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Geek Stars From Atkinson to Zappa

Ian Lamont writes "You probably remember reading about Brian May getting a PhD in Astrophysics, but may not know about the many other celebrities from the music, TV, and film worlds who have studied science and technology in college and grad school, or are simply serious gearheads who like gadgets, games, and other geek pastimes. Computerworld has identified about 50 celebrities who fit the bill, including Dan Grimaldi (Patsy Parisi, The Sopranos) who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in math, a master's in operations research and a Ph.D. in data processing; Rowan Atkinson, who has a master's in electrical engineering from Queen's College, Oxford; and Todd Rundgren, who developed an early paint program called Utopia. Other folks on the list: Dr. Demento, Montel Williams, Natalie Portman, Curt Schilling, and Huey Lewis."

320 comments

  1. Portman by Mr.+Capris · · Score: 4, Funny
    From the article:

    Likewise, Natalie Portman -- beloved of geek fanboys worldwide since long before her Star Wars turns -- is an accomplished psychology student with two published papers under her belt, but psych isn't strictly a science or tech pursuit. (Waaahbulances will please park in the designated Comments section.) Hot grits, etc.
    --
    Have you seen the arrow?
    1. Re:Portman by Magnifique · · Score: 1

      Errr.. Phsycology?

      Last time I saw her she was sharnig the bench with med-students for a year in Hadassa, the university hospital of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Defintley not phsycology but rather medicine.

    2. Re:Portman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This story is also in dire need of a "naked+petrified" tag.

    3. Re:Portman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The beautiful actress Heddy Lamarr invented and patented frequency division multiplexing in 1942. It wasn't practical however because of the techological limitations of the times.

    4. Re:Portman by Monsieur+Canard · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's Hedley.

      --
      He took a duck to the face at 250 knots.
    5. Re:Portman by utopianfiat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I seem to remember something about Vin Diesel and D&D- and Asia Carrera playing Counterstrike.

      --
      +5, Truth
    6. Re:Portman by Pojut · · Score: 1

      What're you worried about, this is 1874...you'll be able to sue her!

    7. Re:Portman by corifornia2 · · Score: 0

      Editor misread TFA. Huey Lewis is a BA, not has a BA. The BA is for bad ass which he has a PhD in.

    8. Re:Portman by Rah'Dick · · Score: 1

      I once read that Asia Carrera was the RL-model for the woman in "Unreal 2" and that she played UT'99.

    9. Re:Portman by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 1

      Vin Diesel is a BIG fan of the D&D. You'd think that us, being nerds, wouldn't judge someone for how they look (or the crappy movies they act in).

      --
      Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
    10. Re:Portman by cbuskirk · · Score: 1

      Apparently on the set of Chronicles of Riddick he ran a regular campaign with the cast and crew and even managed to get Dame Judy Dench into playing in it.

    11. Re:Portman by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Now that is a delightful image. I wonder what class she played?

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  2. Yawn by evilviper · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This isn't so much "geek stars" as it is an exhaustive list of "Everyone in Hollywood that isn't mechanically inept."

    Many actors majored in some field of science rather than art, and didn't flunk. Robin Williams plays video games and likes gadgets. Real big geek cred...

    Quite a waste of time.

    --
    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    1. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Robin doesn't just enjoy video games, he named his daughter Zelda! How many of YOUR kids did you name after video game characters?

      Or are you too geeky to mate?

      dom

    2. Re:Yawn by TapeCutter · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Many actors majored in some field of science rather than art..."

      Comic Guy voice: "I like to refer to these people as "closet geeks", their many faux friends call them "interesting"...pffft!"

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually what is interesting is that very few of the people on this list ever publicly talk about their education or interests. We live in an age when kids are losing interest in science in technology and chasing the celebrity dream of fame and fortune. Many of these people could be good roll models to encourage kids back into science, technology and engineering.

      Also, Masi Oka has a double in Math and CS, and worked at ILM. I don't care what you say: Hiro Nakamura is a real geek. He still consults for ILM for Petes sake!

    4. Re:Yawn by dido · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Apparently he's also a huge fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and managed to get an Evangelion toy to appear in his movie One Hour Photo .

      --
      Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
    5. Re:Yawn by Sockatume · · Score: 1

      Yeah, there are plenty of far better examples out there. Dick Van Dyke is a keen computer graphics hobbyist for a start.

      --
      No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
    6. Re:Yawn by JamesRose · · Score: 2, Funny

      Shut Up! I'm sixteen years old, and the more of these guys getting sucked into chasing fame the greater my chances are of getting into a top university. Quit Ruining The Plan!

    7. Re:Yawn by CRCulver · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Are you sure he didn't name her after Zelda Fitzgerald, the famous wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald?

    8. Re:Yawn by Chibi+Merrow · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well I hate to use Wikipedia as a source, but there's lots of news articles that quote that she was named after Princess Zelda. Haven't found the actual quote from Robin, though...

      Also in a movie of his, a toy used as a prop is a Production Model Evangelion toy from Robin Williams' personal collection. He's a geek.

      --
      Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
      Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
    9. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wahabism Delenda Est Off-topic, but that should be "VAHHABISMVS DELENDVS EST".
    10. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I hate to use Wikipedia as a source, but there's lots of news articles that quote that she was named after Princess Zelda. I heard that she was named after Zelda from Terrahawks.
    11. Re:Yawn by NeilTheStupidHead · · Score: 1

      Chances are, if they're gettign 'sucked in', they're probably weren't much of a threat to you anyway.
      Now get off my lawn, etc. :P

      --
      Lose: misplace or fail || Loose: not bound together
    12. Re:Yawn by NeilTheStupidHead · · Score: 1

      And my spelling means neither do I.

      --
      Lose: misplace or fail || Loose: not bound together
    13. Re:Yawn by cHiphead · · Score: 1

      Additionally, they're likely going to have more money than you can ever dream of earning with your PhD in Astrophysics.

      Cheers.

      --

      This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
    14. Re:Yawn by lotsotech · · Score: 1

      I remember him stating it on David Letterman if that helps you track it down (he was also talking about getting schooled by 13 year olds playing Quake on-line).

    15. Re:Yawn by Bemopolis · · Score: 1

      Oh my God, how friggin dare you malig— yeah, you're right.

      OK Hollywood nerds, I have my PhD in astrophysics right here, highest bidder.

      --
      "I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
    16. Re:Yawn by Monkey · · Score: 1

      I'm just startled to find out that he *has* a daughter and isn't entirely gay.

    17. Re:Yawn by evilviper · · Score: 1

      managed to get an Evangelion toy to appear in his movie One Hour Photo

      I can think of no greater insult to an Evangelion toy than forcing it to appear in that horrible movie...
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    18. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >good roll models to encourage kids back into science, technology and engineering.

      Hell, even English would be a start.

  3. Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by talkingc · · Score: 2

    Bill Nye the Engineering Guy doesn't seem to ring as well... I don't know why, but a part of my childhood feels like it was deceived. :P

    1. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by ImTheDarkcyde · · Score: 1

      I'm suprised he even made the list, though. "The Science Guy" kind of gave the whole "geek/nerd" thing away.

      And why do I feel I'm the only one who finds those terms offensive? People running around calling themselves geeks and nerds, bleh, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm a person. I blog, I code, I play games, so now all of the sudden I have to suffer the insult of being called a geek, too?

    2. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by jotok · · Score: 1

      Because back in high school you and I stood up for ourselves, then went on to make ridiculous amounts of money. Now the football player/cheerleader couple's spawn would be proud to be "geeky like us."

      We're victims of our own success. Cue Dershowitz!

    3. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      Bill Nye was an engineer at Boeing when he decided to go for comedy. He was hilarious on the short lived Seattle comedy show "Almost Live".

    4. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      being called a geek doesn't matter if you have confidence hanging.

      That said, you're probably not a geek or nerd. Both require a certain level of social ineptness.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    5. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by Pojut · · Score: 1

      There is a phrase well-known amongst geeks and nerds.

      "Never make fun of a nerd in high school...he will own the company you work for some day."

    6. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by damsa · · Score: 1

      Not sure why you call it short lived. It was on the air for 15 years.

    7. Re:Wait, so Bill Nye is actually an engineer? by Xentor · · Score: 1

      Hey, I'm a geek, and proud of it!

      Sure, back in the old grade school days, it sucked to be called a nerd or a geek. But now I'm bringing in six figures, and the jocks who insulted me are working retail and food service because their football career never took off, and their degree in "communications" isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

      Never liked the term "nerd" though... Sure, it's kinda the same thing, but the word reminds me of those stupid Revenge of the Nerd movies...

      Just remember, guys... In this modern age, the geeks shall inherit the Earth.

      We are samurai... The keyboard cowboys... And they... are the cattle... Moooooooooo...

      --
      "The amount of intelligence on this planet is a constant. The population is growing." -Cole's Axiom
  4. Hey Editor! by pato101 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is mentioning Natalie Portman in a Slashdot story a good idea?

    1. Re:Hey Editor! by RuBLed · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      What's your address?

    2. Re:Hey Editor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      127.0.0.1

    3. Re:Hey Editor! by Yeti.SSM · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      It's the reason the story got posted, methinks.

      --
      R Tape loading error, 0:1
    4. Re:Hey Editor! by Evil+Adrian · · Score: 1

      If you enjoy the sound of a thousand hands fapping...

      --
      evil adrian
  5. Terry Gilliam by bazald · · Score: 1

    Good to see a Python represented. They were all brilliant, but I suppose they couldn't fit all 6 of them into their list of 50.

    --
    Insert self-referential sig here.
    1. Re:Terry Gilliam by dreethal · · Score: 1

      It's Stephen Fry that I was hoping made it, but they chose Rowan.

  6. Psychology == Geek? by DTemp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I was considering karma whoring and making a Natalie Portman joke early on in a discussion, almost guaranteeing a +5 Funny...

    But I decided to actually read the story. According to the article, and also Wikipedia, shes a Psyc student, published a couple papers. Seriously, thats enough to make the geek list? Am I in a dillusioned world that of the thousands of "stars" out there, there aren't many with more geek cred than this?

    Oh and I will karma whore... here's the link to the full article print link:

    http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9043739

    1. Re:Psychology == Geek? by amRadioHed · · Score: 2, Informative

      The fact that she knows 6+ languages qualifies as geeky in my book. That's an impressive intellectual accomplishment, no two ways about it.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    2. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, psych is tough to twist into geek credibility. Sure she gets an GSS e++, but the d++$ r++ x+ are probably disqualifying to be considered a real geek. Though I do have to note that if there was a stw rating (like a t rating) she would qualify as stw++++$ which would certainly offset her other deficiencies. I'll also give her credit for a npg++++ if she would actually do that (and let me watch).

    3. Re:Psychology == Geek? by pimpimpim · · Score: 1

      Ah yes, so what couple of papers did you publish in the mean time? I think it's quite respectable. Furthermore, I am afraid that being able to perform logical thought is indeed already geeky at the moment, partly due to the big lobbies of people who want to press 'the word of god' as superior than 'reason'. Yes they do, look at the photos of the creationist museum in texas, you can find them on flickr.

      --
      molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
    4. Re:Psychology == Geek? by somersault · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Understanding R2-D2 and Wookiees doesn't count. So basically we're saying that any smart/accomplished person is now a 'geek'? Hmm :P

      --
      which is totally what she said
    5. Re:Psychology == Geek? by EvanED · · Score: 1

      First, I think Portman goes quite some way as qualifying. There aren't *that* many people with finite Erdos-Bacon numbers for instance, and even fewer if you ignore people who were just in documentaries and such.

      That said... you misread the article. Portman isn't on their list. She's on their list of almosts; those who people might think should be on the list, and reasons why they aren't. ;-)

    6. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Stooshie · · Score: 1

      I always thought it should be the Vogelstein-Steiger number anyway as Bert Vogelstein is the most cited scientist and Rod Steiger is the most highly connected actor in hollywood.

      --
      America, Home of the Brave. ... .and the Squaw.
    7. Re:Psychology == Geek? by CRCulver · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As multilingualism is the rule for the world (there are something like 85 times as many languages as countries), most of humanity grows up learning without complaint various languages besides that which that use in their family for religious use, trading with neighbours, dealing with government, etc. For some reason, people in a few First World countries think learning other languages is hard and only geeks can manage, but it's an unrealistic outlook.

    8. Re:Psychology == Geek? by antek9 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      I just love how your post gets modded 'interesting' instead of 'insightful'. Seems like you really told the moderators something they didn't know about before.

      --
      A World in a Grain of Sand / Heaven in a Wild Flower,
      Infinity in the Palm of your Hand / And Eternity in an Hour.
    9. Re:Psychology == Geek? by PseudoLogic · · Score: 1
      You already got the pity points with your print link, you didn't need to quote the article out of context also. This is what the article says:

      Likewise, Natalie Portman -- beloved of geek fanboys worldwide since long before her Star Wars turns -- is an accomplished psychology student with two published papers under her belt, but psych isn't strictly a science or tech pursuit. (Waaahbulances will please park in the designated Comments section.) So, she's not a geek, but a geek favorite and the article pointed her out as such. Now go park your waaahmbulance!
      --
      Insert witty comment here
    10. Re:Psychology == Geek? by schon · · Score: 1

      That said... you misread the article. Portman isn't on their list. She's on their list of almosts Neither did the submitter, as evidenced by the fact that he listed both Portman and Dr. Demento, when Demento is mentioned in the article as a fan of one of the people who *is* on the list.

      What the hell ever happened to reading comprehension?
    11. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

      >> What the hell ever happened to reading comprehension?

      It's not as though *all* the ocelots have pianos in their drawing rooms. RTFA.

    12. Re:Psychology == Geek? by LinuxGrrl · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As I recall, that's how it was at school.

    13. Re:Psychology == Geek? by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      "Publishing Papers" is laughably easy in academia. "Publishing articles in well-known, reputable journals" is where you separate the dipshit students from the real academics.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    14. Re:Psychology == Geek? by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      No, her publicist CLAIMS she knows 6+ languages. A lot of publicists have adopted this "multilingual" shtick for any actor who can speak even a few words of a foreign language. It makes the actress/actor look intelligent and the publicist knows that they will never be called on it (since they usually don't even specify WHICH languages).

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    15. Re:Psychology == Geek? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      She's was a fucking undergrad in a field that can charitably be called "pseudoscience." Christ, are Holloywood standards so low that THIS is considered an intellectual?!?!

      Wait. This is Hollywood. Of course they are.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    16. Re:Psychology == Geek? by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      According to the article, and also Wikipedia, shes a Psyc student, published a couple papers. Seriously, thats enough to make the geek list?

      Geekdom encompasses more than just computers and D&D. If she's passionate enough about Psychology to have been published, more than once even, I think it's fair to classify her as a geek.

      --
      -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
      Version: 3.1
      GMU d- s: a C++$>+ UL$ P++ L$ E$ !W+++$ N+ !o K+++(---) w !O !M>+ !V PS(+) PE(-) Y? !PGP t !5 !X !R tv+(++) b>+++ DI !D !G e++ h+>- r++ y?
      ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

    17. Re:Psychology == Geek? by why-is-it · · Score: 1

      She's was a fucking undergrad in a field that can charitably be called "pseudoscience."

      I don't think you have the slightest idea what you are talking about.

      Would you be kind enough to provide some justification for that remark, or should we assume you are just trolling?

      --
      *** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
    18. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Gwyn_232 · · Score: 0, Redundant

      And oddly enough they missed a real Geek - Vin Diesel - who's into AD&D.

    19. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Dahamma · · Score: 1

      Wow, I guess that means the entire population of the Netherlands are geeks - or any country other than the US where we are impressed with anyone who knows more than 8th grade Spanish as a second language.

      I really think people are misusing the term "geek" these days...

    20. Re:Psychology == Geek? by Dahamma · · Score: 1

      I don't know, it's been scientifically proven that Freud was a geek...

      Sigmund Freud: You seem to be suffering from a mild case of hysteria.
      Girl at Mall: You are such a geek!
      [walks off with her friend]
      Billy the Kid: Way to go, egghead!
      Sigmund Freud: Wha...?
      Socrates: GEEK!

    21. Re:Psychology == Geek? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same "scientific" field that once labeled homosexuality as a mental illness? That once advocated lobotomies for women who slept around? That invented electro-shock therapy, among other horrors? That produced "scientists" like Timothy Leary?

      You'd might as well label eugenics a "science" too, while you're at it.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    22. Re:Psychology == Geek? by EvanED · · Score: 1

      There are multiple fields within psychology you know. Some of them could be said to fall into pseudoscience, but some of them are also pretty hard, bordering on biology. Also, you could probably come up with a list of things where scientists in other fields were wrong with at least moderately-accepted theories, it's just that the impact with what you mention in arguably more because it deals with people. What harm comes out of saying that the Earth is fixed at the center of the universe, and everything rotates around it? What harm comes out of saying that light travels because of the luminiferous aether? Or that if you drop objects, they fall according to their weight?

    23. Re:Psychology == Geek? by littlekosh · · Score: 1

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same "scientific" field that once labeled homosexuality as a mental illness? That once advocated lobotomies for women who slept around? That invented electro-shock therapy, among other horrors? That produced "scientists" like Timothy Leary? Yes and of course we know that there are four humors in our bodies and that imbalances in them cause sickness and disease. Also, gold is worthless since we've had incredible luck turning lead into it. How's that leeching working out for you?

      Science is basically being wrong in new and interesting ways until we find something that we can't yet disprove. You can hardly blame psychology for its missteps without dragging every other field of scientific inquiry through the mud as well.
      --
      655321
    24. Re:Psychology == Geek? by FleaPlus · · Score: 1
      Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same "scientific" field that once labeled homosexuality as a mental illness?

      psychiatry != cognitive psychology

      I've pasted the abstract for the paper Natalie Portman is co-author on below. You can decide for yourself whether or not it's "pseudoscience."

      Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

      Abigail A. Baird,* Jerome Kagan,* Thomas Gaudette, Kathryn A. Walz,*
      Natalie Hershlag,* and David A. Boas
      *Laboratory of Infant Study, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138;
      and NMR Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02134

      The ability to create and hold a mental schema of an
      object is one of the milestones in cognitive development.
      Developmental scientists have named the behavioral
      manifestation of this competence object permanence.
      Convergent evidence indicates that frontal
      lobe maturation plays a critical role in the display of
      object permanence, but methodological and ethical
      constrains have made it difficult to collect neurophysiological
      evidence from awake, behaving infants.
      Near-infrared spectroscopy provides a noninvasive assessment
      of changes in oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin and
      total hemoglobin concentration within a prescribed
      region. The evidence described in this report reveals
      that the emergence of object permanence is related to
      an increase in hemoglobin concentration in frontal
      cortex
    25. Re:Psychology == Geek? by why-is-it · · Score: 1

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same "scientific" field that once labeled homosexuality as a mental illness? That once advocated lobotomies for women who slept around?

      Doctors used to treat their patients with leeches, or punch holes in a patient's skull to let the evil spirits out. I don't think that would justify equating modern medical professionals with witch-doctors. Of course, I am interested in a rational discussion - you may have other intentions.

      Psychology is a very young discipline which involves the study of the most complex and intricate organ in the human body. Like any other scientific field, theories and beliefs which were considered to be true in the past have been refuted and replaced by better theories. Those theories are rigorously tested according to the scientific method, subject to strict ethical controls.

      If you want to rant, go ahead and rant. If you want to challenge the science of psychology, leave the flamebait behind and offer some real arguments.

      That invented electro-shock therapy, among other horrors?

      Despite what you have seen at the movies, ECT is an effective treatment for some patients. It can be controversial for lay-people, but that is generally due false perceptions and misinformation. For patients at extreme risk, it would be un-ethical not to prescribe ECT.

      BTW - what other "horrors" has psychology invented?

      That produced "scientists" like Timothy Leary?

      So, if one member of a group is discredited, one is entitled to discredit all members of that group?

      Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter...

      --
      *** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
  7. Should I be impressed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    It's kind of like when a baby makes big poopoo and mom & the grandfolk all cheer with elation.. but when I poo no one seems impressed.

  8. Don't forget Britney Spears! by CortoMaltese · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. Re:Don't forget Britney Spears! by lordofthechia · · Score: 1

      Thank you, I had forgotten about this gem though I could have used this last semester!

      --
      Georgia Tech, the leader in Chia(tm) technology.
    2. Re:Don't forget Britney Spears! by locokamil · · Score: 4, Funny

      That site saved me over and over and over again sophomore year in college. Knock Britney all you want for her alcoholism and poor parenting skills, but damn, she knows her semiconductor physics!

  9. Mensa by Propaganda13 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What no mention of Asia Carrera? Mensa, gamer, pornstar

    1. Re:Mensa by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Mensa,

      If you were really smart you'd know that you can't prove it by getting into Mensa.

      gamer,

      Gamers aren't necessarily smart.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEWIw-a0GJw

      pornstar

      And pornstars are definitely not.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Theroux's_Weird_Weekends#Porn

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    2. Re:Mensa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably simply because people don't usually consider porn mainstream entertainment.

      Unlike the other reply so far implies, she's at least on par with some of the other entries on the list in terms of "geeky" accomplishments.

    3. Re:Mensa by porcupine8 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Mensa is not an organization for smart people. It's an organization for people who feel the need to prove how smart they are. The vast majority of people who qualify for mensa are not members.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    4. Re:Mensa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Mmm. She runs away from home to fuck her way through school and ends up selling her body for a living.

      BUT she's good at math!

      I'm impressed. ::roll::

    5. Re:Mensa by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      One, two, three.... Bukkake!

    6. Re:Mensa by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      Thank you. I was about to say the same thing. In fact, when I see that someone is in Mensa my first reaction is that they are probably not half as smart as they think they are.

    7. Re:Mensa by porcupine8 · · Score: 1
      It seems like it's generally people who:

      a) haven't been able to find another community of intellectual peers, which means they probably have unfulfilling and not intellectually challenging careers and hobbies (I remember wanting to join mensa when I was 14 because I had no idea how to find people on my level to hang out with - then I joined science club and did summer programs and that desire flew out the window.)

      or b) are ridiculously full of themselves and overly proud of their intelligence, and have probably kept themselves as a big fish in a little pond in many ways. Which also leads to the unfulfilling/not challenging work. Either way, often not the happiest or most self-actualized people ever.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    8. Re:Mensa by SlowMovingTarget · · Score: 1

      Mensa member: "Perhaps I'm not as stupid as I am ugly, Commander!"

    9. Re:Mensa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She's also probably not a judgmental asshole, which makes her a better person than you.

  10. blimey. by apodyopsis · · Score: 0

    Who'd of thought Rowan Atkinson has a Masters in Electrical Engineering?

    The thought of Mr. Bean with a soldering iron makes me shudder. Yikes.

    1. Re:blimey. by IBBoard · · Score: 1

      That's probably because Mr Bean is one of Rowan Atkinson's worst characters ever and well below his normal level of quality with Edmund Blackadder.

      Having seen the comedy he does in things like Blackadder then it doesn't surprise me that he's a bright guy. Interesting that it was Electrical Engineering, though.

    2. Re:blimey. by clickclickdrone · · Score: 1

      Blackadder was good but I prefer his Not The Nine O'Clock News stuff. His sketch with 'Gerald the Gorilla' was insane.

      --
      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
    3. Re:blimey. by prewashedironman · · Score: 1

      I remember going around the university which he got his bachelors from. It seemed to be one of their big selling points that he had been there - needless to say I decided I decided to go somewhere that wasn't trying to sell itself on someone who had nothing to do with EE!

    4. Re:blimey. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, it is only a Bachelors. The University of Oxford "upgrades" all B.A.s to M.A.'s a year after graduation.
      In Engineering (or actually, Engineering Science as they call it here), there is the M.Eng for undergraduate masters and for the few postgraduate masters courses, they are normally called M.Sc or M.Phil.
      So don't be fooled when you hear of Oxford or Cambridge graduates with Masters, it is a big con!

      P.S. How fitting that the captcha is ensnared...

    5. Re:blimey. by IBBoard · · Score: 1

      I think I was too young for that. Blackadder has been repeated more on British TV since then, but I don't remember Not The Nine O'Clock News being repeated.

    6. Re:blimey. by clickclickdrone · · Score: 1

      NTNOCN gets semi-regular repeats on the Paramount channel of all places I believe plus there's a best of DVD. It's good stuff - lots of well known UK comedians cut there teeth on it.

      --
      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
    7. Re:blimey. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So don't be fooled when you hear of Oxford or Cambridge graduates with Masters, it is a big con! Dead right (actually, at Cambridge you have to stay alive for 3 years, but still...)

      (anon. coward - M.A.* Cantab in Computer Science, 1989)

      * so yeah, Knuth was right.
    8. Re:blimey. by MyGirlFriendsBroken · · Score: 1

      You should have got your university priorities right, everyone know that Newcastle is one of the best places to go to uni from an overall view, i.e. education, beer and girls. I got a good degree, drank a lot of beer, and am 5 weeks awaz from getting married to a girl I meet in my first semester there.

      --
      If you read a speed reading book, does it take you less time to read the second half?
    9. Re:blimey. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      That's probably because Mr Bean is one of Rowan Atkinson's worst characters ever and well below his normal level of quality with Edmund Blackadder. The early episodes of Mr. Bean were *very* well crafted comedy- in fact, Atkinson had been doing them as part of his stage show for a long time (I had a copy of this on tape at one point, and he did one of the Bean sketches). So they'd obviously been polished and had the flaws knocked out of them.

      Unfortunately, the quality seemed to go down quite fast as they started churning new episodes (and scripts) out and the character quickly became annoying.
    10. Re:blimey. by IBBoard · · Score: 1

      Pah, Manchester (specifically UMIST when it was around) was the place to be. Much more student-oriented and not so cold! You get a better degree from a bigger/more recognised Uni, lots of beer, good rock/metal clubs and I got married to the girl I met in the first semester nearly six weeks ago now ;)

    11. Re:blimey. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To say nothing of what he might do to Baldrick with a soldering iron...

      Captcha: parody

    12. Re:blimey. by prewashedironman · · Score: 1

      I looked at both manchester and newcastle, ended up down at imperial though. Half way through my degree I don't quite know why I didn't choose manchester (my 2nd favourite)

  11. Please by zoomshorts · · Score: 1

    Please show me the ones with PhD's. The rest are just BLOGGERS.

    1. Re:Please by superwiz · · Score: 1

      Please show me the ones with PhD's. The rest are just BLOGGERS. Why would one choose to complete a thesis in some esoteric point of some esoteric field when one has so many chances to contribute to fields in which people need help so direly that they are willing to pay for it? Alas, I am currently completing a thesis. So there might be some buyer's remorse here.
      --
      Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  12. And your favorites who didn't make the article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Greg Graffin, frontman for Bad Religion, Ph.D Zoology.

  13. Zappa on music by ThirdPrize · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In his book "The Real Frank Zappa" released in 1989 Zappa explains his plan for the future of music distribution. He says that consumers arn't that interested in CDs or vinyl and explains how you could use the cable tv or telephone system to digitally transmit music (and cover art, etc) into peoples homes on a subscription basis. This was back in 1989, long before your interweb thing took off.

    --
    I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
    1. Re:Zappa on music by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 1

      That's a good book! Zappa never finished high school. Based on what the book had to say, I'd guess that FZ got his scientific curiosity from his father, who helped develop chemical weapons for the military. FZ's eccentricity is no surprise, given his childhood fascination with Mercury ;)

    2. Re:Zappa on music by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Funny

      In his book "The Real Frank Zappa" released in 1989 Zappa explains his plan for the future of music distribution. He says that consumers arn't that interested in CDs or vinyl and explains how you could use the cable tv or telephone system to digitally transmit music (and cover art, etc) into peoples homes on a subscription basis. This was back in 1989, long before your interweb thing took off. But 1989 is not before Modems. And he could probably figure out that the time to send a song would drop dramatically in the future to the point where it was possible to send songs.

      I mean it's not rocket science to work out the Shannon limit for a phone line with the filters in the exchange tweaked would give DSL like speeds, or to notice that a frequency domain compression algorithm should be feasable for music and should compress raw PCM data from a CD by around 10:1. So would clearly be possible to send a digital copy of a song over a phoneline in about real time.

      Which is a terrible idea of course, because then the guy that paid have something which they can send to all their friends.
      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    3. Re:Zappa on music by fafne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah, Zappa was a true genious. Another thing he said back in the seventies IIRC, was something in the lines of "sometime in the future, the bulk of new music will consist of recycled ideas". And look, we got sampling a number of years later. Today, the number of true musical innovation creations topping the charts steadily dwindle.

    4. Re:Zappa on music by ThirdPrize · · Score: 1

      And he should know considering how he deliberately and ironicly "quoted" everything from classical music to 60's pop in his music. I sometimes wonder what he would make of the state of the world today. Greatly missed.

      --
      I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
    5. Re:Zappa on music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      even in his day most of the music was recycled. if you think there isn't innovation it simply means that you're not looking for it. with as cheap as it potentially is to record and distribute music there are tons of new ideas out there.
       
      in most likeliness you've just decided that what you're listening to is the most innovative and that nothing out there can top it. if you're dismissing all of today's music as third rate punk, old classic rock dinosaurs who can't rock anymore and hip hop that means you've lost contact with what is really out there. take an evening off and go see a local band that isn't playing in a room that can't hold more then a hundred people. create a profile on myspace and seek out your favorite bands as friends and see what bands want to join your friends list, there are tons of bands on myspace and you can hear a few songs for free. what do you have to lose?

    6. Re:Zappa on music by lahvak · · Score: 1

      I always found this truly geeky.

      --
      AccountKiller
    7. Re:Zappa on music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      STFU already about shitty bands that couldn't fill a phone booth. There's a reason for it.

      With the amount I see the underwear gnomes episode of South Park referenced here, I would hope that people got the point of the episode. I guess that is too much to ask.

  14. Psych papers by Orthuberra · · Score: 1, Funny

    Likewise, Natalie Portman -- beloved of geek fanboys worldwide since long before her Star Wars turns -- is an accomplished psychology student with two published papers under her belt, but psych isn't strictly a science or tech pursuit. (Waaahbulances will please park in the designated Comments section.) One of those papers is on the beneficial psychological effects of her pouring hot grits down a Slashdotter's pants.
  15. The list is fine, but also... by Edgyboy · · Score: 1

    ... lets not forget Keanu Reeves.

    --
    Magazine 13 - We like to think its funny... sort of
    1. Re:The list is fine, but also... by splutty · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Uhm... Not to be a total bitch. But is there any actual reason why we would *not* want to totally forget about Keanu 'Rigor Mortis Is Acting, Really!' Reeves?

      I mean, in my admittedly not so humble opinion, he's about the most overrated semi-actor I know. His only good 'performance' was as Johnny Mnemonic, and that pretty much only because he had to play himself.

      --
      Coz eternity my friend, is a long *ing time.
    2. Re:The list is fine, but also... by Edgyboy · · Score: 1

      True, but have you considered this little-known biographical fact about Keanu: In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey (as team goalie, he earned the nickname "The Wall") http://imdb.com/name/nm0000206/bio
      This alone has to count at least like a PhD, right?

      --
      Magazine 13 - We like to think its funny... sort of
    3. Re:The list is fine, but also... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 1

      He does, however, know Kung Fu.

      --
      No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    4. Re:The list is fine, but also... by rbochan · · Score: 1

      whoa

      --
      ...Rob
      The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
    5. Re:The list is fine, but also... by The+Angry+Mick · · Score: 1

      His only good 'performance' was as Johnny Mnemonic

      Following that single statement, art officially died.

      --

      I'm not tense. I'm just terribly, terribly, alert.

    6. Re:The list is fine, but also... by splutty · · Score: 1

      Note the quotes around 'performance' ;)

      --
      Coz eternity my friend, is a long *ing time.
    7. Re:The list is fine, but also... by Night+Goat · · Score: 1

      He played Ted "Theodore" Logan in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Therefore he will always be considered great.

    8. Re:The list is fine, but also... by Doctor+Faustus · · Score: 1

      His only good 'performance' was as Johnny Mnemonic, and that pretty much only because he had to play himself.
      Parenthood was a great movie and he was great in it (if not in a terribly big role). That was, of course, still just playing himself, though.

  16. Um, Dr. Demento *not* on the list by drphil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Do the submitters actually RTFA? Dr. Demento's name was dropped in trying to put context around Prof. Tom Lehrer (not sure why you need to see Dr. D's name to understand who Lehrer is). BTW I think Dr. Demento has only a masters degree and was an A&R guy at one time - one of the least geeky jobs ever.

    1. Re:Um, Dr. Demento *not* on the list by puto · · Score: 3, Informative

      You are correct sir. I have an three original Lehrer records on vinyl that my dad gave me in 78, i was 8 years old. Harvard professor, political satirist, pianist.

      http://members.aol.com/quentncree/lehrer/

      Check the above for his lyrics.

      puto

      --
      The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  17. Also expert driver by threaded · · Score: 2, Informative

    Rowan Atkinson also holds higher levels of British Driving license allowing him to drive HGVs aka articulated trucks on the highways. I'm told he performs many of the car stunts in the shows himself.

    1. Re:Also expert driver by Instine · · Score: 1
      --
      Because you can - or because you should?
    2. Re:Also expert driver by hey! · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Danny Kaye once said that in order to do something funny you have to be able to do it well.

      If you think about it, anybody who is bad at something might do something funny by accident, but a pro has to get up on stage or on camera and be funny on cue. Kaye taught himself to sing, dance and fence tolerably well. Maybe not well enough to be a singing and dancing star or that you'd put your money on him in a duel, but well enough to be able to execute his idea of what might be funny accurately enough to make people laugh on purpose.

      There are lots of people in the world who can be funny opportunistically, but there is an incredible amount of craft even in something as deceptively simple as stand up comedy. What could be more natural than telling a funny story? Practically anything, if that means you have to tell that story five or more days a week, several times a night, to a paying audience that really wants your act to be over so they can see the guy they came to see. Sometimes if you see a comedian on TV who is funny, then look up his website, he'll have posted an earlier version of the exact same routine. Frank Caliendo's Bush impression comes to mind. If you look at the early videos of his routine, they are undeniably funny, but not as funny as the version he did on Letterman. That's unnatural. Most people who tell the same joke over and over again get less and less funny, but a skilled comedian is funny even if you've seen his routine a dozen times.

      I think that a mania for craft is an often overlooked element of geekdom. It certainly isn't your schooling that makes you a geek; it isn't an interest in science or math. You've got to be obsessed with doing things that other people can't. Lots of guys work on cars; quite a few are good at it. But the one who spends years trying to redesign his car is a geek, no matter what other trappings his intellectual life sports. Likewise being able to work a math problem that most people can't is not necessarily geeky. Having strongly held opinions about the best way to approach certain kinds of math problems is quintessentially geeky.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    3. Re:Also expert driver by timeOday · · Score: 2, Funny

      We're supposed to be surprised that Mr. Bean's an EE? Sheesh, I would have assumed that all along :)

    4. Re:Also expert driver by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >If you think about it, anybody who is bad at something might do >something funny by accident, but a pro has to get up on stage or on >camera and be funny on cue. Kaye taught himself to sing, dance and >fence tolerably well. Maybe not well enough to be a singing and >dancing star or that you'd put your money on him in a duel, but well >enough to be able to execute his idea of what might be funny >accurately enough to make people laugh on purpose.

      Actually, when Basil Rathbone was asked who, out of all his movie actor opponents, could have been trained to be the best fencer, he said Danny Kaye, hands down.

    5. Re:Also expert driver by Crizp · · Score: 1

      All the pros make a mess of their cars once in a while. When you're driving on the edge, sometimes you slide off :)

    6. Re:Also expert driver by DarrylKegger · · Score: 1

      Frank Caliendo's Bush impression comes to mind. If you look at the early videos of his routine, they are undeniably funny, but not as funny as the version he did on Letterman. That's unnatural.

      the more a comedian practises a bit the more polished it becomes, as with anything. Hence Caliendo's later letterman performance is stronger than his earlier one. Also, exposure on Letterman would have been a big deal for Caliendo so he more than likely would have stepped it up a notch like a true showman. So in conclusion, it was perfectly natural tht the letterman version was funnier.

  18. Linkage? by threaded · · Score: 3, Funny

    Where's the link? You can't make a statement like that and not give us a link: it leaves us all frozen and petrified.

  19. Thomas Dolby spoke at the Be Developer's Conf. by MichaelCrawford · · Score: 5, Informative
    He and I were both BeOS developers back in the day.

    His real last name isn't Dolby, it's Robertson.

    When he spoke at the BDC, it was about his high-tech startup, which developed a new audio format.

    He got sued by the Dolby corporation; according to Wikipedia, the settlement allows him to use their trademark only when in the context of "Thomas ".

    --
    Request your free CD of my piano music.
    1. Re:Thomas Dolby spoke at the Be Developer's Conf. by iainl · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but I'd be constantly confusing him with Tom Robinson if he hadn't used a made-up surname.

      It took long enough to keep Andy Bell from Erasure and Andy Bell from Ride seperate.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    2. Re:Thomas Dolby spoke at the Be Developer's Conf. by Reziac · · Score: 1

      I remember a video of Dolby creating an early tape-loop electronic piece. Every time the tape went around, he'd add one more note. It wasn't very good as music (in fact it was boring, and rather unpleasant to the ear), but it was interesting to watch its birth.

      As to unexpected geeks of a sort, pro sports is full of them. Many, perhaps most pro football and baseball players are lawyers, engineers, and even doctors in the off season.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    3. Re:Thomas Dolby spoke at the Be Developer's Conf. by Serpentegena · · Score: 1

      Thank you for raising the geekdom standards by mentioning Thomas Dolby - the geekiest GMU ever: he wrote an enormously endearing, heart-warming song called "She Blinded Me With Science"...
      Please visit his website, dude is too cool: www.thomasdolby.com

      --
      Microsoft put the "sucks" in "success".
  20. Obligatory by ilovegeorgebush · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I for one welcome our attention-whoring inte....oh god I just can't be arsed today.

    karma--;

  21. Dr. Demento's Thesis by vertigoCiel · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here at Reed College (Dr. Demento's alma mater), finding Dr. Demento's senior thesis in the Thesis Tower is a common scavenger hunt item. While the topic (the operas Wozzeck and Pelleas et Melisande) isn't traditionally nerdy, no one can get through Reed without being a little bit geeky.

    1. Re:Dr. Demento's Thesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or without being at least a little high...

  22. Erdos-Bacon number by Michael+Woodhams · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can't let this go past without bringing up Erdos-Bacon numbers.

    Natalie Portman has one of the better scores (Erdos 5 + Bacon 2 = 7). She did not (so far as I know) use her fame in her primary field (acting) to get preferential treatment in the other (science/maths.) There are scientists with a lower total, but I think they've all got an acting part on strength of their science fame (e.g. Stephen Hawking.)

    According to Wikipedia, a few people have lower Erdos-Bacon numbers which appear to be 'clean', but I haven't heard of them before: Kiralee Hayashi (3+3), Danica McKellar (4+2), Barney Pell (3+2), John Platt (3+3), Karl Schaffer (3+2), Brian Wandell (3+2), Wendelin Werner (3+3).

    --
    Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
    1. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm really wondering what acting parts Stephen Hawking has had. Wasn't there some risk of him being typecast?

      Steps aside to avoid lightning bolt

    2. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by Notquitecajun · · Score: 1

      I know he was in an episode of ST:TNG playing himself in a poker game with other famous scientists on the holodeck.

    3. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by saforrest · · Score: 1

      She did not (so far as I know) use her fame in her primary field (acting) to get preferential treatment in the other (science/maths.)

      Well, I'm sure she did not, because how would that even work! "Umm, look, I'm a famous celebrity! Please add me as a co-author on numerous academic papers so that I can be a famous academic as well!"

      Academia has its flaws, but obsession with celebrity culture is thankfully not one of them!

    4. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by Vanye1 · · Score: 1

      Danica McKellar http://www.danicamckellar.com/ is better known as Winnie from the Wonder Years. She's also been on HOW I MET YOUR MOM, THE WEST WING, and a few other shows.

      Her geek cred comes from her co-authorship of the paper titled "Percolation and Gibbs states multiplicity for ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller models on \mathbb{Z}^2" http://www.danicamckellar.com/math/percolation.pdf (warning, pdf).

      Plus, she's hotter than Natalie is now. :)

    5. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, that's somehow kinda disappointing (steps around another lightning bolt). Though does it count as acting when you are playing yourself?

    6. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by Hettch · · Score: 1

      There are scientists with a lower total, but I think they've all got an acting part on strength of their science fame (e.g. Stephen Hawking.)

      Yeah, Hawking's portrayal of Jim Thorpe was riveting. Never have I been so enthralled.

    7. Re:Erdos-Bacon number by ThePlague · · Score: 0

      Correction, he didn't play himself, he played a holographic representation of himself.

  23. Not to be a bore, but.. by Ztream · · Score: 3, Insightful

    isn't this just a list of famous people who also have an academic degree? That's hardly synonymous with "geek" for me..

    1. Re:Not to be a bore, but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think at least some of them deserve a little more credit than that. Masi Oka and Brian May certainly do, and we already know about Wil Wheaton of course.

    2. Re:Not to be a bore, but.. by Ansonmont · · Score: 1

      Agreed, but they left off one very important geek. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. He doesn't have a degree, but he "chairs a Congressional Advisory Board on missile defense"

      He's actually using his self-taught knowledge, and people listen.
      -A

      From Wikipedia:
      Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (born December 13, 1948 in Washington, D.C.) is an American guitarist best known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s. More recently, he has been working as a defense consultant, and he chairs a Congressional Advisory Board on missile defense.

    3. Re:Not to be a bore, but.. by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      In Glasgow if you've got a degree, you're a geek. Worse probably, more like prey.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  24. A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Fross · · Score: 2, Funny

    How does that work?

    "e^i*pi = -1. How does that make you feel?"

    "Pythagoras' Theorem is a^2 + b^2 = c^2. What do you think he was trying to convey by that?"

    1. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by jackhererUK · · Score: 1

      Yeah, i have never heard of anywhere offering a BA in maths, surely it would be a BSc?

    2. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by itsdapead · · Score: 4, Informative

      How does that work?

      Quoth Wikipedia:

      Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".

      The "Bachelor of Science" (BSc) is a relatively recent invention by modern universities. "Modern" in this context means "Not already 600 years old when those Romantic trendies re-wrote the dictionary". Certainly the University of Oxford (est. 1069 give or take a few decades) doesn't have any truck with this sort of newspeak and awards BA for everything.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    3. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by kongit · · Score: 1

      Question: If a train leaves Boston with an average speed of 50mph at the same time as a train leaves New York with an average speed of 60mph, assuming the distance between New York and Boston is 100 miles, what train would you rather be traveling on and why?

    4. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you go to a liberal arts school, perhaps. The school I went to, Lawrence University, offers only BA degrees (well, also a B. Music for those who are in the conservatory), no matter what you study. I assure you that the math curriculum involves no asking how it makes you feel, and is good, solid, old-fashioned math. ;)

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    5. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by IBBoard · · Score: 1

      Some Universities just like to crap up perfectly good degrees. It wasn't quite going to end up as a BA, because we'd already started it, but when the University of Manchester 'took over' UMIST (they said it was a merger) then the UMIST Computation department became Informatics in the Faculty of Humanities.

      Quite how you could be taken seriously with a BSc Computing Science from the Faculty of Humanities I don't know - luckily I got an old-style certificate as well.

      So, in summary, Universities do stupid things with degrees ;)

    6. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Currently, you pursue a bachelor of science in mathematics if
      you intend to *DO* math; i.e., continue upwards into analysis
      or use math in a computer, physics, or chemical engineering field.

      You pursue a bachelor of arts in mathematics if you intend
      to *TEACH* math.

    7. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 2, Funny

      Error: insufficient data. Please provide destinations for both trains.

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    8. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by JuanCarlosII · · Score: 1

      My Maths degree would have been a BA if I hadn't carried on and turned it into a Masters, and that was Oxford. Generally OU offers BAs for just about everything.

    9. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by xaxa · · Score: 3, Funny

      The trains are on the same track. An insect is flying back-and-forth between the two trains. When the trains collide, how will the insect feel? How will the train drivers feel? What about their families? Write an extended television news article ignoring the relative safety of rail travel. Give suitably twisted statistics where appropriate. Extra credit will be gained for interviewing survivors and asking them inappropriate questions live on national television.

      Part 2, law: outline a case for suing
      a) The driver of the first train,
      b) The manager of the railway company,
      c) A contractor working on the signalling system,
      d) A passer by,
      e) Your grandmother,
      f) The insect.
      Show how you would win each case.

    10. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Notquitecajun · · Score: 1

      You left out Bush and Cheney for suits.

    11. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by sensei+moreh · · Score: 1

      Back 30 some-odd years ago, if you were a Math major at UCLA you earned a Bachelor of Arts degree; a Bachelor of Science degree wasn't an option unless you double-majored in a discipline that offered a BS and made the BS-granting discipline your primary major. Been there, done that.

      --
      Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
    12. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by hansamurai · · Score: 1

      I have a BA in Computer Science (and East Asian Studies). The difference between a BA and a BS at UW-Madison is a three credit online nutrition course. I just took a lot of foreign language when I was there and the BA came easily.

    13. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by lahvak · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps is a similar way as "Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics"?

      --
      AccountKiller
    14. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      Bzzt. So, so wrong.

    15. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by bob_herrick · · Score: 1
    16. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The school I went to (Rice) offers (offered?) only a BA in the engineering program because they required so many courses that students didn't have time to take the minimal courses in English/history/etc. required by whatever group certifies those things to qualify for a BS.

      Captcha; graduate - I kid you not.

    17. Re:A Bachelor of *arts* in Mathematics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "e^i*pi = -1. How does that make you feel?" I don't know about you, but it makes me feel all tingly in my private places.
  25. What about Jonathan Miller... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Academic's Academic.....top doctor, theatrical impressario, TV personality, actor, comedian.........

    Mind you, all the Brit Footlights comics are academic - they all come from Cambridge...

  26. Gary Numan by clickclickdrone · · Score: 1

    Wrote his own website and flies aerobatic stunts at airshows - does that count?

    --
    I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
    1. Re:Gary Numan by W33B · · Score: 0

      no gary it doesn't!

    2. Re:Gary Numan by clickclickdrone · · Score: 1

      Damn, rumbled, better get back to my car then and go down the park.

      --
      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
  27. Obvious Missing Entries by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There's Elvis Costello - former computer programmer who chucked it all for Rock 'N Roll...
    (He kept the geek look but lost the career!)

    Peter Gabriel is quite the computer nerd...

    Joe Walsh of the Eagles - he's got a Ham Radio license...

    And Jeff Foxworthy used to work for IBM, but I'm not sure how nerdy he was.

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    1. Re:Obvious Missing Entries by 3waygeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

      More missing entries:

      Gary Shandling -- was an EE before going into comedy
      Cindy Crawford -- valedictorian of her high school class, received ChemE scholarship to Northwestern
      Teri Hatcher -- math major

    2. Re:Obvious Missing Entries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you've ever wondered what tie to wear with your basic black suit... you might work at IBM.
      If you've ever thought that OS/2 was "kinda neat"... you might work at IBM.
      If you've ever wondered what the deal with that silly Macintosh was... you might work at IBM.

      ...yeah, these don't really work too well.

    3. Re:Obvious Missing Entries by DannyO152 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Big fan of Elvis Costello, I respect the hell out of him, but I understand that the job was as basic operator, meaning he was mounting and unmountng data reels.

    4. Re:Obvious Missing Entries by dwiget001 · · Score: 0

      Joe Walsh, to the best of my recall, also invented (and held at least one patent at one time) on the phaze guitar.

    5. Re:Obvious Missing Entries by BeerDiablo · · Score: 1

      I was told by an IBM employee worked in Atlanta that Foxworthy was a CE for IBM on mainframes. How long and what he actually worked on are to be considered for grading his geek cred.

  28. BFD by Capt+James+McCarthy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Who cares about 'stars' anyway? Good for them that they have a degree or degrees. Why must society keep patting these entertainers on the back? I paid my $9.50 to see the movie, shut up and entertain me I don't give a shit about your background.

    --
    There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
    1. Re:BFD by SpeedyDX · · Score: 1

      Um ... you DO realize they're called stars for a reason, right? Maybe YOU don't care about them, but clearly SOMEBODY does.

    2. Re:BFD by spleen_blender · · Score: 1

      This shouldn't have been modded flame bait. He is completely right. We don't talk about famous scientists who have studied theatre or are amateur thespians. So why do we talk about actors who have science and technology as a hobby.

      This star worship is the exact same that is always a sign of the downfall of a civilization in times past, and you people are helping push us over the cliff.

  29. Irony... by nsebban · · Score: 1

    How wrong he was ! Look, in 2007, most major still push the CD as the main way to sell music. Some even try to sell vinyls again. This Zappa guy was so damn wrong about what the consummer wants ! Oh wait...

    --
    ____
    nico
    Nico-Live
  30. Reverse music/tech link: Schildt (no, really) by scottsk · · Score: 1

    Don't forget Herb Schildt was in the progressive rock band Starcastle before turning to the word processor and churning out an almost infinite stream of books on MS-DOS and C, and later C++. I think he may still be around today, but he was big in the 90s as sort of the paragon/punching-bag of bad technical writing.

    1. Re:Reverse music/tech link: Schildt (no, really) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Schildt should have stuck to music. His books on C & C++ are truly the paragon of awful and dangerously wrong. He even has his own term to describe it: "Bullschildt".

    2. Re:Reverse music/tech link: Schildt (no, really) by scottsk · · Score: 1

      At least Schildt has name recognition, something that can't be said of the other celebrities on the list at least by people who don't keep up with celebrities or know who they are. (Zappa was the only name I recognized.) Schildt is one of the rare people who has become a household name after leaving a showbiz career -- is there a remaindered book table in America that doesn't have one of his books on it? That can hardly be said of Starcastle albums, which are considered pretty decent prog rock among those in the know, although I haven't heard any.

    3. Re:Reverse music/tech link: Schildt (no, really) by superwiz · · Score: 1

      Hmm. I found his C book a good read when I was 14. So I am not sure I'd agree that the books are bad. They are just as good as good "for dummies" books only less condescending.

      --
      Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  31. An opera star by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Bayrakdarian

    Isabel Bayrakdarian is an excellent opera star and also a graduate engineer. She graduated and did some coop terms while she was in school but afaict she hasn't practiced. Even so, she doesn't feel that her engineering training was a waste. The mental training it gave her makes it much easier to prepare for her opera roles.

  32. Zappa geek trivia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Intel made a motherboard namned after him. It was a Pentium 90MHz board that really rocked at the time.

  33. I have a BA in Physics from UC Santa Cruz by MichaelCrawford · · Score: 1
    at the time that's the only option the physics department offered undergrads. I'm rather proud of it actually - I think I got a better education at "Uncle Charlie's Summer Camp" than I did during my first two years at Caltech; for example I took classes in painting and drawing.

    At the time, they didn't give grades. Instead, instructors wrote a short "narrative evaluation" about their students' performance.

    However, I understand that they've given into economic pressures, so that now both grades and BS degrees are offered.

    --
    Request your free CD of my piano music.
  34. Patrick Moore by lobiusmoop · · Score: 1

    The thread would not be complete without a nod to the British astronomer Patrick Moore. Here in the UK, he has been presenting The Sky at Night for oer 50 years now, which is an oasis of geekdom in an increasingly dumbed-down BBC schedule.

    --
    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
  35. But then that removes the distinction by Fross · · Score: 1

    Surely the difference between a BA and BSc is in the approach of study - and some subjects are approachable from many angles. While I'd not expect a BA in Engineering, other cutting-edge science could be - I'd expect a BSc in genetics or nanotech to be versed in the technical application thereof, while a BA could be more on the ethics, real-world scenarios and so forth. Both would be strongly versed in theory, of course.

    But yeah, I would expect a BA in Maths to be about as useful as a BSc in art - while a fascinating idea, I wouldn't get such a person to design me something :)

    1. Re:But then that removes the distinction by csrster · · Score: 1
      "I would expect a BA in Maths to be about as useful as a BSc in art"

      Well that gets rid of Stephen Hawking, for a start.

    2. Re:But then that removes the distinction by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      But yeah, I would expect a BA in Maths to be about as useful as a BSc in art - while a fascinating idea, I wouldn't get such a person to design me something :) Good. We wouldn't want to design it for Mr. Old MeaniePants anyway!

              ( I kid. I have a BA in math, and was just as well prepared for my more advanced studies as anyone else. Well, except for some Chinese classmates who already had Ph.D.s)
  36. hedy lamarr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "beauty queen Hedy Lamarr (Ecstasy, Samson and Delilah) owns us all for her pioneering work on spread spectrum technology, which makes both Ethernet and your cell phone tick."

    more details here.

    http://www.inventions.org/culture/female/lamarr.html

  37. encouraging kids back into science ... by ja · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You mean they could be good role models like in: "I couldn't get a proper job despite my academic education(s) but hey, who can complain when you get millions for jumping up and down like a monkey?"

    --

    send + more == money? ...
    1. Re:encouraging kids back into science ... by Hijacked+Public · · Score: 1

      No, he wrote roll models......as in 16 sided dice.

      --
      "Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
    2. Re:encouraging kids back into science ... by Nullav · · Score: 1

      couldn't get a proper job...get millions for jumping up and down like a monkey
      Pardon, but that not only sounds like a 'proper' job, but a very desirable one at that. If you mean betterment of society, rather than of oneself, then think about all of the people out there with flat nothing to do between work and sleep.
      --
      I just read Slashdot for the articles.
    3. Re:encouraging kids back into science ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Er, Masi Oka still consults for ILM. He has been working for ILM for a long time. A double major in Math & Computer Science, works for ILM and plays a key character in a major television series...and you have the balls to say he "Can't get a proper job"? Uh huh.

    4. Re:encouraging kids back into science ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what about those of us who sleep AT work, you insensitive clod!

    5. Re:encouraging kids back into science ... by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 1

      "I couldn't get a proper job despite my academic education(s) but hey, who can complain when you get millions for jumping up and down like a monkey?" Steve Ballmer?
  38. From Asia's Bio... by ConanG · · Score: 4, Informative

    This comes directly from her bio: http://www.asiacarrera.com/bio.html

    Geeky Academic Stuff - NJ spelling champ, National Mathematics League, Spanish National Honor Society, placed in National Geography, Language Arts, and Mathematics Olympiads.

    Geeky Other Stuff - Played classical piano at Carnegie Hall at 13 & 14 (Ernesto Lecuona's 'Malaguena' and Bach's 13th Invention), taught Colloquial English at Tsuruga College in Japan at 16

    Education - Attended performing arts high school (emphasis on instrumental music and visual arts), National Merit Scholarship Winner (for 1440 on SAT's), and Garden State Scholar (for nerdly grades). Attended Rutgers University on full academic scholarship, with a double-major in Business and Japanese.

    1. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Real Geeks and Nerds don't drop out of college chasing the almighty dollar, like Asia. If you think her bio was anything but a lure for the lonely disenfranchised man (imagine that, a trait common amongst pornaholics), then, well, she succeeded. Hate to burst your bubble while you burst your noodle, but the same ingredient missing in her craft of passion, love, is also sorely lacking as applied to all things passionate to most Geeks and Nerds - the love and ambition for learning. You, sir, have been duped!

      I can almost hear her pressing the $$ buttons. Cha Ching! Cha Ching!

    2. Re:From Asia's Bio... by just_forget_it · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Thanks for the NSFW label, asshole.

    3. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [blockquote]Real Geeks and Nerds don't drop out of college chasing the almighty dollar[/blockquote]

      What about the king of geeks himself, Bill Gates? :)

    4. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Alomex · · Score: 1

      He didn't drop out to make a buck. He was chasing the technology. The buck came after.

    5. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He didn't drop out to make a buck. He was chasing the technology. The buck came after.
      That's Bill Gates you are talking about, not Woz. Bill Gates has never cared about technology a day in his life. It's always been about greenbacks.
    6. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the NSFW label, asshole.

      Fark's that-a-way, kid.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    7. Re:From Asia's Bio... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You thought a porn star's website would be safe for work? He might be an asshole, but you're just fucking stupid.

  39. Brian May by BigBadBus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Brian May *doesn't* have a PhD. He has submitted his thesis, but hasn't been awarded it yet. Get your facts right.

    1. Re:Brian May by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      Get your own facts right. May was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Hertfordshire University in 2002.

      http://www.top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=4078&string=Music

      And before you go all pissy about May's PhD not being "real", you might want to research the degee-granting process at accredited universities. He's legitimately allowed to call himself Doctor if he wants to, and the university will back him on it.

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    2. Re:Brian May by BigBadBus · · Score: 1

      Get your own facts right! The slashdot article talks about May getting a specific doctorate - "Astrophysics". The honorary one just talks about a generic science PhD. Also, the article linked to mentions May submitting his PhD, NOT the honorary doctorate.
      I don't mind people getting accredited PhDs and calling themselves "Dr", but I have never heard of anyone doing so. I had to work bloody hard for my own doctorate, so I can call myself Dr!
      FFS!

    3. Re:Brian May by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      I'll pretend to be a good li'l grad student and keep feeding Herr Doctor Professor the links. You can have a look and judge for yourself whether or not May has a doctorate, or perhaps something higher. You might pay particular attention to the section that states the doctorate in science was regarded "as a greater distinction than a professorial chair and hence a professor who was also a D.Sc. would be known as Doctor."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Science

      Your original post said, "Brian May *doesn't* have a PhD. He has submitted his thesis, but hasn't been awarded it yet. Get your facts right."

      I see nothing there specifying that you were referring only to that specific Ph.D., and all others were meaningless in your estimation. I suggest that a successful award will give May his second doctorate. Perhaps you are also confused about the way degrees are designated in North America vs the UK. Had you been aware of this difference you may have chosen to be more temperate in your language and thus seemed less like just another arrogant, dismissive Eurotrash prick. Over here, "Doctor" means physician. Ph.D.'s who insist on calling themselves "Doctor" are regarded by many with some degree of contempt. The phrase "Piled Higher and Deeper" is sometimes used.

      Have a nice day.

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  40. ...and what about George Clinton? by tpholland · · Score: 2, Funny

    He apparently has a BA in Mathematics.

  41. Re:Whenever a Muslim opens his mouth, a lie comes by vbraga · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yes, because, obviously Syria and Sudan are almost the same country. Those muslins people, the same everywhere!

    From the little hut I live - I'm South American - I've heard in the big country to the north people are SO civilized! Money from government budget is not diverted into big corporations, their foreign police aims at the noblest principles from international law. At least, the guys that founded it said so. Don't know how they're today, news come quite slowly here: Tom didn't go the city this week to bring in the news, you know.

    Oh, get out off the bubble, man! Muslim people are not the same, as the western civilization isn't. There was nice Muslims societies in history - some of them got nice intellectual wonders, such as Averrois philosophy - but today they're stuck on their dark ages, specially with the surge of wasabanism lately. Just bombing them doesn't work. Just saying "oh Lord, they're BAD!" doesn't too. Understand the problem, solve the problem.

    And no, I don't understand it as a whole. I'm not even western, if you follow american definition of the western society - how could my opinion count by your standards ? But get the humility to say you doesn't understand it too and, if you care, go study it. If you don't have it, at least keep your mouth shut.

    --
    English is not my first language. Corrections and suggestions are welcome.
  42. Psychology by Dr.+Cody · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think we've all got to recognize that the psychology department is where people go if they're not geeky enough to go into engineering or compsci, but have too much self-respect to wake up one day with a Bachelor's of microeconomics on their wall.

    Natalie Portman isn't a geek, she's just a girl who was smart enough not to spend four years with a bunch of Star Wars fans.

    1. Re:Psychology by jpfed · · Score: 1

      I think we've all got to recognize that the psychology department is where people go if they're not geeky enough to go into engineering or compsci Where does our interest in a particular subject come from? It comes from (at least) two things:

      1. Knowledge of the subject helps the knower improve their balance of reward/punishment (we are not as often interested in things that make no difference to whether we receive reward or punishment)
      2. The subject is nontrivial (we are not as often interested in very simple things, because we don't need to devote attention to them in order to accrue their benefits)

      Brains and computers both are complex decision-making machines whose workings really matter. It should come as no surprise that there are people like me that studied both at university. How does that fit with the idea that psychology is just for those that couldn't cut it in a more technical subject?
    2. Re:Psychology by MicktheMech · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is real science being practiced under the heading of Psychology. There is also pseudo-science people call psychology. What we really need is for a particular geeky slashdotter to track down her papers and have a look at the analysis.

    3. Re:Psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think we've all got to recognize that the psychology department is where people go if they're not geeky enough to go into engineering or compsci, but have too much self-respect to wake up one day with a Bachelor's of microeconomics on their wall.

      Well there is some truth to that. While some people go into Psychology because they enjoy it, there are a lot of people who ended up there after leaving a hard science or engineering major.

      Pretty much everyone who washes out of science or engineering ends up in either psychology or business, if they don't drop out completely.

    4. Re:Psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People that major in psychology are kooks who are trying to figure out what's off with their brain. Did you ever try talking to those people? Kooks!

    5. Re:Psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was tracking her papers. And I kept trying to look at her analysis.

      But then she filed the restraining order.

    6. Re:Psychology by typicallyterrific · · Score: 1
      http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en&lr=&sa=G&oi=qs&q=natalie+hershlag+author:n-hershlag

      Unfortunately, I'm a CS undergrad, so I'm not sure I'd be a good candidate for judging whether "good science" is getting accomplished here. Here's a cache link to the first paper for those of you without university-paid subscriptions to the journal, since the posted pdf is now 404'ing.

      The title & the abstract lead me to think that it's not the pseudo-science kind of psychology getting practiced here.

      The ability to create and hold a mental schema of an object is one of the milestones in cognitive development. Developmental scientists have named the behavioral manifestation of this competence object permanence. Convergent evidence indicates that frontal lobe maturation plays a critical role in the display of object permanence, but methodological and ethical constrains have made it difficult to collect neurophysiological evidence from awake, behaving infants. Near-infrared spectroscopy provides a noninvasive assessment of changes in oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin concentration within a prescribed region. The evidence described in this report reveals that the emergence of object permanence is related to an increase in hemoglobin concentration in frontal cortex.


    7. Re:Psychology by typicallyterrific · · Score: 1

      Note to self: next time scroll down before doing this sort of thing.

      http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=340667&cid=21127661

    8. Re:Psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Pretty much everyone who washes out of science or engineering ends up in either psychology or business, if they don't drop out completely.

      Cite, please?

  43. Kris Kristofferson by puto · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Although he doesn't have the best voice. He did write a slew of hits, Bobby Mcgee and Help me Make it through the night. Was one of the highway men.

    1. Rhodes Scholar.
    2. Military Helicopter Pilot.
    3. Assigned as a professor at West Point but resigned his commission.
    4. Golden Gloves boxer.

    A true geek in the Heinlein sense. Smart and tough.

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  44. Prior Art in any patent cases? by T-Kir · · Score: 1

    Although I don't know at hand if there are any patent trolls or music companies claiming this idea as IP. But wouldn't it being written down in that book count as prior art?

    Just food for thought people.

    --
    Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
  45. Opera is way geeky by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From wiki

    "A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is very broad, and allows for mathematics geeks, engineering geeks, sci-fi geeks, computer geeks, various science geeks, movie and film geeks (cinephile), comics geeks, theatre geeks, history geeks, gamer geeks, music geeks, art geeks, SCA geeks, literature geeks."

    The definition fits opera buffs to a tee. Usually it's a good idea to do some serious studying before going to an opera or you will miss 3/4 of what's going on even if they have subtitles. The result is that an opera buff is full of knowledge/facts/trivia about whatever opera they are watching. They are seriously outside the mainstream.
  46. Not science by mapkinase · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This has no relevance to "Science" section and should not even belong to /. This is more like Digg story.

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  47. Physics of Baseball by mdsolar · · Score: 1

    The summary metions Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. Jeff Francis, pitcher for the Rockies is a Physics Major: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/columnist/bodley/2007-10-23-bodley-column_N.htm.

  48. D-List by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dr. Demento, Montel Williams, Natalie Portman, Curt Schilling, and Huey Lewis.

    Wow! You can't imagine just how glad I am right now that I'm not a geek!
  49. Poor Marvin... by fullymodo · · Score: 1

    How about Douglas Adams? His degree may have been in English Literature, but my Joo Janta Geek-Sensing Sunglasses certainly go completely black looking at anything he produced in his regrettably short career...

    --
    In the land of the blind, the one eyed man still has no depth perception.
  50. Don't forget by UnHolier+than+ever · · Score: 1

    Paul Verhoeven, physicist, who directed Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers.

    1. Re:Don't forget by tb3 · · Score: 1

      And don't forget "Basic Instinct" and 'Showgirls".
      Oh, wait...

      --

      www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance

  51. Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring by bajan_on_ice · · Score: 4, Informative

    Dexter Holland, lead singer of the the band "The Offspring" has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California. He is also a PhD candidate in Molecular Biology.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_Holland

    --
    "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."
    1. Re:Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      Likewise Bad Religion's Greg Graffin who has a masters in geology and a PhD in zoology (following a thesis about evolutionary biology). Something about SoCal punk seems to crank out geeks.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    2. Re:Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring by Rary · · Score: 1

      "Something about SoCal punk seems to crank out geeks."

      And it's been that way for a while it seems. Let's not forget Milo Aukerman.

      --

      "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -- Albert Einstein

  52. What about Winnie? by georgeha · · Score: 1

    Danica McKellar has her own math theorem, and a book.

  53. Greg Graffin, from Bad Religion by ospirata · · Score: 1

    The Bad Religion front-man has a PHD degree, is a professor at UCLA and is a long-time anti-creationism militant. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Graffin/

  54. PhD !=geek by sm62704 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Having a PhD does not, of course, preclude nerdiness, but it doesn't guarantee it, either. My old boss Charlie (now retired in Florida) had a PhD and was, in fact, a true geek. OTOH, the fellow now in the next office from mine has a PhD but is dumb as a box of rocks, and has no geek qualifications whatever aside from being a fat dork who wears glasses. It doesn't take a high IQ to obtain a PhD, just stubbornness and a good work ethic. It does require a three digit IQ to be a nerd.

    The #1 all time famous nerd was Niel Armstrong, who was an engineer who famously said "I am and always will be a pocket protector wearing nerd". He accomplished the ultimate in nerdiness, being the first man to step foot on another world. That was a nerd's wet dream come true!

    -mcgrew
    (Linked text is titled "Growing Up With Computers" from 2005, in it is mention of Niel's most famous act of nerdiness. Another of my useless but on-topic scribblings is a two year old blagh titled What is a nerd?)

    --
    mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    1. Re:PhD !=geek by Rixel · · Score: 1

      Yikes! If you are going to throw around stuff like that, please get the name of the person you are invoking correctly.

      Unless Finland put a guy up recently?

      --
      Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
    2. Re:PhD !=geek by ospirata · · Score: 1

      The thing is that a PhD, or even a barchelor's degree, is FAR MORE geekness than what we could ever expect from some kind of people that look so dumb.

    3. Re:PhD !=geek by sm62704 · · Score: 1

      Dud I spel it rong?

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    4. Re:PhD !=geek by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Nerds need Smarts
      Geeks does not need smarts.

      Degrees don't enter into it.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    5. Re:PhD !=geek by sm62704 · · Score: 1

      I wasn't referring to looking stupid, I was referring to a) DOING stupid things and b) being unable to figure something out. Most of us nerds look stupid, that doesn't count.

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    6. Re:PhD !=geek by xPsi · · Score: 2, Funny

      It does require a three digit IQ to be a nerd. In a base greater than nine.
      --
      i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
    7. Re:PhD !=geek by sm62704 · · Score: 1

      Spoken like a true nerd!

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    8. Re:PhD !=geek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't take a high IQ to obtain a PhD, just stubbornness and a good work ethic.
      Is that how you got yours?

      It depends what the PhD is in, and where it is from. PhD in film studies? Not hard to get with a low IQ. PhD in mathematics? Very hard to get with a low IQ. At any rate, getting a PhD is a rather nerdy thing to do in most cases. Another thing to keep in mind is that several very nerdy people have claimed that they were not particularly intelligent, eg Feynman, and Hamming.
    9. Re:PhD !=geek by ikleinit · · Score: 1

      Having a PhD does not, of course, preclude nerdiness, but it doesn't guarantee it, either. My old boss Charlie (now retired in Florida) had a PhD and was, in fact, a true geek. OTOH, the fellow now in the next office from mine has a PhD but is dumb as a box of rocks, and has no geek qualifications whatever aside from being a fat dork who wears glasses. It doesn't take a high IQ to obtain a PhD, just stubbornness and a good work ethic. It does require a three digit IQ to be a nerd.

      The #1 all time famous nerd was Niel Armstrong, who was an engineer who famously said "I am and always will be a pocket protector wearing nerd". He accomplished the ultimate in nerdiness, being the first man to step foot on another world. That was a nerd's wet dream come true!

      -mcgrew
      (Linked text is titled "Growing Up With Computers" from 2005, in it is mention of Niel's most famous act of nerdiness. Another of my useless but on-topic scribblings is a two year old blagh titled What is a nerd?) Don't forget Dolph Lundgren Swedish B action Movie star. A native of Stockholm, Dolph Lundgren is a graduate of the Royal Institute of Technology. He has a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney (1982), and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983 - but quit after two weeks to pursue acting Neil Armstorng Never when TOE to TOE with Rocky Balboa
    10. Re:PhD !=geek by sm62704 · · Score: 1

      There is nothing in your post I would disagree with.

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
  55. Hard to believe? by Rixel · · Score: 1

    Is it so hard to believe that someone, who may have had a promising career in geekdom (ie..lots of slashcred), receives an opportunity that given a cost/benefit analysis will not only get him/her laid, but might possibly lead to megabucks and/or be a guest spot on The Simpsons, decides to leave writing grant proposals forever?

    Unpossible!

    --
    Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
    1. Re:Hard to believe? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      That's the easy part. Just deciding to be famous won't make it so.

      Besides, I know people with Music and math degrees that work at Toys-R-Us.

      I think what's happening here is geeks our using these actors as a way to say 'See, I'm cool!'...
      or for the easy and cliched example 'See mom, I'm cool.'

      I never could buy into the cult of personalities, so this sort of thing is just odd to me.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  56. Actually, geekier than it sounds. by porcupine8 · · Score: 4, Informative
    After discovering that she published her papers under her birth name of Hershlag (urg, no wonder she took a stage name), I found one of them on Google Scholar:

    Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

    Definitely geekier than your average psych paper.

    And it appears that her other paper, on which she was first author while in high school, was actually in chemistry:

    A Simple Method To Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar

    Though it's actually in a chemistry education journal, and appears to maybe have something to do with doing demonstrations in chemistry classrooms.

    --
    Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    1. Re:Actually, geekier than it sounds. by olddotter · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Damn. Now I am going to stay awake at night thinking of Portman. Sexy, Cute, and smart. Oh why why couldn't she be stupid...... :-(

    2. Re:Actually, geekier than it sounds. by SlowMovingTarget · · Score: 1

      I hate to (possibly) burst your bubble, but she is co-author of these, not sole author. Two other boys worked on the high school paper with her, and three men and two other women worked on the psych. paper. There's no telling how much content is hers, short of asking her. There you go, write her a letter...

      Dear Natalie,

      I read your psych paper on Google (I read it three times, it was REALLY GOOD!) the other day. I was wondering if you could tell me which paragraphs you wrote, so I could read them again, only with your voice in my head, because that would be awesome, OK?

      Thanks,

      o / x * 2y
    3. Re:Actually, geekier than it sounds. by superwiz · · Score: 1

      I hate to (possibly) burst your bubble, but she is co-author of these, not sole author. Two other boys worked on the high school paper with her, and three men and two other women worked on the psych. paper. There's no telling how much content is hers, short of asking her. Actually, there is. In experimental sciences, the first name on the paper is the author, the names in the middle contributed something to the paper (sorted in descending order by the level of contribution as determined by the author) and the last name in the paper is the person running the lab. So Natalie is the least important person in the paper to which you linked.
      --
      Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
    4. Re:Actually, geekier than it sounds. by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      Probably because she was an undergrad at the time. She probably ran the subjects for the lab and maybe did a little data analysis. The HS one, she's first author, though.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
  57. Rod Steward is a Model Railroader! by 80N · · Score: 1

    How on earth could the article have missed off Rod Stewart. This Telegraph article tells that he was recently featured on the front page of Model Railroader.

    That's way too geek for me.

    1. Re:Rod Steward is a Model Railroader! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pete Waterman (Manager & producer) beats Rod Stewart. Waterman has not only presented a TV series on trains, he owns a train maintenance company which has an extensive collection of old locomotives. Pete Waterman is the only person who owns a British Rail APT unit, for example.

      I wonder if Pete & Rod get together and argue over their favourite locos?

  58. I'm a person by ObiWanStevobi · · Score: 1

    I'm a person that just happens to blog, code for a living, and play video games, too. I also have an addiction to Lucas, Adams, and Tolkien. When something bad happens, I say that "Someone set me up the bomb!". I've skipped school to play a chess game against a master. I've waited in line for video game releases. Being a person that just happens to do all these things makes me a nerd. I used to not like the term nerd. But once you get into the professional world, the term nerd is no longer a bad thing. It goes form meaning social outcast to smart person who somehow makes computers and technology work just like you want them to. And best of all, it pays pretty well to. While the terms nerd and geek may be offensive growing up, any grown up should embrace the terms, I think.

    1. Re:I'm a person by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Being a person that just happens to do all these things makes me a nerd.

      No, it doesn't. By definition, someone that calls themself a nerd is not, regardless of how many "nerd traits" they possess or cultivate.

      The proper term for what you're describing is "wannabe".

      From the _Zen_of_Nerd_: "A true nerd simply is".

  59. innocuous rant == journalist? by weighn · · Score: 1

    ...shes a Psyc student, published a couple papers. Seriously, thats enough to make the geek list? I've had a couple of letters published in the newspaper - does that make me a journalist?
    --
    Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
  60. Futurama Staff by k2enemy · · Score: 1

    Many of the people involved in making Futurama are degree heavy. Degrees aren't sufficient for geekdom, but watching the show and DVD commentaries gives evidence that they are true geeks.

    Ken Keeler has a Ph.D. in applied math and a masters in electrical engineering
    David X Cohen has a Masters in theoretical computer science
    Bill Odenkirk has a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry
    Jeff Westbrook has a Ph.D. in computer science

    list taken from interview with Cohen at http://frontwheeldrive.com/david-x-cohen-futuramas-head-in-a-jar

  61. As long as Winnie Cooper made the list ... by louzerr · · Score: 2, Funny

    I had to make sure Danica McKellar made the list ... sure enough.

    She was recently on NPR talking about what she was doing with her degree in mathmatics ...

    Poor Kevin Arnold! How'd he let her slip away?

    --
    "The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away" -- "Step Right Up", Tom Waits
  62. Abby-ness by Trikshot · · Score: 1

    According to IMDb and her fan sites, Pauley Perrette, who plays goth geek chick Abby Sciuto on CBS's NCIS, received a Master's degree in Criminology (with honors) from Georgia State and also studied Sociology and Psychology.

    Additionally, apparently fellow NCIS cast member Sean Murray ("Probie" Timothy McGee[k]) is a real-life computer geek and David McCallum (Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard) is actually licensed to perform autopsies.

    (Of course, take these with the usual internet disclaimers.)

    --
    I reject your reality and substitute my own!
    1. Re:Abby-ness by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 1

      Best thing about NCIS is that the guy that plays Tony screwed up and lost Jessica Alba. That fact brings a smile everytime I think about it.

  63. Ed Begley, Jr. by Noexit · · Score: 1

    He only got an "honorable mention" but because of his long standing environmental efforts and advocacy I think he should belong as a proper geek/nerd.

    --

    Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo

  64. Most EE's with a soldering iron make me cringe.... by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 2, Insightful

    , probably because a shockingly large percentage of them don't seem to know which end to pick the thing up by. :)

    Over ~30 years in electronics, I have met many engineers who are whizzes with SPICE simulations or Fourier transforms, but put them on a bench with a screwdriver and a soldering iron, and you have created a weapon of mass destruction targeted at the most expensive piece of silicon in the vicinity. Some of them know this, and leave the hands-on development/prototyping work to engineering techs, or others with the experience and training for it (most of which is NOT taught in a university EE program anymore).

    The few engineers that I have met who can actually BUILD their ideas as well as they could design them got that part of their training outside of an EE program. Some started in TV repair shops, some were techs in the military, and others were ham radio operators, model rocketry geeks, or hardware hackers long before they got out of HS.

    --
    Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
  65. Stephen Fry by dwater · · Score: 1

    They missed Stephen Fry, who's the cleverest person I don't know, celeb or otherwise.

    Here's a direct link to his web site (taken from the above article).

    --
    Max.
  66. engineering, college education != geekdom by unity100 · · Score: 1

    engineering is a profession and people do not go to college because of their geeky aspirations, but in order to get good salaries and a social status in life, unfortunately. and this unfortunately has been as such for centuries. with the logic that this article is using, we have to classify almost any engineer or science related branch graduate from the last 200 years as geeks. which is totally absurd. i just cant understand why the people who are mentioned at the start of the list have been put in geek category just because of their degrees in this or that field.

    the sole fact that many of these people shown as "geeks" due to having a degree in a field are making a living and fame with totally different activities than their degree suggests is that they were pushed/coerced into choosing such a field to study while they were young because of the practical necessities of society - the need for good salary and social status. therefore they do not have any difference to countless people we have as friends from college, who have a degree in a field, but totally irrelevant when it comes to geek considerations. the list is therefore not valid.

    "geek" is a way of thinking and behaving. it has much to do with getting excited about new things, using them, even pioneering some of them, or accepting the ways of the online world (which kinda almost totally turn around geeky concepts like tech, blogs, networking, internet, humor) and acting on them, having a strong imagination and not being afraid to use and enjoy it, being creative with a creative community, having a killing sense of humor and etc etc.

  67. http://routergod.com/ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All the geek babes tutor you on networking issues at http://routergod.com/ ;~)

    I am not in any way affiliated with them - so there.

  68. REAL geeks in that list are by unity100 · · Score: 1

    Red Sox ace pitcher Curt Schilling is a notorious EverQuest and Advanced Squad Leader junkie who has gone so far as to found his very own MMORPG firm and blog, but without more sports stars on our list, he was simply too much of an outlier. this is MAJOR geek. what kind of "geek" understanding the creators of TFA has, i dont know, but definitely they seem to have bought it from a local ma&pa shop. the example above classifies one of the top place in the highest mountain of geekdom, yet these jerks have put him at the bottom of the list for having "too much sports". idiots.

    the list is totally upside down. this girl placed people who got degrees from any field at the top of the list, yet real geeks at the bottom. she must have a degree fetish or something.

    Angela Gunn, please leave your geek membership card at the reception on your way out. thank you.
    1. Re:REAL geeks in that list are by Hello+Kitty · · Score: 1

      Nope, not gonna; if you don't understand the difference between article structures and weighted lists, son, I'm not giving you my card as a cheat sheet. Also not leaving my five-digit Slashdot ID at "the reception" (ooh, is there cake?!) either -- and you're lucky I didn't simply identify Schilling as a pitcher for a Boston-based Yankees farm team. Go Rockies.

      (Love the rest of the suggestions, everyone else, and am genuinely embarrassed that I left off the entire Futurama crew; this page was after all sitting in my research stack for the duration. One more that no one seems to have noted here so far, BTW: Jenny McCarthy. She was on the list for the medical-inquiry section for her autism work; when the inevitable editing-down process began, she was alas cut.) Thanks for reading the piece!

    2. Re:REAL geeks in that list are by unity100 · · Score: 1

      Nope, not gonna; if you don't understand the difference between article structures and weighted lists, son, I'm not giving you my card as a cheat sheet. Also not leaving my five-digit Slashdot ID at "the reception" (ooh, is there cake?!) either -- and you're lucky I didn't simply identify Schilling as a pitcher for a Boston-based Yankees farm team. Go Rockies. come on ma/paps, you very well know that in such articles whatever is important gets described either on entry phases or before mid section of the article. and its exactly like that. it IS a structure and in that structure it repeatedly not only mentions that the geekiests are the people who have irrelevant degrees, but also puts the real geeks last, and explicitly states that these are "less" geek, but deserved mention. so, someone who have done squad leadership in big mmogs in major guilds, and then this having cut it, went off to set a mmo company up, despite he is actually a sports celebrity gets a honorary, small mention, but someone who had acquired a degree in any field with good salary and social status in mind, but then became celebrity are hi-profile geeks. i think not.
  69. some old school new england nerds by trb · · Score: 1

    J Geils and his band were nerds, they got together at Worcester Tech in the late 60's.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_J._Geils_Band

    These days, Geils lives outside Boston and plays occasional jazz gigs.

    And the late, great Erland Van Lidth de Jeude was a hacker at MIT, an opera singer, an Olympic wrestler, and a film actor.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erland_Van_Lidth_De_Jeude

  70. What about Rod Stewart by Ydna · · Score: 1

    What about Rod Stewart? The dude has a 1,500 square-foot model train layout on the third floor of his Beverly Hills home. He built nearly all the models and structures on it. It's on the cover of the current issue of Model Railroader. He takes cases full of supplies and tools on tour with him so he can keep working on his models. Now that is some serious geek for a star of this magnitude.

    --

    "The great thing about multitasking is that several things can go wrong at once." -me

  71. The Howard Huge dog? Huh? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    So...there're actually two reasons to like Natalie?

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  72. Robin Williams demos "Spore" prob. NSFW by colenski · · Score: 1

    Very funny, funnest game demo I've ever seen:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5TXEUiR1Xk

    The delicious part is, in the end the demo crashes. Locks the machine hard.

    1. Re:Robin Williams demos "Spore" prob. NSFW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh, yeah that's pretty good.

  73. Mad Grad Students by Safiiru · · Score: 1

    Where's David X. Cohen? He did write that algorithms paper before going on to write things slightly less technical and notably more amusing. And anyone on the Futurama DVD commentary tracks is totally a celebrity.

  74. Rundgren by Black-Man · · Score: 1

    Talking about a guy obsessed w/ technology... he spent heavily to have the latest video technology in the late 70's. And his "musical director", Roger Powell had a Imsai 8080 controlling a Serge modular via CV/Gate w/ a customized A/D converter into an Apple II w/ a crude sequencer program written in assembler. He later moved it to the PC and released it as "Texture".

    Its kinda too bad. Their music suffered during this period. Obviously they were spending the majority of their time on these side projects.

    1. Re:Rundgren by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 1

      I think he did a lot of his videos on an Amiga with the Video Toaster.

  75. Yes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I clicked because of it. And I only had to look at the second post to answer my question.

  76. honorable mention....Cindy Crawford? by travio · · Score: 1

    Chicago's Northwestern University in chemical engineering, but dropped out to pursue that....modeling thing. Too bad that didn't work out for her. :-(

  77. Many don't even have a degree by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

    Robin Williams plays video games. Many more just "attended" college which may mean one semester. Still there are worth-while entries.

  78. re: Hey Editor by Minute+Work · · Score: 1

    Kari Byron from the show Mythbusters is the ultimate geeky babe.

    Compared to her, Portman is just a ballistics gel replica of a woman. Wait... on second thought, that doesn't sound too bad either.

  79. psychology now geeky by xPsi · · Score: 1

    1) yes, this is a fun list and some of the people on it are legitimate celebrity geeks; 2) if someone checks a box that says "physics major" when they are 17 then drops out of school to become a musician/actor/celeb, that does not necessarily qualify them currently as a geek. It just means they are a college dropout who didn't know what they wanted to do with their life when they were 17 (they could still be a geek, though); 3) if someone is a member of MENSA, this also does not necessarily qualify them are a geek. It just means they are insecure about their intelligence, which is merely a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for geekdom; 4) naming your child after a video game character like Zelda does not mean you are a geek, it means you are insane (something you can put on your geek CV, but is neither necessary nor sufficient for geekdom); 5) I wouldn't have thought it possible, but after this article, Natalie Portman has single-handedly propelled psychology into the hard sciences.

    --
    i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
  80. Vin Diesel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... is a big D&D nerd. How can that go unmentioned?

    1. Re:Vin Diesel by superwiz · · Score: 1

      ... is a big D&D nerd. How can that go unmentioned? Becaues geek pursuits don't count if he uses them as part of his acting training.... his only acting training.
      --
      Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  81. Todd Rundgren is the biggest geek on the list by K8Fan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Todd Rundgren only gets a single line:

    Our honor roll is in tune with three remarkable nerds. Todd Rundgren ("Hello It's Me") is legendary for developing the Utopia Graphics System, one of the very first paint programs, and has remained profoundly engaged with technology throughout his recording and producing career.

    ...but his involvement with technology has been greater than any other person in that list.

    • He animated his own 3D music video "Change Myself" in Lightwave on a big pile of Amiga 2000s.
    • He wrote a massively popular screen saver, Flowfazer.
    • He created the first completely interactive album "No World Order", allowing the listener to control the tempo, mood and vocal mix from a capella to instrumental for the Philips CDi platform.
    • He may have been the first artist to sell music electronically, via downloads on Compu$erve.
    • Wrote a very early OO operating system called HyperCode

    Pretty damn geeky.

    --
    "How perfectly Goddamn delightful it all is, to be sure" Charles Crumb
  82. Danica! by E2Hawkeye · · Score: 1

    All these posts and no Danica McKellar?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_McKellar

    Yes that's Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. And a genuine math guru. And really nice on the eyes.

  83. Re: Hey Editor by ipxodi · · Score: 1

    Meh. I don't know what her qualifications are, (too lazy to Google) but basically she seems like a cute babe who likes to blow shit up. Certainly not a bad thing, and very entertaining (and she's easy on the eyes), but it hardly equates to real geek cred.

    --
    load "windows7" ,8,1
  84. punk rock phd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Milo Aukerman from punk rock band descendents
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_Aukerman

    Dan Yemin from Lifetime
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Yemin

    And i think a guy from the Dillinger Four have also a phd

  85. Zappa tacked-on for no good reason by darkfnord23 · · Score: 1

    The article refers to FZ as 'largely self-taught.' Try 100% self-taught, and in no way an intellectual or tech geek. Just a guy who got obsessed with 20th century composition and spent many hours in music libraries reading scores. No one with hordes of groupies counts as a geek.

  86. So Hip to Be Square by scarboni888 · · Score: 1

    I guess he knew of which he sang! ;)

  87. Bruce Dickinson - Airline Pilot by ashitaka · · Score: 1

    Iron Maiden frontman. Commercial airline pilot.

    His Discovery channel series "Flying Heavy Metal" shows he really know planes and demonstrated some insane maneuvers in large Airbus aircraft.

    --
    If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
    1. Re:Bruce Dickinson - Airline Pilot by ashitaka · · Score: 1

      And not three hours after I post this, CNN has a profile on Bruce as a pilot.

      --
      If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
    2. Re:Bruce Dickinson - Airline Pilot by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 1

      He is (or was) also a very good fencer (albeit a foil fencer - everyone knows that we epeeists are the true geeks).

    3. Re:Bruce Dickinson - Airline Pilot by ashitaka · · Score: 1

      Forgot about that, and the fact he started the fencing products company Duellists.

      --
      If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
  88. Bachelor of Arts degree in math??? by Keith_Beef · · Score: 1

    Just how do you get a Bachelor of Arts degree in math?

    In my world, mathematics is considered a science, and the degree awarded is a Bachelor of Science...

    Beef

    1. Re:Bachelor of Arts degree in math??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because in many universities, mathematics papers can be considered part of the Arts or the Sciences.

      The courses are EXACTLY the same, but the overall degree counts as either one. In my university, computer science papers can also be considered either Arts or Sciences. It's no big deal, and many universities function that way.

      (In addition, there are quite a few universities that only award degrees in Arts, not Science. Again, it doesn't mean a thing about the level of knowledge - it's just university tradition).

    2. Re:Bachelor of Arts degree in math??? by Evil+Pete · · Score: 1

      Mathematics is far older than Science. It was always considered part of the Classic education and was traditionally one of the arts. Although we may consider it the "queen of the sciences" it belongs in neither.

      --
      Bitter and proud of it.
  89. Greg Graffin by twistah · · Score: 1

    How did they forget Greg Graffin of Bad Religion fame? Two bachelors degrees, masters degree geology, a Ph.D in zoology, professor at UCLA, etc.

  90. I have one of the few BSc in Math from my Uni... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oddly enough, I have one of the (very!) few possible BSc in mathematics from my university. Most math degrees from ASU are BAs, but Computational Mathematical Sciences is one of the few exceptions.

    So yeah, it's pretty easy to get a BA in mathematics instead of a BSc.

  91. ass under wesley by micromuncher · · Score: 1

    Anyone else notice the word "ass" directly under the picture of Wil Wheaton?

    --
    /\/\icro/\/\uncher
  92. National Merit correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Unless something changed between whenever she got her National Merit Scholarship and I got mine, you don't qualify by scoring well on the SAT. Rather, you qualify by scoring well on the PSAT/NMSQT (Practice SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualification Test).

  93. Greg Ginn of Black Flag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Started out in junior high selling electronics. His label SST was originally the name of his product, Solid State Transmitters (Tuners? Transistors).

    See http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathancharles/1659893909/ for a picture

    1. Re:Greg Ginn of Black Flag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kira Roessler, a later bass player for the band, was an engineering major at UCLA. Black Flag had to schedule tours around her class schedule

  94. Oh no by deblau · · Score: 1

    Natalie Portman -- on topic! It must be Armageddon! Next thing you'll tell me Signal11, Jon Katz, and some ninjas are outside, waiting to pour hot grits down my pants...

    --
    This post expresses my opinion, not that of my employer. And yes, IAAL.
  95. Benoît Widemann from Magma et al. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.widemann.net

    I haven't heard most of Widemann's work, but Magma's Live/HhaïMagma's Live/Hhaï, where he appears, is for sure a must hear of prog rock.

    Mike Ratledge from Soft Machine, I think I read somewhere that he wrote software for music creation years after he left the band, but I couldn't confirm. (maybe this is related?)

  96. Heroes by ja · · Score: 1

    OK, you have a point there and I should have known better since my PS3 node is christened 'hiro'

    --

    send + more == money? ...
  97. living it out by ja · · Score: 1

    I was not referring to Bjørk nor Kidman when I said proper job (and nor were you.) But it is my firm belief that both of those guys would raise an eyebrow when you say it is a very desirable way of living to be an actress/actor

    --

    send + more == money? ...
  98. between work and sleep by ja · · Score: 1

    What are we to do between work and sleep, what are we to do? I have no problem with conversing with strangers on slashdot, totally wasting my well measured time in this world.

    Do you?

    --

    send + more == money? ...
  99. Muldaur and Rettig by I+Can't+Do+That+Dave · · Score: 1

    Don't forget Geoff Muldaur who had a career as a programmer/consultant for the auto industry. (No good reference found.) and Tom Rettig: from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Rettig "For the last 15 years of his life, Rettig was a very well-known database software author and expert. He was a very early employee of Ashton-Tate, and specialized in (sequentially) dBASE, Clipper, FoxBASE and finally FoxPro."

  100. Frank Ryan by Guy+Harris · · Score: 1

    American football quarterback, PhD in mathematics (yes, they are the same Frank Ryan).