By Timothy Sexton, Contributing writer

Father's Day was not set aside as a very special day just so you could give 10 minutes thought to buying yet another tie your father won't wear. This Father's Day, why not offer dear old papa a gift that at least will be something he can point to as an example of how creative his offspring is?

Barbecue Branding Iron

If your dad makes a big deal out of barbecuing steaks in the backyard, he's going to love this branding iron, sold on Amazon.com. This 18-inch iron comes with 55 letters so dad can actually sear a brand into his meat that shows off his name, or even a personal message, to the lucky diners. Not bad for just 17 bucks a pop.

Star Trek Phaser

Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock are back in style in a much cooler way thanks to the recent big screen remake from J.J. Abrams. Few Father's Day gifts rank as high up in the neato factor as an exact replica of the phaser from the original "Star Trek" series, available at Roddenberry.com. The low-end model on sale at Roddenberry.com goes for $99.95. But if you've got some extra cash hanging around, why not go for the $699.95 Enterprise Phase Pistol model with removable power cell?

Metallic Video Watch

The next best thing to watching TV on a wristwatch is ThinkGeek.com's video watch with a 1.8-inch color screen and 8 GB built in memory, which allows your pop to spend Father's Day watching any downloaded TV show or movie he wants. What could be cooler than a watch that lets you listen to music or watch video on the long commute to work, or during interminable business meetings? The video watch is currently on sale for $80.

Swiss Memory USB

Finally, a Swiss army knife for the 21st century. From Amazon.com comes a 512 MB USB drive that also functions as a pocket knife, screwdriver, nail file, scissors, key ring, mini LED light and, as if that weren't enough, even a retractable ballpoint pen. All that for just $39.

Simpsons Air Hockey Game

If you've got a really cool dad who loves The Simpsons, and who also happens to have been around during the golden age of arcades when air hockey was the rage, why not combine his two passions? Give dear ol' dad the gift of a 4-by-2-foot Simpsons air hockey table, available for a very "cromulent" $99.99, also at Amazon.com.