I Suck At Geek Dad

Last night, I finished reading Geek Dad by Ken Denmead. Now I suck at Geek Dad. For anyone curious, the book is about projects and activities that a "geeky" father can do with his children. Karen had stumbled upon the book one day and thought it would be a fitting book for me to read. (I am assuming that means she thinks I am a geek.)

According to my friend Wikipedia, Geek Dad has its roots in one of the best magazines ever: Wired. Wired editor Chris Anderson started a blog about the topic after a weekend with his son and wanted to share the experience. He brought in Ken Denmead as the geek leader who grew the blog. As a result, the blog was named one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010" by Time Magazine and the book was subsequently written.

Needless to say, the book was a quick read, which is good because I have a backlog of books to get through. For anyone curious, here are the list of activities:

Make Your Own Cartoons

The Coolest Homemade Coloring Books (In Photoshop, use "Filter-Stylize-Find Edges" "Enhance-Convert to Black-and-White")

Create the Ultimate Board Game

Electronic Origami

Cyborg Jack-o-Lanterns

Windup Toy Finger Painting

Create a Superhero ABC Book

Model Building with Cake

Pirate Cartography

Parenting and Role-Playing Games

A Never-Ending Demolition Derby (with remote control cars and Legos)

Seeing the World from the Sky (by sending a video camera up in a balloon)

Best Slip 'N Slide Ever

Fireflies for Every Season (by using LEDs)

Video Games That Come to Life (An alternate suggestion was to have a water gun fight with Alka-Seltzer necklaces)

Fly a Kite at Night

Build an Outdoor Movie Theater

The "Magic" Swing (of interlaced phone books)

Smart Cuff Links (with Ethernet jacks)

Light-up Duct Tape Wallet

Crocheted Dice Bag of Holding

The Science of Composting

Home Hydroponics

Build a Binary Calendar

Portable Electronic Flash Cards (but you'll need a portable gaming device)

Wi-Fi Signal Booster (with a metal bowl)

Cool Lego Lighting from Repurposed Parts (from CDs and a computer)

Ice Cubes Fit For a Geek (in the shape of Legos)

Exploding Drink Practical Joke (using Mentos frozen in ice)

After reading the book, I am now a little curious about the blog itself. Perhaps one day I can try some of the activities on my baby daughter (Briana). We'll see. I'll turn her into a geek yet.