What is a nerd? A nerd's intelligent, book smart, and cerebral – the beloved “boff”. They sometimes get confused with a geek, but there’s a definite difference. While a geek gets excited over the latest app, the nerd wants to know what coding formulae the software designer used – and will likely disagree with their choice. They are the curious tinkerers, the innovative craftsman and the inventive engineers.
In the 21st century, being lauded as a nerd is no slight but a badge of honour as, after all, we live in the age of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the era of STEM.
If you’ve got yourself a Brainiac in need of a gift, be it for their birthday or just for the heck of it, we’ve rounded up the best products for you.
Related: The best gifts for geeks | The best gifts for gamers
As the average nerd's stomping ground is the STEM subjects, the gift selection we’ve picked out plays to their strengths – there’s no point in getting them a spa break when they’d very much prefer to construct themselves a robot, is there?
Building or renovating an actual V8 engine is a greasy, expensive and space-consuming affair. Thankfully, this kit from Haynes will give any fan of the internal combustion engine chance to piece together their very own, fully functional model engine. Not only will they gain a hands-on insight into the workings and science behind the engine during construction, but once it's completed the transparent shell will allow the internals to be observed at will. The kit compromises of over 250 parts and requires three AA batteries to operate.
With a little bit of critical thinking, patience, and focus, 233 bits of plastic and rubber can be transformed into a fully functioning, posable and gripping hydraulic arm. The finished product is controlled by four levers, offering fast and precise control.
A celebratory Haynes Manual to commemorate a gigantic triumph in STEM history. Through a combination of text, engineering schematics and photographs, Dr Christopher Riley takes the reader through the development of the Saturn V rockets, space suits and Lunar Module.
For many nerds, their ideal way to relax from all their thinking and musing is to, well, think and muse. This book is loaded with codebreaking puzzles that'll have the reader pitting themselves against Britain's best and brightest in intelligence and security. Do they have what it takes to beat the people who cracked the Enigma code?
The beauty of science is that it covers pretty much everything – from the tendons in your arm (did you know one is missing?), the sonic capacity of your morning coffee and the DNA in your strawberry daiquiri. This book from the folks behind Festival of the Spoken Nerd delivers a huge array of deeply scientific factoids to brighten any science lover's life.
This perpetual calendar serves as a point of reference, allowing the user to check on what day dates will be falling on long into the future. Through a series of gears and disks, this analogue calendar is the perfect combination of mathematics and engineering, sure to delight any nerd. The calendar counter runs until 2040, is made up of 32 individual pieces and will take around one and a half hours to construct.
If the perpetual clock seems a little too pedestrian for your nerd, then this treasure box loaded with mechanical gears takes the challenge, reward and difficultly up a few notches. The finished box is secured with a gear, password and key. This kit is made up of 123 individual wooden pieces and takes around four hours to construct.
The Raspberry Pi has revolutionised programming. Designed as a tool for teaching youngster about computing, the dinky motherboard is loved by primary schools and software engineers in equal measure. The Pi 4's power comes from its extreme versatility. Outside of the classroom the Pi is used in homebuilt tech projects, and can be coded to run arcade games, security servers, or even make DIY smart electronics. The extras in this kit all aid the Pi 4's versatility. It's a device of endless potential and joy.