It's always nice to show the fathers or father figures in your life how much they are appreciated with cool gifts. While it is the thought that counts, giving someone a gift they actually like is much better than wasting money on something they'll never use.

We are all in luck, since there are lots of super-neat new gadgets on the market now that are sure to please any dad. A nifty gadget is a definite way to show him that you care enough to get him a good gift.

Whether we like it or not, reading is becoming an electronic undertaking. Paper books are not to be forgotten or left behind, but the idea of a library of thousands upon thousands of titles at your fingertips is pretty neat. So far, there are nearly 300,000 e-books available for Kindle. If you have a dad who likes to read, a Kindle may be right up his alley.

Free web access anywhere ensures that new materials can be downloaded instantaneously whenever and wherever the desire strikes. And since Kindle can always connect, live definitions of any word you come across while reading is just a click away. (Definitions come up in a new window on the first-generation Kindle, and right at the bottom of the page on Kindle 2).

Documents can be emailed to a Kindle, so a working dad can keep up with business on the go.

It's even small, streamlined, and oh-so-cool looking - a very important factor to consider when gadget-shopping. Its safe to say that most dads would enjoy getting one of these come Fathers Day - its a little on the pricey side, but having all the siblings pitch in on one will ease the budget burden. Surely, he'd rather get one of these than five neckties!

Maybe you don't yet know how cool these are. If you do, you may already have procured one for yourself. What about dear old dad, though?

Surely dad will dig one of these. The iTouch can store plenty of music to keep papa rockin' as long as he wants. He can easily download movies and videos to occupy his downtime. Oh, and you may have heard something about the apps. Yes, the 'touch has apps galore - video games, tip calculators, survival guides, maps, nutritional guides, the list goes on. And on. If there's not currently an app for something, chances are that there will be soon.

This is another one to get everyone to pool resources for. Again, dad is going to flip over something like this whereas getting him a singing wall trout is, well, a flop.

Once you play with one of these, you may well be addicted and not be able to live without one. You've been warned.

Got an eco-conscious dad? Or maybe just one who likes to save wherever he can? Try this little bugger out. The Kill-A-Watt is a cool little contraption that's pretty low-cost.

Just connect it to any appliance, and it provides a readout of volts, amps, and wattage used & translates it all into efficiency information for dad. He'll see exactly how much each appliance will cost him per day, week, and year. What dad wouldn't get a kick out of that?

It even has a nice LCD display so it is still compatible with the cool-looking criteria for fun dad gadgetry. This is definitely higher up on the good gift scale than a tee-shirt or coffee mug.

This is quite a nifty thing here. Give your dad the ability to integrate the timelessness of a personal touch with modern technology. If pops uses a computer at all, he will probably like this. If he's not that kind of guy, it just might convince him that computing doesn't have to cancel out creativity.

The Tablet includes a pen that allows dad to write personal notes and sketch just as he would on good old pen and paper, translating all of this into ones and zeroes so that it shows up perfectly intact on the computer.

It may take a little bit of getting used to, but it's nothing like the primitive signature pads at banks and grocery stores. The Bamboo is engineered to feel much more like using real pen and pad.

It's compatible with Microsoft and Mac operating systems, and integrates with MS Office programs easily so that adding signatures, pictures, and notations to any document is a cinch.

Here again, we have something that is sure to bring a more genuine smile than the "gourmet" barbecue sauce collection.

Happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers and father-like folks out there.

As too many of us know, some fathers are no longer with us - making this holiday a whole different experience than it was while dad was around.

A great father can still be celebrated, though, and his virtues praised on this day. Flowers for a mother on such an occasion are a nice way to participate in the gift-giving spirit and to brighten her day. If possible, gather family and enjoy that this father brought you all together and would certainly want you to be happy and light in his honor.

Thank goodness for all the great daddies, past and present. Dads Rock!