There's a gift for every geek -- such as the ThinkGeek USB Snowbot. Click image for image gallery.

The holidays. They're back and they're bad.

Hey, it's not like you didn't know they were coming. But you've ignored them in favor of that last-minute project you had to take care of -- and now you've got to find perfect gifts for friends, family, and the guy in the third cubicle on the left whose name you got in the office draw.

Yes, the holidays can be tough. Right now you're probably saying to yourself, "What do I get for the person whose idea of a relaxing evening is fighting their way through a virtual 23rd-century world, editing digital videos to post on YouTube, or driving for miles in order to test a new GPS system? Especially if they already own a computer, a camera, or a GPS?"

Remain calm. We've got the answer for you. We hereby bring you our second annual Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide: the most exciting, useful, awe-inspiring, or just plain cool stuff available via the Web.

		The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide
		•  Introduction •  Gettin' Tuneful •  Video To Go •  Video To Stay •  E-Wearables •  The Game's Afoot •  Photographica •  Camcorder Heaven •  On The Road •  Off The Wall
		•  Image Gallery

• Image conscious? Scout Photographica and Camcorder Heaven for the right gear to turn those creative visions into images and videos.

• Want to help your favorite geek style up? E-Wearables could convince the most tech-obsessed to raise their fashion quotient.

• If you want entertainment, check out Gettin' Tuneful, Video To Go, and Video To Stay for media players, displays, video recorders, and associated gadgets.

• Got game? Go directly (Do Not Pass Go) to The Game's Afoot to find the stuff that will score highest this season.

• If you're taking it to go, get it from On The Road, including the best in GPS units and several snazzy gadgets for your auto.

• And finally, if you need some just-plain-weird, it's available for prices ranging from $13 to if-you-have-to-ask in Off The Wall.

Like last year, we are following a couple of ground rules. First, we made it a point that all our best-bet gift ideas must be fun the first day they're received, not in some vaporware-like haze of the future, when the software finally gets written or all the functionality is eventually turned on. Just say no to brand-new platforms. We're all about instant gratification.

Second, the Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide is highly selective. No me-too products. Nothing beige. The high-tech gadgets and high-end electronics that made our list did so because they're white-hot, wicked cool, sick, intense, and insert the totally far-out adjective of your choice here.

So read on. And don't forget to send the URL of anything you really like to your friends, family, and the guy in the third cubicle on the left. After all, you deserve the best this year, too.