$45For some people, note-taking is serious, serious business. That’s why your dad’s great ideas, errant thoughts, to-do lists, and appointments deserve a worthy notebook. Traveler’s leather-bound travel journals are great for jotting down all of the above, especially since they come in a slew of sizes.$45 at Traveler’s Company (various sizes)$69Whether your dad is a fan of the Indiana Jones flicks or he digs MachineGames’ excellent Wolfenstein titles, there’s plenty to like in The Great Circle. The first-person exploration game lets you crack the whip, punch Nazis, and traverse the globe to retrieve precious relics. It’s good fun.Anker Laptop Power Bank$110$13519% off$110There are plenty of portable batteries out there, but few are as versatile and powerful as Anker’s 25,000mAh Laptop Power Bank. The handy pack features two built-in, retractable USB-C cables — one of which serves as a lanyard — allowing you to quickly charge most devices on the go.Backbone Pro$170$170The best mobile controller is the Backbone Pro. It retains the same overall design and feel as the company’s cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It also features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so your dad can use it for gaming on his TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC.$170 at Best Buy$170 at BackboneAncel AD410 OBD2 Scanner Professional Diagnostic Scanner$40$5020% off$40The more ways you know how to diagnose a possible issue with your car, the less time you’ll spend at the mechanic (sorry, mechanics). Ancel’s diagnostic scanner plugs into the OBD2 port found in most US cars dating back to ’96, letting you see exactly why certain lights on your dash keep popping up.$40 at Amazon (with Prime)$50 at AncelSony WH-1000XM6$448$4500% off$448The latest iteration of Sony’s best-in-class noise-canceling headphones has finally arrived. The newfangled XM6 make subtle improvements to every facet, from sound quality to comfort to ANC, while wisely bringing back the foldable design last seen on the last-gen XM4.Hoto SnapBloq System$216$30028% off$216Hoto’s modus operandi is to make svelte, handsome tools, with the SnapBloq being its sleekest yet. Buying all three sets — which, as the name implies, snap together to form a block — nets you a precision screwdriver, drill pen, and rotary tool, all of which are rechargeable. Dad may already own enough tools, but we bet they don’t look nearly as good as these do.$216 at Amazon$240 at HotoSatechi Vegan-Leather Magnetic Wallet Stand$28$4030% off$28Satechi’s MagSafe-ready wallet addresses two specific needs that may make it a must-have for some dads: it’s crafted from vegan leather, and it doubles as a kickstand. That means the durable wallet provides a hands-free way to watch videos or hop on a call, whether you place it in portrait or landscape mode. AirPods 4$119$1298% off$119Most of Apple’s high-end earbud tech can be found in the AirPods 4, which cost significantly less than the latest Pro model. They’re relatively small, offer great sound, and even support USB-C charging, making them a great pick if you can do without active noise cancellation.James$18$2836% off$18Percival Everett’s first work of fiction earned him the Pulitzer this year — and it’s no surprise. The bold 2024 tale serves as a reworking of Huck Finn as told by the enslaved man who travels with him down the Mississippi, and although it’s dead serious at times due to the subject matter, it’s also inventive, poetic, and surprisingly funny.Xiaomi Sound Pocket$27$3010% off$27Xiaomi doesn’t have as much of a presence in the US as it does globally, but thankfully, the classy Sound Pocket is readily available. The compact Bluetooth speaker supports hands-free calling with its built-in microphone, and its IP67 rating means it can even handle some water — so long as you don’t submerge it for too long.$27 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$30 at Walmart (with on-page coupon)$35While writing Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut needed to pay the bills, so he tried his hand at making board games. His creation, a tactical war-themed tabletop game called GHQ (General Headquarters), never saw the light of day — that is, until recently. Needless to say, the two-player game is a great title for Vonnegut fans and scholars alike.$35 at Barnes & Noble$35 at Kurt Vonnegut’s GHQ Museum and Library$550The Forerunner 570 has no business looking as good as it does for a running watch. Garmin’s new wearable features a bright OLED display, a slick translucent band, and several new features, including skin temperature sensors and a built-in speaker / mic. The only real question is what size to get for dear ol’ dad: 42mm or 47mm?$70Magic: The Gathering isn’t as difficult to get into as you might think, and the Final Fantasy-themed expansion might be the perfect place to start. The upcoming collection has sent the internet into a proverbial spiral, with many products selling out as a result of a very dedicated fan base. Lucky for dad, the entry-level starter kit is still readily available.Nitecore BB21 electric blower$65$707% off$65All of dad’s precious tech is prone to dust and other debris, which can impact usability if left unchecked. Fortunately, with Nitecore’s rechargeable air blower as a companion, he can easily rid his mechanical keyboards and other tough-to-reach crannies of unwanted grime, ensuring all of his gadgets are in tip-top shape.$31Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has come a long way from the fabled Wisconsin cabin where he supposedly holed up to record his debut. Sable, Fable, his latest LP, is a welcome kaleidoscope of sounds and feelings, from familiar strummers and beat-heavy ballads to the kind of sultry, R&B-flecked tracks that would make Prince swoon.$450Telepathic Instruments’ retrofuturist keyboard is a vibes machine, one designed for people who want to easily produce cool sounds. It only houses a few piano keys, but it has dedicated major, minor, and other inputs that let you get creative without necessarily having to know how to play.$450 at Telepathic InstrumentsChef’n S’mores Roaster$50$7432% off$50You can effortlessly replicate the magic of making s’mores while camping with Chef’n’s small, safe machine. The contained flame on the tidy indoor / outdoor roaster is built to toast marshmallows, while its ceramic dome can melt chocolate onto graham crackers. All you’ll need to supply is a fuel can, plus all the s’mores ingredients you can muster.Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player (DP-UB420-K)$245$2502% off$245Like all of us, your dad deserves to watch movies at the best possible resolution, which is where a 4K Blu-ray player comes in. Panasonic makes some of the best models you can buy, and when paired with the right TV, 4K Blu-rays look and sound better than even the most high-res streaming apps. Plus, it’s still fun to collect discs.$125If your dad’s shaving gadget repertoire is outdated, try treating him to a fantastic — and customizable — beard trimmer. Panasonic’s washable, wide-tipped model comes with 19 adjustable settings and can cut hair, too, just in case dad wants to keep a short ’do or touch up his sideburns.$125 at Amazon$125 at PanasonicOntel Battery Daddy storage system$15$2025% off$15Most modern gadgets are rechargeable via USB-C, but many households still rely on traditional batteries for all sorts of things. Your dad is sure to be impressed with your moxie when you gift him this deluxe battery organizer, which has dedicated compartments for coin cell batteries, large D-cell batteries, and all of the smaller sizes in between.Baseus Free2Pull Retractable USB-C Cable 100W$10$2255% off$10Most people don’t want to wrangle cables… and who can blame them? Not us, which is why several folks at The Verge own Baseus’ handy, retractable USB-C option. The Free2Pull comes in two sizes, each of which conveniently pulls the excess cable into a small puck that’s far tidier and easier to manage than a loose cord.$200Most Lego creations occupy some desk or table space, which can be annoying if you’re trying to tidy up. However, every item from Lego’s Vincent van Gogh collection, which consists of several brick-ified paintings from the artist’s late-1800s heyday, can be assembled and then mounted to your wall.$220A massage gun is a gift that keeps on giving. When muscles and tendons are tight or sore, the Theragun Mini serves as a quick and easy remedy, allowing dad to get on with his day with less discomfort. The third-gen model is just a little smaller, making what was already an ultra-portable device even more compact.Birdfy Feeder 1$120$22045% off$120Looking at birds is cool, and we’re all better off spending more time doing it. And while birdwatching typically requires patience and a decent pair of binoculars, you could summon birds with Birdfy’s entry-level smart feeder, which features a 1080p camera and an app that lets you view birds up close as they munch on seeds.Xreal One smart glasses$499$499The Xreal One aren’t the most affordable augmented-reality glasses available, but they are some of the best for displaying movies and games on the go. You can connect them via USB-C to your smartphone, tablet, or handheld gaming PC, making the 84-gram spectacles the ultimate upgrade for both plane flights and your commute.$499 at Amazon$499 at XrealTime Timer MOD (Home Edition)$20$2520% off$20A basic timer may seem like a thoughtless gift, but there are many tasks we procrastinate on every day that could be more easily managed if we dedicated a little bit of time to them. A visual Pomodoro timer, such as the colorful MOD (Home Edition), is key to helping break tasks into manageable chunks or take them on all at once.Nintendo Switch 2$449$449The Switch 2 could make for a stellar gift for any dad — that is, if you can manage to preorder one ahead of the console’s arrival on June 5th. Nintendo’s latest hybrid console packs a larger 7.9-inch 1080p display, magnetic Joy-Con controllers, and a host of other minor but welcome improvements that build upon what was already a winning formula.

May 15, 20255 min readThe Wonders of Bird-Watching without TechTechnology has made it easier than ever to quickly find, identify and record birds. But to truly appreciate feathered friends, consider unpluggingBy Derek Lovitch edited by Kate WongA Boreal Owl emerges from its roost to begin its evening of hunting activities in Northern Minnesota. The Boreal Owl is a tiny but fierce gnome of the deep boreal forest—the belt of cold, wet, largely coniferous forest that encircles the North Pole. Highly sought after by birders, this owl appeals less for its plumage than for its secrecy and its rarity in most places where people tend to live. This past winter, a huge movement of this species to regions south of its usual range occurred because of food scarcity—an event called an irruption. This put Boreal Owls within striking distance of birders—including me—who were looking to add the species to their “life list,” a record of all the species a person has seen. So in March, before the visiting owls returned home, some friends and I made a last-minute weekend trip to Duluth, Minn., to look for them. Although there’s always a frenetic energy to a rarity chase such as this, to me, the experience underscored the importance of taking time to pause and observe the birds we find.Deep birding. Slow birding. Holistic birding. There are a lot of things we can call it, but I prefer, simply, “bird-watching.” I’ve spent most of my career as a biologist introducing people to birding and getting them to engage in the natural world, from the backyard and beyond. The recent surge of interest in birding, which began during the peak of the COVID pandemic, has been wonderful to see. But the vast majority of recent birders, particularly those who began birding in the past five years, have found birding to be intimately tied to technology, especially cell phones.We have phone apps that can keep lists of birds we’ve seen, apps to help identify birds, apps that allow us to contribute data to scientific projects and messaging apps to alert others to rare bird sightings. We can also use our phones to document our birding discoveries with photographs, videos and audio recordings.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.But I wonder whether, by relying on technology to this extent, we are losing out on the most important tool for birding—and perhaps life in general: the power of observation.Slow DownAt just 10 inches from head to tail, a Boreal Owl hidden in a dense conifer stand is the proverbial needle in a haystack. But on cold, sunny mornings, the owls come out to sun themselves at forest edges, using the meager winter rays rather than hard-earned calories to warm up. One famous “edge” is the length of the North Shore Scenic Drive heading north from Duluth. On our first morning of the trip, as we ventured onto this road, a text alerted us to a nearby Boreal Owl. After the longest 12-minute drive of my life, we saw the growing group of gawkers. We jumped out of the car, and there was our quarry, sitting in a sun-soaked spruce tree! We basked in the glory of a little predator that is so hard to find that people fly halfway across the country to spend a weekend shivering in hopes of seeing it. Mission accomplished!Birders were coming and going, some seeing the owl only for a moment before they hopped back into their car and raced off for the next tick mark in the never-ending collecting game of modern birding. My friends were getting cold, and they were antsy to find a Great Gray Owl that had been seen a few miles away. I couldn’t blame them—Great Grays are active during the day, so they can be seen flying, hunting or otherwise doing something. This Boreal was just sitting there. But I couldn’t leave. I handed my friends the car keys and said, “Give me a little longer.”When I was growing up as a young birder, I had a field guide, an inexpensive pair of binoculars, and a pen and notebook. I loved my time in the woods, with only the birds for company, eagerly learning the nuances of identification and watching their behavior. Without the instant gratification of an ID or listing app, I had to pay close attention to the details of birds. I learned from my many mistakes. Mentors shared their ethical practices with me, and I relished the personal connections I made in the birding community.Yet these days, I describe myself not as a birder but rather a bird-watcher. Sure, I make use of the latest tools. For example, my birding plans during migration are informed by the complex algorithms that underpin modern weather forecasting and advanced radar technology that allows me to gauge the movement of birds overnight. But once I am out in the field, all I want to do is disconnect, to absorb, to engage. I typically enter the trails with nothing more than a weatherproof notebook and my trusty binoculars. If I take a camera, it’s handy in case I need to document a rarity or capture a special moment, but it’s a distant second in my priorities.Instead I take copious notes. When traveling, I write down descriptions of unfamiliar birds, even new species pointed out to me by a local guide. Like many people, I retain information better from the simple act of writing it down. And my field notebook holds more memories than any checklist can accommodate.What fascinates me the most about birds is their behavior, which isn’t easy to understand when looking through a viewfinder or reviewing photographs at home. So when observing a bird, I also jot down what it is doing. What is it looking at? How is it interacting with its mate? How does it look when it flies (after all, flight is the most magical thing about birds)?Go DeepWhen my friends left me with the Boreal Owl, I settled in to give it my fullest attention. The bird acknowledged my presence for nearly a second as it opened one eye before turning its head and nestling its face into its fluffy back. When a Black-capped Chickadee called nearby, the owl awoke and made sure it wasn’t going to be harassed by the fearless chickadee before it went back to sleep. Later a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches decided they weren’t too happy about the predator’s presence but only gave a half-hearted attempt to drive it away. This owl was apparently boring to them.It wasn’t to me. I was transfixed on my life bird. What would it do next? How old was it—could I tell based on the wear and molt patterns of its feathers? Would it be as tolerant of the nuthatches the next time? I was in deep.Only when my friends returned did I realize I had been staring at this barely moving bird for a full two hours. No wonder I could no longer feel my feet or hands. But I had seen—truly seen—a Boreal Owl. I could finally leave now.Birding is a chance to turn off our devices and use our senses, to breathe fresh air, to connect with the natural world and immerse ourselves in the now, the moment, the bird. The next time you see a bird, whether it’s a rare Boreal Owl or a common American Robin, maybe step back, stay a while and put the watching back in bird-watching.

Still relying on bulky binoculars for outdoor adventures? There’s a better way to spot bucks and birds. This HD monocular telescope delivers long-range visibility, sharp detail, and smartphone compatibility—all in a compact, one-handed design you can take anywhere. Whether you’re birdwatching, hunting, hiking, or attending a festival, this pocket-sized scope gives you a clearer view without the weight. It’s available now for just $39.99, no subscription or app required. Zoom in on everything from wildlife to concerts With 50×60 magnification, this monocular lets you see much farther than typical 10x binoculars. That means you can spot animals from miles away, watch birds in their nests, or even scan the stars—all with impressive clarity. It’s built with BAK4 prisms and fully coated glass optics, so you’ll get bright, high-definition images even in low light. It’s ideal for use at dawn, dusk, or under the stars. Want to capture the moment? You can mount the scope to your smartphone’s camera and take crystal-clear close-ups of anything in sight—from a hawk in the trees to your favorite band on stage. Take your view farther—Get the HD monocular telescope for just $39.99 while supplies last. StackSocial prices subject to change. _ High-Definition Monocular Telescope See Deal