Gifts that are obvious and less so
The idea of Father’s Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a specialday to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm.A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration — June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of William Smart’s birth.
The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.
It's estimated there are 66.3 million fathers across the nation today. Neckties lead the list of usual Father’s Day gifts. Here are some less obvious options...
Help his Golf Game
 Dads have no greater love-hate relationship with anything more than they do golf. Fortunately there is hope. Tom Wishon is the author of The Search for the Perfect Golf Club and has “news-you-can-use” tips on improving dad’s game. Perfect Club is a book written for the average golfer that explains how and whygolf clubs work the way they do.
Golf equipment designer and clubfitting guru Tom Wishon offers honest commentary about golf equipment and how clubs should and can perform. Wishon innovated more than 40 “firsts” in golf club head design for three of the biggest names in the golf equipment industry, including the first titanium wood heads offered by a U.S. company.
The Search for the Perfect Golf Club. $24.95. Publisher: Sports Media Group (March 2005). ISBN: 1587261855
| For the Man who uses masking tape to fix his pants
Have you ever gotten rid of a favorite pair of slacks because a seam was ripped? Do you pay high tailoring prices just to have a simple button sewn or pants hemmed? When you do repairs, do you use tape, staples and pins rather than a needle and thread? A new book Hand Mending for Beginners: 10 Easy Illustrated Steps to Save you Time and Money by Nan L. Ides, can change all of that.
 Hand Mending for Beginners, specifically written for the non-sewer, demonstrates in ten easy, illustrated steps, how to mend those precious clothes right in your own home. Ides instructs readers on sewing different types of buttons, repairing seams, patching up holes in pants, and different ironing techniques, among other lessons.
Ides says the book was not written as a 'learn-to-sew' manual. "I developed the book to show people who really don't necessarily want to learn to sew, how to mend their own clothes - a problem we all have at some point - in a cost- and time-effective manner."
Hand Mending for Beginners"can be ordered through www.iUniverse.com, or www.Amazon.com. The cost is $10.95. ISBN: 0595377327
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For the dad who sings in the shower (or elsewhere...)
With American Idol being one of the most popular shows on TV these days singing is a hot topic once again. To help dads (and everyone else for that matter) better carry a tune, The Singing Coach can turn anyone's personal computer into a voice coach.
SingingCoach Version 3.0 offers a new platform for some fresh downloadable features, including:
• Multi-User Capability for Sing-Alongs, Duets & Harmonies
• Advanced Instruction Platform with New Video Based Tutorials
SingingCoach includes a vocal range analyzer. The software's pitch tracking line gives real-time feedback on singers' performances as they sing. This allows them to see and hear, note for note, exactly where their pitch, rhythm and tempo need to be corrected. No musical experience or music reading capabilities are required to use it.
The program comes with 20 singing lessons and a high-fidelity headset with a built-in microphone for a hands-free singing experience. The software of the SingingCoach tracks and displays the pitch of the singer, comparing it to the correct pitch of the chosen song. The singer is able to see where his/her pitch is off and make adjustments accordingly.
At the end of each song performance the software calculates and displays a score from 1 to 100, giving users an immediate report on vocal progress. Once a skill is mastered, the program graduates the user to the next level. The Unlimited version offers access to more than 10,000 songs. Singers can also create and compose their own songs, and even compete with friends for high scores. SingingCoach Unlimited includes two-dozen practice songs and a selection of free downloads from the Carry-A-Tune Technologies online song library.
SingingCoach costs $49.95 and SingingCoach Unlimited is $99.95.
There's also SingingCoach Kidz $29.99. They all work on Windows XP, ME and 2000 operating systems. SingingCoach products are available at CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, J&R Music World, selected
Target Stores and other fine retail stores or by calling: 888-378-5050. More information is available online at: www.carryatune.com.
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