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Are Fake Geeks Dooming Real Ones?
mattnyc99 writes "In the wake of the Best Buy 'geek' trademarking and Miss USA calling herself 'a huge history geek,' writer (and self-proclaimed geek) Eryn Green has an interesting piece for Esquire on how so-called 'geek chic' is pervading the culture so much that no one appreciates an actual geek anymore. From the article: 'The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks — entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work. If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination, then we seem too determined to have an entitlement problem.'"
Nobody apart from other geeks has ever appreciated an actual geek.
Nothings changed, nobody appreciated an actual geek to begin with.
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." [Thomas Jefferson]
You do realize that "geek" does not mean "computer nerd" right? Calling oneself a "history geek" is perfectly valid.
If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination, then we seem too determined to have an entitlement problem.
LOLWUT? This statement makes no sense. It sounds like a perversion of a tea party truism. A salute to real American geekiness as our founding fathers envisioned!
In my mind true geeks apply an overabundance of detailed knowledge to an overly technical project that wouldn't interest the general population. Count me in.
-sent from my TI-92 graphing calculator.
-- Flame me and I will happily flame you back. Bring it!
Strictly speaking, a geek is a person that performs in a circus sideshow. Everyone else is a fake geek.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
One can be intelligent with little effort, and and awful lot of beautiful people spend a lot of time on their appearance.
"Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
Miss USA-speak: "I'm a huge history geek"
English: "I read an article on fashion history in Vogue once."
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Geeking out over the true geekiness of other geeks? What a bunch of geeks.
That's why whenever I meet someone who calls themselves a geek I give them a 10 question quiz on the topic of their supposed 'geek-ness' . Made them beforehand of course, I'm not an expert in every field. If they truly are a geek, they will be happy to take it.
I made an app! Shoutium
Intelligence takes work? First I've heard about that. Sure, utilising intelligence to create new things, undertake science, refine and present new ideas, learning, building etc -- they all take work. I.e. it takes work to use your intelligence to its full potential. But I don't think that's the same thing as saying "Intelligence? That takes work".
That Miss USA isn't a geek just because she is a girl, or is it because she is attractive?
I haven't met her myself, but isn't it actually quite possible that she is a history geek?
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
The notion that JUST intelligence takes work is incredibly inaccurate.
Careful grooming, styling, exercise takes a tremendous amount of effort and practice.
The notion that your NOT born into intelligence is also incredibly inaccurate.
As much as we want to believe that ANYONE who wants to can achieve; not everyone can. There are skills that people are just gifted with, be it basketball, baseball, math, science, reading; these are all to the best of our understanding innate and intrinsic.
Now you may have someone who has the potential to be a beauty contestant winner who turns out to be a slob, or someone who could win the fields medal flipping burgers; the exception doesn't make the rule here.
Exercise, diet , makeup, hair removal, clothing, haircuts, healthcare, stress at work / school, sleeping habbits, alcohol , tobacco , dental care, etc ...
People seriously underestimate how much of a person's appearance is due to lifestyle factors and how much time you are willing to put into it. Yes, there are genetic factors, but frankly there is a heck of a lot of it that can actually be described in terms of effort.
Good looks are much easier to produce than real intelligence. One is born with or without intelligence. Good looks is what takes work.
Quite an influence to geek wannabes just for the glasses.
I know someone who purposely got eyestrain from his TV hoping to get some prescription glasses to look like Harry Potter. He failed and got emo glasses instead.
Being intelligent can be rather easy. I've been quite a bit smarter than the average bear my entire life, and it didn't take a lot of work. Actually, it means I got places with a lot less effort than many of my peers. I never had to study, I can get my work done in no time at all, and concepts just make sense to me.
Beauty isn't necessarily easy, though. For most people it takes work to maintain body, image and wardrobe. I'm not good looking, but I can see how much effort people can put into their appearance.
It's all a roll of the genetic dice. If you got an 18 in INT or charisma, good for you. Use what you got.
Intelligence is not built; accumulation of facts is. But capacity for knowledge and abstract thought, critical thinking abilities... these are things you either have or don't have.
Truckin like the Doo-Dah man...
Who cares? I don't devote myself to the geek arts for mainstream acceptance. I do it because shit gotta get hacked.
- Dan
Geeks are usually known for liking things off the societal beaten path. And this story is trying to claim that geeky traits are becoming mainstream. Isn't that a bit contradictory?
The more you know, the more you have to say and the more you should listen.
What's going to be great is in five years not only will I still be a geek, I'll be considered to be behind-the-times in social trends, rather than someone who doesn't really follow them.
This cuts both ways. For instance most folks can, through diet and exercise, make themselves drastically more attractive than they would be otherwise. Likewise someone can be born with such extensive inherent intelligence that he or she manages to be brilliant without even trying.
about what people call themselves? When it comes down to it, you either are, or aren't, a geek. That chick can call herself whatever she wants as long as she is willing to treat the real geeks with some respect. That's all a lot of us want anyway.
I think of someone who is socially awkward, who also has an unnatural, maybe unhealthy knowledge of some subject in depth. Most often it is something on the outskirts of popular culture (Star Trek/Wars, Anime, 14th centuray blacksmithing techniques). I think the later part of my perception is the more important one.... passion for something not too many people really care about. I don't see why you have to be socially awkward to be a geek.
Personally, I'm well adjusted, good looking, have friends, a girlfriend, no problem performing or public speaking. Yet I program microcontrollers, buy a Kinect (or 3) just to hack it, watch anime, and here I am on Slashdot. I would absolutely consider myself a geek, and I have no problem considering someone a geek just because their unhealthy obsession isn't tech related.
Bullshit. People who are born with a brain that handles math and abstract logic well are no less entitled than people who look good. If you're good at something that's in demand, there's hardly any effort involved in getting better at it.
We aren't really losing our geeks, nor is there an entitlement problem - an argument made by someone who has contempt for US citizens.
While there are many who would rather point at those who aren't businesses as "entitled", there is no thought as to the idea that businesses are too entitled to having conditions go their way - for it is too easy to pit the world against a US citizen for an equally bad concept of "competitiveness".
Our geeks still exist, despite this veiled argument that our nation has a "skills mismatch". The only mismatch in skill that the US has is that we're not as pliant as other countries at being servile to business.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
I'll believe this the second you can show me a true Scots man.
What the mainstream society has appreciated about geeks is passion, joy and intelligence. It's come about to be our time, but some of us aren't socially adjusted to be in the lime light. No big deal.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
...the culture so much that no one appreciates an actual geek anymore
You mean carnival performer who does disgusting acts? The original geeks.
Intelligence can be optimized with effort, but I think it's more something you're born with or not. I hate to be like that, but I think that some people are just smarter than others. (There is a HUGE difference between just being smart and what you do with it, however- nature vs. nurture, etc).
Nowadays, it is a pop-culture trend. Dumb chicks running around with the horn rimmed glasses because they want to look smart. Everyone THINKS they are geniuses. The self-esteem boosting tactics of the 90s have worked tremendously. Loads of Dunning-Kreuger effect abounds. The younger kids are calling themselves "nerds", which is something I or people my age probably never would have done. You didn't *want* to be a nerd in the 1980s. You hated yourself for it. The only solace you got out of it was watching NOVA or reruns of the original Star Trek with your friends, if you had any.
Okay... I'll stop here before I get bitter.
do() || do_not();
Are geeks upset because their term has been co-opted? Isn't that an IP violation? Are geeks now in favor of IP protection?
BTW, the same thing happened with Ron Paul and the Tea Party movement. After raising $6m on Dec. 16, 2007, the anniversary of the Tea Party, neocon radio show hosts in early 2008 started trumpeting a war-supporting "Tea Party" (but somehow "small government", presumably in domestic affairs but not military ones). The neocons leveraged the $6m investment from individual Ron Paul donors (small donations) and turned it to work for them. There is of course no legal IP claim to the 2007 use of "Tea Party", but I sure do feel like my $500 donation in 2007 was stolen by the neocons and that it was an IP theft.
I always find it odd that smart people think those who work out 10 hours a week, eat carefully, and take effort in upkeeping their appearance are just born with their looks. But then when they are able to breeze through school without studying and learn new things with little effort, that takes real skill.
I have done alot of tutoring along the years, and have seen people who work alot harder than me struggle on topics that came very naturally for me. I am not conceited enough to think I am successful just because of my hard work, while those who are successful because of "just" their looks had everything handed to them. I have had my fair share of luck too. Almost every very smart person I know (the "actual" geeks the article is mentioning) was largely born with the ability to learn faster than most people. Sure most of them worked hard too, but usually not as hard as the people who struggled through College Algebra.
The abilities you are born with are also going to primarily determine the areas you work on developing. If you are born athletic, you are more likely to spend effort on physical activities because it will provide you the most immediate payoff. And if you are born with higher intelligence, you will spend more time reading books.
-- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
Misuse & annexation of the word "geek" is changing its meaning in language, much like "gay" changed from the 1930's to present day. Discuss. (Either a new word will come along to take its place, or the geeks will reclaim it in time.)
First paragraph should read:
We aren't really losing our geeks, nor is there an entitlement problem - for education and entitlement based arguments are made by people who have contempt for US citizens
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
What I really love is when someone (typically a female, it seems, but not always) makes a big deal about how they're such a geek or how much they love video games. Some are actual video game "journalists" or "commentators". However, when you visit their twitter or facebook or website, you see that it's plastered with nothing but headshots and photos of themselves. Usually professionally done. Sometimes the photos make up like two thirds of the page. A pathetic attempt to ride "geek" or "videogames" to internet (and eventually television or other medium) stardom. It really kind of irks me, though I guess I just don't give a fuck in the overall scheme. Just really sad.
This is so stupid.
Pointless nonsensical post.
"If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination..."
See, on that point right there, you're wrong. So there is a problem with fake geeks, and even more troubling, the author of this article is one of them.
Well for the populous Geeks are a form of Nerd which was typified by movies like Revenge of the nerds.
They never where like that though. Geeks are in fact more social, live more interesting lives do extreme sports and all of the above.
The "Jocks" or whatever you call them that do the cheer leaders in the end don't amount to much more than stuffing shopping bags for a living and following sport teams and committing to a single brand car as if that shows manliness.
I guess slowly in the very connected world Geeks also are better value from early on as well. Being different and not going with the flow is a positive quality now,
The summary implies geeks have to "work hard" to be intelligent. In my mind being a geek isn't trying to be smart, it's just their natural affinity for learning and finding out things that makes them smart. It's like saying a sports player tries hard to play sports, but playing sports is fun for them, they aren't trying to play sports to get better, they're doing what they enjoy and becoming good at it as a byproduct.
Which in and of itself could be an inherent quality. Who knows? You probably have done as much research on the topic of heritability, environment and intelligence as I have: none.
You are the ones exaggerating - no - actually over-exaggerating such things. nerd, geek, this, that - they dont have much importance or significance in other cultures of the world. however they seem to be something common and discriminating in usa, peculiarly. in most countries of the world, a kid who is good at his/her lessons will be not only appreciated, but envied by its peers. everyone knows s/he will have a good future in front.
however, this, suddenly turns into a liability in usa. why ? angst/jealousy towards someone whom you are subconsciously aware that going to have a successful life ?
really, whats the reason for this suppression/debasement intelligent/different individuals in american culture ? can anyone give me a good explanation ?
Read radical news here
When any AW with chunky glasses can claim to be a "geek" the term is doomed. Real geeks dont CALL themselves geeks.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
there is no such thing as geeks liking things off the societal beaten path - geeks like whatever they like. that false assumption you propose is production of the hipster crowd. thats in itself, something not geeky.
no overclocking geek is going to drop overclocking if it becomes mainstream, for example. or, r/c geek will drop r/cing.
BR.
Read radical news here
Geeking out over the true geekiness of other geeks? What a bunch of geeks.
True geeks do not. Ironically, they simply grok it.
-- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
A geek is an outcast. Having interests does not make you a geek. Everyone has interests.
Here's a quick acid test: If you've never been shoved into a [trashcan, school locker, schoolbus floor], or given a [wedgie, bag of human feces, punch in the face], or otherwise been routinely mistreated by "cool kids" (3 years or more of this sort of daily harassment might suffice), you're not a geek. You are a normal person who has interests.
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
Ok, being a bit more serious. here is what is going on.
Throughout the age of d20 and now d21 (how would that work?) in the prime material plane at least we've been making the transition from "ruled by braun" to "ruled by brain". In this new age STR, DEX and CON aren't important as they once were and so in this new world that values INT above all else, those that have the CHR, but not the INT have to use some WIS and lie about their character class. Because in the public eye, CHR is always important. Most people don't want to associate with character with low CHR scores, so they take people with a good mix of both and make sure they get to fight the dragon.
I think part of the problem is that the nomenclature is getting abused, "geek" is in of itself not much to aspire to, since it basically denotes fandom.
GET TO KNOW YOUR NERD/GEEK/DORK ARCHETYPES:
Nerd - the "jock" of the trio, notable for attention to and achievement within academia
Geek - the superfan, the obsessive, the angelfire fan site creator. Note that both otaku and people who call into sports radio are geeks, there is no "geeky" area of fandom, comic books are no more geeky than soap operas
Dork - the socially inept, usually due to some combination of the above nerdyness or geekyness, but sometimes attributable to plain old shyness
When most of us are talking about classic geekery, we're picturing a specific combination of the above traits, but the internet has enabled all of us to spend days/weeks/minths researching the miscellania about ANY given topic, not just those within the canon of classic geekery.
Geeks were never appreciated at any time by anyone. Beside some rare occasions where geeks are handled like valuables. One exception is the stabilization or improvement of power. Something like building an atomic bomb or writing Stuxnet. In most cases geeks are nerds and social dorks. As by definition a geek is a dork with one explanatory property e.g. writing code in 10% of the time which is still above average. Or understanding a complex logic issue X and produce a solution Y for it.
In short: geeks and other people who have similar traits have never been considered to be respectful persons. This has not changed and it will not change in future. Therefore the pitiful post is just lame and unnecessary. You also could complain about wet water. Honestly get a life... Oh no wait. I guess that was the problem in the first place.
Only a geek would not appreciate being imitated! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Don't worry about appreciation, no one has really appreciated geeks before so what else is new? :-)
Any male celebrity who says he's a "geek" is accepted without question. Any female celeb who says so is accused of pandering.
Posting as anon because I know you can't stand being called out on your own bullshit.
What a load of elitist shit: "Intelligence? That takes work." People are born with intelligence just as much as good looks. Both can be equally enhanced with some work. Geeks aren't intelligent because they've "worked" at it. They're just intelligent and happen to follow some sort of passion. That's it. This chick needs to get over herself. Now, I'm not saying people don't misuse the word "geek," but let's quit it with the arrogance and elitism.
I should also point out that not all people that would be considered "geeks" are especially intelligent. Sci-fi geeks, for example, can be pretty dim in my experience. Just because you're passionate about something doesn't mean you're intelligent. I would normally call an exceptionally intelligent and passionate person a "nerd." Nerds are much more academic, IMO. The way I like to make the distinction is to say that Lisa Simpson is a nerd. Milhouse and comic book store guy are geeks. Well, I suppose you could break it down even further and say Milhouse is a dork. Comic book store guy is a geek. In the real world there is going to be some overlap, but those are the basic categories. Intelligence is just one factor.
One of the hallmarks of a society that has it too good is that it starts inventing artificial "problems", when none existed. When one starts doing that, it is a sign of absolute banality in their lives, an absolute disconnect and insulation from true and real problems.
The cure? Lose everything, start from nothing. By getting rid of the frosting on the Antoinette cake, one can finally what is truly important. Maybe the rise of the rest of the world is a good thing for the USA. We have had is so good, we've lost sight of the important things. If we descend into 3rd world (or lower) status, maybe we can be reborn with a greater appreciation for things.
I can't stand it when people self-gloss themselves. People who do this are trying to be cool, by not being cool. They're just dweebs.
Nerd: Builds robots.
Geek: Role plays a robot
Dork: Dances like a robot
I was annoyed by that statement too. Intelligence is something you're born with - Knowledge is something you work for. Which is why dumb people don't bother me nearly as much as ignorant people; the former got stuck with it, the latter chose it.
I think the author is confusing geeks with hipsters.
Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, from my experience, Intelligence is more of an entitlement then beauty or knowledge. While a person with ugly genes can be made more beautiful with surgery, makeup, exercise, proper lighting, paper bags, etc... a dumb person is pretty much stuck that way. They can increase their Knowledge (capital K), and through lots of hard work and application of that knowledge show improved reasoning... but I think the variable factor here is much smaller.
Given:
(Max Nurturable Beauty) / (Natural Beauty) = (Beauty affectability)
(Max Nurturable Intelligence) / (Natural Intelligence) = (Intelligence affectablity)
It's been my experience that:
(Beauty affectability) > (Intelligence affectability)
Which can be summarized as:
Can't fight dumb.
- Holy crap, I've got MOD points! Who thought that was a good idea.
'The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks â" entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work.
This statement embodies some weird assumptions. First, that good looks are hereditary? You'd be surprised at what exercise, diet, good grooming, and fashion sense can do.
And second, that intelligence takes work. Clearly effort makes a big difference, but some people are as mentally gifted as others are physically gifted. A really intelligent person will find that learning comes much more naturally to him than to others. In other words, that he has to exert less effort to learn the same material.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Remember when the term "hippie" used to refer to hard-working idealists?
OK -- sliiiight over-exaggeration perhaps. But at least those people existed. Really. So I'm told :-)
But anyway, now it's used to refer to any old bum. Bummer.
And while we're on the topic, this was also the generation that popularized the word "freak", with many parallels to today's "geek". Just goes to show that the underdog is often right and the masses are just... masses. Then again, that's language for you: http://www.word-origins.com/definition/bureau.html
"We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
I always loved this part of John Galts Speech. It's like my geek anthem.
"You-who leap like a savage out of the jungle of your feelings to the Fifth Avenue of our New York and proclaim that you want to keep the electric lights, but to destroy the generators-it is our wealth that you use while destroying us, it is our values that you use while damning us, it is our language that you use while denying the mind.
"Just as your mystics of spirit invented their heaven in the image of our earth, omitting our existence, and promised you rewards created by miracle out of non-matter-so your modern mystics of muscle omit our existence and promise you a heaven where matter shapes itself of its own causeless will into all the rewards desired by your non-mind.
"For centuries, the mystics of spirit had existed by running a protection racket-by making life on earth unbearable, then charging you for consolation and relief, by forbidding all the virtues that make existence possible, then riding on the shoulders of your guilt, by declaring production and joy to be sins, then collecting blackmail from the sinners. We, the men of the mind, were the unnamed victims of their creed, we who were willing to break their moral code and to bear damnation for the sin of reason-we who thought and acted, while they wished and prayed-we who were moral outcasts, we who were bootleggers of life when life was held to be a crime-while they basked in moral glory for the virtue of surpassing material greed and of distributing in selfless charity the material goods produced by-blank-out.
"Now we are chained and commanded to produce by savages who do not grant us even the identification of sinners-by savages who proclaim that we do not exist, then threaten to deprive us of the life we don't possess, if we fail to provide them with the goods we don't produce. Now we are expected to continue running railroads and to know the minute when a train will arrive after crossing the span of a continent, we are expected to continue running steel mills and to know the molecular structure of every drop of metal in the cables of your bridges and in the body of the airplanes that support you in mid-air-while the tribes of your grotesque little mystics of muscle fight over the carcass of our world, gibbering in sounds of non-language that there are no principles, no absolutes, no knowledge, no mind.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
This is ridiculous.
Looking good takes a great deal of work. Summary writer is just whining because they're ugly, and don't want to put in the work to be beautiful.
I'm not going to hire an Engineer who can't be arsed to learn math, and I'm not going to date a girl who can't be arsed to stay in shape.
having an interest in anything these days means you're a geek
I'm a highly trained computer professional. Geeks bite the heads off chickens in carnivals. (OK, there was that one time back in my pot-smoking days I stayed at the computer so long I got REALLY hungry, but that was an extreme circumstance and the chicken was laughing at me...)
"The mind works quicker than you think!"
lol. How do you know if you are a real geek? You find the entire discussion completely laughable. Like watching small children discuss the culinary complexity of a PB&J or the virtues of a frozen Tang popsicle. Lots of babble with virtually no depth or value whatsoever.
"The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks — entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work."
Yeah, that's why no-one has ever exerted any effort, at any gym, ever.
Sounds like someone feels entitled to an exclusive/"cool" definition of "geek" that has non-negative connotations.
You're born into ugly, but looking good takes work, no matter how attractive you are. Any film geek could tell you how much time Actors and models spend in make-up, or how much time a professional model spends at the gym.
'Geeks' are in 'fashion' right now but I'm too socially inept to take advantage of it.
Katt Williams, he knows about fake people
My intelligence has never required hard work. I was born with it, and it's made most things in life require less work and determination than seems to be needed by others to get the same results, not more.
Not in the slightest.
I think fake geeks are dooming other fake geeks, since they both end up knowing how fake they are being.
Regards
I can tell if a woman is beautiful just by looking at her.
Wow, that didn't take long at all for you to show up, my good man? Was it a difficult walk across the Verdunne? How 'bout a spot of tea?
Here's to hot beer, cold women, and Glaswegian kisses for all.
Everyone here talks as if certain people are predetermined to be smart or athletic or beatiful. It's not genetic, it's mostly environmental factors. A child who will often have to rely on learning in his early life to get by will be more apt to be intelligent. A child given opportunities to learn will, if interested or convinced to, take advantage of these opportunities and will be more intelligent.
On the other hand, a child who is given everything for being "Daddy's little princess", will not need to proactively do stuff to get what they want, will in turn be dumb ass ho who gets things vagina.
The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks — entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work
Miss America contestants, models, and actors of course being well known for watching tv and eating cheetos(tm)... not starving themselves, living at a gym or paying people tons of money to run their lives so they can look good.
So, Mr. Author, how many hours per week do you spend at the gym? Do you count calories? Do you exfoliate your skin, clean it twice daily to ensure the zits dont come back, shower daily, work hard to make enough money so you can buy nice clothes at Barney's instead of casually grabbing a plain tshirt and jeans from Kmart?
Or is it... too much work?
Here is the psychology behind this: The author is being excluded from the "good looking tribe" by virtue of the fact that he is ugly (or at least thinks he is ugly). To make himself feel better, he stomps his foot and loudly proclaims "I didnt want to be a part of your dumb group anyways!" He did it by citing all the traits he values as virtues of his group, while saying the other group doesn't have those traits... and as normal without actually researching/thinking it all the way through. Strangely enough, a trait (research/thinking) he probably thinks quite highly of himself for.
Has anyone ventured off their campus only to find people that didn't go to college to be much taller. I TA freshman physics classes and there is a height difference just between the engineering tech majors(algebra bases class) compared to true engineering majors(calc based class). The intelligence gap is even more noticeable, yet those tech kids seem to put in more effort than the smarter ones.
And everyone I TA seems to put in more effort than I did, and none of them are going into physics.
"Intelligence? That takes work."
By definition, it does not.
Sure, I'm game.
I had several obscure questions come to mind, but every time I tested them against a few google queries they were all answered fairly quickly. Here are the ones that seem at least somewhat tough to google:
In FF2 (FF4 in Japan), which weapons could Edge throw for maximum damage?
In WW2, what was (statistically) the most dangerous job in the American military?
Much Madness is divinest Sense --
To a discerning Eye --
Much Sense -- the starkest Madness
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
or, the related-to-geek/nerd word "hacker"
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
"Sell it to the circus, what the heck."
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
That's why I call myself a hacker now, I am not a geek I am not a nerd, I am someone who explores Computer and Network Systems.
Just as no one can proclaim him/herself as a ruler with dominion over others without the consent of the ruled persons, proclaiming oneself as a geek is merely a desire for recognition as an authority. The designation Geek has evolved from a troglodyte level insult, to a battle cry for fellow enthusiasts, to a marketing ploy hatched by those in the pursuit of the sequel of its popularity(more money). One is proclaimed a geek by peers, so the value of that proclamation is directly proportional to the perceived "geek return to society" of those that are making the proclamation. And since Miss America, Best Buy and others have no perceived value other that superficial to the geek community it is easy to ignore. In example when I am asked about Geek squad, I kindly point out that none to my knowledge have credentials and that some employed as such were convicted of recording a minor girl showering. I do not do any geeky activities for anyone, I mentor and support them into these types of activities. But those who call me a geek get nothing. I do not see any value in being called a geek, nerd or other nomenclature from those other than my peers. This name calling and domination of non geeks should be stopped, as without those who are considered geek they would be unable to have a functional society.
Don't call me geek, pay me for what value I have to you, and since your whole existence revolves around "geeks" it should be a whole lot of loot. So when you boss calls you a geek sue, and collect a ton of back pay.
Miss USA was only 1 of 2 contestants in the contest to come out for teaching evolution only, and
spoke about it correctly referenced the stuart and tudor eras when talking about history,
talked about her book collection and has come out in favor of gay marriage.
She may not be a geek in the slashdot tradition but shes geek-friendly and since there is not
an overabundance of geek friendly smart hot girls I say cut her some slack.
I know on a professional level as an enterprise IT guy, my day rate has doubled since February and I get a lot of love from recruiters and head hunters. I've got a solid career history in IT and a good skill set - there's a big demand for my time. Web developers, helpdesk scrubs and laser printer repair guys are finding out that the 'I'm a genius because I know (a little) about computers and you're stupid because despite being a doctor, you don't know how to put SMTP settings into outlook' shtick doesn't fly. The market knows the difference between serious geeks and entry level now.
I know on a social level, the average aesthetic standard of UG's and intarwebs meetups has gone through the roof over the last five years. There are girls (without moustaches) showing up at our VMware User Group meetings these days. My lead engineer at my last job was a little short for a fashion model - but otherwise completely had the looks, and was an excellent lead engineer. The aesthetic qualities of the WAG's of my coworkers has also certainly gone up - again, far fewer moustache's than in the lead up to Y2k. And even for the serious geeks, like the guy from my last job who showed up every day with a box of Magic the Gathering cards, and in Steam Punk outfits on casual friday, seem to do fairly well with girls. The guy in question has a very nice, seemingly quite socially functional and very pretty girlfriend who's been with him for a while now and they seem quite happy. I know in my current office, of about 30 IT people on my floor - there are only two single guys.
I gave up dungeons and dragons a few years ago. I'm considering taking it up again after finding out that one of the new members of the group my friends are playing in is a topless model who has a number of national mens magazine covers in her portfolio. And in my current office, there are several very attractive girls from the non IT business units who are active world of warcraft players. It still throws me when I see the proxy logs show wedding dresses and character build/raid role development maps in the same user's usage history and it's coming from finance.
Overall, it's a great time to be a geek. Especially if you can find a socially functional enough model to not alienate the people who'd like to be friends with more geeks.
My understanding is that Real Geeks preferred the term "hacker" anyway.
And about intelligence. How exactly do you define it? I think many people may get the term "intelligence" confused with "knowledge". Knowledge, of course, is the sum of all the information you've assimilated. Intelligence, in my opinion, is how quickly/easily you are able to gain more knowledge. You might compare this to a car, where intelligence == acceleration and knowledge == velocity. Thus, a teenager with no drive (no pun intended) could be very intelligent, and yet still know nothing (if he doesn't bother pushing down on the metaphorical gas pedal). Of course, this probably is only a good description for a "normal" person, as autistic savants can assimilate tons of knowledge and yet are unable to perform basic everyday tasks. Whether or not they should be considered "intelligent" is left as an exercise for the reader.
Anybody want a peanut?
People here seem to be oblivious to the fact that they are nerds and then maybe also geeks. Geeks can be nerds and nerds can be geeks, but you don't have to be a nerd to be a geek.
And most of the comments here seem to use geek in place of what they should which is nerd. A geek is just someone that has an above average enthusiastic attitude towards something like Computers or hacking or coding or or or...
A nerd is a socially inept person. Period. And social inept people sometimes become isolated and focus too much enthusiasm and attention on something they like. Like LARPing and Computers.
Quit soiling the Geek badge you nerds!
I feel this is fairly appropriate for the discussion :)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/nerd-venn-diagram
Moss: You had a job?
Roy: Girl on fifth.
Moss: Did you and her, hit it off?
Roy: Define, hit it off.
Moss: Did she continue talking to you once you'd fixed her computer?
Roy: No. And while I was working on it, she rested a cup on my back.
Moss: No
Roy: Yup.
Moss: Unbelievable.
Roy: They have no respect for us up there. No respect whatsoever. We're all just drudgeons to them.
Moss: Yes. If there were such a thing as a drudgeon, that is what we would be to them.
Caveat Emptor is not a business model.
Just like fake geeks, its pathetically easy to tell them apart until you get really, really drunk.
In my high school days, a kid who preferred intellectual activities to sports was a 'nerd'. It seems to me to have about around the late 70s that the word 'geek' began to replace it. 'Nerd' was never a friendly word but I felt 'geek' conveyed much more hostility, especially considering what it used to mean.
But, maybe that extra hostility came from growing fear on the part of the non-intellectuals, and maybe some of the nerd/geeks recognized that, and felt that with fear came respect and so embraced the term. Who knows?
I still prefer nerd.
The Others take me, I was surprised that a Lady of her station knew that name. Much less, understood what it was.
"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." --The American President (20.1.2009)
geeks are just wannabe nerds
entry into the nerd club requires proof of employment inside a closet and finding 'big bang theory' insulting
The acquisition of knowledge may take work but knowing what to do with it is IMHO an innate quality. Lots of people are able to regurgitate facts and figure but can't create anything or apply that information in a practical way. It reminds me of one of the big story elements of Cities in Flight. A device allows you to quickly acquire knowledge but student still have to attend classes to learn how to use it.
The trustees of a prominent university want to find out if their professors know their stuff. So they come up with a question: What's 2 plus 2?
Math professor: Oh, that's easy. Four.
Physics professor: Oh, it's 4.000000000 with an uncertainty of another place.
Engineering professor: Just a minute while I get out my handbook.
Accounting professor: *looks around to make sure nobody can hear* What do you want it to be?
"...If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination, then we seem too determined to have an entitlement problem.'"
The entitlement problem is the underpinning of our ultimate failure. Each generation has seemingly become worse with this, but the latest generation has pretty much broken the bank with the current state of affairs.
One cannot sell an overinflated $300,000 home without demand...usually in the form of some twenty-something couple who feels "entitled" to have it. Same goes for the expensive car leases. Credit debt was unheard of 30 years ago, now it seemingly is the norm...all due to entitlement issues. 20 years ago, it was rather embarrassing to be 16 and pregnant. Now, you get your own TV show. Hollywood certainly hasn't helped matters.
for people who are social misfits
Being a "fake geek" isn't being likeable and smart, you can be a geek and have social skills. It's acting like a geek and telling people you're smart when you know shit. I know a bunch of very snobby younger kids who think they're genius, when they really have no talent or knowledge in any particular field. And they're so annoying that nobody can stand them, because in conversation, all they do is brag about how smart they are and try to use large words that add no further meaning to their sentences. There are also those who are nice and I get along with, and while they're good at school to some degree and they act like geeks, they don't have any hobby or any extensive knowledge in any field.
As for being born with good looks, that's most definitely not true. Especially considering today's styles. If you look ugly you can look ugly ironically and it's okay. Being overweight doesn't automatically make you ugly either. I'm a guy and I used to have my hair down to my shoulders, wear glasses, and wear painters jeans with ugly shirts every day. It was pretty bad. I got a good hair cut, contacts, bought an entire new wardrobe, and started working out. I think I look pretty attractive now. I wasn't born with that.
Not really. If you don't exercise your brain continuously, it'll never reach a fraction of what you're capable of - and if you stop using it, it'll atrophy pretty damn fast. I'm in my 30s, and can see the effects of careers/lifestyles on my various friends, and on how fast/effective their thinking is.
Intelligence is like muscle - sure, some are more predisposed than others to look 'bulky', but by far the most people will never look muscled or achieve high performance in any sport without working out a lot, all the time - and you have to keep working out, or you lose your condition.
"If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination".... im sorry? since when is geekdom limited to America?
The same reason men can't all get those chocolate biceps , and women can't all look like julia roberts. It is because good look is NOT primarly work, it is primarly genetics. Works come only seconds , to maintain what "nature" gave you. And the second reason why works to maintain look is shuned by people (not only geek) is that it does not take much "effort" to maintain that look , it only takes self-restriction (aka a bit of willpower), and rote repetition. Whereas somebody trying to go for, say, engineering, doctor or even similar will not go very far with rote repetition and genetic will not help much without a LOT of effort.
The bottom line is that the effort is definitively easier for muscle maintenance and beauty maintenance, than for intellect building and maintenance.
Saying that intelligence is acquired is just plain wrong. Each of us is born with an innate level of intelligence, some more richly rewarded than others but what you get is what you have to work with. Learning "smart" tricks may make you look more intelligent - but that's not what intelligence is all about.
Humans, being what they are, have been excluding those with less than normal - and greater than normal intelligence from society for years. Regardless of what you think about Microsoft, can you imagine kicking back with Bill Gates - have a few drinks, maybe smoke a doobie or two and talk about - well, you get the point. You may admire or hate him, but you wouldn't be comfortable hanging around with him.
It's not hard to imagine excluding morons and idiots from your social circle; you do it every day. Do you exclude the geniuses too? I'd bet that you do.
Here's a thought for you to chew on: there's a standard measurement of IQ (for what it's worth) and morons / idiots (the real thing, not name calling) rate 50 to 70 on the IQ scale. The average person rates 100 - and the geniuses rate 130 and up. This presents an difficult problem for those who are well-endowed with intelligence. You, as an average person with a 100 IQ find those morons with 70 IQ to be tedious and difficult - you avoid them and make jokes about them. That's the view from 100 down to 70; 30 points of IQ difference.
So how do you think those with an IQ of 130 or more see the average person? It's the same 30 point difference, you know. You find them to be different, but you can't imagine the world they live in. And to add insult to injury, people call these folks "weird" and exclude / abuse them. That's a hell of a way to treat those who are best able to solve the problems that face us. Shame on you!
But you won't change and things will continue as they have for eons. And as you exclude the highly intelligent from the breeding pool - you're guaranteeing that your future will be just as you've chosen it to be. I hope you enjoy it.
Despite what navel-gazing corners of the internet have tried to convince ourselves, the only people who think geeks are cool are geeks.
That's simply not true. My mum thinks I'm cool too. (the exception that proves the rule perhaps...)
I'm a sexist prick who works for a financial company and because I program, I consider myself a geek, even though I'm contributing nothing to geekdom."
Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they want me to work on a small payments system...
If someone declares themself to be a geek, they are not.
== geek hipsterism.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
But she still isn't going to sleep with you.
Neerrrrddds!!!!! - Oger
I8-D
If you have to work at it, you're not intelligent. You're just a hard worker. If you can get by just fine without doing any hard work, that's true intelligence!
about what people call themselves? When it comes down to it, you either are, or aren't, a geek. That chick can call herself whatever she wants as long as she is willing to treat the real geeks with some respect. That's all a lot of us want anyway.
I think it's hilarious that people are getting their panties in a bunch over this. She clearly meant that she believes she has an above average interest in history. She said she was obsessed with the Stuart and Tudor eras. Hell, she believes evolution and had the courage to say so without equivocating. By those two facts alone she is in an intellectual in America, even if she isn't a bonafide geek in the eyes of "real geeks" (which presumably are taking a break from biting the heads off of chickens to register their outrage on the internet.)
Dear "real geeks," get over yourselves. Seriously.
Some privacy policy Slashdot.
So you know how to post blog entries, rip DVD's, customize your social profile and stream radio?
That does not make you a geek!
I'ts a good time to get some opinions on metrics that indicates your geekness.
Score >= 75% and confirm your geekery, if you:
- have changed RAM and HDD many times
- know why the molecular formula C8H10N4O2 is significant
- have at least one favorite comic
- have a crush on a fictional character(s)
- own real paper novels, especially sci-fi ones
- Google using +inclusions, -exclusions, "specific terms" and target a certain site:slashdot.org
- get turned on by brains
- have been at, or know what a geeknic is
- have or had a Geek Code
- haven't been laid for too long (bonus: you have never been laid*)
- appreciate form, but generally prefer function
- would die happy if you built a beer serving robot
- would rather tinker with new software, than watch TV
- have either neural implants, a grafted biometric scanner, or a reality augmentation device*
- one password per purpose (bonus: use mnemonics to remember them)
* joke metrics (bonus: geeks have a sense of humor >_>)
The author couldn't be more wrong about intelligence. Just like good looks, you are born with intelligence. If you have to work at intelliegence, then you really aren't intelligent. You can be born with an average IQ and gain knowledge and become accomplished at what you do, if you work hard. If you're intelligent, most tasks where you have to use your brain, come easy.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
I don't devote myself to the geek arts for mainstream acceptance. I do it because shit gotta get hacked.
Try taking that line when you earn a paycheck. Try it when you see companies wholesale export engineering departments. Try it when MBAs who leech off of your work get fast-tracked to higher salaries and respect while the innovators wallow in obscurity. Try it when math and science test scores nosedive and your country no longer is in a leading position. Try it when the company group think states there isn't anyone available in country that can do this work anymore, so they have to find it elsewhere. Try it when this group think is a self fulfilling prophecy leading to creating less qualified people because they don't believe there will be a job for them. Try it when it builds an economy where you no longer build anything.
Do what you do because you like it and you can make a living doing it. Just don't ignore that this culture has an impact on you, because it does.
Being a geek in this culture is akin to being an author in a society that burns books yet proclaim that they love to read.
So, yeah. Who cares? I DO.
The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks — entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work.
It is true both ways, I can say "you are born into good intelligence but good looks take work," and will be equally right (wrong).
Intelligence is a function of brain, which is a very complex neural net, and every one is born with a slightly different one. It should be obvious that intelligence is both "born with" and "enhanced with work".
One cannot gain beauty by sitting in front of computer/TV, while munching junk food. Takes some routine physical workout, not just that "born with" mystery.