I love technology and gadgetry. Even though I’m in a field that isn’t normally associated with such things I can’t get enough of it. For the longest time I thought that my interest had to do with my maturity level which, as my wife will tell you, can be rather low. A while back, however, I realized that the real source of my interest was far closer to home. You see I grew up in a household with a father who was on the leading edge of new technology.

We had a touchtone phone before it was even released. (I remember asking my father what the * and #  buttons work for. He told me that, “At some point far in the future there will be use for them with additional features that we can’t even conceive of right now”.) We had early versions of videophones back when there wasn’t nearly the data speed to support them.  And I remember going to visit my dad in his lab and seeing the assortment of lasers that he and his colleagues were using long before they were commonplace. It was, in fact, some of the research that my dad and his team did that ultimately found its way into the, now ubiquitous, optical drives that fill our DVD players and computers. And it isn’t an overstatement to say that it was much of the work my father and his colleagues did a bit later in his career that laid the foundation for the fiber optical revolution in communications and connectivity.

My father spent almost his entire career working for one company (although in various permutations of it). It was a career that began 34 years earlier at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey and ultimately ended with his retiring from an office in the very same building where he began, only now the company was called Lucent. My father retired a bit earlier than planned, at 63, and sadly, he and my mother only had two weeks to enjoy both freedom and good health before he suffered a stroke, whose significant impact continues more than a decade later. As a clergy person I hear so many people honored after they’re gone that I decided I wanted to write this Father’s Day post to my dad, while he can actually read it.  Why? Because he was and is a great father, and because he is one of the unsung heroes whose work helped lay the foundation for the technology we love and all but take for granted today.

So, with thanks to Judie for letting me post such a personal piece, here is a quick tribute to my dad — Mel Cohen– on Father’s Day.

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Dad, back in Pleasantville you ruled the roost. You shaped us. You molded us. You brought us to our first baseball game. You taught us to drive. Your word was law and, no matter the issue you ALWAYS knew best.

And the list goes on.

You bailed us out of jail. You looked the other way when our friends came over “to study”. You took us to our first (ah hem) “private entertainment” club. You got us a top notch lawyer and got the judge to reduce that small indiscretion down to a misdemeanor.

Yes dad your impact is everywhere and we can’t thank you enough!

No doubt our love of all-things-electric comes straight from you so with Father’s Day on the way we wanted to tick off some of the best gear you might like.

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Still looking for a Father’s Day gift for your Dad / hubby? Does he like to grill? Watch TV? Sit in front of the computer playing video games? No matter what your dad (or husband) likes to do or where he likes to do it, chances are he’d rather be listening to his favorite music than the kids fighting over whose game to play first.

The folks at Cambridge Soundworks understand – and so they are having a Father’s Day sale all this week. Get 25% off an assortment of speakers and sets that will serve every audio need from simple MP3 player output to full home theater monster. Very timely right now, they also include their excellent outdoor speakers in the sale so day can enjoy that music that embarrasses the kids for the whole neighborhood to hear!

Cambridge SoundWorks Fathers Day Sale: 25% Off!

Source: DealMac

What could possibly say “Dad I Love You Happy Father’s Day” better than a 6 foot long remote controlled replica of the RMS Titanic? For only $2,500 Hammacher Schlemmer will ship the Titanic to your Dad’s doorstep. Like the original, this craft took over 400 man-hour to assemble from 300 individually hand crafted pieces. Also, like it’s namesake, guaranteed not to sink hours of fun.

Injection molded plastic is used for the railings, windows, doors, and funnels, laser-cut for precise replication. The boat deck includes lifeboats flanked by davits that were used to lower the lifeboats overboard. Other details include the yellow funnel water pipes, cowl ventilators, cranes, docking deck (the rear raised deck with wheel), winches, bollards, and anchor crane. A foremast and mainmast are rigged with shrouds, ratlines, stays, and the Marconi aerial that spans the ship from mast to mast. Two rechargeable batteries provide up to three hours of cruising power for three 550-watt electric motors that drive each of the three propellers, producing a gentle cruising speed of 5 mph on calm water. Minor assembly required. Requires a three-hour recharge. The remote controls the ship from up to 75′–requires eight AA batteries (not included).

Hammacher Schlemmer

Here’s a cool and inexpensive Father’s Day item. It’s a picture frame made from Scrabble pieces. The base spells out “DAD” and the included frame holds any photo up to 3.5″ x 5.25″. As a matter of fact I do indeed know that you can probably make one of these yourself but for those of us too lazy or less inclined – the $5.99 price tag seems like a great solution to the “what to get Dad” dilemma that rolls around every year at this time.

Note: Gift best suited for giving by younger kids – might be a little creepy to give your Dad if you are mid-20s or older.

Stupid

If there’s one thing that I love, its music and video. I’ve got a 60GB 5G iPod and an 8GB 2G iPod Touch. Neither have enough space. I want my entire collection of multimedia on my iPod so I can cart it all everywhere, with out worrying about what’s synchronized and what isn’t.

My wish has come true… No, not literally. I don’t have one of these, but I sure wish I did.  Enter the 240GB (yes, that’s right… 240GB) iPod; and its available for Father’s Day!

With Father’s Day right around the corner many people are banging their head against the wall trying to find an original gift, something other than a tie or tool set. Rapid Repair has the perfect solution- an upgraded iPod. This 240GB iPod holds up to 60,000 songs, 300 hours of video or 50,000 photos.

Between now and Father’s day, Rapid Repair is offering $30 off.

The drive is designed as a DIY upgrade, but Rapid Repair will take your existing iPod and replace the drive for you.  Careful, though… The upgrade for this drive starts at $249.99.

Rapid Repair

I always find it hard to buy my dad a nice simple gift for Father’s Day, but this year I have an extra selection of gift ideas to peruse at Cufflinks.com. They have everything from the almost ordinary to the completely unique.

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Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there – wherever you may be. Wait – you didn’t forget to get Dad a gift, did you? Well let me help. Today only take him to TCBY for a free frozen yogurt cup or cone. This offer is only good at participating TCBY stores and yeah, I know the stores aren’t located everywhere but this may at least some of your who forgot to get a gift.

Link: TCBY via DealNews

The more I look at the Beerbelly cooler ($49 on sale), the more it creeps me out. Not because it seems difficult to use. But because it looks tough to clean – and guys (being guys) probably never think to clean them out. For the thirsty Dad in your life, this device makes a quirky Father’s Day gift. It’s a money saver too because he can sneak 80 oz of his favorite beverage into events that may frown upon a BYOB status. Because the cooler is designed to be worn against his stomach, security guards never think to check his spare tire for Budweiser. That is unless security guards read web sites like this.

Link: BeeryBelly Cooler – $49

Miss Hannah, the goddess of Proporta goodness, has spoken: Father’s Day is coming, and since a lot of you are still stumped (admit it, you are!), she wants to help… 

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Father’s Day is coming up quickly, and we know that some of you are still stressing over what to get your special guy. We’re here to help! So with that goal in mind, Wayne and I culled through a few of our past reviews, things we found on the web, and vendor emails to see which gifts might make dad smile…

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With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, here’s a way to affirm him with a unique desktop gadget – the iwavecube™ personal microwave. While Dad is toiling away in his home away from home, having his very own personal microwave in his cubicle will certainly bring immeasurable joy. Considering how nasty shared use office kitchen microwaves can be, he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

With a iwavecube™ personal microwave in the corner of his 8×8 cubicle, Ole Dad could be sipping on some reheated Starbucks coffee, a SmartOne or instant soup for lunch; or freshening the air with popcorn while reviewing TPS Reports.

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June 15th is Father’s Day this year. If you haven’t thought up a gift yet, here’s an interesting one from Walmart. It’s an engraved beer tub for only $28.76. One side of the tub reads “CHEERS” and the other side has a spot where Walmart will engrave your message of up to 14 characters. The best thing about this gift? If Dad doesn’t like it — fill it with dirt to create a planter and gift it to Mom next year for Mother’s Day!

Link: Walmart: Personal Galvanized Beverage Tub – $28.76