The GeekDads

The gods of randomness have spoken, and Patrick Mast is the winner of the 6th Day of Geekmas prize pack from Logitech and Crazy Aaron's Putty World. So what's next on the 12DoG agenda? Well, if today's prizes have a theme it's that of good, old fashioned fun.

Of course we're including a container of traditional Geekmas staple Aaron's Crazy Putty, and to that we are adding a fine selection of other toys. DiscoveryStore.com is back with another set of those delightful Mythbuster bobble heads, and they're joined by our friends from Nyko who are offering one of their fantastic Wand+ Wii controllers. (Peep my product review from earlier this year for more info.) And GeekDad Anton came through with a fine selection of Hexbugs including the new Spider, the glow-in-the-dark Nano, the Bridge Battle play set and Hexbug Raceway Habitat Set.

In this edition of the GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer we talk a lot about today's fabulous prizes, and about our equally fabulous sponsor MapHook. Yes Maphook, the only location-based app that encourages users to create and share travelogues - Oregon Trail style! There's even some music from the The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society – "Eerie Dreary Solstice" to be exact – and of course the all-import secret code word needed to enter our random drawing. (Our hearing-impaired friends can find said code word in the podcast file metadata.) Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

Our "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was created by John Anealio. He also does weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen by random from a given day's entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day's giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

Congrats to Jeff Pettorino, the winner of our 5th Day of Geekmas prize pack. But with all those games, CDs and putty containers unceremoniously removed from our prize closet, what remains for the latter half of this year's Geekmas celebration? In a word - lots!

Today, for example, we've got an astounding array of goodies from Logitech including a Harmony One remote, a Performance Mouse MX, their new wireless solar keyboard, a ClearChat Wireless Headset, a Z515 speaker and a Force 3D Pro joystick. And don't forget the customary can of Aaron's Crazy Putty. And it could all be yours.

Today's GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer contains a frank and explicit discussion of how unbelievably awesome these prizes truly are, as well as similar talk regarding holiday podcast sponsor MapHook. Add in Doctor Octoroc's "Deck the Kremlin" – from his 8-Bit Jesus album – and you've got a perfect example of seasonal merrymaking. Listen close for today's secret code word, as you'll need that to enter our random drawing. (Our hearing-impaired friends can find said code word in the podcast file metadata.) Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was created by GeekDad's own John Anealio. There must've been some magic in that old silk hat he found.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen by random from a given day's entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day's giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

Congratulations to Justin Watermann, winner of our 4th Day of Geekmas prize pack from Putty World and DiscoveryStore.com. Thus far in 12DoG we've focused heavily on science and technology, but today we take it back to the simpler things in life. Like music and video games. And also putty.

Today's winner snags a can of Aaron's Crazy Putty as well as CDs from a pair of HipTrax favorites. Celtic filker Marc Gunn has seen fit to set you up with copies of both his 2010 albums The Bridge and Kilted for Her Pleasure, while FUMPer Insane Ian has likewise provided his two latest releases fairly EPic and The Last Arcade. Our friends at Sony have also once again come through with some amazing prizes – copies of Invizimals and ModNation Racers for the PSP. This means, of course, that to take full advantage of this swag you'll need to be in possession of a PlayStation Portable. But if not you can always, y'know, re-gift.

In this edition of ye olde GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer we expound upon the virtues of these prizes, as well as those of our very own podcast sponsor MapHook. You're also treated to the I Fight Dragons cover of Fountains of Wayne's "Alien for Christmas" from last year's Come Down the Chimney compilation. And don't forget to listen for today's secret code word, as you'll need that to enter today's random drawing. (Our hearing-impaired friends can find said code word in the podcast file metadata.) Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was crafted with pride by GeekDad's own John Anealio. They say he has a very shiny nose.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen by random from a given day's entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day's giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping

Congratulations to our 3rd Day of Geekmas prize pack winner Luke McKean. I can only imagine the amazing things possible when you combine your prizes - a copy of Activision's Tony Hawk: Shred and a container of Crazy Aaron's Putty. Oh, to be young and adventurous!

Today – in addition to the requisite container of Aaron's Crazy Putty – we will be giving away a pair of excitingly dorktastic prizes from DiscoveryStore.com. Today's winner will be able to channel his inner mad scientist with the help of the Discovery Chem-X 1000 Science Lab, and may even be inspired to use this new-found scientific acumen for the greater good by a pair of Mythbusters Bobble Heads.

In today's GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer you'll hear to hear Ken and me get our science on as we discuss these prizes. You'll also get another earful of knowledge regarding podcast sponsor MapHook. On the musical tip you even get some chiptune goodness from 8 Bit Weapon & ComputeHer in the form of "Oh Christmas Tree (Oh Hanukkah)." Which I reckon proves that there are no losers in the 12 Days of Geekmas. But to be a genuine winner you'll want to note the secret code word needed to enter today's random drawing. (Our hearing-impaired friends can also find said code word in the podcast file metadata.) Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was created by John Anealio. He is the only man brave enough to explore the gastric implications of el chupacabra in song.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen by random from a given day's entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day's giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

Congratulations to our 2nd Day of Geekmas prize pack winner Seth Johnston. Admittedly, yesterday's prize pack of the Star Wars TomTom EASE GPS, Motorola R2-D2 Droid 2 from Verizon and pliable goodness from Putty World makes for a tough act to follow, but that doesn't mean we don’t intend to try!

Today's winner snags both that highly coveted can of Crazy Aaron's equally crazy putty and a copy of Tony Hawk: Shred for the Nintendo Wii (compliments of Activision). While some would see these prizes as a pair of dissimilar items, I imagine that, thanks in part to the title's intuitive board controller, a talented geek could master the subtle arts of both simultaneously.

This time in the GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer my co-host and I talk about skateboard games and putty and podcast sponsor Maphook. All of which are awesome. We even play Optimus Rhyme's "God Rest Ye Autobeat Allies" – a song that is holiday-themed simply because I say it is. Be sure to listen out for the secret code word, as you'll need that to enter today's random drawing. (Though our hearing-impaired friends can also find said code word in the podcast file metadata.)Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was made by elves at the North Pole. Though I hear John Anealio is desperate to take the credit.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen by random from a given day's entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day's giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

Congratulations to our 1st Day of Geekmas prize pack winner Torri Martin! We kicked this year's festivities off by giving away an amazing PSP Limited Edition Invizimals Entertainment Pack and a can of Crazy Aaron's Putty. So what do we have in store for today's giveaway?

Only a Star Wars-themed prize pack the likes of which hasn't been seen since the great Clone Wars! Today's winner receives not only his/her very own can of Crazy Aaron's Putty – did I mention we love putty? – but also a pair of Star Wars-centric gadgets. Stoke the fires of fanboy jealousy amongst your fellow geeks with you own Star Wars TomTom EASE GPS Device, useful in making the all important Kessel Run. Today's winner also gets a limited edition R2-D2 Motorola Droid 2 phone from Verizon Wireless, a super sexy Android OS mobile phone skinned to look like everyone's favorite astromech.

Peep today's GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to hear Ken and me slobber over these amazing prizes as well as to learn more about podcast sponsor MapHook. You'll also get to hear John Anealio's totally appropriate "Millennium Falcon for Christmas" from his latest holiday-themed EP. Listen all the way to the end to discover the secret code word needed to enter today's random drawing. (Our hearing-impaired friends can also find said code word in the podcast file metadata.) Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was also created by John Anealio. He truly is our very own Geekmas angel!

It's the 1st Day of Geekmas, and we voted – unanimously, I might add – to kick off this year's giveaway with a bang!

Up for grabs is a PSP Limited Edition Invizimals Entertainment Pack that includes a UMD copy of the game itself, the PSP camera peripheral, a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, a download voucher for animated feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and a gorgeous PSP-3000 system in Vibrant Blue - all this from our friends at Sony. Today's winner will also receive a container of Crazy Aaron's Putty. Because putty is awesome.

Check out today's GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to learn more about these fabulous prizes, and to get the scoop on our proud podcast sponsor MapHook. You'll even be treated to a little rocked up Hanukkah music in the form of Da Vinci's Notebook's very Alice in Chains-inspired take on "The Dreidel Song." Therein you’ll also discover the secret code word needed to enter today's random drawing. Enter that word and your personal information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST this very night to qualify.

The "12 Days of Geekmas Theme" was created by our own John Anealio. Be sure to check out John's own holiday EP Season's Geekings at Bandcamp. It's the only release clinically proven to get you into the Geekmas spirit

Ken, Matt, and John talk about Tron, Narnia and the 12 Days of GeekMas. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Ken, Matt, John and Chuck talk about Harry Potter 7A, TRON, and the TSA. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

s we at GeekDad HipTrax head into the holiday season (and the veritable iron man competition that is the 12 Days of Geekmas), we pause to expound upon the virtues of DC's Music and Gaming Fest. MAGfest's main man Brendan "Inverse Phase" Becker was even kind enough to stop by to chew the proverbial fat with us.

Mmmmm… fat…

Get your game on with:

"Tourian-Mother Brain" by Metroid Metal

Returning this year to the MAGfest stage is Metroid Metal, a band that solemnly swears to rock your face right the hell off! After an amazing turn at MAGfest 7 (not to mention blistering sets at the last three Penny Arcade Expo events), Stemage and company have again sets their sights on conquering the Mid-Atlantic.

"River City Ransom (Boss)" by Year 200x

Michigan video game metal giants Year 200x will be making their 3rd MAGfest appearance at this year's MAGfest 9. In a set that promises classic tracks from their 2008 debut We Are Error mixed with brand new material and special guests, it is not one to be missed.

To learn more about these fantastic acts and the many other bands, events and special guests lined up for MAGfest 9, check out the official event site. Promising 4 days of non-stop gaming related events, the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia is surely the place to be next January 13th through 16th.