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How Do I Make My Netbook More Manly?
basementman writes "I recently purchased a 10 inch white MSI wind. As you can see it's a small computer and it's good for what I use it for. I get a lot of comments from women saying it is 'cute' or 'adorable.' Not the good kind of cute that will get me the attention I want though, the kind of cute that says they think I have a different presence than I actually want to portray. So how can I make my netbook more manly, or at least have some witty line to respond to the their comments?" Hopefully basementman didn't get a netbook with the hopes of it getting him some action, but what cool mods (or witty one-liners) have others used to salvage their dignity from hardware that is "a good size"?
Maybe, just maybe, someone calling a small laptop "cute" is not a reflection on your sexual identity or masculinity. And maybe you should take it as a compliment, because that's likely how it's intended!
This is like asking how to make a small, fluffy puppy look intimidating. Anything you do to it will only serve to make it more comical, particularly to the opposite sex. Stop being so insecure and enjoy your freaking laptop! If someone says its cute, just say, "Yeah, it is, thanks!"
Oh, and if you really need a line, next time someone says its cute, respond with, "Yeah, it's a 10-incher, just like my cock." Problem solved!
Women are coming up to you, in public, and complimenting your laptop and you're pissed because the language they're using is cute and adorable? Were you raised in a barn?
And the 'attention you want' is ANY. Just because you lack the social skills to turn a 'wow that laptop is cute' into a 'hey would you like to have dinner' doesn't mean some Metallica Stickers are going to fix it.
I was with my Dad and his dog and my Girlfriend at a rugby tournament this weekend. Every single woman that walked pass came up and started petting the dog. I told my girlfriend next year she wasn't invited and I was just going to bring the dog.
It's a good thing. Could be worse. At least they're talking to you.
They could be made aware of the fact that you go by the alias BASEMENTMAN.
Huxley: "An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex." Being "manly" in the sense I get from the summary is something only troglodytes admire. I would find more pressing things to stress over. And no, I don't have a sense of humor, so bugger off.
This is a terrible question. The guys "problem" is that women are coming up to him and talking to him? Here is your witty response: ask for their number. Step one to being manly is to stop being an insecure dumbass worrying about looking feminine. If you want women to stop talking to you then just draw a penis on your computer and write "I'm completely insecure" on your laptop. "Problem" solved. If your manhood is put in question because of your laptop then you probably have other issues.
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How about this line if it is a girl you want to talk too.
"Thanks and so are you."
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
most of the 'geek' chicks who actually talk to me about my netbook tend to be the "we're just friends" type... you start talking to a women about computer specs, and she's already put you in the 'friends' category. So my best advice would be to actually engage her in talking up it's cuteness etc... and then quickly move into conversation about her, before she works out what a geek you really are ;)
Nothing to see here.
Women complaining about men with expensive cars is like women claiming they want a sensitive guy. They will make the claims all day long, and spend the night banging the guy with the expensive car. Men with expensive cars are saying the one thing that attracts women who will have sex with them. They are saying "I am willing to spend lots of money to get laid". Underestimating how well letting women know that they can get goods and services from a man while allowing them to maintain the idea that they are not prostitutes would be to deny thousands of years worth of male female courting.
Long ago I learned the best way to meet women is a) be injured, b) go shopping with a baby, and c) walk around a park with a cute dog.
I'm aged and married now so this tip is useless to me, but since I'm not stingy I figured I'd pass this along. =)
I bought a coffee at my favorite coffee shop near my college about a dozen years ago. As I rounded the bend I saw a kitten stuck in a snowdrift. It was pretty obvious he was recently placed there. Discarded would probably be the better word.
Couldn't abandon him, so I parked the car, grabbed the kitten and set about looking for the owner.
Walk into a college coffee shop with a kitten sometime. Thank me later.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
There's nothing wrong with sporting your geekness to the the world. I spent many years dating girls who had the typical thought "he's a geek, but he treats me nice." Now I've finally found one who thinks "he's a geek and he treats me nice." Contrary to popular belief not all /.ers live in their parent's basements, some of us enjoy active lives that include direct sunlight.
Once you find a girl who approves of your plans to build a secret passage in your house, your underwater lightsaber/flashlight, and that she'll always be competing with your computers for your affection there is no going back.
So I say display your geeky side, it's better to attract somebody that likes you for who you are than who you are pretending to be.
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
And the common denominator in all this is: Make yourself approachable and give other people some sort of excuse to start a conversation. It's not f***ing rocket science.
How so? It just means he's running windows.
Football Odds
Believe it or not, girls actually *like* geeks. Admittedly, other girls hate them. Those girls won't come up to you to ask about your laptop. So the key is that if one comes up to you, it's because she thinks she might enjoy talking to you, and the laptop is an excuse. What you should be thinking about is whether you want to talk to her; if you do, use the laptop the same way she did.
Honestly, though, if you really feel emasculated by a girl who comes up to you and talks about how cute your laptop is, she's probably better off waiting until you get a little more comfortable in your own skin. It comes with time, so try not to worry or be discouraged.
They'll spend all night banging him if he's a good lay and they enjoy being with him, or if they're insecure and appreciate his attention.
People make decisions for all kinds of stupid reasons. You got an expensive car because you thought it'd get you banged all night, after all. How'd that work out for you?
Seriously, just live your life. Do something meaningful with it - something that you find satisfying. If you find that you have a tight smile when you try to smile back at a women who's smiling at you, figure out why, and do something about it. If you have trouble conversing, practice. Don't expect to get lucky with your practice partners - they're going to be Just Friends. Deal with it.
It's true that there are women who will never look twice at you unless you have a fast car. That's okay. There are also women who will never look twice at you if you aren't doing anything meaningful with your life. They're a lot more fun to spend your life with.
Men with expensive cars are saying the one thing that attracts women who will have sex with them. They are saying "I am willing to spend lots of money to get laid".
I'd say it's more that wealth is a proxy for high social status, which is what women have evolved to select for. (So their offspring will have more resources and be more likely to achieve high status themselves). Height is also important for the same reason. "Pick-up artists" don't use displays of wealth to get women; they're just able to project signals of high status very effectively.
Corollary: rich but socially inept geeks won't do much better than their non-rich counterparts.
How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
You know what drives me batshit insane? Men who are so ridiculously insecure that any suggestion that they aren't filthy, hair-covered savages breaking trees in half with their teeth sends them into an identity tail spin.
All your concern about the "image" that your laptop presents is an indication that you really are a weak, unmanly wuss. Use conditioner and lotion, pluck the center out of your monobrow (and clean up around the edges if necessary), wear clothes that fit (baggy may be comfortable, but you look like a tool). All of these "feminine" things will draw much more desired female attention than "My laptop is cute??? What do you mean by that???" ever, ever, ever will.
Confidence is manly. Get some.
You don't remember the scene where Alia is going at it naked with the machine, and Paul comes in and tells her she's nuts to be using it at so high a setting, and she tells him he's just jealous because he had never had it turned up so high?
The new key to meeting cute geek chicks is a netbook?
True story - 1986 or '87 I bought a NEC Multispeed w/ 2 x 720k floppies, and a V20 processor (or maybe a v30). I schlepped it around 'cause it was a laptop, right? First day I use in one of the university cafeterias (doing battle w/ ChiWriter), two women who were in my program, but both of whom had never said *anything* to me before, stopped, separately, and both said 'OMG! It's so cute!!'
There's a fashion accessory angle here, I think - if it is something that is unique, isn't seen often, and is neater than the normal run of the mill, then there is an attraction factor.
As to the original poster - put the machismo aside my friend, and work the angle!
[17] Leary, T., White, C., Wood, P. R., Bhabha, W. D., and Wirth, N. Lambda calculus considered harmful. In Proceedings
Women complaining about men with expensive cars is like women claiming they want a sensitive guy. They will make the claims all day long, and spend the night banging the guy with the expensive car.
Having been divorced for about four years now (I'm 34 - nice 30th birthday present from my ex), I can say it's absolutely true. I've always been the nice guy, but I've had to learn to be an ass with flashy toys.
Women are always claiming, "I want a nice guy who takes care of me and treats me well," and then go home with the biggest douche-bag at the end of the night. I guarantee, if you're nice to her and actually do the things that make her happy, she'll put you firmly in the friend zone. You have little to no chance of ever getting in more than a friendship-type relationship, and a corresponding chance of getting laid.
I unfortunately made this mistake with a very wonderful female friend of mine about a year after the divorce, and in a matter of hours, forever shut down any possibility of something more. I'm still kicking myself as she's just incredible - smart, successful, incredibly hot. Particularly kicking myself lately, as I'm helping her through another horrible breakup. (The guy was the typical macho asshole type, and she finally figured out after three years of living with him that he was a cheating, lying, drunk, lazy, immature drug-addict leech. See? Honestly he was just too stupid to keep stringing her along correctly.)
So I say this, fellow geeks, don't follow your instincts to be nice. Be a dick. Flaunt your cash. It's what she's really attracted to, despite the fact she doesn't even realize it herself. Don't call, don't be overly helpful, don't listen attentively (or don't look like you are). Talk about yourself. Dismiss her problems. Hit on other women when you're out with her. Seriously, it's the dumbest fucking thing you've ever seen, but soon enough she'll be hooked.
Yes, I have a late model sportscar that I bought after the divorce as a present to myself. Yes, I learned to dress better than usual when going out. But until I learned to completely blow chicks off and not be the nice guy that comes to the rescue, neither of those got me anywhere. Learn those last to - really, really, do.
If she likes the same pr0n you do, most likely she likes chicks as much as you do....
And frankly, that's just awesome. Only because I've typically found that geeky chicks who appreciate women (but are still bi, or at least keeping their options open) are ungodly awesome in bed. Freaky doesn't usually begin to cover it.
There is no reason to worry about winding up friends. Women who are your friends have other women friends to whom they will introduce you or even set you up with. One might even say that making friends with women is exponentially more effective than hitting on them.
Not to mention that 10/10 times any woman who sets you up with one of her friends will in the process try to sell your good qualities first, which sure saves you introverts a lot of time and effort trying to bring those out into the open.
When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.