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Programmers Ain't Gettin' Any
Szoup writes "Wired has online a piece (no pun intended) under their culture news about how the sex life of tech employees -- mainly programmers -- suffers due to the demands and amount of time their work takes away from them. Like I needed to be told this?" Update: here's another take on the subject from newtimesla.com.
It's not that computer programmers are socially inept, but rather socially inept people are attracted to programming. It allows then to have a "normal" life, at least while they're at work. That's the way it is for me, anyway.
Yea, I hear they exist, but I am still to see proof, or at least local proof. NO geek girls are located in my area, there are only a couple computer nerds in the first place, and I seem to be almost a leader. It's a sad sad world. My point, there may be some, but not many, and the diaspora of geek girls seems harsh on my area.
Your Momma's so fat she makes emacs look like nano!
No long hours here either, although I do occasionally work from home a few hours here or there if there is just something that can't wait until tomorrow. Computers iz fun, and they do provide me a decent salary, but I also like to spend time with my partner, take the dogs out to play, work on the house, go out to eat, get together with friends, etc... I could go on forever. Point is, there is more to life than work and computers. I guess you could work real hard now and save up all that money (since you don't have time to spend it anyway) and then retire early. Of course, when you retire, you'll be single, out of shape and socially retarded. If you like spending a lot of time alone, then go for it.
Frankly, I can't imagine that there are a whole lot of geek girls out there hankering for jobs they're not qualified for so that they can fulfill some recruiter's misplaced crush or be ogled by a staff of trolls.
Another VaTech CS major here....the wierd thing is that in my two years here so far I've managed to actually have a social life outside of the CS department but never meet anyone in any of my classes....and you are right....there are cute CS girls....they just generally don't bother with CS guys....
A recently dumped CS guy who's bored at work
There tend to be far more women than men. Some of the men may be gay, so there's less competition. Some of the women will be married, but the single women probably aren't involved in a serious relationship.
The class I'm currently taking has six or seven very attractive women in it, my age or younger.
It's fun, and challenging. By being there, you'll instantly stop being a one-dimensional computer geek; you can't be if you're also trying to learn how to draw/paint/blow glass.
And the class gives you something to talk about, and several weeks to come out of your shell, if necessary.
You'll get more for your money than if you spent it on drinks trying to meet women in bars. And it'll probably be cheaper than a dating service, with the added advantage of gaining new skills. (Which might come in handy for doing web or game graphics.)
However: make sure the school doesn't cater primarily to senior citizens.
Yes. We homosexuals/bisexuals are having a great time. On the whole I find that people in offices simply don't care about one's sexual orientation, and I would need five hands to count the number of gay geeks I know that not only get some, but get some _while they're at work_. With great regularity. Reading these comments, all I see is 'women! attractive women! my WIFE! women women women!' Not ALL of us geeks are Straight Men.
Y'know, I have NO sympathy for you... "I'm lonely and shy, but I'm afraid the woman who likes me might not be young or pretty enough for me".
It sounds like you're not getting any because you are too busy looking at pr0n and looking at models to even notice when a worthwhile real-life woman comes your way. My first serious girlfriend was 15 years older than me (I was 21 at the time), and though we broke up, she is still one of the most amazing people I've ever met.
Just because a woman is 40 does NOT mean she is married or boring. I know plenty of single middle-aged women who are active as artists, writers, and musicians (everything from poetry to punk), travel a lot, are smart, witty, and funny, and REALLY REALLY good in bed. But you'd never notice, because, gee, you are too busy living in the whirlwind excitement of programming, playing computer games, and listening to cool music.
hey "skywalker"!
looks like we have 2/5 of the CS girls at tech (according to egon) on this post now! and.. i wouldn't consider either of us all that bad looking! and egon, if you read this, she's right!! there ARE some good looking girls in the CS department, all you have to do is look around! it's not hard to spot us in the classrooms since we stick out like sore thumbs in a sea of male students. also, tech is a great school for parties!! you can meet LOTS of girls there, you ARENT doomed because you're a CS major, you're doomed because you're cynical about being a CS major.
I haven't lost my mind. It's backed up on disk.
Yup, the 3rd type can be the best. My GF is a Math/CS double major, isn't quite as geeky as I am, but hell, her nick is smiley if that gives you some idea of her character.
Doug
Venn ist das nurnstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ya! Beigerhund das oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
Oh yeah? You think your CS classes are so bad? Try
placing out of the first semester and taking
second semester courses in the fall. The
permanent-6-month-offset means you're classes are
full of a few bright kids (all guys) and a whole
bunch of flunkees (all guys).
What did you eat today? http://www.atetoday.com/
Human beings -- at least the properly functioning ones -- are designed to have sex. Even if the lack is not lethal, a proper sex life helps towards happiness. Though in and by itself it's not sufficient. ... For me, the most pleasure I get with a woman is when she experiences pleasure. Second next, when I get her to do really naughty things ;-)
Still, getting laid is not only about fucking. Masturbating would be almost equally satisfying, as would be cheap whores.
The main difference is that feeling of being accepted, desired, lusted after
On another topic: women CAN be studied as computers. That's how I'm handling it. Think of it as Intercal: it's fuckin' weird but you can get them to do ANYTHING with the right programming. Yeah, it's called manipulation. Can you imagine what it's like to have the same power over someone of the attractive sex as you have over your linux config?
Spending money on women can be a good thing. I bought a Dell Inspiron 7000 last November and boy did I get some! With some women, bigger is better. And when you bring home a 15-incher, the rest takes care of itself ;-).
Heh... of course it's different, as long as you're coding for yourself!
When I'm not busy programming for work, or *ahem* socializing *ahem* with my fiancee, I'm usually writing my own software. Right now, I'm developing an Intellivision emulator for Linux. :-)
(That is, as soon as I unpack the computer. We just moved into a bigger place so that we can move the computers out of the bedroom and have more room for both computer and bedroom fun.... ;-) )
--Joe--
Program Intellivision!
Dude, get - out - of - the - house.
Don't stop to check your email. Don't bother with shutdown -h now. Just run. She's going to kill you!
Can anyone say "Ouch"
This thread cracked me up, you guys/girls. The best part is that it's all public and you can't retract ANYTHING!! :)
I noticed your sig includes the name "Skywalker" and I'm curious if you've heard of the Mark Hamill Entertainment Site maintained by my sister. Probably not--I know there are lots of MH fan sites, but who knows?!
arrrgh.. i feel terrible now
:-(
:o( it's a trying time for us cs majors. we're struggling!! and it's not a good thing.
that was my First Post to slashdot. arrgh. i didnt know EVERYONE went here. arrgh.
well i guess my secret's out.. im a sexually frustrated nerd.. and yes, i was exaggerating when i said that about the girls in the CS class.. some do look pretty good. well i hope you guys dont hate me now..
in conclusion.. i wish i hadn't written that first post.. but look at all of those responses underneath.. wierd, huh? i thought i'd get first post. argh. well, im sorry everybody.. especially u, T. dont hate me, pleeeeze!!!
Well I'm a virgin until marriage type of guy .. and my girlfriend is .. well, not necessarily begging for it, but she is convinced that she wouldn't stop me if I wanted it from her. There are plenty of things we can do to stay occupied, however, and there is certainly nothing wrong with waiting for marriage.
People who are all about "sports, drinking beer, and getting laid" are not any more well rounded than people who are all about "hacking, Quaking, and geeking out". What they are is more socially adept. Sorry to say this, but sports, drinking, and getting laid are generally social events. People who do this a lot, are going to be better at it.
Does it mean that we are worse at being romantic, and caring, and good in bed? No, certainly not. Does it mean we're worse at picking up chicks at bars, and generally socializing? The answer is, saddly, yes. I believe that a widespread lack of social graces would lead people to think that we're not as well rounded as other people, when in reality the problem is that most geeks aren't into the same things as the people who are assuming we're not well rounded.
- Dan
despite the impression that this story is a 'non-issue' (after all, any job that places greater demands on your waking hours will curb your opportunities for R&R and that is each individuals decision whether they seek balnce or not), I was temporarily pondering over the percentage of guys or gals that get immersed in computers simply cause they ain't "getting any" in the first place. Snowball effect once you start introverting your lifestyle. You do what you know. blah blah blah. get off the box and go out and get some. My awakening was a girlfriend that turned me on... (and introduced me to computers too!)
I am a woman. Hope I could be referred to as a hacker :)
:) ) simply because I don't know any girls at UC Berkeley that hack /anything/. I'm sure they're out there, but I just haven't met any of them, though I have to admit that I don't have much of a social life, as I just keep working until my bf reminds me to stop and eat or something. Signifigant MOTAS's are essential simply to keep one from working /all/ the time. Now I have a life, and a job too :)
but to be truthful, there aren't that many out there. I may have to room with a guy friend (of course there's always my boyfriend
Lea
Damn, I didn't know so many Hokies read slashdot. Ahh well, what else are we going to do at our respective summer jobs? (Work? Ha, I think not!) Regardless, I'm NOT a CS major, I'm a CpE major (I'm thinking CS at Tech is a bit lacking...I had NO desire to take any course called "Intro to the Internet") but I still must admit, while there may be a few attractive girls in our Engineering courses, not nearly as many as were in the Economics course or Intro to Comm course I took...Thank god for electives, that's all I have to say :) Oh, and parties of course... Still I'm looking forward to going back to school, ready for more classes, more rollerhockey...and of course, more heavy drinking ;-) - DH
Carpe diem. And try everything twice. And be happy with what you have.
But San Francisco ... Oh, San Francisco. If there is any way of getting out there, you will be happy -- as a guy. If you are gay, SF is nice. Large gay community and all. If you are not, it is a little spooky how the women start to follow you around. I have been out here for three years and I literally cannot pry women that I would have killed for through college and grad school off of me. There are just very few straight guys out here. After years of lusting after the sorority girls and models, I finally could get them, and instead I wound up with a math PhD. A cute one, but still. I really do get a lot of pleasure in turning down the really pretty and really desperate women now that they have no choice (as opposed to me having no choice), as they get older, rounder, and less attractive. It has become a nice added quality of life thing to return the favor to women who wouldn't have touched me with a twnety foot pole whenever I am shopping, buying flowers for my GF (at least once a week), walking to work, and so on. My GF thinks that this is cool, as she had more than a few of the exact same experiences with handsome guys. And we both finished school, got great jobs, lost weight, worked out (no tans, though, still), learned how to smile, and are a lot better off. Some advice from a not-as-bitter geek: go for the smart ones. You will wind up there anyway and they are more fun to talk to. You can put them on a Nordic Trak if you need to and you can work on their social skills, but you can't grow brains.
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
well, I think whether you're single or not has a lot to do with your attitude, Egon. I'm female, and while I'm not single, and haven't been for a while, I can tell you that there are single, attractive (as far as the guys tell me what is attractive.. personally I don't really notice or care at all) and smart women out there. Not all of them will be CS majors, but there are people who are interested in a lot of things, and chose to pursue something besides CS. I have a mechE as a bf, and he teases me about loving to hack, and I tease him right back.
I guess all I'm trying to say is open your horizons! we are out there, but it's quite true that you'll stay single for the rest of your life if you always act like that. for now I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you act like that, trust me, you won't get what you want.
Lea
I also go to VA Tech (majoring in CS), but the dilemma I have is that I don't think they're any girls left in my classes; there were some in previous years, but they all seem to be gone by now... Is my only recourse to take Sociology and the like?
Alex
---
Alex Bischoff
HTML/CSS coder for hire
I haven't got some for over a week -- and I'm married!
---
I think a lot of geeks are like me - rather frightfully keen on finding women, but without the tools it takes to locate them. I'd say I know less than 20 people who live in the same city as I, since I spend most of my time typing stuff in an office with few people in it (and no women at all).
Between 1987 and 1991, I ran a local BBS that had matchmaking features. Although there were about ten men for every woman, I managed to date and meet a decent number of girls. Life was good. Sadly, the world of the Internet seems to have made us closer to people in other cities and states than ones on our own back yards. For instance, I created Wonderful Women of the Web [ http://www.wonderful-women.com/ ] to showcase the talents of interesting women on the web. Naturally, I did manage to get close to a few women that way, but all of them were thousands of miles away. Through mailing lists, I managed an intense flirtation with a very shy but sexy girl in Canada, but she vanished abruptly before I got to meet her.
So online flirtation used to work far better than it does now. The Internet's great for information, but lousy for anything requiring physical meetings. In theory, with more women going online, things should get better. But in practice, physical distance winds up keeping people apart.
I think another problem is that we don't get well-rounded views of people - we're all in our little niches here on the net. We can discuss geek stuff here, digital video on my digital video forum, etc, but there's no place where we can get together as people.
Thoughts? I got the resources (T1 line, etc) to set up something if I had some good ideas as to what it should be.
D
----
What platform you got? Bed, dining room table, stairs, boss's desk :-)
A little planning goes a long way...
(although at the moment I am working on an operating system...not linux though)... but my girlfriend wants to learn tantric sex. Will that affect my productivity?
... at least, for a geek, apparently. I'm reading all of these replies, and although I kinda knew this stuff already, hearing it is still shocking. I just don't see why more people can't have social lives. Here are some facts:
:)
Job Facts:
I am 19 years old. That makes me pretty young, but I've been working with technology since I was about 9. I currently work in a somewhat tech-related job, doing NT lan administration and other odd projects for a large company. I say 'somewhat tech-related' because NT isn't really all that technical. But sometimes they let me rip apart computers and do fun things. Either way, I've been working here since I was 17, right after I graduated High School. I am going into Sophomore year in college, and I only work during the summer and breaks, due to the fact that my college is too far from the company for it to be feasible to work during the year. I work 40 to 50 hours a week, and the 50 is only if I feel like making some extra money. I don't let them ask me to work ridiculous hours. If they asked, I'd say 'no'.
Social Life Facts:
I have never been without a girlfriend for longer than 9 months since I was 13 years old. Other than 1 9 month stint, I've averaged about 1 to 3 months betwen girlfriends. I lost my virginity at age 14. [ I'm not saying that this is a good thing, I probably should have waited a bit longer ]. I have been sexually active since, although I abstained from having intercourse again until I was 17 .
I am currently between girlfriends, having broken up with my girlfriend of 1.5 years. I have been single for almost 3 months, and I am now dating a very nice girl I've known for some time. We've been dating for a few weeks, and having a lot of fun. We haven't so much as kissed, but I don't care because although sex is fun, it is not the reason I wanted to get into a relationship.
Look at these facts, and realize that I'm not a great looking guy. I'm not butt-ugly, but I'm no movie star. Yet I've been able to consistently find women to go out with who are good looking and intelligent. And at the same time, I've been able to become a fairly succesful hacker. My job right now isn't too great, but with luck, I'll be doing Unix systems administration when I graduate, or something similar. Yet, even though I am constantly teaching myself new languages, hacking, messing with hardware, and just having all out fun with computers, I really don't find it that hard to balance in a social life.
Seriously people, don't let your work dominate your life. Sure, I want to have a good job that pays well, but I work to live, I do not live to work. Get out there, meet people, get a girlfriend. It isn't that hard! If you just show some compassion, and listen to them, and talk to them, and treat them well, you'll do fine! And if treating them well and being compassionate and caring isn't enough for them, they are stuck up bitches and you don't need them, nor do they deserve you.
Get out there. Have a life. Have fun. If all you do is work your life away, you're going to look back upon it when you're 55 years old with 10 ulcers from stress and sitting on your deathbed, years earlier than you should due to wrecking your body and mind and never allowing for any joy in your life, and you're going to regret what you've done.
Go. Have fun. And repeat after me: "the world will not fall apart without me. I do not need to play the martyr. I can have a social life"
Good. Now go and get some.
IF you are female
THEN {
you will be viewed strictly as a sex object
people will not respect your abilities
you will be valued strictly on the basis of your appearance
men will be bitter because they think you're just getting ahead because you're female
}
THEREFORE it is a good time to be female.
This returns false by my vantage point.
Not necessarily.
As a programmer, I find that I have little contact with other groups in the company. Specifically, groups with more women, or groups with people I'd be more likely to socialize with outside of work, thus meeting more women.
Other professions are, I suspect, more likely to interact with a wider, more diverse group of people, thus creating more potential for meeting women.
Thus, programmers may have it worse.
By this time, however, geeks are out of the media spotlight and so their now more traditional, normal lives don't get noticed by the press. We've become "just plain folk". Similarly, the media pays no more attention to aging jocks pumping gas at Bob's garage. So the stereotypes of jocks getting babes and geeks getting squat is viciously propagated. I recognize at least one former jock who washes my car now! Reality has a way of evening things out in the long run. "The best revenge is living well"
This is new news? Since when do Geeks(tm) get laid? I was lucky, found a good woman, married her before she could reconsider :)
hmm. well. now that I know that what I want is $$, I guess I should go dump my bf for someone who makes more $$, yes?
:)
yes, money helps grease some wheels. it is hard to be romantic if you're not eating or worrying about the rent. however, what I really want and need is a little bit of time and affection. I don't give a damn about money or fancy presents, except as a token of thoughtfulness (and I like no-cost thoughtful things much better). I'm sure I'm not alone, especially in the geek community. Not only do we make our OWN money to buy our OWN toys, but we are not trophies.
most of my guy friends agree that we're the best kind
Lea
Hey egon, my girlfriend happens to be in your CS classes and i must say that she is hot as hell. Now as for geeks not having any sex, thats not true either. Perhaps instead of just blindly following the stereo type, u should look around at the girls in your CS classes(except one of them, she is MINE so no looking at here :)). I have never been so happy as I am when i am with her, so not only can CS people have sex but then can also find true love.
being a CS major, there's like 5 girls in my whole class at Va Tech... and 4 are ugly... :-( damn... well, at least i'll have a good job.. even if it means i'll be single the rest of my life.. oh well, it's a compromise, i guess...
;-) please dont call me pathetic.. u know you were thinking it, too...
Maybe if i'm famous like Gates (or Rich like him) women wouldn't look at me as a 'programmer', but rather as a 'moneybags rich guy'. eh, worth a try..
I am a self-professed geek and I am HIGHLY romantic. Uh... not that I'm bragging. I just don't like the stereotype. I would be interested in hearing if other geeks feel the same way. Maybe this should be an Ask Slashdot or something.
/who anyway). So basically I pretended to bug her with one account and defend her with the other. She liked role-playing a lot!
Here are two examples of geeky yet romantic things I've done:
The computer lab at my school used to run Novell Netware. There was one printer so when you printed something a cover-page would come out first with your username on it and you had to pick it up from a distribution window. I figured out how to change my cover sheet so that I could print someone else's username. Then I printed a picture of some flowers and a message to "meet me in the break area" under the username of a girl I liked. She thought it was pretty clever.
I had a student job with a really nice girl but we worked in separate rooms. So rather than talk to each other we would meet on the school's IRC server. To entertain her I logged in twice and pretended to be someone else (I just used a different nick. She didn't know about
Anyone have any similar stories?
Why would that be important? (It's about 50/50.)
Why do they have to tell me this /after/ I choose my line of work!
As a 33 year old "consultant" (translation: code whore) who is very very introverted, I have to agree. I don't get out there and meet people because I really don't WANT to. It's not because I'm trapped in the office... frankly, I burned out a long long time ago, and these guys are lucky to even get 40 hours a week out of me. Fortunately I'm good enough at what I do to pull that off. I know that I really irritate most of the people around me because I tend to not interact with them. I don't want to -- I don't *care*. People suck and mostly only exist to get in my way on the road. Oh, and to deliver pizza.
I can't be the only techie who works normal office hours. I'm out of the door every day at 5:30PM. I've only done overtime once, and that was grudgingly. I don't live to work.
Stay away from golddiggers and go for nerd chicks or those who like you for yourself. uh, isn't that the problem?
1st? i agree with the article. less human interaction and more programming. but the thing is; no one's holding anyone back. if people want to go out and have sex, they'll have to remove themselves from the computer and go out and meet people.
about my time on the computer or our sex life.
:)
I just need to inflate her once and a while
I don't believe in 14 hour days, and 7 day weeks. I work to live, I don't live to work.
-Master Switch, one more element in the machine
Instead of sliding towards a mandatory 60+ hour week, we should be fighting for the 35 or 30 hour week! If you love your boss more than you love sex, then this might not be for you, but otherwise, check out the IWW.
But you'd feel much better if you just dropped a 21 inch monitor on his head.
I hate flaming heterosexuals. They're just as bad as flaming homosexuals. Acutally, there're a lot worse, since they think it's cool to be that way.
I'm an elec. engineer with geek interests, currently employed as a s/w developer for a telecomm. company. I moonlight in web development and as bedtime reading, I read technical books. That's geek enough, yes?
But the women I gravitate towards are typically those in the arts. I find women who delve in that realm of the world that I'm not exposed to to be incredibly interesting. And they're usually undeniably pretty, too!
I think many in the arts are geeks in their own way. Except they immerse themselves in the arts, not computers. If you find one that compliments you well, then you'll find the two of you have lots of things in common. Both of you are passionate about what defines you, for example. Or you like the same music. Have the same insecurities. Whatever.
And don't think they're stupid just because they don't know/remember the quadratic equation or don't know the difference between a semaphore and a solenoid. They just aren't exposed enough to our world. And vice versa: we often know little of what it is they're so passionate about. If you show an interest in them and what they do, that usually opens the door to lots of things.
I say spend time with people that're NOT computer geeks (but geeks in something else, perhaps). You become better rounded, anyway. And you'll be the envy of many (at least among the many struggling artists) when they find out you don't live from paycheck to paycheck. This translates to the ability to be able to take them to plays, museums, etc. of their liking. Which translates to more dates! ...or something like that.
Like the anonymous coward before me, I'm starting to see someone regularly who's in the arts. A theatre chick. I don't know what she sees in me, but she's fascinating. Maybe it's the attention I give her. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm finding myself learning a lot from her. But I definitely try not to overwhelm her w/ my techie musings and instead try figure out what she's all about.
Back in college, I often made it a point to hang out with less tech-minded friends. My grades didn't fair well in the beginning because of this (these guys had _a lot_ of free time). But in the end that may have turned out to be a decent investment.
(I admit, I can't hang with these people ALL the time. As a working tech guy, time is very limited. And it gets a little annoying/boring when you're the only tech guy among a group of non-tech people in a room, but still... arts girls are cool. Especially when it's just the two of you having a conversation. So go give it a shot.)
What makes me a nerd:
What makes me "not nerdy enough:"
What makes me "not nerd-like at all:"
Well, do I have any hope in finding a gf? Will I? Am I too reclusive? Are my interests too limited? Who knows?
I agree, sue.
what is this guy THINKING??? so far, the only thing I have gotten out of being female is the odd bit of sexism. I may be unusual, but it's not a helpful thing, in many ways.
we shall see what happens when I need a job for more than a summer...
Lea
I don't really understand what's wrong with it. I hate trekkies. They freak me out. You don't need my consideration, do you?
When I saw the subject ``Quote from Hackers'' I thought it was going to be ``I hope you don't screw like you type.''
I haven't quite figured this one out. My roommate and I go out to the local bar/club and these are the kinds of guys that we find:
1) Geek from out of town who is in town on business and looking to get some before he heads home. Has buddies mention his salary in passing. Thinks that geek girl (aka "me") will be impressed and really care.
2) Non-geeks. May be cute or not so cute, but usually have occupations such as car salesman or roofer and hobbies such as football and picking up chicks. Usually get a blank look and a comment such as "so you're pretty smart, huh" when the topic of occupations comes up.
Of course, being in the realm of IT you would think that the IT office would be the ideal ground for the Geek Chick to find Geek Boy. I say, it isn't so. At my office, there are 2 kinds of men:
1) Much older
2) Married
(and usually both apply) Good thing that I've got my array of local friends not from work or I'd have no social life.
And then there is the eversopopular Internet. There is a plethora of Geek Boys to be found, and they usually propogate in areas such as Slashdot. However, finding the Mr. Ideal Geek Man through these methods can be described as arduous and slow. This is because of the types of men found on the Internet.
Type 1. Far away
Type 2. In the same town
Type 3. In a different town but close enough that I might drive by there sometime.
Obviously, type 2 is the ideal to find, although there have been many couples who found romance with type 3 or even type 1. Once a guy is found who is type 2, then they fall into these categories:
A) The I don't get any normally, so if you're cute wanna come over? The answer: bzzt no. I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
B) The I'm married but unhappy so looking for some extra loving. The answer: bzzt no. Geek chicks with jobs don't need a sugar daddy, and again - I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
C) The geek at first but after he finds out that Geek Chick is cute, turns into type A. What happened to the Microsoft/Linux debates? The interesting discussions on the current techie news?
D) The sickening sweet romantic geek who is in desperate search for a girlfriend, but is actually just looking for someone to follow like a puppy dog. Will joyfully send romantic little text pages back and forth all day, but eventually becomes a little too clingy. Usually passes the intelligence test and half the personality test, but usually fails the "little something extra special, that is usually a combination of the personality/intelligence/looks". Usually ends up as "just a geek friend".
E) The hardcore geek man. Will joyfully discuss anything computer related, and strike awe in the hearts of anyone aspiring to be a True Geek. Unfortunately, the hardcore geek man strives only to be Mega-geek and has forgotten the female side of the species. All sexual hormones have transfered into the computer hardware somewhere and are probably residing in the form of binary code at http://www.sex.com.
Obviously, if the only way to meet Mr Ideal Geek is through the Internet, the single Geeks need to get out a little more. Geek Chicks ARE out there, searching for the Geek Man, but are failing to find them. Not all Geek Chicks are ugly or taken! Some are just a little pickier and are trying to find the right combination of Geek.
:)
It ends in "x". It's gotta be a new UNIX kernel.
High correlation does NOT mean a direct relataion. It means that the two facts occur with great frequency.
-
ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
I believe that a widespread lack of social graces would lead people to think that we're not as well rounded as other people
And precisely WHICH social graces would these be?
OK, here's where I'm coming from. I'm female, first of all, and I'm also bi, and from college onward I haven't had any real problems with getting a date (other than the occasional crushes on gay men and straight women, but that's neither here nor there). My boyfriend (student-geek-in-training) and I are about to celebrate our one-year anniversary at Pennsic.
I did get the "chance" to see "how the other half lives," and I don't like it. I don't call the truly BAD pick-up lines I've received in the past from less "geeky" sorts "social graces," I call them rude behavior. I also don't see a whole lot of "social grace" in an older guy taking an underage girl to the bar and getting her drunk in the hopes of "getting some" later.
Not to say that meaningless sex and/or sex with someone who is "just a friend" and/or one night stands are inherently bad (I've experienced all three). But from my experience, most tech-types that I've known don't want something superficial, and some of them haven't figured out how to invest the energy in something that won't be superficial. And I don't call picking up chicks and watching football "social grace." Far form it.
In my experience, "geeks" have MORE class, not less. A pickup line that actually worked on me was "Do you mind if I flirt with you for a little while?" I didn't mind, and we're still together. "Nice boots, wanna fuck?" would not have had the same effect.
"Somebody exploded a letter-bomb today
On the other hand, it is possible for a geek to be both massively productive and in a wonderful relationship. At least, that's the impression I get from the diaries of Mr. and Mrs. Cox.
http://www.linux.org.uk/diary/
(for the one
I'm still in college, so I haven't yet been exposed to the full brunt of the Big Bad World. But from my experience thus far and what others have told me, to be both a hard-workin' geek and in a committed, healthy relationship simultaneously simply requires that one get one's priorities in order and learn to manage one's work. Only do what is most important at work--don't live completely by the seat of your pants. And recognize that there is another person in your life who is (should be) more important to you than you and your work.
It is possible to contribute significantly at work without living solely for work. I suspect that the 65 hour work week ethic is often more the result of low self-confidence and an "autopilot" approach to time management than any actual pressures of the situation.
PYT WOTL
Johnnie
I'm not a programmer, I'm a techincal writer. And I'm damn good at it. I may or may not go back to school for some programming "stuff" eventually (there is a nearby program in Computational Science that looks nifty and interesitng).
I'm not "hideous" looking, but I am also NOT AVAILABLE. I'm also young enough to be the daughter of the average staff engineer that I work with. And lemme tell ya, nobody has coddled me. I wouldn't put up with it.
So there.
"Somebody exploded a letter-bomb today
Well, c'est la vie, but keep in mind that your chances of finding such a woman sans bad personality are low. Women have to spend a lot of time and effort if they want to live up to this standard, and you can be sure that any woman who chooses this lifestyle must have some strong personal motives (not to mention no hobbies or interesting traits at all).
see subject 8)
That was the unofficial school motto of my engineering college (the lib arts dept existed only to satisfy state requirements). The school bookstore even sold bumper stickers and pennants with that phrase on it. The ratio of men to women was about 3:1 when I was a freshman and most of the women were butt ugly. I went to a small high school (36 kids in my graduating class) and there were more average good looking women in my HS class than my entire freshman class at college. There were some women who I thought were ugly guys at first sight. After the freshman year, the number of decent looking women would decline because of:
The ones that stayed put up with a lot of crap from the guys at school: cattle crossing signs or horse trailers parked in front of the women's dorm, the frat papers suggesting the school could save money by letting the females graze on the football field, etc. The only guys that probably ever got laid were jocks, frat boys, (usually women from other colleges) and guys that were lucky enough to have a girlfriend from high school.
The article wasn't surprising at all
Huh?
/. (and the ONLY female programmer in our group), I have to object. I don't _want_ a job that I am not qualified for! I am as qualified as the men here, and have seen underqualified _men_ get jobs because of rapport with the interviewer ...
As a chick who reads
And for "if you're female then things are good.", I invite you to check out:
Educational pipeline issues for women
Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
YS
"Arrr! The laws of science be a harsh mistress." -- Bender
That's an interesting idea, but how do you ask a woman from work to help you find a GF without sounding TOTALLY pathetic? I think I would like to retain what few shreds of dignity I have remaining to me...
And I think "goAtIt" should be a member function, I'm just not sure what object... And it should have some overloads, perhaps one that takes no parameters, (for when a chick object isn't available), and perhaps another that takes an int and the ellipsis operator...
Yes, I know... I need professional help.
>>>>>>>>> Kvort
-Don't mind me, I'm personality-deficient and mentally-impaired.
I realize that the majority of those involved in the computer industry are male, but the articles seem to assume that all of them are, and that the girls are part of the "beer-guzzling, prom-dating" crowd that has mastered sexual relations. Furthermore, the one article encourages male programmers to treat all women sterotypically - buy them candy, etc. - EXPLICITLY in exchange for sex. They seem to miss the point that sex is part of a relationship with another person, and not a commodity to be bartered for with gifts. Even geek women, and those in CS classes, were often judged first and foremost on their attractiveness, and then maybe on their skills and personality.
The articles and responses show that the main problem for programmes and the computer world is not the lack of sex, but the lack of ability to deal with the opposite sex as anything but a vehicle for sex. Maybe if women were seen as people, with full personalities and interests of their own (sometimes including technical stuff), then everyone would get along better and be much happier, sexually and in other ways.
Get her drunk. Remember, viginity is a curable disease! Hell, if all else fails, marry her. Worked for me. BTW, with the possible exceptions of explosives and automatic weapons (man, set up a pile of watermelons and blast them with a full-auto AK, you WILL get a nut), THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN SEX. If you think sex is overrated, you simply aren't doint it right :)
cough-gulp theory meant it was hard to say....
about what you've decided.....thanks for sharing & it sounds good to me baby - lets shag!! heheheh
throw dinner parties (women like a guy who can cook).
really? Thats cool, cuz guys like a woman who can cook.
Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
"like Sting I'm tantric" -- Barenaked Ladies
If all you want is sex, just act like a dumb jock and drink lots of beer. Intelligence seems to frighten the tee-hee girls. Remember Barbie? "Math is hard!"
If what you want out of life is a deep meaningful relationship with a female geek, just shoot yourself in the head right now. Odds are you won't be the geek guy that hooks up with the one-in-a-million geek girl.
There were about 3000 people at DEFcon this year. About 100 of them were female. Of those women about 20 were geek girls with their boyfriends. The rest were just tee-hee girls that discovered geeks have money.
--- A Jesus Fish eating a Darwin Fish only proves Darwin's point.
I did notice, however, at the party following the concert, that the VA Tech men, who far outnumbered the women, were very, very friendly to to women in our group. Very friendly. Frighteningly so. :)
Anyway, I find this whole thread extremely delightful. Keep it up!
I'm 27, and several women are approximately my age or younger. The youngest is a college freshman. There are a few in the 30-40 range, and a few older.
Actually, you'd be surprised... used to work at MS as a full-time employee... my sex life was never fuller...
;-)
... of course, those Jazz drives tend to chafe after a while
Simon
Coming soon - pyrogyra
...you've been married for more than a few years, and you've had children....
Do they care to comment? How about care to get a cup of coffee?
:)
Heh... its been my experience that geek women tend to live anywhere other than where I'm living.
Heh...my girlfriend and I have to agree with the other anonymous coward here. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing the sour grapes of the beautiful people now fast approaching middle age like a moth heading for a speeding headlight. What really amazes me are the sheer amounts of techies who have posted here bewailing their situation. I became a network engineer simply because hardly anybody was doing it, which guaranteed me a higher wage and a better future (rather than as the artist I tried to be in a flooded art market). I also looked for a partner in places where the opportunities were better as well (basically, I like brains, so I went to places where people flock to form-over-substance types, and looked for someone substantial- found her in one night, and haven't let go of her since). Face it...if you want to get a beauty queen, you can either be beautiful yourself, or you can find someone who will be beautiful to you when the beauty goes away. Princesses only pick frogs in fairy tales.
I'm starting to suspect that those female hackerz who do exist have abandoned Slashdot due to the prevalence of the stereotypical "computer geek" and the widespread ignorance of their existence.
My babe letting me build an erotic web site from our photo collection.
-ck
-- This sig is only a test. If this were a real sig it would say something witty. --
Yes, there are geek girls. This particular one carries quite an impressive resume: I started Carnegie Mellon University in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a double major in Cognitive Science. My final degree, though, is in Mathematics, with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering. In December 1995, I received a Ph.D. in the field of Neuroscience from Northwestern University. My thesis is entilted ``The Role of the Plant Properties in Point-to-Point Arm Movements: A Neural Network Approach''
I'm pretty fortunate myself. My fiancee is into computers (and likes to sysadmin, too), although she's a Geology major. (I'm an EE myself, but honestly, I'm really just a software jock. The last hardware I built used 7400-series TTL.) You can look outside your major and outside your career, you know. Just remember, if you're not looking, you won't find anything, and if you're looking but not finding, you need to change your search space or your search criterion!
--Joe--
Program Intellivision!
I did also, though it wasn't really intentional. It just happened. The folks at the art school were more fun, if a bit dangerous.
Any other techies gravitate towards non-(computer)techie friends?
My babe is even letting me build an erotic web site from our photo collection...
Albino geek porn...
-ck
-- This sig is only a test. If this were a real sig it would say something witty. --
Hey CmdrTaco... this sounds like a great poll topic:
How many times a week do you get a piece?
None
1-3
4-7
7-10
Are you kidding? I'm Hugh Hefner!
Whaddya think?
All this sentiment that geeks have really hard time getting chicks and that girls don't want us geeks is BS. I don't know about you guys (and ladies) but I'm working hard here at UC Davis to change the whole stereotype of geeks from one of sexually frusterated computer hackers to one of suave, debonaire, ladies men.
You would be surprised at the amount of women that like geeks. The fact that you can even tell them you are a geek shows them that you're not afraid of who you are or what you do, but proud of it. And that confidence is what the girls like more than anything. So help me out
Don't do this to me!!! it's bad enough that scores of people decided to make me famous by responding to my 10-line post, but PLEEEASE!! dont make me a fool at Tech!! im already in a big hole here, ya know.. :o( arrrgh
:-/
well, there's always engineering.. is it too late to change majors?
Just because a woman is 40 does NOT mean she is married or boring.
I totally have to agree with you here, totally. Where I go to college, there are plenty of interesting older women, plenty.
But . . .
I am not attracted to them. Totally not, absolutely positively not. One of my better friends at school is a 40+ year old woman poet/writer/musician, and she is wonderful. Do I want to get in a relationship at my age (20) with a person the age of my mother? Hell no. I'll tell you why.
I'll be the first to admit I have a rather odd preference in my partners, and older men or women typically don't have some of the traits that I am looking for in a love. (I could list them, but what would be the point?)
Of course I COULD find an older woman with the traits I find attractive, but I don't need to, because I've found one only slightly older (1 month, hehe, she's old).
Part of me just is happy with the woman I got, and I don't care if she's 20 or 200. But, if I lost her, I wouldn't look for an older woman to replace her. I'd find a woman who is attractive to me on her own merits.
Some people just don't like certain age groups when it comes to, uhh, mating. I like them like me:young, creative in their own way, and wackier than an Animaniacs cartoon.
Thanks for your time
Dan
> If you think sex is overrated, you simply :)
... you find out the truth.
> aren't doint it right
He simply isn't doing it at all. How could he know?
Anyway, it's a convenient lie to live by.
Until
it is not as simple as walking outside and meeting someone. You first have to go the the gym and beef up, and that too takes time, etc. It's too much trouble- in the end, a bottle of vasaline and an asian schoolgirl porno account is more efficient.
The article is interesting, but I imagine a similar phenomenon would be seen in other careers of folks who are (in general) introverts dedicated to their work.
... much like the computer! Not great places for gaining social skills, though.
... What is interesting is seeing the primarily male responses to this article! It is kind of like a locker room in here, no? ;-)
/.)
There are a lot of similarities between the life of a programmer and that of a research scientist. I have seen scientists (molecular and micro-biologists) lead lonely existences, spending the majority of their time in the lab. But the lab is a safe place for the introvert
So this trend is hardly surprising
YS
(Chick who reads
"Arrr! The laws of science be a harsh mistress." -- Bender
Yes, mah brotha, I have seen geeks fall into the box out of loneliness, and it is really hard to come back out. But it CAN be done!
...introverting your lifestyle. You do what you know... :-)
True, it's never easy. The box responds to you, you understand the box, the box becomes your lover... Hmm, just realized my double entendre. Oops.
The Divine Creatrix in a Mortal Shell that stays Crunchy in Milk
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
Except for porn stars who does?
I mean, 3 weeks out ever every month my wife to be (in 43 days, woohoo) have sex at least once per day. Sometimes I want more, but she's tired. Sometimes she wants more, but I'm tired. Sometimes we're just too exhausted to even think about having more sex.
If you show me someone who is 100% happy with their sex life I'll show you a liar, prude, or someone who's just plain nuts.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
1) Some people rate sex too highly. Some people don't rate it highly enough.
2) Efficient in what terms? In orgasms per unit time, probably, but I can think of other measures that favor other activities.
3) Virgin in what terms? I've found that people have some strange standards for what "counts" as sex. In Lala's case, it sounds like a pretty conservative definition -- oh well, what he's willing to live with is his business.
Side) The trouble with generalizations is that they're always wrong.
*Sigh*
Those wacky kids these days!
Shower! I know more techies with horrible BO than I care to count.
Groom yourself! Brush your teeth! Jeez! Unless they're total freaks, women don't get turned on by IQs!
Also, get married to the first woman you can actually stand for more than 5 minutes, cuz guess what? You ain't gonna get any prettier through the years.
Thanks for the explaination. I've never tried it, but I have played tantric DOOM on several occasions. :-)
There are some of us out here who don't chase women -- or wish we were good-looking/rich/whatever enough to have women chase us. I.e., some of us are straight women and some of us are gay men.
:)
I suppose I have two problems with articles like these. First, they portray geeks as a collection of guys who have an tenth-grade definition of sex (the pinnacle of interpersonal relations, to which they can only aspire). It simply isn't so.
Second, it makes a whole bunch of assumptions that might or might not be self-perpetuating. For example, all geeks are straight males who never learned to brush their teeth every day whether they need it or not, still wear shoes with twenty Velcro straps apiece, and turn into quivering blobs of matter whenever social interaction is forced upon them.
I like reading the success stories out there -- about people who have had "relationship success" despite the fact that they find computers more interesting than most people.
-m
Add bisexualise and it's even _more_ fun... but I agree with the sentiment that there's 200 guys and 199 of them are ugly ;-) Seriously, all you guys complaining that there aren't enough girls to go around... consider sharing :-) And the bit about showering every day in hot places _is_ important even if you think it shouldn't be.
Pleasure is good. Sex is a great way to get to know people. Don't let guilt tell you that because it's fun it must be Long Term Bad: lots of pleasure can make for a good life.
--
Xenu loves you!
> That's an interesting idea, but how do you ask
... It might sound weird but I'd appreciate if you could help me. (etc)"
>a woman from work to help you find a GF without
> sounding TOTALLY pathetic? I think I would like
> to retain what few shreds of dignity I have
> remaining to me...
You have to realize that women LOVE to make matches. You don't seem pathetic; women appreciate men who admit their problems -- I did'nt say those who WHINE, btw.
You know what? Just try it and you'll probably be surprised by the positive response.
"You know debbie, I have something to ask you
Never have dated a geek girl, though there have been a few I would have tried for if they hadn't been in relationships already.
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
I don't know how it is in other areas of the world, but here in Southern Ontario, it's like this.
:)
You're in CS at the University of Waterloo, you're not getting any. 1) There aren't many (possibly any) women at that university. 2) You're too busy studying for your sixth Calculus course to study Female Anatomy. [NOTE: This may not apply to females at Waterloo, as the ratio is reversed]
You're in CS at the University of Guelph, by third year, you've got some, or you'll likely never any (or much) in the future. 1) The female to male ratio at Guelph is 7:3 . 2) The CS program is in a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science -- if you can't find time to get laid while taking elective courses like Music and Popular Culture, you've got bigger problems.
What's that? You thought I was going to post this logged in? Ha!
Yet another female that reads /. regularly. I have to point out a few things.
Scan through the comments above. Right in the top five, there is one from a male student at VA Tech (my alma mater, as a matter of fact) saying there were no females, and promptly getting rather throughly replied to by several of said 'non-existant' females. Not to mention the post from the lady who is bi. all of whom made it past my comments filter, so even that's not an excuse.
Another thing. There is NO self respecting female techie, or geek grrl or however we choose to style ourselves that would take a job we were totally unqualified for. Not to mention, to be rude, if your school was that good, it wouldn't HAVE to have quota's on gender. Who are you kidding? VA Tech is prolly one of the better schools in the country for CS. And i know for a fact that they don't have a quota. They won't take you unless you are qualified. Period. End of story.
And one last irritated point. You admit to the fact that you will coddle underqualified chicks because they fit YOUR definition of 'hottie'. If these chicks have a clue (and they prolly do, if you let them) they prolly resent the living daylights out of you and your attitude. And also prolly don't find it worth arguing. Simply because it's rather prevalent. I know that my personal attitude (and i'll admit it's rude) is that if you decide i'm stupid on first sight, because i'm 5'4", and ex dancer and blonde, then you deserve whatever you get. And trust me, that won't be sweetness light and drivel.
it's pronounced Eunuchs.
Chuck
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
Check this link out. "Give me ten minutes to talk my ugly face off and I'll bed the Queen of France." -- Voltaire
I have never posted to slashdot before but this topic really gets to me. Seriously, If I had known how incredibly unhappy I am now, I would not have gotten a computer science degree. I can't blame all my problems on the lack of women in our field(my lack of social skills is the larger problem), but it certainly doesn't help. In university, we had 13 percent women in our classes and many did not speak english as their preffered language. At work it is just us guys. I do 5 hrs of excercise a week. I shower everyday. I only work about 40 hrs a week. Yet, here I am at 23 yrs old and I have never been able to get a date. And I have no idea how to get myself out of this boys only club... unless I quit my job and started school over again as a nurse where the percentages are probably the other way around. Problem with that is nurses get paid crap.
There's lots of them. One of my best friends is one, but she is getting married in less than a month, so another one bites the dust. ;)
> but my girlfriend wants to learn tantric sex.
please explain
...is to remember that beautiful people are people too.
Sorry, I've seen so many followups to this article discussing strategies for "picking up chicks" and getting enough money to "keep them happy" that I think I have to make this point. Even one-night-stands will be more fun with a person than a sexual object.
--
Xenu loves you!
Is there such a thing?
For me, geek girls are simply gorgeous by default. There's just something about a woman in front of a Unix box that is just irresistible to me.
And, yes, I knew a geek girl once. A beautiful CS major from Cal Berkeley that hung out with me quite a lot while she and I were both interning with a rather large company that is about to become two rather large companies. She borrowed components from lab stock to make cool, small things like radios in her spare time.
But, alas! She was attached, and rather seriously, to another geek. Dunno if she still is....
Go to a meeting of some club, for example. They tend to be fairly small, so introduce yourself to the people organizing the meeting. Tell 'em you thought it sounded interesting and that you just wanted to check it out. (Don't lie - if you're only going to try to meet babes, your insincerity will come through and you will be shunned.) That way you won't seem like the weird new guy, and they'll probably try extra hard to make you feel welcome, maybe introducing you to people there.
And, yes, shower more than once every three days. Blacksburg, VA is hot enough that once a day should be a minimum...
In general, the rest of the world pays more attention to personal hygiene than the stereotypical geek, so keep that in mind if you do try leaving the CS nest...
excellent poll idea.
one word... sick!
As a recent UW grad, I can tell you that if you want to meet girls, go to guelph. I met my girlfriend of 3 years in the Keg (bar in the University Center). It was soooo easy, I just walked in and a couple girls started talking to me. Or hang out in the couch lounge in the university center. Every time I go in there it seems I strike up a conversation with a new female. :)
Oh, and for the "MATH" on the side of your jacket, tell girls it stands for "Medical Arts Taking Honours"! Works like a charm on Guelph women
Dude,
Trust me, if getting a girlfriend is your #1 priority in life, its not that hard to do. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to not set high expectations for yourself. Don't expect a Cindy Crawford lookalike to be your first girlfriend. Get a girlfriend who is not "all that" just to learn the ropes. Where to find someone like this? Yahoo Personals always have a bunch of So Cal girls who, like you, just need company. If you like to see your product first, check out Moose McGillicuddy's in San Diego (PB). Don't blame yourself though, its not you... life is hard but good company will help get you through it and hopefully that is what you will find.
How much time since you last dated? I'm dating now 1-3 months 3-8 months 8 months-2 years 2 years-5 years more than 5 years I've never dated
You just have to find a geek girl ... then you will get it all week... and then you both can go back to programming.
Speaking as a different than normal geek (I was in a frat. and played football in college) MOST girls are hornier than hell if you care to find out. The thing to do is the exact same thing as when trying to figure out a system, trial and error. Practice makes perfect, or at least gives you a better chance. Taking the first step makes the second a lot easier, ad inifinitum.
+&x
Well, :) I got fed up and did it my self, and had it running in about 15 mins (first time I opened the box.) When I dialed out to my first BBS it was a whole new world opening up, where I wasn't being looked down on because of my age. People respected what I said. Where as in school when I took a "computer class" working with old Commies, and apple 2 E's I would complain. This kind of discussion with the teacher stood out cause, most of the kids had never been set in front of a computer before. So this stereo type would stick. My advanced knowledge put me up a few rungs in there eyes, when it came to computers, however the same knowledge separated me from the group.
/. have, you then have a mate that's a budding geek.
:)
I was 10 when my father brought home a 286. He bought through work for $5,000. (terrible isn't it) When he waited about 6 months to put this thing called a Modem in (cause he was trying to understand the AT commands
You know how it goes, Girls will talk to a guy who shares the same interest, but what girl in highschool at the time used computers? (None at my school) At the time that 286 was the center point of my life.
Well in HS it grew even farther apart when I discovered the internet for the first time. I really started to stand out when I spoke of telnet, Archie, etc.
Well after a few years of me and my pc's (to make a really long story short), my wife landed at my doorstep cause, of a friend at the time tossed her out. We started talking, and realized we shared lot of the same experiences. Mostly of ex's and the brunt of how careless they where.
Now my wife knows little of what a pc is or does. She had never set down in front of one before I surprised her with a mothers day present of her own pc. She's now at the point of doing the irc, e-mail, and learning to make www pages. It takes some work but I notice, a carrot in front of a horse works better than showing the front door.
Heck yes, every geek I have met wants a girlfriend/wife that is a computer geek. (Only problem I see is they may want to swap my good pc parts for there:) )
I'm sure everyone of us with a SO has heard the complaint "you spend so much time on that thing, you never pay any attention to me/us" Easy way to solve that is build her, her own pc. Chances are she's not voicing it, but she just doesn't truly understand your fascination with it. But don't get trapped with the "well set it up for me" item. They love this, show them about readme files and instructions there in. And turn them loose. If they have a problem show them the resources to get the information, so there active in figuring out how to do it.
Once after that, they have caught the bug we at
As far as meeting that person, a wise friend once said to me "if you go looking for it, you wont be happy. Let it find you. It will. It will just take time." Mine ended up being dropped on my front doorstep
Just another Techno-geek lost in cyberspace.
Someone moderate the post one level above this one up... the author of it speaks sooth.
I'm 27 years old and haven't even come close to getting any. Too busy? Not really. No social skills? Definitely.
No no no... not "a football" -- "The Football".
As in, the briefcase with the nuke launch codes
that's always within a few feet of the president.
Now we know why Bill Clinton gets so much tail...
I am a NSV (Not Silicon Valley) programmer and a former employeer told me "it was not in his best interest in letting me get married because my productivity might slip" (meanwhile he's banging his secretary and a QA person on the side). Trust me, its hard to have any kind of life at 320 hours a month.
"[...] for a group of healthy college-age males, there was remarkably little discussion of a topic which commonly obsesses groups of that composition. Females. Though some hackers led somewhat active social lives, the key figures in TMRC-PDP hacking had locked themselves into what would be called 'bachelor mode.' It was easy to fall into -- for one thing -- as opposed to the hopelessly random problems in a human relationship -- which made hacking particularly attractive. But an even weightier factor was the hackers' impression that computing was much more /important/ than getting involved in a romantic relationship. It was a question of priorities. Hacking had replaced sex in their lives."
"[Hacking] was a mission. You would hack, and you would live by the Hacker Ethic, and you knew that that horribly inefficient and wasteful things like women burned too many cycles, occupied too much memory space. 'Women, even today, are considered grossly unpredictable,' one PDP-6 hacker noted, almost two decades later. 'How can a hacker tolerate such an imperfect being?'"
Well, I'm sorry if the truth hurts. In most places there are more geek males than geek females, so that's a mark against us right from the start. In my school experience, 99% of CS/Engineering women would fall into two categories: smart but butt-ugly or good looking but not so bright. The latter would get help from their boyfriends to get through school and afterwards got on the mangerial or sales job track at some tech company. There was one woman at my school who was really smart, had the body of Chloe Vevrier, but was unpleasant to look at from the neck up. She was very intimidating and hard to get to know.
You are correct as far as the jerks having a higher success rate and the nice guys get treated like dirt. After undergraduate school, it's not that much different. The smart, but ugly ones get good jobs, fix themselves up and become somewhat decent. But guess what? They also become stuck up resentful bitches! Throughout this entire subject, a common thread was "get a job, earn lots of money, and women will forget you are a geek". In many cases, what does that prove? Women are golddigging leaches! A friend of mine is one of your nice guy he-nerds with a good paying engineering job. Does he have women fighting over him? Hell no. He was a virgin until his late 20s and that woman was only interested in him for his money and what it could buy. She dumped him for some jerk who lived closer.
The old saying is true. Nice guys do finish last. Want to get a woman? Be an arrogant, overbearing, asshole, who goes out and gets sloshed, throws money at women, and pretends to follow their interests. They treat women like shit, but will have lots of these fucking whores lining up for the opportunity.
Thought I would tell the world, well ... the world according to johnnycal. I find that sleeping is a waste of time so when I am not programming I am with her. Good because she is a lazy bum that likes to sleep. When she does sleep, I sneak out and see my other love.....We live five minutes away from one another and her work and mine are five minutes away from our house, so while most are commuting (Bay Area), well you get the picture. I have many friends that haven't went on a date since graduating from college...I Pity the fools. BTW, Rob sucks .... just thought I would throw that in.
yah, I brake it all.....
First of all, do I note a problem in the algorithm here? The one that *seems* to imply that the only techie women are programmers?
...late... wife was a chem and radiochem lab tech, and I have good (female) friends who are physicists, psychologists, etc...of course, they're all sf fans, too....
...wife... *semi*-jokingly threatened to sue 'em for alienation of affection.
My
Then, of course, there's the other obvious conclusion: so, y'all make money (or are underpaid but salaried)...but have no time or energy for a partner, or to play with the toys you can afford with this money, or.... because you're working in a bloody *sweatshop* (air conditioned, unless that goes off at 18:00 - BFD).
At one point, while I was working for a Big Co., that shall remain nameless (but is a Baby Bell in the midwest US), my
Used to be, most people on call (y'know, what they did before pagers?), or working late shifts, got a shift differential (more money), and if you worked over 40 hrs/week, you got overtime. Salaried...they can say "whatever it takes", and not have to worry.
All the same kind of stuff our parents and grandparents fought, by creating unions to protect them from asshole managers and bosses (anyone wanna argue *that* statement, in 75%-85% of the case?)...but, we're "professionals", that's only for "working class folks",...and all kinds of other denial, as abused folks often do.
How many of you are *really* compensated for what you do...how much vacation, or comp time? Ha, ha.
How many of you would be *really* affected by capital gains taxes on all your Big Money stocks you live on (as opposed to put away for when you can retire, and have some money that's not enough to do much, and you're too old to do all that stuff you wanted to do)?
Hell, I'm paid "reasonably", and, based on the tax debates three years or so ago, I earn more money than two-thirds of the folks in this country...and I have, oh, $20 in stock earnings/year....
But unions are *so*, so...un-chic (says the mgmt of the two dozen or so companies that own 90% of all media, in the (not-so-liberal) media.
mark
Is it just my imagination, or are Wired really coming up with some drivel these days? You could write an article like this about any profession that involves long hours and high stress. Just change the examples round a bit. There seem to have been a string of such tabloid articles coming from their direction lately.
:-) I'm still working like a maniac to try and make a footing in a new country and we both seem to get on fine with a "once every few weeks" frequency.
Anyway, on the subject of sex - it was quite handy in my last job that my GF and I lived in two separate countries. We saw each other maybe for a week or two every couple of months. It worked out pretty well, as I was working like a maniac at the time.
Now I've moved to Sweden to be nearer her though and nothing much has changed
Is that more detail than you all wanted?
A little planning goes a long way...
Thanks to the power of the internet ... pick up artists share their techniques on alt.seduction.fast. It's full of spam and trolls so fasten your kill files, but get ready to get some.
Oh, and please refrain from posting before a few weeks of lurking. Thanks.
Right now I'm going out with a girl who is a photo major. She knows how to do stuff in Photoshop and things like that, but she's no geek. That doesn't matter though, we have the same interest in movies, music, etc... and we just generally have a good time together. I've heard other guys in my CS classes complain about there not being any chicks, but they never think about broadening their horizons.
1) Sex is not and cannot ever be overrated
:) but never ever try to push her. It will foster resentment and you'll never get anywhere.
:)
2) Yes masterbation is more efficient, but to (approx) quote from Robert Heinlein: "Masterbation is cheap, clean, and free from hassles... but it's LONELY"
3) I was dating a virgin 'till married kinda girl... and all I can tell you is respect her decision. Mine came around (turned out she was hornier than I was
On a side note, I've found Geek chicks are hornier than hell if you care to find out
Doug
Venn ist das nurnstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ya! Beigerhund das oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
I'm sorry dude, no offense meant, but how can you stand being treated thusly? Are you a man at all? You remind me of those monkeys, where the alpha males get the females and the lower males are denied access (huh, geeky!) and must perform the evil task. Don't you feel bad about it? Personally, if someone, even my boss, were to tell me that, I would react pretty badly.
You don't go scuba diving to look for giraffes. In my experience, you won't have much luck finding a girlfriend in CS, if only due to the male:female ratio there!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Much like a newborn puppy...
If you think combining a girlfriend with a tech career is tough, try having children! My marriage and my children are FAR more important to me than any career rewards.
That's why i work a 40 hour a week job. Yeah, i know i could make more money doing the all-work-no-life thing. But money and the thrill of geeking pale in comparison to the joys of actually having a *relationship* with my children. I've seen the 70-hour-week execs, and the sort of dysfunctional family lives they get. I don't want that.
---
Hand me that airplane glue and I'll tell you another story.
So the other day, I walk out to my car after a long day and there is a note on the windshield. Apparently I have a secret admirer. It was a friendly enough note, anonymous, made me feel good to read it. Now I'm looped because there aren't that many women around this area who are even close to my age, maybe 10 out of 200 and I know at least 4 of them are engaged or married. Who ever it was has taken me off my game because I'm sacred to walk around the halls or talk to anybody here, I don't want some 40+ year old woman nor do I want her thinking about me, observing me (she had to to know which car I drive) it's like I'm being stalked at work! All the while, I'm not getting any! I'd love to be seduced by a coworker, especially if she was about 25 and liked to workout and had that stairmaster physique going on and she liked to play computer games and listen to cool music, but a mother of 2 with a husband and a dog just doesn't excite me in the least. More importantly, such a relationship could possibly be against corporate policy. I'm not too fond of the idea of getting fired for some middle-aged chick. That 25 year old on the other hand I could probably swing, but not the elderly woman.
Just remember to turn your brain off when you do. All of the art people I've met are so incredibly fscked up I can't stand to be near them. They have a worse grasp on reality than computer geeks do!
Society is being dumbed down. Want to be popular, have a relationship, get laid, whatever? Turn your brain off, act like an idiot, and accept all the lunacy around you. I can't stand any popular movies, music, or shows because they are so stupid -- all glitz and eye candy, but no substance. I guess that is one reason why Winblows is on 90% of the world's desktop.
It is very hard to find an intelligent woman who is also nice. In my experience, they tend to be snotty bitches who are only after your money. You know the good looking airheads are only after your money because they don't have the skillset to pay for their shopping binges.
The scene was at the end of the movie. He said : "Say... Thats a UNIX book" She said yes, he said "coool", and later they were dancing. (Can you tell that i have seen this movie too many times? :)
Hmm..my score went down to -20 pretty quickly, and stayed there, but the picture naming scheme is easy to figure out. Nudity starts at 25.2.jpg
Wow, sounds like things are different in your neck of the woods than in mine. As I said, most of the best he-nerds I know were married or otherwise partnered by age 30. I can't think of any ugly female CS majors in my class, although a few of the men were funny-looking (but did all right in the dating game if they had other strengths). Perhaps at your school, the CS majors of both sexes were ugly and the jerks were more successful, in which case, congratulations!
But then so am I.
Isn't that the truth? I'm 22 and in a similar situation with my GF (we were both virgins until our 20's too). She come over the other night to study French with me, and my roommate commented that "it's good to see you two doing something other than fucking." Gee, thanks... :)
--
Jake
Are you saying "You'll have the 'baby batter' on the brain"? "It's like going out with a loaded gun!!"
HAHA i lied there is text. anyway. i find balance in my life. i get into the office quite early, and leave promptly at 5 ever day.
Who were you congratulating? The jerks? Shame on you! This isn't limited to just CS majors. Most of my friends are in other engineering related fields and have the same problems. Only about 1/2 of them are married and we are all over 30. Most of the 'advice' on this subject is bunk. You are basically asking people to be phonies and not be themselves. No wonder there is conflict when later down the road the geek wants to be himself and the woman is pissed that he doesn't spend all his free time kissing her ass and talking to her.
In college, I worked as a DJ at the college radio station. I wanted to do something other than just code all day. The guy/girl ratio was 50/50. After college, I work so much now that meeting anyone (men or women friends) is increasingly difficult. I've found that making time to take classes helps a lot. I've taken beginning art classes from the local community college for fun, to use that other side of my coder brain. You meet people from very different backgrounds and ~70% of them are women! If you want to meet people/women, you need to make the time and get out in the "Blue Room" once in a while! ;-D
cpeterso
"Appropriate". Doesn't describe bisexuals very well, but it's far less blatantly bigoted than "Opposite".
> If you really want to improve your social life, try hooking up with yout local music scene. The parties are a blast! :-)
:wq
WH0 ASK3D AB0UT S0C1AL L1F3? TH3 1SSU3 1Z PU55Y. 1 D0N'T WANT 2 FAKE B31NG INT3R3STED IN TALK1NG 2 GIRLZ, 1 JUST WANNA B01NK TH3M!!!!!11
0H, && 1 GUE55 PART13S CAN B3 FUN, AS L0NG AZ THERES G00D WAREZ B31NG TRAD3D. G1RLZ AR3 DANG3R0US @ WAREZ PART13S B3CUZ TH3Y 3AT P1ZZA WH1L3 C0PY1NG D1SKS 0R BURN1NG CDS, && TH3 1NEV1TABL3 SCR3WUP 0CCURS. (3V3R TRY T0 GET M0ZZ3R3LLA CH33ZE 0UT 0F A CD BURN3R?) ST00P1D G1RLZ!!!!!1111
:WQ
------ ------ ------
ALL HA1L B1FF, TH3 M05T 31337 D00D!!!!!1
------ ------ ------
ALL HA1L B1FF, TH3 M05T 31337 D00D!!!!!1
:WQ
------ ------ ------
ALL HA1L B1FF, TH3 M05T 31337 D00D!!!!!1
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I can't talk to girls. I run out of things to say or don't have anything to say at all. After I tell them about my pride and joy [1990 5.0 Mustang] I am speechless. Usually I blurt out the first thing that comes to me. 99% of the time its about sex, death, killing, hate, violent sex, Mustangs, and Mopars. I just have nothing in common with girls. Maybe I'm gay. No, I don't think thats it. I still masturbate religiously to girls doing things with their vaginas. Guys don't do anything for me. Sigh. Oh well, my car will always love me.
You could have written that as just: s/sex/tech/g; since $_ is the default variable used. Anyway, who needs a girlfriend when you can get free pr0n? (with no strings attached)
My girlfriend and I live an hour apart, and see each other only on the weekends. We go a week between 'encounters' and then have plenty of opportunity to make up for it. That's the disclaimer.
;)
Now the point. Techies, with their long hours and cranial leanings, are no different in the relationship department then any other cerebral-oriented discipline. Scientists, college professors, engineers... We all have better things to do than each other. For that matter, artists (arguably the most passionate profession, second only to that which is oldest) would rather create than procreate.
Why does the media seek so desperately to make us into asexual deviants, simply because we prefer to think about things other than sex. The average male thinks about sex what? 80 times a day?? What about above average? Do they think about it more? Or like us, do they think about it LESS???
We try to live lives of contentment, of productivity and of benefit to the community. We get gratification out of coding, seeing a system come together, and the occasional 'OhMiGawd!'.
Let's not be judged by the standards of the average politician - after all, WE don't expect THEM to think rationally, and WE don't GET interns.
-- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
I will be 29 on Jan 9, 2000 and still be virgin. Anyone older?
--Where're all girls gone?
Members of the Available Sex?
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
do you "guys" think that a mild accent (english is not my first language) can restrict my ability to pick up girls or am i just running out of excuses?
that's one way to look at it. I always kinda envied bisexuals for that :)
:)
well, I guess I can get consolation from all the guys I work with. and my bf
Lea
Geeks' typical lack of focus on romantic relationships doesn't mean they're necessarily worse at being romantic than their jock-and-bimbo peers. In many cases, the only romantic skill that the non-geeks are better at is deceiving each other into believing they're in a romantic relationship.
Does that make me King of the Geeks or what?
From the LA Times update:
Top Ten Reasons Why Working at Microsoft Destroys Your Sex Drive:
5) You're afraid to get involved for fear everyone just wants free software.
I imagine this is being tacked on RMS's wall somewhere as we speak...
--sugarman--
This guy needs a good @boot to the head.
Not only do I not get 'coddled', I have to work a bit harder than the guys in my dept just to get the same credit for what I do. Most annoying.
I'm tired of having to put up with the attitudes, lately. Guys who make assumptions about us aren't just insulting us, they're making themselves look incredibly stupid.
Bitch-Goddess of the Database
Read down to the bottom of the NewTimesLA article, there you will find...
"Hey, Don, Head of Security! I don't give a rip about your stupid orders: BILL GATES' OFFICES ARE LOCATED IN BUILDING 8 ON THE SECOND FLOOR IN THE CENTER OF THE EAST WING FACING SOUTH. Damn that felt good."
ObOnTopic post
When you first start working 90+ hour weeks in this industry (any demanding industry), you have to sacrifice your sex life.
Later, when you mature a bit and get your life balanced out, you learn that spending money on women is much more fun than spending it on ALL the latest geek equipment. Balance means you buy some geek equipment, and spend some on the women.
I would say my sex life has steadily increased over the years. Now I have enough money to keep the women happy, and the social life is properly balanced between partying and geeking. Only sometimes do I miss having a 100% geek life, usually when I watch some young kid right out of school hack circles around me. But he doesn't have a girlfriend, that's my pathetic response.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
mate, tell him to fuck off.
please, it's in your best interest.
you can always get another job. you work better when you're not horny as hell anyway.
nothing is worth sacrificing yourself for.
dave "sex? again?"
I want INSPIRATION.
For an amusing take on the dating scene, see The Game (but don't take it too seriously).
> I have sex all the time :)
Technically that's not sex. It takes two you know.
Hmm.. I guess that's why there's so much Porn on the web. It's not those business execs that are visiting the sites.. it's all of the Computer Geeks trying to get off on their coffee breaks.
This is a good reason for Corporations to modify their internet policy for their computer programmers and *NOT* block porn sites...
I married a geekette. (Female Geek?) She loves computers, works in the wireless messaging business and the like. I'm working on my hardware certification at home. Our sex life is great. Just take heart, frustration makes it all better.
*grin*
I have found the best way to pick up chicks is to walk around with a football.
It does not matter if you are 5'5 and 90 pounds... chicks DIG this!!!
Mention that you "Play Sports" too.
It is untrue that male geeks don't stand a chance of finding geek girlfriends. I speak from experience, having spent 10+ years in computer science departments (mostly MIT).
Almost all of the high-quality men I went to school with are married or partnered. One he-nerd I know has had women fighting over him for years. He's average looking, but he's very sweet and intelligent. From my observations, jerks have a higher success rate as undergrads, but good guys do better thereafter. (I know a number of she-nerds who dated jerks as undergrads, but they didn't marry them and went on to date nice guys.)
Egon provides a textbook illustration of the type of guy who claims that it's impossible to find a geek woman to date. For starters, he insults the women, by saying that none or few of them are good-looking. I can't believe how many men tell nerd women to their face that nerd women aren't attractive. None of the guys I've heard say this have been model material themselves. Second, if it's impossible to find a geek girlfriend, how have other men managed to do so? Perhaps they treat women better than you do. Be a good engineer. Don't say that something's impossible if you can't do it, particularly if other people manage to do it.
This rant is not aimed at Egon. He's no worse than zillions of other guys I've met or heard of, and he didn't actually say it is impossible.
(For the record, I am now married to one of the many he-nerds I dated and am working in one of the few computer science departments with more women then men. (See my home page for details.))
Flame off.
I graduated with a CS degree and am now working as a software consultant. I don't do any hacking but I will occasionally jones and try to accomplish some arcane little task in C or scripting just to keep my UNIX skills refreshed (I quit academia for the commercial world and am now entrenched in Micro$haft products). So I guess I'm a geek girl/woman/grrl. Being on the opposite end of the ratio spectrum, one of maybe ten women in my UCSD program, you could say I had my pick. I TA'd a lot of classes and met tons of guys. But even with the huge number advantage the pickings were indeed slim. I'll assert that I'm not unattractive, just so I don't get lumped in with the 'ugly girls' category that presumably no one wants anyway, listed in an earlier post. I do think that most guys just weren't that interested. Or, they were trying to get through school and I heard 'don't have time' quite often. For a lot of them, a girlfriend *just wasn't a priority*. Then of course, there were the desperate/socially clueless ones. I received so many anonymous emails, some of them cute, many of them quite icky, one guy wanted to bestow upon me the gift of his virginity, another wanted me to wear black leather and do ...things... to him. NOw granted these were college age boys and I was an older student, but very, very, few actually just came up and talked to me or started a conversation like a real person. I became really tired of one-liners and averted eyes. I found it very difficult to get to know most geek guys. So I believe there was opportunity out there (I was single and wanted a man!), but it was very difficult to connect with the geeks. I ended up dating a PoliSci major. :/ (But my current sweetie is a geek and turned me onto /.)
Garth: "Say.....That's a UNIX manual"
While this is a nice idea in theory and may manage to get you a gf, you'll never be truly happy because you'll have to continue pretending to enjoy these "other activities" you pursued in order to keep your gf. Worse case, you'll eventually quit doing these "other interest" out of boredom and your gf will leave you because you "changed" and "lost interest" in her.
Besides, geeks ALREADY have interests outside of Comp Sci. They're just not often "mainstream" interests.
TAKE THE RISK and actually invite girls to do the GEEKY thinks you really like to do. You'd be surprised to find that the offer to try something they've never done before will encourage a few girls to actually try it. Invite a girl to come and watch some Japanese animation (avoid the overly sexist stuff, of course). Or invite her over to drink tea and go swimming in your pool (geeks are often well paid enough to have these choices) listening to '80s girl rock. Invite her to come and see those '80s video game systems and games you've been collecting and challenge her to a game of Atari 2600 combat. Dates don't have to be the stock "dinner and a movie".
If she thinks this stuff is lame, then oh well, but if she likes you for who you are and likes to do the same things you like to do, believe me, that's a far preferred situation than forever pretending to like some grudingly selected "other intrests" that you really think is boring as all heck. Granted, the former case may happen a lot. Be prepared. But also be patient. Shakespeare was wrong; A life alone, staying true to your ideals, is better than finding a girl by becoming someone you yourself aren't happy to be. - The LasVegas Geek
Good observation. After all, what makes sex "viable" is the fact that "there's not any better thing to do".
People who don't code, don't have so much fun stuff to do. Why do you think they are partying, hanging out at places for hours, talk to everybody ?
You gotta slow down coding and let your brain get bored. You are missing a quite fun stuff
In the official cheer of Texas A&M University... WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!
Damn, makes me wish my woman was here. Summer classes suck for relationships =(
Demona's Law - "User data expands to exceed available bandwidth." ("User data" being pr0n, mp3's, vob's,
Heh, I used to get it about 9 times a week with my spouse. Nowadays I've geared down to 3, and that's pretty much for weekends only. I like to think of myself as someone who's very enduring. However, after a 60 hr workweek, time with my daughter, some time with friends, and quality time with my spouse, I'm a pretty dead duck. I feel burned out as it is, and I'm actually going on my first vacation in two years. For me, its not a matter of what's more important. My big factor is time. Usually when I get home I feel wrecked, and I barely can keep myself awake through supper.
When you start spending money on women, you realize that you only get the golddiggers.
.... well I'm fun to be around, have a nice conversation ...
If you get to observe the whole scene, you'll see guys who:
1 - bang the best looking women
2 - don't buy them anything
3 - get them to buy stuff for them
At a bar:
Some chick - (To me) So, will you buy me a drink?
Me - Why do you think I would want to buy you a drink
Her - Errr
Me - Me too! You know, I believe in equality between men & women. Don't you?
Her - Yeah!
Me - Well, why don't you buy me a drink?
She laughed and I got free beer.
"Seriously? I'd feel kinda odd going there, being a guy and all ;)." It can be a lot of fun to go to places like AWC meetings and raise all sorts of uncomfortable questions. Try, "Why isn't there an Association for _Men_ In Computing?" on for laughs. There's a REASON why politicians get most of the girls. :-)
Gee,
We get complaints about the digital sweatshop (Long hours for the same pay). This is just another outgrowth.
Guys, learn to tell your boss _NO_. I've said it before, I took a job at 6% less pay, but went from 55 billable hours (read 60+ in the shop), to getting out of work at 5:00pm every day, a 40 hour week. Best trade I ever made
Charlie
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
Yeah, I stand corrected. Young geeks don't get laid...I was an exception (mind altering drugs :P). But we'll always win in the end...because we're smarter and most of us, in the end, are going to make a lot more money than the moron who beat the shit out of you in gym class :)
Face it, some geeks aren't meant to have significant others. I don't see how any woman in her right mind would want someone like me. If she could get by the introversion, monotone speech, dorky looks, inferiority complex, and obsession for computers , if the relationship progressed far enough, she would have to deal with my humiliating cocktail sausage-sized penis. It's not fun being laughed at and compared to eight year olds.
Oh well, at least I can drool over the gals at Danni's in my spare time.
C'mon, you guys are smart. Do it while waiting for the your compiles to finish.
:-) Thank you, T. well, im glad you're amused.. hehe.. 'cos YOUR social life isnt on the line here.. school starts in only 2 weeks, btw :-O
::
:: frantically searches for tuition money
Still as long as my boss keeps having great ideas like "Right, I want book reviews on our intranet -- and allow people to add comments -- just like Amazon. Surely that's easy, cos all you'll have to do is go to www.amazon.com and steal their code, right ?" I won't have enough time to worry about it.
OH! MY! GAWD! TALK ABOUT RUNNING THROUGH THE UGLY FOREST AND GETTING HIT BY ALL THE BRANCHES !!!!!!!
Better yet, get a small recorder, plant it on youself start it, bring up the topic, get it on tape. get his credit card receipts, and lots of more data on his "activities". you hvae plenty o blackmail stuff on your hands. sexual relations with co-workers? mail it off to his superior? you could have him in the palm of you hand.
I have sex all the time :)
-I go to Rice, so figure out my email address
according to recent survey. That makes even harder to find dates, especially if you aren't a zillionaire.
The Wired article was a load of rubbish. Someone must have had a deadline and no ideas. The LA times article was worth reading for its humour.
I've worked long hours as sysadmin, operations supervisor, and programmer. Yes, I spent long hours in the office including regular all nighters. Doing so, I got to meet two shifts worth of female co-workers. I had several short dalliances and one relationship of nearly two years with attractive, sexy women. I also had a relationship with a girl working in technical sales support for a supplier which was delightful. I'm been married to a girl I met at work for nearly ten years.
I managed to pursue other hobbies as well, which gave me more to talk about than computers and work. Consideration for others and a sense of humour go a long way where relationships are concerned.
If you can't meet any MOTOS, change your job or change your priorities. Or accept things the way they are. If you work that hard in this industry and you're any good, you can have a large say in your choice of employer and conditions of work.
If your boss tells you that getting married will affect your career prospects while he's bonking two on the side and you take that at all seriously, you're the loser, not him.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
-----------------------
Nicotine free Amish .sig.
I can't be the only techie out (t)here that manages to work like a maniac and still spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. It's not my sex life that suffers, it's my sleep life that suffers. :-)
In all seriousness, I agree completely with the sentiment that this is a worthless article on a trite topic. It may be entertaining for some (hehe, those geeks aren't getting any), but in general it's non-journalism.
I do know this. If you're working 15+ hours a day 6 days a week, don't go home and check your e-mail. This tends to piss your girlfriend off (or mine, anyway). Spend that hard-earned money on her--it's somehow more satisfying than buying another Palm(tm).
--
Riad Wahby
http://www.phonon.net/
Yeah, I think this idea that there are gender quotas in compsci is ridiculous. In one breath, guys bemoan the lack of geek girls, and in the next they dismiss the geek girls as unqualified poseurs. Gee, and now they're wondering why all the geek girls are hiding from them... I wonder!
The header says it all. I mean, I am, by all common standards, a geek- I'm a software engineer, I have a pentium3, a palm5, an 8810, a n64, and a gameboy....
;-)
So what?
I have a good job, I'm very good at what I do. I also have a 6' beautiful blonde girlfriend.
It's all about priorities- Sure every now and then I work 80-hour weeks- and I demand massive overtime because it shits my girlfriend, and my employers know they need me more than I need them. Mostly, I sleep in with my girlfriend, and I go to work, and leave berween 5 and 6 every day- if I have extra shit that needs doing, I do it while she studies next to me, or while she's at work. I also like to go out, get pissed and dance, and watch the footy (go the broncos).
The bottom line is, I put the _important_ parts of my personal life first, unless there's an emergency at work, and everybody's happy...
...Except for the last week, coz I need to get a massive shopping mall finished coz we have a huge launch soon. Can we spell s-t-r-e-s-s?
-Gfunk
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
there is a sensitive guy called Oesterreicher in American Pie?? i mean, all of us Oesterreichers (that's Austrians for you english speaking people) are known to be sensitive, but i did not know the word has spread. now i have to go see it :-)
Why don't you get the sex?
Maybe it's true... I got a new girlfriend and this week just managed to work 40 hours. No more 60+ schedules and shabby looks and pizza stains on the tshirt and shorts. I kept doing what I was doing but nothing new came out of my head. Is it a curse? Like in " if you have a girlfriend your code will never be debugged" and vice-versa? Antonious Coward
if you are repulsed, then maybe you are gay. or there are really only painted, overdressed, or, to put it simply, gross women at harvard. i hate those. eeeew. go away. the worst part is that they often put on a LOT of perfume as well...
here is my tip: stop looking for sex and start looking for love. for a special friend who happens to be female at the same time. believe me, there are many more sweet females out there than there are decent men (when you look at it from the women's perspective).
many men treat their sweet girlfriends like crap and are proud of it. what does this mean for us geeks? it means it is eeeeeasy to be better than them - if you work on the hygiene thing, that is. you will find her. always believe in love. peace.
Me? I took out the work-aholism and I've sorta gotten myself to do "normal" hours. Thus I do have a normal relationship with my gf. She only hates it when I am late getting to places ;>
-
ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
I'm not sure if anyone can honestly blame their lack of a relationship on their lack of time. At least not complain about it. It's like you said: "no one's holding anyone back".
I have been reading Slashdot for ~2 years now, basically ever since I started to really get into Linux hardcore. Anyways, I have been depressed ever since I was 16 years old, and a big part of it I think is due to my lack of female socializing skills. I now subscribe to alt.suicide.holiday on USENET, and plan on killing myself in the near future.
What is the point of life if there's no one to share it with? I'm sick and tired of living alone. I've had it. (don't even give me any shiny-happy crap, ive been through all the traditional medical forms of "help", none have worked.) Psychologists, medications, you name it. Nothing works. Ever since I was a Junior in high school, I haven't been able to truly focus on my academics, and thus suffered severely in that area. I wasn't accepted to any colleges I applied to, and now Im living at home with my mom.
Life sucks, and I'm not going to continue living without a fucking girlfriend anymore.
BTW, if any of you Southern California residents are reading this, might want to check out alt.sex.prostitution.tijuana for information on getting laid in TJ (south of Los Anegeles/San Diego. I fucked girls at the Chicago Club and Adelita's Bar, and was the only time I ever got laid in my life, but the girls there are very high quality.
I can have it whenever I want from my girlfriend (I never thought I'd see the day where someone would want it more than me!), but then again Im a sysadmin making $50k/year near NYC with a 40-hour work week. Is that a fair tradeoff? I happen to think so.
First of all, how the hell do i post a comment, without "replying" to an existing one? Oh well.
... :(
:)
:(
:) Thats why.
:)
Anyway, here goes.
I find the biggest problem to be the lack of girls that have my interest (that is, geek girls), and my serious lack of social skills.
This isn't just a lack of social skills in meeting new girls, but making any friends at all in general. I only have 1 or 2 real RL friends, and most of the time am alone, and spend time alone.
I have tried making friends (esp. female) in RL, and online, in my area, but its been hopeless
I don't really care much about sex, and all of that. I mainly want to meet a girl for companionship. Someone i can talk do, do stuff with, hack code together with, that kinda of stuff. I find that i'm at home alot of the time, just writing code (C, and lately, C++), and i get real lonely.
I wonder (ok, imagine/daydream) what it would be like to just have someone else here with me, to talk to, or even just have someone to talk to on the phone. A friend. Prefably female (i have to admit, i've never even had a real female friend, ever), but male friends are ok.
I'm certainly straight, and the thought of being gay (ie. me imagning having sex with another male) was always revolting. But recently i'm starting to change. Hmm. Maybe i'm beggining to accept that i'll never meet a geek girl, and will end up being gay or something. I dunno what to think anymore. I find that i am almost always feeling real depressed, and unhappy with life, and the only way to get away from that feeling is to 'go watch a movie' or 'hack some more code' and forget about RL.
I also have no siblings, so i don't have any brothers or sisters around, to talk to, have as a close friend, or anything like that, so it makes matters only worse, and explains my serious loneyliness
I guess i'm really wondering how many other geeks out there feel like this, or feel anything like i do.
Feel free to respond/email me.
Anonymous. Why? Cuz i'm kinda well known online, and i'd rather stay anonymous
bsdhacker@hotmail.com (linux too, of course, but BSD has recently became my OS of choice
Ok, I work for IBM - the largest IT corp. in the world. I personally have worked 10-12 hour days this week, and put in 6 hours last weekend (a rather relaxed week compared to the last four months). I know I'm not alone in that schedule; in fact I doubt there are more than 5% of the engineers at our facility who don't work 60+ hour weeks - and that's all kinds of disciplines, from composite materials engineering, to ic design, to systems software, to you name it. Yet when I walk around the halls there are a lot of very round bellies this spring/summer. In my area alone 9 out of 14 married women are pregnant; at least 7 out of 18 married men are expectant fathers -- as well as 1 giggalo, and 3 soon to be single mothers (the office pool has been started, I've got a bottle of soda on: geek girl #2 && it's a girl && they don't get married && he takes no interest/responsibilty (cuz the guy's a major jerk).
So WTF? is it that we aren't located on the left coast? or are us "beemers" just more fertile??
I'm a CS major myself, but I stick to staying in the dorms and make friends with people such as photo and art majors. There tends to be a lot more females in those majors than computer ones I have discovered, and I have met many chicks this way. Just because some girl ain't a geek doesn't mean you can't have a relationship with them.
Currently I work for a data processing department for a large lighting company outside Atlanta. I've been through the 80+ hour week stuff and saw a marriage of 23 years go down at least partly as a result of that. I've remarried and I live 2.5 miles from home and I always make it home for lunch. I'm 50 and I *always* have my afternoon delight. You only have one life and your employer simply won't love you back!
I once read that NASA demands that it's critical programmers have normal lives. That they have marriages and do not work overtime. When a bug can mean 6 dead astronauts and millions or billions in monetary losses, quality code is more important than so-called productivity. Bottom line is happy geeks are write better code than overworked pizza & Mt Dew-fed college wankers. Any links?
MOTAS's = Members of the Approximate Sex?
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Everybody likes to bitch about this problem. Personally, I've made myself a promise to shutup and accept the situation because my whining was annoying some of my buddies. Yes, it sucks to be us, so let our earning potential balance everything out. Life is not perfect.
However, we forget that the this chick thing is dichotomous. If you're female, and you're in the computer industry or you want to get in, then you're all set. It follows that I have to make this observation apparent because there are so few chicks reading Slashdot.
My particular university is tech-centric. I'm pretty sure it has female admissions quotas and also offers better scholarships to them. They also indicate your sex with a "M" or "F" on the marking sheets. Coincidence? No way -- the TAs aren't stupid. Well, not all of them. I used to write stories for a faculty newspaper about this subject, but they were all banned.
The HR guys at my first academic job placement said that any non-hideous female that applies for a job in Information Services will get it. He considers hiring underqualified women a "cost of doing business in the tech industry". Three companies later, I can see that this is definitely true. Geeks really like having women around, even if they have no chance (or no ability) to score. I have personally coddled underqualified chicks -- but they were hotties. You probably have too, but maybe you didn't notice.
So, all and all, if you're female then things are good. Perhaps the homosexuals are having a good time too.
What am I not getting?
One-handed?
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Articles like this make me feel like a freak.. I am the original UberGeek, I spend almost every penny on toys that take batteries, and NO, not those kinds of toys ;). I don't work more than 60 hours a week though - I used to, but that kills you quick.
At any rate, I've had a steady GF (well, a few of them ;), since I was 17.. And I don't think that I'm much to look at. Nor do I date trolls :) And as a general rule, we fsck like bunnies :). All the time :). 3 times a week? We usually go at least twice a day when we're together! :) Maybe it's youth.. I'll be23 next month, but I don't see slowing down none, either.
The trick(s) are to a) don't hide that you're a geek. You'll do a miserable job. b) Find a female that likes geeks. They're out there. They think it's "cute". c) Find (pay if you have to) an attractive female (i.e. one you'd like to pounce on) and then go shopping. Chicks like to do this. Except bite the bullet and get some nice glasses ($250+, I paid about $600CDN for a pair of ubercool titanium ones), and then go get some nice clothes. Those are "nice clothes" by HER opinion, not yours, and ditto the glasses :). You will be suprised in how people relate to you - bigtime. But don't hide that you're a geek :).
One thing though: Don't bother with women that are clueless about computers and don't want to learn. Otherwise you'll have nothing to talk about. Trust me on this one :).
Once you've cleaned yourself up a bit, you shouldn't need to look too far. YMMV though, but, that's my experience, anyhow...
Just wondering... Since the plans for Micros~1's
offices and Gates' house are public record...
Anyone have the time and the gumption to
Get them and whip up some kick-butt QuakeX or
Unreal or even Half-Life levels out of em?
Granted I only have Quake I & II and don't game..
but hey.. would be neat... Put the big evil
overlord in the East wing? was it?
Heh...
Just a thought
Friends don't let friends buy Compaq's. (Dell/Gateway... same same) You want a good computer? Build it yourself.
THanks, I needed that.
This has been common knowledge for at least a decade and probably more.
I seem to be the only one out of my little circle who this article describes fairly well :^/ And that's probably due to the fact I'm on the road almost all the time.
That notwithstanding, it's still a fairly low percentage.
So how many geeks with well-funded stock-options and bonus resort to hiring a little love? Call girls, MPs, HCs, etc?
Being a comp sci geek does NOT prevent you from having a great social life (with plenty of women). Just don't limit your interests to only computer and sci fi related things. Take some liberal arts courses... study a martial art (there was many women in my judo course)... throw dinner parties (women like a guy who can cook).
I am a geek through and through. My house is totally wired... my bedroom looks like a CompUSA exploded... but I have a great social life. All of my friends are wonderful, intellectually stimulating people, but only a few of them are computer geeks like me. Quite a few of my friends are artists and musicians. Hanging out with them has really sparked my creative side; I am discovering a interest in computer based audio/visual production. We will produce a few video shorts and even movies that include original animation and music.
If you really want to improve your social life, try hooking up with yout local music scene. The parties are a blast! :-)
Thad (a.k.a. Izaak when I have time to log in)
I don't need sex! I've just bought a BMW 850i and driving this baby feels way better than sex ;)
Yes, for some reason I can't really pinpoint I seem to really get along girls in arts just fine. I dated a few of them... And now there is finally one I am happy that things are geeting serious with... Ok.. so the tip is.. computer guys, you'll get along just fine with art girls ok... just try... It's not very difficult you know!
I'm a techie as well, recently married -- and we keep very active (once a day minimum). Then again, we got married three months ago, and we were both virgins in our 20's (believe it!)
;>
So, while this was once true for me, I managed to balance things out, although it's possible I've gone to the other extreme...
"You can never have too many elephants on your team."
The statements are true. A programmer's sex life does suffer at times. There is a trick to it though! In my personal experience, getting some has only been a problem *between* girlfriends. Once I have a girlfriend it's not that much of a problem. The trick is FINDING a girlfriend after a breakup. :) The workplace is pretty much out. With sexual harassment suits like they are now, despite the other problems that could arise, workplace relationships are not the best idea. Meeting chicks online is risky. Of the two that I have met... Well, I don't want to get into that. :) )
For me, as I am sure is true for most nerds, the club scene is out. Who wants to sit in a really loud bar mostly full of people that you wouldn't get along with? Also, the black lights do weird things with my CRT tan.
So what's left? My solution has been friends of friends! Instead of asking out a lady from work, ask her to help you find a woman. Surely they have friends. The best part is that if you work at a tech firm, there is a good chance that a lady you work with will know a nice geek girl that will understand what you mean if you happen to throw out a term like "hash table". (drool... 'Whisper code in my ear baby'
In the mean time, between girlfriends, there is always Internet porn.
Cryogenic Specter
btw, if none of the above will work for you at all, try this code snippet:
if (chicksClothes == ON)
{
if (removeClothes(&chick))
{
goAtIt(&me, &chick);
} else {
getOutOfMyHouse(&chick);
}
}
Never heard of it. What platform is it available for?
Everyone has to shoot his (her) own tiger!
... and some tigers are just NOT worth shooting
Oh dear god, yes! What Izaak above said is so true it almost hurts sometimes... Someone please immediately score the above post to +5 as "Damn Good Advice for Geeks" Heh... If more of the CIS majors here acted that way, I'd actually hang out with other geeks instead of the non-CIS people I do now...
If it weren't from Wired, i'd be surprised that anyone could get away with such a sloppy article
A significant number of them are virgins, or their only sexual experience has been with a prostitute,"
Error: "Significant number" undefined. All that means is that it's a nonzero number. You'd think they'd at least give some idea of what that number is, unless the number was too small to actually support the thesis of the article.
"They have all these fantasized ideas as to why this is going on, such as 'I don't have time to do these stupid things that girls demand to date them ... women want mushy stuff like candy, flowers, and candlelit dinners.'
So, despite the fact that it's an undefined number(certainly a far cry from "most" of the people surveyed), they go right ahead and start the next line with "They all have these fantasized ideas...", painting a picture of a six year old saying girls are "icky".
And.. of course: "While their better-rounded counterparts were having initial sexual experiences, these guys were developing new computer programs or getting major rewards from intellectual pursuits. By contrast, guys of average intelligence were more into sports, drinking beer, and getting laid, and therefore were better socialized in regards to dating and sexuality."
Yes, many people who pursued intellectual rewards in high school didn't spend much time and energy on beer, dating and sports. This makes drunken jocks "better rounded"? It would certainly seem to, at least compared to the image of the virgin chronic masturbator techies this article paints. It's funny though, from what I can tell those are the ones who considered high school the best years of their life, and are in a perpetual decline thereafter. What "significant number" of these "better socialized" people are involved in domestic abuse? And just because they screw doesn't mean they're particularly good at it. I realize I am also throwing around generalizations and stereotypes, but if that's all you need to do to present this "data superfluous, just reenforce stereotypes", then i'm throwing around generalizations and stereotypes with journalistic rigor!
All I know is, I, and pretty much every techie/geek/weirdo I know, is rather happily involved with someone. My fiance and I don't find conflict between our relationship and our technical pursuits. Quite the contrary, sometimes some hot monkey lovin' is just the thing to clear one's mind and fix that algorithm.
Another damned comic
+++ NO CARRIER
What about female hackers? Are they not getting any too? Any females out there care to comment?
--
Everything I know in life I learnt from
It's true. Since I've "hooked up" my productivity has plummeted.
Of course, I'm a much happier person! ;) Good luck!
--
After having had a girlfriend for exactly three months out of the last five years, I've become extremely cynical about the whole thing, which probably doesn't help my situation at all. Now, when I walk around Harvard Square (about 15 minutes from my apartment), I find the women physically attractive but socially/psychologically repulsive: overdressed, made-up, shallow, immature, and unbrained.
It's a very strange sensation to both want something and be repulsed by it at the same time. But maybe this is what I need to get my mind off women once and for all.
Where are all the good women? They sure aren't here.
Kyle
NP: Dream Theater, Awake
--
Kyle R. Rose, MIT LCS
[ home ]
Most of all, don't worry if you feel a little awkward sometimes, that goes away with practice.
Thad
When I was in college I had my own personal code I lived by and it went something like this: (1) the mind and body need balance. (2) i don't give a damn about your opinion of me. By that I mean that if the needs of one were neglected, the other could not function as well. So yeah I spent many hours in the lab, but *always* made time at least every other day for some sort of exercise. There was a point of diminishing returns on projects (you will find this out in real life too) where a 92 or 89 vs. a 95 or 100 makes all the difference in your mental health. I did just as well (and am still doing just as well as 95% of my peers, 4 years later) and I am damn well more happy then the 5% who are kicking my ass. Kept my hair short and effcient and damn well sure I had a shower, shave, clean clothes, and proper meals at *bare minimum* every other day. Does wonders for your personal karma. It makes you feel good, and when you feel good, you radiate it. Also made it a point to get out and socialize every week. This included more then enough interaction and dates with the opposite sex. I dated big and small, short and tall, and never once took any crap from anybody about it. Anybody I thought was cool I had a go at and never had any regrets. Another point to mention more on the topic of this thread, physical appearance of a potential partner can have absolutley ZERO to do with possbile sexual satisfaction.
Get away from Harvard and you'll find some non-messed-up babes who'll float your boat. But the ones at Hvd are really not brainless, they are just confused about life.
Shopping works both ways. It is especially good for when you want to impress a girl you've known for a short while, and she hasn't made her mind up yet. It is great for finding a good wardrobe for yourself as well. My trick with one girl was to take her out people watching one fine saturday. We did the brunch thing, and the topic got onto shopping and style. She was good at pointing out obvious geeks and nerds, and various losers whose mothers still dressed them. So I made a deal with her, if she would come with me shopping for some new duds, I'd take her shopping afterwards. I still refer to my Armani suit as Gig, since it cost me the savings I had for a 1 Gig drive (in those days, US$800). She had the eye for how to dress a guy up, and I've followed her advice ever since. In turn we spent two full days running through stores, and she finally chose a nice evening gown and all the accessories. The shopping trip led to a good romance. No guy had ever taken her shopping before. I look on the money as an investment well spent, even though I had to put off a computer upgrade for six months. But the best result is I now have a wardrobe which sets me apart from all the other geeks. I often have to negotiate with corporate VPs, and showing up in a suit that puts them to shame gives me the upper hand in getting my way. There really is a power game when guys get dressed up, and the struggle is entirely silent. So, don't ignore a woman if she is dropping hints about going shopping. Women's stuff is not that much more expensive. And if you have to wait a few months to upgrade your gear, it only gets better and cheaper. the AC [and dont forget flowers!]
Hey... if you can't get it as a straight male programmer, why not go bi? Every person you meet is an opportunity. (And you know the gay programmers get it all the time.)
I may be single, but I go out to parties, bar and movies with friends (lately I go out about 4-5 times per week) and have fun.
When most of your life you knew no single girl or the one that are single are not interrested in you or superficial (must be tall, handsome, wear Tommy Hillfiger), it's no surprise I'm still single at 22.
Dressing well (depending of the occasion dressing well may vary greatly), having a job, a car, travelling, having friends and a social life, being independent, bright and knowing where you want to go doesn't garantee you to have a gf. It's more being at the right time at the right place.
Good luck!
And remember you're not alone.
You may also want to check this link
I'm looking at Bonnie my girlfriend right now. She's asleep across the room. To help out with the geek sex statistics, I'm going to go fsck her brains out right now.
At the age of 28, I've historically never considered myself very successful at the whole sex/dating thing. Until recently, I considered it very difficult and frustrating finding people I could relate to.
Over the past couple of years, though, I've been much happier with my life in this regard. I have an amazingly sexy and brilliant grrlfriend and generally feel a lot better both about myself and about my attitude towards other people.
A couple of observations from my experience:
Enough self-help-sounding nonsense. Just go get some, you fucking dorks.
What age women are you talking here?
When I'm in hack mode, the urge to masturbate goes to zero. Only when I run out of coding ideas do I feel drawn to the jpg directory. The same thing happened when I began a physical relationship with my girlfriend, but it only lasted a week. Coding binges can last two weeks or more.
What the heck's up with that? I'm 26, a techie, a virgin, and quite happy with the situation. You just gotta learn how to be content with where you are in life (and that applies to many areas). I'm also in a very happy relationship with a woman who thinks I'm the sweetest and most romantic guy she's met.
Society's perceptions are screwed up. There's nothing that equates sexual expertise to being a more well rounded person. The people I know who wait until marriage tend to have happier, more enduring marriages than those who don't.
CT
you could very easily be the person to help her get out of that kind of trouble you know :)
---Got Coffee?---
What else can be said excpet that, isn't this obvious. We gt all the loving we need from the latest in computer graphics. Have you seen the body of the chick on the Everquest box?
It takes more than social skills to get a girlfiend. Some people would have a hard time getting laid, no matter if they were CS geeks or arts majors. Good looks are everything these days.
I haven't had sex since before the Clintons moved into Forty Acres, and I don't miss it, but I DO miss the affection and closeness of a relationship. Eh, big deal. So I bust my ass a little more and by the time my biological clock goes off, I'LL be the old fart poaching co-eds in my Male Menopause Machine -- same as it ever was. P.S. I know exactly what I'm missing and in some detail, so don't go there.
There's a joke that's been circulating for a while that pretty much sums up the situation. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but I'll reprint it here for your convenience. If you don't like it, just give me a -1. :-)
-----
A programmer is walking to a pizza parlor to pick up some grub for a (typical) geek-out marathon. On the way there, he sees a frog sitting by the side of the path. As he passes the frog, the frog speaks to him in a sultry female voice:
"Hey! I'm actually a beautiful woman, but an evil witch has cast a spell on me and turned me into a frog! If you give me a kiss to turn me back to a woman, i'll be your love slave for a night!"
The programmer stops, picks up the frog, smiles, and puts the frog in his pocket.
A few minutes later, he hears the frog yelling from his pocket, so he takes it out again.
"Alright, I'll make it a month!"
The programmer smiles, pats the frog on the head, and sticks it back in his pocket.
A few minutes later, the frog begins to yell again, so he pulls it out.
"Ok, ok, I'll marry you and be your love slave forever, just KISS ME!"
The programmer chukles to himself and starts to put the frog back in his pocket when the frog says, "WAIT! What's wrong with you? I've offered to be your love slave forever! WHY WON'T YOU KISS ME?"
The programmer speaks:
"Look, I'm a coder. I don't have time for sex or a girlfriend, but a talking frog is pretty damn cool."
---
In every good joke, there's a hint of truth.
--GP
... in binary format! (Great code for answering "How was your day")
Sex - 100 - most significant
Beer- 010
Unix- 001 - least significant
Now, go forth in search for 111.
-m
The last sentence of the Wired article is ironic, given its context: "Money provides comfort, flexibility, and pride, but all by itself, money can deliver only a shallow kind of happiness." The irony is in what we are told as the alternatives: "sports, drinking beer, and getting laid". Right. Replace "money" above with these alternatives and you still end up with something banal. "Beer/sex/sports provides ... only a shallow kind of happiness."
The vices provide momentary pleasure, but the result is banal. Whether the pleasure comes from greed or lust, there is a point in one's life where one wonders, "is that all there is?". There is a point where there is despair in mere pleasure.
Perhaps there is happiness to be found, a happiness found in love that transcend body parts, friendships that transcend business, and a God that transcends everything else. The Wired article merely sets one form of pleasure against another. Happiness is to be found elsewhere.