numbers.)

  42. Bittersweets by clark625 · · Score: 2

    I've decided that I'm giving out these. Maybe I'll get lucky and won't have to worry about spending a load of money for an ounce of sex. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

    --
    Long, cute, or funny Sigs are just another form of over compensation, used by geeks, nerdz, etc.
    1. Re:Bittersweets by MrMSTy · · Score: 1

      I agree, those are the greatest. However, I prefer the Mystery Science Theater version, with phrases like... "Bite Me" "Owwie Owwie Owwie" "Like a Brother" "My Needs" and my personal favorite "It's Blue"

  43. If you have the skills... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And your SO is geeky enough to accept and appreciate it...

    Make an electronic heart - get a piece of perfboard, a bunch of red LEDs (and other assorted electronic parts - bias resistors, etc) - and wire up a electronic heart.

    Use red-flashing LEDs for a trippy effect (might be expensive, but so is a diamond ring). If you are really good set it up to make a rotating pattern with the LEDs (like a marquee). If you want to try something even better, get a 16x1 HD44780 based LCD, a PIC stamp - have the PIC drive everything, put the LCD in the center, and put a scrolling message ("I Love You!" or similar) on it. Or put a picture of you in the middle of it...

    One thing I did for Valentines day - because my GF isn't as geeky - was I built an automaton - a box with wheels and belts, pulleys, etc - and waving hearts on the top - powered by a little motor. I made it so you could remove the panels - it was all built out of balsa wood, painted - the whole thing - took about a month to construct and tune. She loves it to this very day (that was a few years back).

    Really - anything you take time on, given with your heart - is what you want to give. Something that really says "I love you" - it could be as simple as a card you made - or a piece of jewelry, or a romantic evening out. Take the time and thought - and you will have a day to remember...

  44. Roses HOWTO by dschl · · Score: 5, Informative
    1. Buy them fresh. Many smaller florists only get them in once a week, you may want to call in advance (today) to find out what day they get delivered. Of course, if you are waiting until the 14th to give them away, they are better off stored at the florists.
    2. Plan ahead. Valentines is peak season for florists - your best bet is to order a bouquet today for pickup on the 13th or 14th.
    3. Get Floritech or a similar preservative to get the longest life from the roses - they should last a week at least. For bonus points, get the florist to place a water-filled vial on each stem (called waterpicks, IIRC), to give you a little more flexibility in transporting the roses home / to your significant other's (SO) place. Rose care instructions.
    4. Buy a really nice vase which matches your SO's decor, and bring help your SO place the roses into it. Alternatively, you can get a florist to place a bouquet into a vase of your choice, as long as you can transport a vase full of water.
    5. Buy one, three, six, or multiples of a dozen roses - two or four roses look too symmetrical in a vase. Also, ask for some greens (fern-like green stuff that helps to fill in the bare rose stems) and baby's breath. Of course, colour matters
    6. Look into rose preservation - you can dry roses easily at home, and make a decent arrangement. Do a google search, but even hanging them upside down beside a window should work.
    --
    Slashdot - the place where you can look like a genius by restating the obvious
    1. Re:Roses HOWTO by ozbird · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is good advice, but to my way of thinking, red roses are probably a bad thing to buy on Valentine's Day.

      Apart from the obvious problems of supply and demand (and therefore cost), red roses are a no-brainer - it may be "traditional", but it's also predictable and boring! While geeks may lack in the "personality" department, they usually have "individuality" in spades, so go against the flow and do something original! Instead of red roses, try a bunch of mixed pastel colours (apricot, pink, cream etc.) or better still, a bunch of orchids (e.g. "Singapore orchids" - Dendrobium hybrids, I think.) These aren't the only options, of course, but they are pretty safe ones.

      And why stick to Valentine's Day, anyway? Again, it's a no-brainer to buy flowers because it's Valentine's Day, but there are 364 other days to choose from! Buy her flowers on a day because it isn't Valentine's Day, and you're likely to have a greater impact (and usually for all the right reasons.)

  45. Bandwidth! by olddoc · · Score: 1

    Bandwidth is the gift that says you care!
    Can you ever have enough?

    --
    Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
  46. The PERFECT gift for the special geek in your life by icejai · · Score: 5, Funny

    Her: "Happy valentine's day!"
    You: "Happy valentine's day!"

    You: "Here's your valentine's day present!"

    (hand her big wide, long, flat box)

    Her: (looks at the wrapping) "Oh wow... you got me a pizza

    You: "nonono! take off the wrapping!"

    (rip rip rip)

    Her: (looks at the box) "Oh wow... you got me a big box of chocolates

    You: "nonono! open the box!"

    (rip rip rip)

    Her: (looks inside the box) "Oh WOW!!! YOU GOT ME A RACKMOUNT SERVER!! Let's have sex!!"

    You: (air guitar)

  47. Gag Gift by Aknaton · · Score: 1, Funny

    I am getting my wife one of these for Valentine's Day. They are called the Erection Collection, and they feature stuff animals with huge, raging, hard-ons. They are around $20.00 each and I bought her Quickie The JackRabbit!

    http://www.ercollection.com/home.html

    Akn

  48. Nothing Beats Fondue by Black0ut · · Score: 1

    Take her to your local fondue joint. The Melting Pot has a large number of locations nationwide. She'll appreciate the great dinner, the time you spend with her (dinner takes about 2 hours+ to eat when doing fondue), and its a great chance to talk. Oh and don't forget the great chocolate deserts. mmmmmmmm chocolate. Todd

  49. Something for the home... by John+Murdoch · · Score: 2

    Like, say, dot-com stock certificate wallpaper.

  50. Something for the yard.... by John+Murdoch · · Score: 2

    My wife is majorly into gardening. My most successful Valentine's Day present ever was a dump trailer for her garden tractor.

    Her most successful present ever, for me, was a weekend rental of a New Holland front-end loader.

    There's romance in that there back yard, I tell ya....

    1. Re:Something for the yard.... by geekoid · · Score: 2

      Get her a load of elephant manure, its funny, and great for gardens.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  51. Take a trip... by Master+Of+Ninja · · Score: 1

    Why not a romantic dinner? Or a trip to Paris, the city of love? If you want to see the real thing, apparently both Dublin, Ireland and Glasgow, Scotland have remains of St' Valentine in churches. They're both great cities (hey, the shopping in its good as well when you've got the spare time).

    1. Re:Take a trip... by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 1

      "If you want to see the real thing, apparently both Dublin, Ireland and Glasgow, Scotland have remains of St' Valentine in churches."

      I thought he was beheaded, not hit with a frag grenade.

      graspee

    2. Re:Take a trip... by bofkentucky · · Score: 1

      Welcome to one of the great mysteries of the Catholic church, hey lets send pieces of our dead holy people to churches. Still, I get a chuckle out of our local church's name, Our Lady of the Caves

      --
      09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
  52. Doesn't work if ... by Tim+Ward · · Score: 1

    ... your wife is a publisher and the last thing she wants is presents that remind her of work.

  53. Dual-processor implementation by kriegsman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Although it can be extremely crash-prone, if you can get a dual-processor implementation of this up and running, the results can be quite spectacular.

    ("Imagine a Beowulf cluster of those!")

    -Mark

    1. Re:Dual-processor implementation by ShavenYak · · Score: 2, Funny

      This reminds me of one of the dumbest Star Trek:TNG episodes - the one where Data tried his hand at romance.

      "Are we no longer a couple?"

      "No, Data, we're not.

      "Then I will delete the appropriate program."

      Best dump line ever on TV!

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    2. Re:Dual-processor implementation by kesuki · · Score: 1

      Imagine? History is full of examples. How many emperors had a vast number of concubines over the millenia? But as with anything of value security is a priority. How many of these 'clusters' have been comprimised by would be hackers. They're a target for lonely men everywhere.

  54. What I Want by PRickard · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I don't have any problem thinking up gifts for a significant other. I'm creative, I'm financially blessed, and I've had several decades to think of romantic things I would like to do. The problem is that I have nobody to do them with - thus my gift wish for Valentine's day: a Valentine girl of my own to share it with. Instead, I always have to spend all of February avoiding public places and changing the TV channel quickly when some V-day ad comes on. Oh well, I guess we can't all be happily involved... *sigh*

    (ThinkGeek would be bigger than Amazon.com if it offered mail-order Geek brides.)

    --

    == Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====

    1. Re:What I Want by connorbd · · Score: 2

      Interesting thought...

      Actually, I briefly (and not all that well) knew a woman in college who may just be the perfect geek girl... unbelievably beautiful, fun to hang out with, insanely tech-inclined, probably reads /. regularly as well and will likely see this...

      Believe it or not, her name is Window.

      /Brian

    2. Re:What I Want by PRickard · · Score: 1
      connorbd typed: Actually, I briefly (and not all that well) knew a woman in college who may just be the perfect geek girl... unbelievably beautiful, fun to hang out with, insanely tech-inclined, probably reads /. regularly as well and will likely see this...
      Believe it or not, her name is Window.

      Hey, she could date me and not worry about being mistreated - I don't use Windows! *lamer rimshot*

      --

      == Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====

    3. Re:What I Want by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like to make an observation.

      Why would you concede the entire month of February to the forces of commecialism? Dude, get out there and LIVE LIFE. Having an SO is wonderful and all, but there's no substitute for taking a strong stand for yourself, attacking the world head on, and DEFYING anybody who says that your life is in any way incomplete without "somebody special" in it.

      While you're living that way, I guarantee you'll be a lot more interesting to your desired mates.

      Just a suggestion. Live well. : )

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    4. Re:What I Want by armb · · Score: 2

      > Instead, I always have to spend all of February avoiding public places and changing the TV channel quickly when some V-day ad comes on.

      The suckiest Valentine's day I ever had was after my ex-girlfriend told me around two o'clock in the morning that no, actually we weren't getting back together after all, this was just a one night thing. Next morning (Sunday 14th) I found someone had slashed two tires on my car (and most of the other cars in that car park). So I spent the morning waiting to be able to get new tires, with various of her friends calling round and saying "Oh, you two are back together for Valentine's day, isn't that sweet".
      (We got back together much later, and split up again almost as badly. We're now both married (to different people, not each other). Amazingly, we are still friends.)

      Which still leaves the question of what to get my wife for Christmas. She's said not roses - we have rose bushes in the garden (one's even flowering at the moment) and cut ones from a florist at this time of year generally don't last very long and have a massive price hike because of the demand. And she does need some new underwear.

      --
      rant
    5. Re:What I Want by PRickard · · Score: 1
      armb typed The suckiest Valentine's day I ever had was after my ex-girlfriend told me around two o'clock in the morning that no, actually we weren't getting back together after all, this was just a one night thing. ... Which still leaves the question of what to get my wife for Christmas.

      Well, I can't even get a girlfriend in the first place, much less a wife. How did you manage to find one of each? :P

      Oh, and Christmas? Or do you mean V-day?

      --

      == Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====

    6. Re:What I Want by armb · · Score: 1

      > Well, I can't even get a girlfriend in the first place, much less a wife. How did you manage to find one of each? :P

      Luck. And long periods without either, so have patience. (And just to make it absolutely clear, the woman who isn't my wife is an _ex_-girlfriend, and was while my wife was my girlfriend, so I've only found one at a time (though the time I first got together with that girlfriend and split up with the previous one was kind of messy and confused)).

      > Oh, and Christmas? Or do you mean V-day?
      Yes. You see how difficult it is, I'm all confused and not thinking straight. Having a cold doesn't help. The "possible present ideas" list I have is titled Christmas, but the actual Christmas presents have already been deleted.

      --
      rant
  55. geeks like sweets! how about swiss chocolate? by dummkopf · · Score: 2, Informative

    how about the best chocolates in the world? swiss chocolatier spruengli has the absolute best! check out www.spruengli.ch. you can also place online orders or via email. they ship worldwide via fedex, and believe me, their chocolates beat any belgian crap! that's what i usually get for my (geeky) girlfriend.

  56. Instead of chocolates by Ellen+Spertus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Freeze-dried astronaut ice cream, available from NASA, science museums, or camping goods store. You could even include a note about wanting to travel to the stars with her/him.

  57. Books are a nice gift, but... by bobetov · · Score: 1

    The best kind are special hard-cover versions, or leather-bound, or signed by the author, or first run...

    I once got "The Hobbit" collector's edition version as a gift (birthday, in this case) and it's still a prized possession.

    Of course, my wife "leather-bound" wouldn't be too bad either.

    Incoming!!!! (Ducks thrown pillow)

    --
    Looking for a Rails developer in Chapel Hill?
  58. The perfect gift idea with thoses on a budget by ExodusMachine · · Score: 1

    Well, what I've done a few times is make love coupons with special things that you'll do for her when redeemed. You could make one thats says "Good for one back massage" or other things like that. Use your imagination.

  59. That is a great idea! by Hatechall · · Score: 1

    My girlfriend proposed a 5$ cap on all (total) items purchased this valentines day

    But if you are the guy I dont recommend proposing that 5$ cap on the holiday. Might be injurious to your health.

  60. Think, just think. by Klowner · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did the poster of this story even stop to think, for a moment, that this article would probably plunge 50% of the slashdot community, including myself, into a deep deep depression by reminding them how single they are?

    ..At least my grandma sends me valentines cards

    *runs off crying*
    Klowner

    1. Re:Think, just think. by lightfoot+jim · · Score: 1

      I'm not picking you out, Klowner. You're just one of many who point out that a large number of geeks are without partners, and modded up as INSIGHTFUL! Funny, sure, but not insightful. Perhaps all the moderators are unhappily single and think there is some insight in pointing single-ness out as a social epidemic. Time to get real.

      Klowner, if I have touched a nerve here, I apologize. Visit the url by my name. It'll make you feel better.

      --
      The state is the great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everybody else. ~F. Bastiat
  61. got my geek present early by margaret · · Score: 1

    My geek boyfriend ordered my present the other day - a padded sleeve for my new ibook so I can carry it around in my backpack. I saw it while I was browsing around on the wireless network he set up in the apartment and I said "oooo I want one of those." So he handed me his credit card and said happy valentines day. For my bithday last month I got RAM and x-files dvds. Plus I get flowers and stuff on a semi-regular basis. And he fixes things. I love my geek . Every girl should have one :-)

    I think later I'll go to some jewelry sites and see if the "oooo I want that" works again...

  62. A show of spine is a nice gift by ColGraff · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a high school senior, I find I am completely and utterly lacking in anything resembling "nerve", "spine", or "courage". So while a statement to the amazingly attractive, intelligent, insightful girl who sits in front of me in Calculus (hope she doesn't read /.) that she is quite possible the most remarkable person I have ever met would be nice, it's out of the question. So instead I'm sending her an anonymous flower and card through the school "Valey-gram" program, and a box of the Oatmeal Square cereal thingies. Ah well, backbones are for other people, I always say.

    Enough with this maudlin Valentine's Day related self-pity - a high-caliber site like slashdot doesn't need the mumblings of a sappy highschooler. I say the best possible gift would be a Furby modded to say "Happy Valentine's Day" in as many different languages as possible.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by shinji1911 · · Score: 1

      seriously sweet idea! :) I believe this may well be the very first idea for a gift that lets the nerd population show off while still producing a cute/fuzzy result at the end. Honestly, I LIKE!

      BTW, sign the damn thing, mmmkay? You'll come to find you regret the things you _didn't_ do much more than the things you did.

    2. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by SpacePunk · · Score: 1

      anonymous?

      I got a memo here for ya junebug...

      Never EVER let her guess. She'll just guess it was the jock/teacher/rich kid, anybody but you.

    3. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by zerOnIne · · Score: 2

      i've got to say, just go ahead and ask her out. don't lunge at her drooling "wuh-man!", but in the very least sign your flower/card ... if it's too late to sign the anonymous ones, send her another!! i persoanally went through high school without dating much (read: maybe two weeks total?) ... once i got to college i just went for it a few times, got rejected a few times, got a few girlfriends, got dumped a lot... honestly, it hurt, but i got over it ... and then i just stopped worrying about all that stuff, and watched an amazing romance begin to grow between myself and this very shy friend of mine, whom i'd known for the past year ... it was ten months ago tonight that we met in an au bon pain and decided that we were just going to go for it ... and, well, we're getting married this september :)
      so basically i'm saying, i know what it's like to be the shy guy looking towards that cute girl you've always wanted to talk to ... in retrospect, you only regret what you don't do ...

      go for it, dude!

      --
      09
    4. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by neurojab · · Score: 1

      Damnit dude, ask her for her phone number! Stop using your brain and start thinking with your...

      I'm serious. You're going to regret it if you don't.

      Ask her out for a low-key date. She says no.. you're dissapointed, and you stop beating yourself up. She says yes, you get to spend a bit of quality time with her. Either way you win. You only lose by not doing anything... or worse, spending money on her anonymously. Regardless of what you may have heard, women aren't impressed by anonymity. It shows a lack of courage, and if there's one thing that gets you a date, it's courage.

      One thing that may help is keeping something horibly sharp and painful in your pocket. Prick your leg with it a few times whenever you think about her and don't ask her out. Wear some dark pants so any blood goes unnoticed. Repeat until you're ready for some action.

    5. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by DagnyJ · · Score: 1

      Just as an FYI, a few years ago when I was in high school, I fell into the category of intelligent, technically minded, and interested in more than my hair, and guess what? Never could get a date. Girls like that are frequently much more obtainable than you might think.

      I almost didn't go to senior prom, but a geek who sat in front of me in Calculus asked me and we went and had a great time. Mind you, when he called me I was shocked, but I said yes in a nanosecond.

      Smart girls don't want idiot guys. Trust me. And high school is full of them. Unfortunately, too many of the interesting, geeky, talented guys don't have nearly enough sense of their own worth. So all the smart girls stay home and play Civ 3 on Friday night.

      Ask her out. Worst thing that can happen is she'll say no. And incidently, I agree with the fellow who commented previously: chocolate is always a better idea.

    6. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by Grax · · Score: 1

      That's a start but anonymous gifts aren't extremely useful unless you have someone "accidently" tell her it was you.

      (If she reads slashdot and finds out the kind of things you're saying about her she probably wants you already)

    7. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by Gyl · · Score: 1
      Sound like my high school years. (actually not all that long ago.) At first I was shy, alone, didn't really have any friends (I don't know if that's what you are like, but for me it was a result of being shy) I didn't like the social life that created, so I started actually talking to people. You'd be amazed at how hard that is to begin with, and how easy after you have started. Mind you I'm still shy, but I have just enough confidence that I can make some friends when I go to a new place

      So what does this have to do with girls? Hopefully these people you talk to and hang out with have friends that are female. Then hopefully they come to consider you a friend. Then calling up, or talking to and asking out for coffee over lunch, or after school is a lot easier. But whatever it is you do, put yourself on her side, and see how you would react to her asking you in that way. (I didn't do that one in high school, actually the only time in high school, wow what a failier, but I don't actually regret it, I learned from it, learned a lot)

      another thing to note: you don't have to go from complete strangers to SOs, a first time together is a "get to know the other" thing. Going out (for a movie, whatever) with friends? ask her to come along. (Say: "I'm going to [insert activity here] with [insert friends names], wanna come?") Then, even if you don't eventually end up dating, you at least get to spend some real time with her.

    8. Re:A show of spine is a nice gift by geekoid · · Score: 2

      I was once like you. Then one day, out of the blue, I asked a women who I'd never seen before if she would like to go to the movies.
      we've now been married for almost 12 years.

      Ask her, its win-win for you. she says yes, cool, she says no, you'll be starting to get a spine and thick skin.

      my dating advice: get something to eat, then a movie, then go get ice cream, or a mocha or something and talk about the movie.

      movie are an accepted part of the ritual, so know one considers the suggestion wierd.
      Getting something to eat first allows for some nervous smal talk, and will make her feel a little more relaxed in the movie.

      Pick a movie you enjoy, no sense pretending you like something you don't.

      talking about the movie will give you both insight into each other, this is good. If there is one thing worse the no reltionsihip, its a bad relationship.

      Finally, do NOT do he pop-corn trick ;)

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  63. Heart-shaped CDRs? by ColGraff · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just had a thought - would it be possible to make a heart-shaped CD/R that would actually be balanced enough for use? If not, could you build an adaptor like for some odd-shaped CDs, and use that in the drive?

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:Heart-shaped CDRs? by gvonk · · Score: 2, Informative

      Like Here

      or here
      ?

      --


      El Karma: excelente(principalmente la suma de moderación hecha a los comentarios de los usuarios)
  64. Re:The PERFECT gift for the special geek in your l by Silhouet · · Score: 1

    Till this part, I see know problem ...

    >Her: (looks inside the box) "Oh WOW!!! YOU GOT >ME A RACKMOUNT SERVER!! Let's have sex!!"

    But here's what happens at my place..

    We : go to the bedroom.
    We: Undress and stuff.
    and then ... our little child awakes (How does he do that!)... and says something like: Lion King?

    O, well

    --
    --- Als de angst oprukt, trekt de logica zich terug.
  65. Re:Get her a nice shirt - OpenBSD skinny Tshirt by linzeal · · Score: 1

    What the hell is up with openbsd and guns. Is theo running a miltia, will he take over canada and free quebec!

  66. Re:dumb question... by RubiX^3 · · Score: 1

    Ahh, if both were possible at once... without breaking your neck. Mmmm Solitary head.

    --
    -=o
  67. One more gift idea... by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    My high school has so many old 486s lying around, the school tech regularly begs me to take one (or two or six) home in order to clear some space. Why not install linux on one, slap some sappy love-related program on it to run at startup, and pre-configure the system. In addition, you could use the stuff at robotstore.com to control a servo motor through the serial port. Use the motor to operate some sort of candy dispenser, and you can have a comp that dispenses a candy every time it boots up! Sound good?

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    1. Re:One more gift idea... by alex_ant · · Score: 1

      Personally, if I were female, I think I would find that rather terrifying. But maybe I'm just out of touch. Wait, is this Slashdot? Then, no, I guess it's you who's out of touch. :)

  68. Ditch her. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If she needs a big diamond ring to stick around then you dont need her. Girls who consume that much money for sex are called hookers.

  69. The Best GIft by Aetrix · · Score: 1

    Last year, my SO gave me a Palm Vx. That alone was a kind gesture, but he went into the datebook app and set appointments for every 5 minutes for the next TWO YEARS that said "I love you."

    --

    "One touch of Darwin makes the whole world kin." George Bernard Shaw
  70. Valentine's Day Gifts by tedrlord · · Score: 1

    I -still- haven't figured out exactly what to get my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. I'm really glad we don't get competitive with this sort of thing, because she orderd me the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust DVD, right after getting me a copy of Grand Theft Auto 3. That's pretty damn hard to match.

    Fortunately, she's pretty easy to please, so my plans mostly include nice flowers, a cute stuffed animal of some sort (she loves that kind of thing) and dinner at the little sushi place we used to go to when we started dating. I'll also probably burn a mix cd of anime music for her, because she's been saying that she'd like something like that.

    Mostly, this holiday reminds me that I need a job again, because last year I got her a fscking huge bouquet of roses, a ruby pendant, and a few other things. It's frustrating to not be able to follow up on that. Oh well, perhaps the economy might recover again by next year.

    --
    [insert witty quote here]
  71. My girl... by royale_wit_cheeze · · Score: 1, Troll

    So there we were, making out on the couch with the tv on... A microsoft commercial comes up, and my GF's response is to break the kiss and say,
    "God I hate XP!"

    She's getting 2 dozen roses this year.

    1. Re:My girl... by Lord+Hugh+Toppingham · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Your girl is an irrational foaming slashbot.


      Therefore, in reality she is probably an unwashed 14-year old, linux-using male.

    2. Re:My girl... by Lord+Hugh+Toppingham · · Score: 1
      1) false


      2) see 1


      3) Fuck off, Wanker.

  72. Show em you love em by MoneyT · · Score: 1

    Buy a maxed out G4 with 22inch cinema display.

    Or go to the NexTech Summit (no link, sorry I forgot it) and give em 100+ gigs of Hardrives, a few gigs of memory and a few heatsinks. All "borrowed" from RentSys (www.rentsys.com)

    --
    T Money
    World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
  73. This seems reasonable by saviorsloth · · Score: 1

    doesn't it?
    now of course, maybe that's why i won't be giving any presents this v-day :)

  74. Check out richdate.com by CrazyJim0 · · Score: 1

    Its where you can win 3 dates and money! its pretty cool

    1. Re:Check out richdate.com by zCyl · · Score: 5, Funny

      Check out richdate.com
      Its where you can win 3 dates and money! its pretty cool


      I have 4 mod-points left to spend, but I searched, and sadly there is no +1 Pathetic.

    2. Re:Check out richdate.com by Xenographic · · Score: 1

      They're afraid that the universe would run out of karma if they allowed people to moderate posts as "pathetic" ...

      Of course, if you listen to Homer, karma can only be portioned out by the universe, anyhow :]

  75. Go with the Furby by T1girl · · Score: 2

    Oatmeal sqares? Are you out of your mind? Unless you know for a fact she really prefers them, it's chocolate, baby, chocolate. The flower and Valey-gram are nice in a non-commital, anonymous kind of way, but she won't know it's from you, and besides, she might receive several. The Furby would show off your hacking skills. "Happy Valentine's Day" is not exactly a declaration of undying love, so even if she hates you she would probably think it's cute and keep it. Maybe she's even shyer than you are and waiting for you to make the first move. Actually, for your sake, I hope she does read /.

  76. Just a thought... by connorbd · · Score: 2

    If there isn't a good geek-inclined pickup bar in the Cambridge/Boston/inside 128 (MA) area, there should be one...

    ...and if there is, I'd like to know about it.

    /Brian

  77. *snort* by Pope · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's more to life than logic, mon amie.

    --
    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  78. If you're broke but creative by superflippy · · Score: 1

    Don't buy a card at the store. Instead, break out that old box full of obsolete tech that you can't bear to throw away because you still think you might be able to use it for parts someday. You know, the one with the 28.8 modem, the mismatched cables, the ancient video cards. Pick out something that looks interesting and stick a clever note on it (e.g. "I like the way we connect").

    Note: This will probably go over better if you give your homemade "card" to your S.O. during dinner at their favorite restaurant.

    --
    Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
    1. Re:If you're broke but creative by Haydo · · Score: 1

      I think thats actually a really good idea- however even better would be to use some thick cardboard, and turn that old isa card into a card itself -(taking the metal bracket off at the top) and making that the front of the card :) with the special message inside:).

  79. Non-techie Girlfriend. by txtger · · Score: 1

    Oh, when you have a valentine that isn't techie. I think I'm gonna end up with books, but probably nothing concerning computers. It's great when you date an english major. Maybe, though, I'll get the rest of the Harry Potter series. They're a quality read.

  80. WoSaT and reduced stress, that's what by TrinSF · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My /. sweetie's favorite film of all time is Mike Jittlov's Wizard of Speed and Time. He's got a laser disc copy but no disc player, so I got him a copy on VHS (from skinnyguy.com) so we can snuggle up and watch it on Valentine's Day. (I've never seen it all the way through.)

    Additionally, I've tried to make the day as simple and stressfree for him; like many geeks I know, he's uncomfortable trying to plan something romantic. I suggested a restaurant I'd enjoy and planned the movie, to ensure he didn't have to worry about what would please me.

  81. You don't regret your losses... by SatoriMan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    only the things you never tried. (I'm sure someone famous said it better, but you get the idea).

    Take it from a shy geek who is MANY years out of high school. I don't remember the names of any of the women who turned me down, but I do remember the ones I never asked out.

    1. Re:You don't regret your losses... by CrystalFalcon · · Score: 1

      Ouch. That hurt to read. :-/

      What can I say except it took me many years to learn that... (and yes, I'm also many years out of high school). Btw, I do have a normal social life now (for some value for normal). When I was in school, however, I was in the "legit to make fun of" category...

      Strange how things change. Just yesterday I realized I don't really have any close male friends; my close friends are all women. (yes, I am male.)

  82. Bzzzzt! Wrong! by Robber+Baron · · Score: 3, Informative

    CE stands for Common Era!

    --

    You're using her as bait, Master!

    1. Re:Bzzzzt! Wrong! by Genyin · · Score: 1

      umm... he knew that. (obvious stick)
      *whack whack*
      it just might as well stand for christian era.

  83. Re:My original plan (OT) by Rob+Simpson · · Score: 1
    Heh. Back in high school, I brought a real hunting bow and (target) arrows as part of my costume as the monk in the Canterbury Tales (in my English Lit class).

    Naturally, this was before Columbine...

  84. Some things never change...jewelry... by zoward · · Score: 2

    Even tech ladies like jewelry! The analytical chemist in my life is getting a diamond ring and dinner at a cozy restaurant.

    --
    "Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
    1. Re:Some things never change...jewelry... by lert · · Score: 1

      I think diamond rings are snobbish

      lert

  85. Some of us are gay. Some of us are single. by TheMCP · · Score: 2

    I want all the people who are so busy trying to convince me I have to give my wife a box of chocolates or a dozen roses for valentines day that they haven't stopped to notice I'm gay and I'm single and I'm damn tired of being reminded of the latter to get dumped by their spouse on the 13th.

    I think that would make a perfect valentines day gift for me.

  86. One semi-word, two syllables: by x136 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    iPod.

    And I guess that dual-gigahertz G4 that it's attached to will get you laid for at least a year...

    --
    SIGFEH
  87. Jeez, what a doofus I am by Arthur_42 · · Score: 1

    Well, I'm corny, but what I mainly want is my gift for her to be well recieved. It's so hard to come up with original gift ideas that are good that if she really, honestly likes it, that's one of the best gifts I can get. I mean, you can't _not_ give flowers, but something else must also be given. But besides that, I guess I really like a good massage, and those can be hard to get. My girlfriend hates computers (ugh!), so I think it would a cool pseudo-present for her to let me teach her some computer stuff or at least give them a chance. I think books always go over well, when given in combination with other things. Poetry is good, and so are foreign language books (if both speak the language). I think one important thing to remember for a good Valentine's day is surprise. Whatever the gift, if there is sufficient surprise the effect is amplified. I'm a pianist and composer and my girlfriend like my music so I'm making her a CD of my playing with some other songs she likes, cover art and all that too. I also think I'll make a cheesy card...sometimes humor is good. That is all.

    --
    "ph34r my 1337 n3kk1d ski11z!" - largo of megatokyo
  88. I want a girlfriend... by KajiCo · · Score: 1

    preferably one with brains...

  89. Re:My original plan (OT) by dickens · · Score: 1

    I was wondering about some of those native americans at the Olympic opening ceremonies last night. Some were armed. The bow and string looked real enough... couldn't tell about the arrows.

  90. Re:The PERFECT gift for the special geek in your l by TFloore · · Score: 5, Funny

    This would, of course, be for the girl that has a nice rack?

    No, I didn't even try to resist. :)

    --
    This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
  91. Obvious, but it needs to be said by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A high school senior. God how I envy you.

    The path from high-school senior to middle aged man is maddeningly short with plenty of disappointments, triumphs and lots of experience that really kicks you in the nuts.

    Make a play for her. Risk embarassment. The truth is that she'll probably blow you off. But at a minimum, you won't look back with regret.

    In my sophomore year of college I spent a lot of time with a young lady that I absolutely found the most breathtaking, wonderful girl (woman?). And I didn't ask her out. I spent 9 months with her and didn't have the gonads to just say "Hey, how about you and me go get a pizza tonight". how foolish. Funny how we learn about courage after we don't need it so much.

    And understand that marriage, kids, mortgage and career are just as effective prison bars as the keenest steel and thickest walls. You can't go back for so many reasons. You have people who depend on you, from the littlest baby to the people who work for you and depend on you to point them in the right direction every day.

    There's every chance I'm the pathetic middle-aged loser you laugh at. There a sure chance you'll be the same thing in 25 years. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt so much. And I suppose the rewards are worth it.

    Revel in your time. Have fun. Don't worry so much, you'll do fine. And just ask her out to talk. Movies are a bad first date, unless you think you'll run out of things to say.

    1. Re:Obvious, but it needs to be said by KDENCE · · Score: 1

      Join the Marine Corps, they'll make a manly geek out of you. Yes, you will come back with manly arms (and body of course), not the geek skinny arms that are so famous in the geek world and then you will definetely have the courage to ask her and any other chickie out. The way I see it if you have the confidence to kill somebody, you definetely will have the confidence to ask them out first! Worked for me!

  92. Just find the freakin' clitoris! by LordNimon · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Trust me, that's what all women REALLY want you to do for Valentine's day.

    There's even a web site dedicated to it! Hint: click on the link labelled "cunnilingus". And whatever you do, don't complain that it smells!

    --
    And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
    To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
    1. Re:Just find the freakin' clitoris! by Oswald · · Score: 1

      LOL! This got modded up as interesting. I guess about 30 years ago I would have considered this a hot tip too ;)

  93. Uh... there is one major assumption here: by GuNgA-DiN · · Score: 1

    How many geeks you know that have girlfriends/wives? I can count the ones I know on one hand. Just remember: "Chicks dig UNIX!"

    1. Re:Uh... there is one major assumption here: by ByteHog · · Score: 1

      I wore my "Chicks dig Unix" shirt to the mall one day.... All I got were weird stares from male and femail, and some disgusted looks from some old folks that probably didn't know what UNIX was... :)

      nevertheless, it didn't nab me a girl.. *sigh*

      --
      - This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along, move along..
    2. Re:Uh... there is one major assumption here: by ByteHog · · Score: 1

      female. I ment to do that. :)

      dammit I hate typeos... reminds me: NEVER accidently type in www.hotmale.com when checking for new email!!

      IT'S BAD!!!!

      --
      - This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along, move along..
  94. it's worth a try... by Technodummy · · Score: 2

    I've been asking Santa for a matter transmitter for years...

    I guess I could ignore my disinterest in Valentine's Day if I got one of those...

  95. What's the deal with flowers? by ErikTheRed · · Score: 4, Funny


    What kind of sick fucks are women that they want us to demonstrate affection by ripping the sex organs off of plants and presenting them as gifts? I mean, think about it...

    Of course, in all seriousness, the most of the employees at my local florest know my AmEx number by heart now...

    --

    Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
  96. Wayne Gretzky by Galvatron · · Score: 1
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." That's my personal favorite version of the quote, because it's somewhat less sappy.


    Yes, I too wasted most of high school not asking girls out, but once I did start asking them out, I have never gone for more than a month without a girl (lifting weights has helped with that too...).

    --
    "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
  97. Since most of us are single... by booms · · Score: 1

    I'd personally have to suggest to buy yourself one of these for the big V day. (especially if you ARE still a big V!) Sure, its going to be a one time charge of $6,000, but just imagine how much a potential "surprise" is going to cost from one of those female creatures, much less the mini-van and other sort of things to go with it. It never has a headache either, and doesn't get mad at you if you forget any of those important days. The best part is that it doesn't whine about you spending all weekend playing Counter-Strike or Everquest and eating leftover pizza instead of taking her out to dinner.

    In the long run, that $6K would be a very good investment, as it would serve two purposes. The aforementioned duties, and it would also scare off any potential females who's compatibilty problems you're trying to avoid in the first place. :)

    </cynical bastard mode >

    I'm only kidding, but hey, laugh!

  98. Stuffed animals are great for geeks sometimes... by grammar+fascist · · Score: 5, Informative

    How about a plush Cthulhu?

    --
    I got my Linux laptop at System76.
  99. An Iffy gift by L1mewater · · Score: 1
    Here's what I'm doing. It's cheap, sappy, and it would make Martha Stewart proud.

    I've compiled a bunch of pictures of my girlfriend and me into a divx movie, set to background of one of her favorite love songs. OK, I admit it, it was "I've Got You, Babe." Go ahead, laugh, I can't hear you!

    Boy, if this thing ever gets out on the internet...

    But if anybody's actually interested, I used FadeToBlack to the main work, and then I fine-tuned it with audio and encoded it using VirtualDub. It took awhile, but that was mainly looking for decent tools.

    Well, that's it. I don't know if she'll actually like it. She'll probably decide she looks fat in all the pictures. That's why I got chocolate and a bear, too.

    Thank goodness she's an English major and has no interest in /. at all.

  100. Home-made geek jewelry by Ellen+Spertus · · Score: 2

    String some resistors, colored wires, LEDs, etc. on ear wire to create geek chic jewelry. I've seen some really nice stuff that would even appeal to non-geeks.

  101. Here's a hint by John+Miles · · Score: 2

    Choose to devote your life to creating new things, not tearing down other peoples' creations. That will make you much more attractive in the eyes of women, friends, and colleagues alike.

    Whatever you may think of Bill Gates, he's not the second coming of Genghis Khan, and his company doesn't warrant the degree of emotional and intellectual commitment that you, and countless other unloved, unlaid Slashdotters, devote to its destruction. Instead, consider the possibility that you'll look back forty or fifty years from now and wonder why you have so little to show for the passions of your youth.

    --
    Dahlmann tightly grips the knife, which he may have no idea how to use, and steps out into the plain.
  102. Re:The PERFECT gift for the special geek in your l by gurnb · · Score: 1

    ...and needs to be mounted!

    :)

    I too, could not resist!

    --
    "This must be a Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
  103. Colors -- DO NOT SCREW THIS UP by devphil · · Score: 2


    The "color matters" bit cannot be stressed enough. I learned this the hard way. :-)

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
  104. It's because they're totally useless! by orius_khan · · Score: 1

    What kind of sick fucks are women that they want us to demonstrate affection by ripping the sex organs off of plants and presenting them as gifts? I mean, think about it...

    Their appreciation of your gift is inversely proportional to the gift's usefulness... They think "Awww it's so sweet that he blew 80 bucks on something so practically useless and will die and disappear forever after a few days!"

    --
    Sometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all the unhappy people.
  105. Sympathy song for all you single guys on V-day by orius_khan · · Score: 1

    My last girlfriend didn't like me thought she might be
    Most likely a dyke she just didn't excite me
    Lefty? Yeah but that was alright
    She was hotter than the sun but she just wasn't that bright
    My mistake she was more flaky than a leper colony
    I think a wooden clothespin would have been much better company
    Ass like a donkey acting funky gave her "L" now she's a flunky
    So my love for her died quicker than a batch of Sea Monkeys
    Early bird gets the worm spread your legs or spread the word
    So what if I'm not the smartest peanut in the turd
    I'm white which goes with everything but I can come in any color
    And I'm looking for the kind of girl that reminds me of my mother
    But it's hard to find a girl with a viper tattooed on her tushy
    And how many girls do you know that can play the harmonica with their pussies?
    Like em' easy and hot and sweet like a Rice Krispie Treat gee
    You know what I really want in a girl? Me!

    I need to find a new vagina
    Any kind of new vagina
    It's hard to rhyme a word like vagina
    Calvin Klein? Kind of... North Carolina

    Women are like dog doo hear me through don't interrupt
    It's just the older that they are the easier they get to pick-up
    I'd fill the generation gap clean the cobwebs from her rafters
    Old hens would rather put out than be put out to the pasture
    No age just ain't a gauge I like my girls like my cheese
    Preferably for me fat-free American singles only
    I want my next chick anorexic the winner is the thinner
    Won't have to take her skinny ass out to a fancy dinner
    Like Sizzler ... she got a beef we'll chew the fat
    If I forget to put the seat up I can put up with her crap
    Let her lash out and crack the whip but not in bed I don't play rough
    No I can't be tied down with a girl that wants me tied up
    Just independent like NOFX, smart like Janeane Garafolo
    She'd use big words to make fun of me so that I would never know
    Bestow upon me all her wisdom of the Dewey Decimal System gee
    You know what I really want in a girl? Me!

    I need to find a new vagina
    Any kind of new vagina
    It's hard to rhyme a word like vagina
    Kevin Klein? Kind of South Carolina

    Vagina VAGINA VAGINA!!

    ---
    Props to BHG for this lovely masterpiece (3.14)!
    ---

    --
    Sometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all the unhappy people.
  106. Yeah RIGHT! by orius_khan · · Score: 1

    For instance, male geek can stroke just below his navel, and in response, female geek feels caressing vibrating sensation just below her navel. Female geek then rubs below her left armpit, and male geek feels vibrating sensation under his left armpit.

    Yeah Right! As if it were somehow possible to acquire/wear one of these things, you'd be putting them under your ARMPIT... heheh You kill me!

    --
    Sometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all the unhappy people.
  107. Re:My original plan (OT) by Chris+Y+Taylor · · Score: 2

    It's those biathletes you really have to worry about.

  108. Re:Stuffed animals are great for geeks sometimes.. by Telemakhos · · Score: 1

    And strangely (or not), it's sold out... Slashdotted the inventory, perhaps?

  109. Re:Get her a nice shirt - OpenBSD skinny Tshirt by harmonics · · Score: 1

    Hmm nice idea.

    I want to start simple though, can't overwhelm the poor girl too quickly. I'm still trying to ween her off of Windows XP!

  110. Re:What do I want? (Can I have your phone no?) by Oxide · · Score: 1

    How about a nice lovely evening with nothing but you, me and Linux ?

  111. Anatomically Correct Chocolate Hearts by KickingDummy · · Score: 1

    Perfect for the chocolate loving geek of your choice. In dark, milk, or white chocolate. http://www.chocolatebymueller.net/Merchant2/mercha nt.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CBM&Category_Code=EAW CM

  112. The Wisdom of Al Bundy by mckwant · · Score: 2

    Yeah, but I'm reminded of when the boy child was going out with TWO hot women. When asked how to choose, Al replied (I'm paraphrasing):

    "Doesn't matter. Whichever one you end up with, the other immediately becomes hotter, smarter, and less intrusive."

    Of course, nobody on THIS site has that problem, but...

    --
    ceci n'est pas un sig.
  113. Re:My original plan (OT) by ptomblin · · Score: 1

    Speaking as a former biathlete, I'd rather meet up with 20 pissed off biathletes than one showing-off-for-his-friends football player.

    --
    The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
  114. Worthwhile Valentines by Hermione+Granger · · Score: 1

    Whatever happened to making your own Valentines? I'm a geekette and have been creating my own Valentines from scratch for years. Anyways, most guys prefer home baked mushroom clouds (from the Fallout manual) or chocolate éclairs or handmade cards to the store bought variety. I have friends who have kept my valentines cards for years! Geeks ought not to buy cards because they are creative people and can produce much better things with Photoshop or Bryce or whatever else. If you make a card, it shows the girl that you really care and are willing to put effort into things.
    Enough of my rambling; what I want for Valentine's Day is the shirt from ThinkGeek that says, "I Love My Geek."

    --
    Blessed are the geeks for they shall Internet the Earth.
    1. Re:Worthwhile Valentines by M.+Silver · · Score: 2

      Whatever happened to making your own Valentines?

      Because only Martha Stewart would expect her mother to hand-make a Valentine while staying in a hotel in a country where she doesn't speak the language?

      And I'm not sure chocolate eclairs would have made it through the mail.

      --

      Slashdot's token middle-aged housewife
  115. Will you marry me? by macdaddy · · Score: 2

    How about a /. article asking someone to marry you? ;-)

  116. last post by KDENCE · · Score: 1

    Oh, yeah I gotz the last post!