Write it this way: "While they didn't exploit an OS-specific hole"...perfectly good English, and perfectly gender neutral
Actually, the term "they" is plural, leading to a subject/verb disagreement. That really counts as slang and is commonly used, but it's improper English (my teacher jump on us for that). The only proper way to say it that I know of it "While he or she didn't exploit an OS-specific hole..."
...You must first define what a 'Geek' is. I've seen geeks classified by the way they dress (pocket protectors, suspenders - not too common now), their interests (computers, science fiction), and their academic performance/intelligence. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, let's assume that a geek is merely someone who shows signs of intelligence higher than most others (and don't even start on the geek/nerd debate).
I have to agree completely with Cliff that stereotypes are spread by the mainstream media. The first thing that came to my mind when I say this debate was watching the nerds/geeks on Saved by the Bell. They were a little too. . . 80's, but they represent just about every stereotype I can imagine. These can be split into two categories: intellectual and physical. These people were the smartest in the school and interested in activities that required more intelligence, such as Chess and science fiction (Star Trek, in particular). Their outward appearance was an attempt to show everything 'uncool' and a total disregard for fashion, with suspenders, pocket protectors, glasses, and that odd walk. They were weak and had no athletic talent whatsoever.
Nowadays, the term 'Geek' seems to be used more liberally as an insult given to anyone who most people don't like, essentially, anyone who isn't 'cool'. Judging from the general use in my town, any social outcast is a geek, while myself and others at the top of our class are nerds (there are exceptions to that, as it seems it's not as much intelligence as it is the display of intelligence).
So I'm going to be a bit more broad than most in my answer. In my opinion, a geek is anyone who is a outcast due to a lack of compliance with a standard or the majority on any social issues. Furthermore, I'm going to say that a nerd is a geek who falls into this category because (s)he's academically inclined. These terms are rarely attributed to girls and minorities (judging from my experiences), due mainly to more general stereotypes.
All of this is just off the top of my head from my experiences in seeing the terms used. I'd like to see some sociologist comment on the issue to see if there is a more official definition than the one I just slapped together.
Were Itsy to become a retaile product (which the Compaq website denies =( ), does anyone have any guesses as to how much it would cost? Or even better, how much would 15 cost? =)
And who can I bribe for a prototype? I love that Doom "rock'n'scroll" idea. . .
Do any of you fellow nerds live within a 10 minute drive of Princeton Plasma Physics Lab? Not only can you go over and see it at lectures every now and then, but they give out free magnets and buttons with pretty pictures (and sometimes free food =)
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Write it this way: "While they didn't exploit an OS-specific hole" ...perfectly good English, and perfectly gender neutral
Actually, the term "they" is plural, leading to a subject/verb disagreement. That really counts as slang and is commonly used, but it's improper English (my teacher jump on us for that). The only proper way to say it that I know of it "While he or she didn't exploit an OS-specific hole..."
Think of it like Groundhog's Day: If some GPS systems fail and there's a catastrophy, we'll have a bad Y2k, if nothing happens we'll have a good one.
...You must first define what a 'Geek' is. I've seen geeks classified by the way they dress (pocket protectors, suspenders - not too common now), their interests (computers, science fiction), and their academic performance/intelligence. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, let's assume that a geek is merely someone who shows signs of intelligence higher than most others (and don't even start on the geek/nerd debate).
I have to agree completely with Cliff that stereotypes are spread by the mainstream media. The first thing that came to my mind when I say this debate was watching the nerds/geeks on Saved by the Bell. They were a little too. . . 80's, but they represent just about every stereotype I can imagine. These can be split into two categories: intellectual and physical. These people were the smartest in the school and interested in activities that required more intelligence, such as Chess and science fiction (Star Trek, in particular). Their outward appearance was an attempt to show everything 'uncool' and a total disregard for fashion, with suspenders, pocket protectors, glasses, and that odd walk. They were weak and had no athletic talent whatsoever.
Nowadays, the term 'Geek' seems to be used more liberally as an insult given to anyone who most people don't like, essentially, anyone who isn't 'cool'. Judging from the general use in my town, any social outcast is a geek, while myself and others at the top of our class are nerds (there are exceptions to that, as it seems it's not as much intelligence as it is the display of intelligence).
So I'm going to be a bit more broad than most in my answer. In my opinion, a geek is anyone who is a outcast due to a lack of compliance with a standard or the majority on any social issues. Furthermore, I'm going to say that a nerd is a geek who falls into this category because (s)he's academically inclined. These terms are rarely attributed to girls and minorities (judging from my experiences), due mainly to more general stereotypes.
All of this is just off the top of my head from my experiences in seeing the terms used. I'd like to see some sociologist comment on the issue to see if there is a more official definition than the one I just slapped together.
-Scott
Were Itsy to become a retaile product (which the Compaq website denies =( ), does anyone have any guesses as to how much it would cost? Or even better, how much would 15 cost? =)
And who can I bribe for a prototype? I love that Doom "rock'n'scroll" idea. . .
Do any of you fellow nerds live within a 10 minute drive of Princeton Plasma Physics Lab? Not only can you go over and see it at lectures every now and then, but they give out free magnets and buttons with pretty pictures (and sometimes free food =)