Mother's Day gifts for geeky mums

If your mum is of the geeky persuasion, she might like something a little different for Mother's Day.

US$22

Give your mum the stars ... indoors. This projector lamp is a little fiddly to assemble (check the website for an assembly guide), but once you have it up and running, it will fill a darkened room with a stunning light projection of the cosmos.

US$30

Anyone who says they don't want to dress up as Wonder Woman in the kitchen is telling lies — and everyone deserves to feel like a superhero, no matter what they're doing — whether it's cooking a delicious beef Wellington...

US$49

...or taking a bath. Don't believe the picture; this sweet Batman-style hooded towel definitely comes in adult sizes. Na na na na na na na na Bat-towel!

US$160

We don't think this TARDIS bag is, in fact, bigger on the inside — we Earthlings are bound by the laws of physics, after all — but it's capacious enough for a 14-inch laptop or a bunch of gear, and even has a zippered pocket for valuables.

US$52

Ethereal and elven, this hand-painted scarf is both beautiful and a wearable testament to JRR Tolkien's magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings.

US$178

If you've ever wanted to give your mum the moon, this is your chance, with this glorious glowing wall sticker made using photographs of the actual moon. It's available in a bunch of different sizes, too, if the big one's a little too overwhelming.

US$37.50

Maybe you love your mum a whole solar system's worth. Or maybe she just really, really loves space. Either way, Chain of Being's solar system jewellery is lovely. The planets, obviously, aren't to scale, but the distances are, and there are tiny white beads to represent each planet's moons.

US$90

Serotonin is the brain chemical believed to be primarily responsible for feelings of happiness and contentment. An appropriate gift for someone you love.

From US$285

Some things are endless. The universe. True love. Pi. This sterling silver, gold or platinum necklace only has the first 100 digits strung along its 18 inches, but the intent is clear.

Or, to be a little more geeky, there's also a bracelet available. The number of digits it displays? 42.

US$65

Whether it's a cup of relaxing afternoon soup or a giant cup of coffee, nothing is quite as rejuvenating as a hot beverage — and these mugs, stamped with 1s and 0s from old typewriter keys and machinist punches, are one classy way to get it.

US$45

We don't think, in all honesty, that this cutting board is very practical as a cutting board; all kinds of food would get all caught in the grooves, making it pretty hard to clean. As a periodic table, though, it's top notch.

AU$23.24 from The Book Depository

Speaking of kitchen science, if your mum's a foodie, you can't go past Niki Segnit's The Flavour Thesaurus. It's not a traditional cookbook; you won't find recipes in between its pages. Instead, it matches hundreds of flavours that go well together, leaving the creative work to the cook.

£349.99

If you feel like splashing out on something seriously luxe, these realistic, life-sized chocolate skulls are both anatomically correct and utterly delicious. Just remember: 2.5 kilograms is a lot of chocolate. If you don't want quite that much, or don't have quite enough money, this 1.5-kilogram one is pretty great, too.

US$150

It's not quite the same as video-game time, but tea time with the well-mannered console Beemo (BMO) is about as algebraic as it gets.

US$85

Everyone can use a little more power, courage and wisdom to light up the darkness.

Various prices

Looking for something small and sweet? We love fancy soaps. They look pretty and smell nice, and can add a finishing touch to bathroom decor. In particular, we like gamer soaps — like the Legend of Zelda rupee soaps pictured above (US$5 for three); Digital Soap's amazingly lifelike controller soaps and, for the tabletop gaming mum, this set of glittery dice (US$5).

US$45

The Antikythera mechanism is a 2000-year-old analogue computer used to calculate astronomical positions. Its configuration of hand-cranked gears is far in advance of what historians believed possible at the time. Its schematic makes a great piece of wall art — and will give you a great story to tell, as well.

US$30

Winter is coming in the southern hemisphere, and this character hat from a very recognisable film franchise looks like it would be great for keeping ears — and geeky hearts — warm.

Looking for more ideas? Try our list of best e-reader covers for geeks.