Geeks... An evolution in language and perception
I remember as a kid that geeks were to be disdained, to be ridiculed and reviled. Remember the "AV Geek", a term that I believe originated as far back as the 60s. It was a scarlet letter to be labeled a geek. You might as well hang a sex life on the same shelf as Unicorns.
No more, today many people wear the term geek proudly. Geeks will display their level geekiness to other geeks in posturing rituals. Today geeks are valued and indespensible. If don't have a few geeks on your staff to help guide your business technologically and culturally you might as well hang your carreer on the same shelf as the history books.
These little paragraphs were inspired by an editorial from the editor or Racing Milestone Magazine. It was an op/ed piece that detailed the complaints of one racer about another possibly using illegal parts. On multiple inspections all parts were legal. The editor ended the piece stating that the complaintant should stop whining because the other guy is winning and hire some geeks that can do the math.
No more, today many people wear the term geek proudly. Geeks will display their level geekiness to other geeks in posturing rituals. Today geeks are valued and indespensible. If don't have a few geeks on your staff to help guide your business technologically and culturally you might as well hang your carreer on the same shelf as the history books.
These little paragraphs were inspired by an editorial from the editor or Racing Milestone Magazine. It was an op/ed piece that detailed the complaints of one racer about another possibly using illegal parts. On multiple inspections all parts were legal. The editor ended the piece stating that the complaintant should stop whining because the other guy is winning and hire some geeks that can do the math.
Comments
When in the company of non-geeks, er...
Originally posted by Eugene
When in the company of other geeks, sure...
When in the company of non-geeks, er...
"Never look a geek horse in the mouth "
Originally posted by Eugene
When in the company of other geeks, sure...
When in the company of non-geeks, er...
Geeks run music, the world of the cool...
Originally posted by giant
Geeks run music, the world of the cool...
You mean...like...roadies? Or do you mean mastering?
Who gets the chicks, the musicians or the people 'behind the scenes?'
Originally posted by Eugene
You mean...like...roadies? Or do you mean mastering?
Who gets the chicks, the musicians or the people 'behind the scenes?'
Well, not only are most musicians geeks by nature, but now that pop music is dominated by 'urban' music, the geeks have taken over. Thanks to hip hop, geeks no longer wear pocket protectors. P Dummy's a geek, and don't let his gaudiness make you think otherwise. The Neptunes are total geeks and have turned the word 'nerd' into a symbol of chic. Bjork is a geek. Radiohead. Missy elliot and timbaland. Basically all of the pop producers are total geeks, and these days they are as much in the camera as anyone.
Hip hop allowed electronics geeks to be cool.
Now if you take geek in the larger sense not limited to computers, all musicians that geek out on playing music are geeks. Music is a nerdy ass thing to be into just by nature of what it is. Now in the age of computers, it is even more.
EDIT: let me repeat that the neptunes have turned the word 'nerd' into a symbol of chic. What more proof do you need?
Yes Yes... I was the geek today.... I admit...
Fellows
Originally posted by Eugene
Björk is a freak, not a geek.
Since when are geeks not freaks?
Originally posted by FellowshipChurch iBook
Had a family get together at my Aunt and Uncles today and I will admit I was the geek. I took my iBook to show some pics of Paris I had taken. Well it turned out the neighbor of my aunt and uncle had a WiFi hot spot wide open and my iBook found it and I was showing off how I had the free internet from the neighbor and gave a demo of Panther "Expose, Quick User Changeing even watched a webstream showing the Stevenote demo of the G5 against the Dell.
Yes Yes... I was the geek today.... I admit...
Fellows
Fellows, ....sound like you might have convinced a few of your relatives & their neighbours to "switch" to Apple.
Originally posted by giant
Since when are geeks not freaks?
What about her is geeky? The fact that she grabs attention at every opportunity?
There was a fine TV show that illustrated the difference between freaks and geeks. It was called Freaks and Geeks
Originally posted by Splinemodel
Beat it NERDS.
So what is the difference between a Geek, a Nerd and a Freek ?
Originally posted by Eugene
What about her is geeky? The fact that she grabs attention at every opportunity?
Oh, I see. So since eugene doesn't like her she's not a geek?
Originally posted by giant
Oh, I see. So since eugene doesn't like her she's not a geek?
Wouldn't she be a geekess..?
Originally posted by giant
Oh, I see. So since eugene doesn't like her she's not a geek?
Tell me what the geek-factor is, then maybe we can come to terms. Being the object of a geek-following doesn't make you a geek. Alyson Hannigan is not a geek because sci-fi nerds drool over her pics.
Originally posted by Eugene
Tell me what the geek-factor is
You are aware she's a computer nerd, aren't you? She arranges almost all of her music alone on her laptop.
pouting and whining about something romantic
vegetarians who also can program in HTML, maybe LINGO and possibly even in PERL . . . . but NOT in C++ . . .
Its also trendy to drink bad beer
but, hip-hop has nothing to do with geekdom or even the new marketability of geekiness
I think that Apple should look out because they have become de rigour (sp?) for geeky artistic emo types
you know, the types that know every Belle And Sebastian album and play pool and hate tough guys . .
but Apple seems to be cozying up to that market image and, as with all trendy market images, there will be a backlash, where everything associated with that once-cool trend becomes 'lame'
Originally posted by giant
You are aware she's a computer nerd, aren't you? She arranges almost all of her music alone on her laptop.
Considering that's her profession, why should that be astonishing? Now if you told me she updates her own website or likes to play Super Smash Bros. or something, that would be interesting.
Originally posted by pfflam
but, hip-hop has nothing to do with geekdom or even the new marketability of geekiness
Ah, but it does. You must not have grown up in urban america. Hip hop has always been geeky as hell. Go grab Wild Style and you can see it's been that way from the beginning. Just because it's marketed as cool doesn't mean that's changed.
You'd be surprised at how many apparent thugs have furniture made out of gear and computers and spend all their time in front of electronics.
Originally posted by giant
You'd be surprised at how many apparent thugs have furniture made out of gear and computers and spend all their time in front of electronics.
Okay, you have a totally different geek-scale than I do.
And isn't pfflam from Pittsburgh? It's not quintessential urban America, but hasn't been a sleepy steelmining town for quite some time. He roots for the Steelers anyway. I'm pretty sure he's not Amish.