HOLD IT! Last minute gifts for one's nerd minions

Showing your software side

The best gift that you can give is free time. Sadly, we can't all afford to buy your nerds a stay in a luxury hotel in the mountains to recharge, so time-saving software may just have to do.

Update hundreds of computers at once

A year's worth of Ninite Pro could save tens or even hundreds of hours by reducing the amount of time it takes to deploy common applications and/or patch them. It won't make Adobe less of an epithet, but it might keep the nerds from using it as part of a lengthy obscenity combo around the office.

Take the time to customize the UI

Another piece of time saving software is Remote Desktop Manager (RDM). Nerds connect to other computers from their computer using various protocols: SSH, Citrix, RDP, VNC, PCoIP and so forth. RDM can connect to virtually anything, offers the ability to group, categorize, automate (and more) those connections, and displays them in a nice tabbed interface. Basic diagnostics and remote management tools are also built in, so RDM truly can become the single most powerful time-saving tool in your nerd's software arsenal.

Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!

Not everything is about work. Sometimes you need to give your nerds the opportunity do something (gasp) without immediately apparent direct commercial purpose! Yes, even nerds need to relax and let some air escape the airlock. If they're going to remove themselves from the office, you still want them exercise their brains and engage in problem solving.

Look no further than Space Engineers. While Kerbal Space Progam gets all the love, Space Engineers will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was Space Engineers combined with nVidia's GRID technology that recently reminded me how amazing computers can be, and why I got into their field in the first place.

It's also a great way to distract foreign nerds who have entered into the CIC. Set up a Space Engineers system near the entrance and engage in a little nerd sniping. Like digital flypaper, it will keep those pesky outsiders trapped until their handlers come to pick them up and take them back to whichever cave they wandered out of.

Nothing about this game is okay

If you are having trouble getting your nerds to "think of the business" then you may need to train them. Space Pirates and Zombies (now with new alpha-level Space Pirates and Zombies 2) can be thought of as business ethics delivered in video game form. Just a little bit of effort and you'll have those nerds thinking like an MBA in no time!

That's all for this year, but I hope it's given you some good ideas. Please add your thoughts and additional products in the comments below. Happy holidays to all, and good luck on your frantic "the window for acceptable outages starts now" holiday datacenter migrations! ®