MakerBot.com

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3-D printer shapes extruded plastic into objects designed on a computer — even a white rabbit.

The MakerBot Thing-o-Matic 3-D printer kit is a versatile if pricey holiday present for the geek who wants to make everything. And that's probably why it was voted this year's top Science Geek Gift.

For the past few years, people have been predicting that 3-D printers could become the next big home appliance once their cost drops below $1,000. The gizmos "print" three-dimensional objects by building up layers of plastic to match a computerized design. The resulting printed products could be prototypes for commercial products, made-to-order artwork or household items, replacement parts for other devices you have at home ... even custom-made action figures for gamers and collectors.

These 3-D printers aren't just high-priced playthings: A venture known as "Made in Space" is proposing the use of 3-D printers on the International Space Station to produce the parts that astronauts might need for orbital repairs. Meanwhile, the folks behind Fre3dom are working on ways to use 3-D printers in developing countries to produce the goods needed in local villages.

MakerBot calls its offering "a little factory that sits on your desktop." Just feed in the designs for what you want to create, and let the machine make it for you from extruded plastic. This MakerBot video shows how two women turned their cute egg design into a set of salt-and-pepper shakers.

The $1,220 price tag for the Thing-O-Matic kit might be a bit steep for my gift list, but the fact that we're getting close to that $1,000 price point suggests it won't be all that long before 3-D printers hit the big time.

The Thing-O-Matic was rated as the top Science Geek Gift by 44 percent of the more than 1,800 readers who helped judge this year's Science Geek Gift competition. And for that, the person who suggested the gift, A. Ritchie, will be getting a holiday goodie bag that contains a signed copy of my book, "The Case for Pluto," as well as a couple of 3-D picture books and a Hubble coffee-table volume.

We'll also throw in a couple of toy Tribbles (as a tribute to the fuzzy creatures featured in "Star Trek"), as well as a set of Buckyballs, little magnetic spheres that can be pulled and shaped in ways to gladden the heart of any geek. This YouTube video shows how the "desktoy" works. If you're inclined to order a set, enter "MSNBC" as a promo code on the Buckyballs website for a 15 percent discount (valid through Dec. 15).

For more geek gift ideas, check out the many other suggestions in our roundup for science geeks -- including the SpikerBox, the do-it-yourself neuroscience experiment that took second place in the voting. Here are still more links from our original call for Geek Gift suggestions:

Previous Science Geek Gift Guides:

• The gift of science (2002)
• For the scientist who has everything (2002)
• Toy traditions go back to the future (2003)
• Your toys will be assimilated (2004)
• Gifts for space geeks (2004)
• Find your star (2005)
• The top gift for science geeks (2006)
• Season's readings for kids ... and for grown-ups (2007)
• The top geek gift of 2008
• Gifts from the sixth dimension (2009)

More sites for science gifts:

• Edmund Scientific: The classic science store 
• Educational Innovations (don't miss the Oil Spill Kit)
• Exploratorium Science Gift Guide 2010
• GeekDad Holiday Gift Guide 2010
• Home Science Tools gift guide
• Imagination Soup math and science gifts
• MakeZine Holiday Gift Guide
• Robot Snob Holiday Gift Guide 2010
• Sheldon Shirts: Big Bang Theory gifts
• ThinkGeek: Stuff for smart masses
• xkcd store

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's Science Geek Gift contest. Have yourselves a merry little holiday season -- and be good to the geeks in your life.

You don't need to buy me a present. All I ask is that you connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter.

Fractiles.com

Fractiles are magnetic tiling toys that can be put together into all sorts of geometric designs.

What do you give a science geek? How about a digital spoon, or a fractal construction set? Pick out your favorite gewgaw with a scientific angle -- and help someone win a holiday grab bag of geeky goodies.

Last week we put out the call for gift suggestions suited for the science geeks on your list -- you know, those hard-to-buy-for types who already have the "Battlestar Galactica" boxed set or the latest, greatest calculator. The favorites from past years include the nuclear-powered spinthariscope toy, an xkcd T-shirt and a six-dimensional crystal sculpture.

This year, we're serving up 14 suggestions gleaned from the comments to this year's initial posting about the Science Geek Gift contest, and from Facebook comments as well. The most important step takes place right now: We're asking you to vote for your favorite gift, using the ironically unscientific online survey gadget at right.

Here are the finalists for the 2010 Science Geek Gift award:

Unicorn Meat, from Pirate C: "I want a few boxes of that unicorn meat from that GeekSomething website. (It's not a real sale but it would be so cool if it was.)"

Fractals, from Jamesian: "I think Benoit Mandelbrot did not get enough attention for dying this year. Fractals are about as geeky, and marvelous, as anything. I don't know whether there is a Benoit-fractal-building kit or a Benoit T-shirt. But I think he embodies geekdom." Suggestions might include a Fractile magnetic tiling toy for kids, or fractal-making software such as the Fractal Science Kit or Fractal Explorer, or a Mandelbrot-themed gift from Zazzle.

Chemistry book, from Paula NiBride: "As the mother of two grown geeks, I would give both my sons a blast from a baby boomer's past: first editions of 'The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments,' originally copyrighted in 1960. It sold for $1.95, and it was later banned in many places because it taught children to create things such as mustard gas. A printed version of the book is difficult to find. (I kept checking it out of the school library, but my mother didn't allow chemical or biological experiments in her house.)"

Element shower curtain, from Daphnenews: "I am in love with this shower curtain featuring the Periodic Table of the Elements as well as the beryllium/erbium "Be|Er" T-shirt from Think Geek. Way cool!"

Lightsaber chopsticks, from The Barber of Civility: "How can any sushi-eating geek survive without a pair of lightsaber chopsticks?"

SpikerBox, from Tip184: "Neuroscience for everyone! Check out the SpikerBox, from Backyard Brains. For $99.98 assembled, or $49.99 in kit form, you get a device that allows you to listen in on the firing of neurons in invertebrates. It's built by neuroscientists to help everyone appreciate the function of the nervous system. The SpikerBox provides audio, but it can feed a computer or some popular mobile phones for a visual display of neural activity. I'll have mine next week -- Backyard Brains will sponsor a 'Make and Take' -- meet with the designers, build the box, and learn how to use it, all for less than the cost of the fully-assembled model."

'Time Flies Like a Cow,' from Sarcastoid: "A book about almost everything that brings a new outlook on favorites like quantum physics and time. It's also quite funny."

Periodic table toy blocks, from Cher630: "ABC blocks are so 1950s -- you gotta start your little genius early [with these building blocks]."

Mole Day T-shirt, from Mermaidmichelle: "What geek feels completely dressed without a Mole Day T-shirt? Celebrating Avogadro's number (6.02 x 10 to the 23rd power), Mole Day T-shirts are available online [via Moleday.org]. No, I don't have any affiliation with the website; I just think they're really cool."

3-D printer, from Aritchie: "Assuming they don't already have it, a subscription to Make Magazine is a great geeky gift. Give Wired to the wannabe geeks. A much more expensive option is the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3d printer. Short of a backyard nuclear power plant, it's the ultimate geek toy."

Endorphin necklace, from Acharabelle: "This would be an awesome Christmas gift for the geek girl in your life. Bought here [at MadeWithMolecules.com].

MythBuster bobbleheads, from Ariel Hansen: "What true geek wouldn't want a set of Adam and Jamie bobbleheads?" Ariel also suggests a cocktail chemistry set or space food.

Electronics kit, from William Wood: "My 6-year-old daughter loves the Elenco electronics kit and can do most of the projects on her own. I'd recommend getting the Student Guides to help explain the principles involved in each project." You'll find lots more suggestions from Wood and others on the Minnesota Planetarium Society's Facebook page.

Digital spoon scale, from Pat Bahn: This gift could be a hit with kitchen geeks as well as science geeks. Pat also suggests a magic-wand remote control, a cat's-eye camera, a brainwave-powered toy, a USB microscope or an astronomy poster.

Check out the links, run these products through your personal neuron networks, then click the vote for your favorite choice on the form above. If an alternative suggestion from a finalist strikes your fancy, feel free to vote for the finalist's listed suggestion in the ballot. The top vote-getter as of noon ET on Friday will receive a nice little stack of goodies, including these items:

• "Moon 3-D" and "Mars 3-D" by Jim Bell, complete with built-in 3-D glasses.
• Two extra sets of 3-D spectacles in case you want to look at the books with a friend.
• "Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time," published this year to mark the Hubble Space Telescope's 20th birthday.
• An autographed copy of "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversy surrounding that little icy world.
• Two fuzzy tribbles, just to add a little "Star Trek" geekery to the mix.
• Plus any other swag we can dig up between now and Friday. Due to the logistics involved, the goodies can be sent only to a U.S. address.

May the best geek win!

You don't need to buy me a present. All I ask is that you connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter.

Learning Resources

Learning Resources offers a "Brain Anatomy Model" that'll make anyone feel big-brained.

The ninth annual Science Geek Gift roundup features holiday presents for the science-minded types on your list. But we’ll need your help to make the smartest choice.

Sure, there are lots of other msnbc.com holiday gift guides you could turn to. You could check out Life Inc., the Holiday Tech Guide, the TODAY Holiday Guide, even a list of crazy kitchen gadgets. But would any of those guides tell you where to get a nuclear-powered toy, a T-shirt to do science in or a six-dimensional crystal sculpture?

I didn't think so.

The guiding principle behind the Science Geek Gift Guide is to seek out the most educational and enlightening gifts, the items that best capture the scientific zeitgeist, or gewgaws that are just plain gooey with geekiness.

For example, let us consider brains. Braaaaains. If zombies were hot this Halloween, and "The Walking Dead" is the "most satisfying new series" of the current TV season, surely brains are just the thing for Christmas. You could decorate your desktop with the 4-inch-high Learning Resources' Brain Anatomy Model ($13 to $18), which gives you a cerebral cortex about the size of a Granny Smith apple (according to one not-completely-satisfied buyer). Or you could go with the pricier but life-sized Budget Brain With Arteries ($44). Or take your pick of brains at the Brain Mart.

This is also going to be the last holiday season for NASA's space shuttle fleet, so if there's a space geek on your holiday list, you'll want to beat the rush. Take a look through the shuttle memorabilia in the Kennedy Space Center's online space shop and on The Space Store website. And if you're looking for something that's handcrafted rather than mass-produced, check out the selection of NASA-themed craft items on the Etsy website.

Speaking of space, how about decking the halls with a solar system? I believe the holiday season is a time to be generous with our planet definition, particularly because I've written a book about "The Case for Pluto." That's why I favor planetary displays that don't stop at Neptune. The Authentic Models mobile is stylish, but perhaps too pricey ($85 to $165). Learning Resources' inflatable solar system ($28 to $50) and Geosafari's motorized desktop planetarium ($40) are more kid-friendly. And if you want to give your child the moon, Uncle Milton would be only too happy to oblige with Moon in My Room ($20 to $30).

But enough about my ideas ... I'd love to hear yours. Between now and Monday, leave your science-gift suggestions as comments below. Please don't suggest electronic gear such as audio/video/phones, or video games or game devices. Those sorts of things are handled by other folks here at msnbc.com. Board games are OK, as long as they're geeky. The more creative the gift idea, the better.

I'll put together a collection of the best suggestions and put them up to a vote next week. The biggest vote-getter as of Dec. 2 will win a grab bag of geekiness, including the following books:

• "Moon 3-D" and "Mars 3-D" by Jim Bell, complete with built-in 3-D glasses.
• "Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time," published this year to mark the Hubble Space Telescope's 20th birthday.
• An autographed copy of "The Case for Pluto."

Due to the logistics and cost of mailing, the grab bag can be sent only to a U.S. address. I'll let you know about additional goodies next week. In the meantime, here are some websites and archived gift guides to get you inspired:

Previous Science Geek Gift Guides:

• The gift of science (2002)
• For the scientist who has everything (2002)
• Toy traditions go back to the future (2003)
• Your toys will be assimilated (2004)
• Gifts for space geeks (2004)
• Find your star (2005)
• The top gift for science geeks (2006)
• Season's readings for kids ... and for grown-ups (2007)
• The top geek gift of 2008
• Gifts from the sixth dimension (2009)

More sites for science gifts:

• Edmund Scientific: The classic science store 
• Educational Innovations (don't miss the Oil Spill Kit)
• Exploratorium Science Gift Guide 2010
• GeekDad Holiday Gift Guide 2010
• Home Science Tools gift guide
• Imagination Soup math and science gifts
• MakeZine Holiday Gift Guide
• Robot Snob Holiday Gift Guide 2010
• Sheldon Shirts: Big Bang Theory gifts
• ThinkGeek: Stuff for smart masses
• xkcd store

You don't need to buy me a present. All I ask is that you connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter.