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ZDNet on the Essence of Geek
sebFlyte writes "ZDNet has a feature on The Essence of Geek, which looks at the rise of the geek (and the fact that everyone's turning into one), in the years post .com boom." From the article: "For a few years, an interest in computers and technology became inextricable linked with wealth and power -- geek became chic. Technology companies suddenly became the focus of the kind of attention that had been reserved for the music or fashion industries. In the UK TV makers even went so far as to create a hip series, Attachments, based around the antics of a tech start-up."
Um...no. Owning an iPod and knowing how to use it doesn't make you a geek. Knowing how to use your Windows smartphone doesn't make you a geek. Discussing mobile phone design doesn't make you a geek, because from tfa, I don't think they were talking about protocols or other engineering aspects. Even knowing how to synchronize your email with your smartphone doesn't make you a geek. It makes you a slave, but not a geek.
Knowing how to use technical things in the prescribed manner does not make you a geek, any more than knowing the exits on an airplane makes you a flight attendent. Knowing how to use technical things in ways they were never meant to be used makes you a geek. (and this is only one small definition "geekiness.")
Saying that "we're all geeks" is like saying "everyone is special, just like you."
Mox
Until the high school cheerleaders start hanging out at the chess club, geek ain't chic.
This is just about toys. Pre-packaged, nearly idiot proof, toys.
I still don't have my 5000 groupie girls who would spread their legs open for me en masse'....however, when I meet girls and i tell them I program they pretty much go "oh wow, you must make a lot of money" and then i snicker to myself in sadness...obviously i don't argue with them (what girl wants a poor guy) but hey :) It is, however, more accepted. I know many hot girls who love places like myspace, AIM, etc.
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
He claims that increasingly, "we're all geeks" -- even if a lot of people don't care to admit it.
I remember when a geek was a guy who was extremely intelligent, read books, didn't dress well or had the latest fashions, never had a good haircut/hygiene, was not good at sports and never made out with girls.
If we are all indeed 'geeks' than the word geek doesn't mean anything. Or maybe we're just all nerds trying to be geeks?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Frankly the geek bar seems to be getting lower not higher.
I know people that just because they can us Windows think they are a "Geek". I hate the term geek I like the term hacker. If you can not create technology then you are not a hacker. If you can code, solder, or wire wrap then you are a hacker. If you can IM you are not. If you can write an IM then you are.
It is about creation not use.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
They don't care about the GPS technology. But when it came out in a toy, they bought them.
They can't tell the difference between xDSL and a cable modem. But they buy whatever claims to give them the fastest access.
The toy-philes will be able to take a picture with their phone, email to their work account and print it on the colour printer there. But they won't know how to convert it to a different format or even that there are different formats.
Driver
Driver who takes advanced driving classes
Mechanic
Automotive engineer
Um...no. Owning an iPod and knowing how to use it doesn't make you a geek. Knowing how to use your Windows smartphone doesn't make you a geek. Discussing mobile phone design doesn't make you a geek, because from tfa, I don't think they were talking about protocols or other engineering aspects. Even knowing how to synchronize your email with your smartphone doesn't make you a geek. It makes you a slave, but not a geek.
Yeah, but some teen who wants to *fit-in* with the geeky kids, might buy these things thanking it helps. It's like when you were in high school, and saw that guy walking about with a tie dye Dead shirt on. He wasn't a hippy, and likly never found a Dead song that he liked, and never when to the show, but he did buy a tie dye shirt. Very trendy.
Now, I've got a cs degree, and I know I geek my friends out with blab that they don't care about, but I don't own an iPod because of the DRM issues. Some people might say that someone who won't buy an iPod because of the DRM issues is a bigger geek than someone who owns them. However, the article is making a point. It does't matter if these people have any geek-cred. It's obvious that they want that geek-cred, just like the dude with the tie dye shirt.
No doubt the term "geek" has been coopted by the media to describe, basically, the digerati generation. But I have to agree with my fellow /.ers... using your ipod and knowing how to upload photos from your cell phone does not make you a geek.
Geek's don't just use technology, they understand how it is put together and desire to change or "hack" it for their own purposes. A geek molds technology to suit him, a regular schmoe makes do with what has been handed his way by 3com, intel, microsoft, etc, etc.
That is the difference.
CommentBot 0.7a running with args "-module irritate,disagree -target random"
The essence of geek has nothing to do with what you use, but with what you know about it; people break down into three groups:
Group A: people who know only what they need to know to get along. This is actually a fairly small group; most people have a beyond-necessary level of interest/knowledge regarding something.
Group B: people who have some (or quite a bit of) in-depth knowledge of one or two areas because they're interested, and are perfectly content with a "necessity" level of knowledge in everything else. This is most everyone.
Group C: people who are interested in having in-depth knowledge for its own sake, and will always (given the opportunity) choose to know more about any given subject.
"Geeks," as far as I can tell, are pretty much a subset of Group B, where the one or two areas of interest are math-, science-, or computer-related, and the level of knowledge is above some ill-defined, but relatively high, point. Linus is a geek. Da Vinci was not.
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
Depends on the team. From what I've observed, Star Trek geeks are more accepted by society then (rabid) Oakland Raiders fans (and Raiders Fans aren't particularly accepting of fans of the opposing team, at least at home games).
Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
I'm a software tech support geek. The people I deal with use Windows. Unless I used it, I wouldn't be able to help them very much. Instead of refusing to use it, I've turned myself into a specialist in Windows internals, so I can talk my customers through undoing the damage Windows has done to itself without either uninstalling/reinstalling the software or reinstalling Windows.
Geeks do use Windows, when their job needs it, or they need to use a program that only exists for Windows. Geeks don't, however, think Windows is the be-all/end-all of computing.
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I sacrificed a chicken and chanted a bit to get a server restarted once, does that count as being a geek ?