All too often these days holiday gift-giving becomes homogenized. Everyone gets the same brand new tablet, the same new video game and the same bestselling book. If those gifts are the end-all, be-all for the people on your list, then by all means make those folks happy by giving them what they want. But every now and again, a friend or relative just doesn't care for what's new and shiny. This sort of individual requires a different sort tactic than hitting the sales and hoping for the best. Usually part of the gift for these folks is their seeing just how much effort you put into their gift. The DIY items on this list will take you a decent amount of time to craft, it's true, but not even the finickiest of friends would dare say that you didn't put your heart into them. They look pretty sweet, too.

Ben Krasnow must have some rough friends showing up to his parties, because he built his own airport-style backscatter X-ray machine using parts he picked up on eBay.

I grew up playing Zelda. A Link to the Past doubled as my favorite storybook, and I spent my time away from the game dreaming about what it'd be like to adventure like Link — or "Kevin," as the game lets you pick your own name. The character was mine, and now a father is going to great lengths to ensure his daughter can have that same experience.

Ladies and gentlemen, the man cave has evolved. It is now a geek cave, and it is filled with all manner of high-tech wonders. For who is better than the geek to transform the old shabby basements of the world? Ours is a world of exploration and advancement. Our realm is that of progress. The geek cave shall stand as a refuge for all great passions. The geeks shall build them, and the rest of the world shall marvel and be welcomed in! Give us your Trekkers, your Victorianophiles, your Jedi yearning to believe. The geek cave shall rise up about each, wrapping them in the comforts they know so well. But these shall not simply be hideaways. The geek cave shall be a place for celebration and entertaining. Don't believe me? Feast your eyes upon these 13 marvels of geek engineering and judge for yourselves.