6.022 x 1023. I keep random bits of geeky information, such as Avogadro’s number (the number of atoms in a mole) in my head. If you do too, you may be ready for Geekdad. This daily blog (affiliated with Wired Magazine) is a wonderfully random sampling of things of interest for the tech savvy, sci-fi addicted geeks among us. The broad subject range (Lord of the Rings to cyber security) offers diversion and education alike, with a special focus on geeking it up with kids; geeklets, according to these dads.

When I first looked at Geekdad, I was overwhelmed by the amount of material and the sheer geekiness of it all. It’s written by engineers, software developers, pop-culture sci-fi junkies, and other dangerously over-educated people. Most of the content is geared towards Dad Time, including great movie reviews (including scary parts and great times for potty breaks), cool toys, thorough product reviews, spreading geekiness to your kids (Sharing Geeky Gardening With Your Children) and cool stuff like how bridges are built. Some of the posts are over my technical threshold, but there was plenty of material that I understood and enjoyed, especially the Real Genius reference in the top 10 list for dealing with the recession or alien invasion.

So give Geekdad a couple of tries (the first may be overwhelming) and let your inner Spock frolic. You’ll learn how to survive a zombie attack (physics proves you should go to the mall), find a training wheel for “Geek Generation 2.0″ and see the coolest Lego Voltron ever. But watch out: if you’re like me, you could become an addict.

Here at the Five Hens, we have a list of blogs we personally enjoy listed in our side bar. The very first entry (and a favorite of mine) is Cake Wrecks, which I recently did a review of. The blog is so popular that this year the author, Jen Yates, published a Cake Wrecks book. She graciously sent me a copy to review, and I’ve been laughing and passing it around since it arrived in the mail.

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong ($12.99) is filled with page after page of hysterical (and hysterically disturbing) cakes, all made by professional bakers. Yates’ commentary is outstanding (just like the blog) and kept me laughing. There is something for everyone: while I loved the misspellings and bad punctuation on the cakes, my husband giggled like a seventh grader over the section “The Poo Phenomenon” – cakes covered in “swirly little piles” of chocolate frosting. Every person I handed this book to ended up in stitches. For fans of the blog, you’ll be happy to hear that 75% of the book is new material. Of course, the book also contains some classics like “The Cake That Started It All,” “When Gangsters go PC“, and “Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockeys” (come on, you know you want to click on it- give in!)

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong is not a book that is going to change your life or make you think profound thoughts – it’s just a heck of a lot of fun! Bring it to work and you’ll be a popular person during the coffee breaks. Pull it out at parties and you’ll have the whole house laughing. Give it to a sick friend, your kid’s teacher, your mother- anyone who can use a good laugh.  But a word of caution:  this book is for us moms and dads, not for the little ones.  A few of the cakes are somewhat adult in theme.

Yates and her husband John are currently seeing the country on a book tour. Although they’ve had some trouble along the way, they are facing all their problems with good humor and are planning to continue. If you are interested in seeing them in person, you can get their schedule here. Be sure to bring your favorite “Wreckplica” (a recreation of your favorite wreck), check out the cakes the pros made, and be ready to laugh!

Golden Egg Rating

I give this book 5 out of 5 Golden Eggs, because it’s just that funny! I hope you check it out and bring a little silliness to your day, too.

Cake Wrecks Book Giveaway

If you want your own copy of the Cake Wrecks book, we’re giving away a copy of the book to two lucky Five Hens readers this week.  Head over to our Cake Wrecks Giveaway page for details on how to enter for a chance to win!

A Peek Inside the Book

The Cake Wrecks book is so visual that we thought a slideshow of a few of the pages would help you get a better idea of just how funny this book is.  Check out the lightbox slideshow below of shots from the book. Simply click on a thumbnail to start the slideshow.

Okay, so you’ve had a rough day. Little Suzie cut Johnnie’s hair, the fridge died and the dog threw up. But take heart, you can still get a good laugh! My favorite blog (other than this one of course) is Cake Wrecks, where we all enjoy “when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong.” If you can devote a couple minutes a day, you are sure to get a chuckle. But be warned: click on any of the Fan Faves or Classics, and you’ll find yourself laughing hysterically for a very long time (Seasonal Non Sequiturs is a good place to start). The author, Jen Yates, is a very funny writer, and it’s always worth reading her commentary. She’s found so many fantastically horrific cakes that now she’s got a Cake Wrecks book out. So give yourself a break and go have a little fun at Cake Wrecks!

And, by the way, if you live in the Denver metro area (like we do), Jen Yates will be appearing at the Tattered Cover Book Store at 1628 16th Street in Denver tonight (September 29) at 7:30 pm in support of her U.S. Cake Wrecks Book Tour.  You can RSVP if you plan on attending the event right here.