A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Being a geek

For Introverts, Gregariousness is Optional

Gregariousness is optional for most introvertsI’m a homebody. I think many of my friends, family and co-workers don’t understand what that means. The definition is as simple it sounds “a person who prefers staying at home.” When I was in college I did attend quite a few parties and football games; I even helped start a tailgating tradition that is still going to this day. College were my gregarious years, all that is different now. I am, undoubtedly, an introvert and for introverts, gregariousness is optional.

I don’t mind small social gatherings, as long as they are short. In large social gatherings I eventually feel uncomfortable, even among my peers. I hate cliché small talk. Why does small talk always involve the weather? A piece of my soul dies every time I say something about the weather because I’m uncomfortable or bored. My home is my sanctuary, a place where my thoughts can dwell without explanation or judgement. It is the biggest reason I am more productive working at home than sitting in a cubicle.

Bewilderment is Two Sided

A while back I wrote a post about how I do not like the beach. My desk chair or recliner is an environment I greatly prefer over sitting on a sandy beach. I know that is probably as bewildering to you as I am bewildered by your bewilderment. (Wait, what did I just say there?) In other words, you are confused that I don’t like the beach because everyone likes the beach. However, I’m confused because you find that confusing. Why is it so hard to believe that I would rather sit at home, in air conditioning, reading a book or playing video games than sitting on the beach? This kind of goes back to that feeling of discomfort or boredom.

Just sitting there is boring, not to mention that I burn very easily and I hate sweating (unless I’ve earned it, i.e. jogging). I cannot sit comfortably reading a book while baking in the sun and if I have to make “cliché small talk”, I’d prefer not to have to squint to do it. The more effort it takes to be comfortable the more uncomfortable I feel. I’m using the beach as an example because it best illustrates the dichotomy. While going to the bar or singing karaoke is a fun activity for most, sitting at home reading, working on projects around the house or tinkering on the computer is equally as entertaining. If I find those things comparable, why do I prefer the latter? By now that answer should be obvious … Home Sweet Home.

/cheers


When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way.” – J.J. Abrams

It’s Geek Pride Day 2018

Welcome to Geek Pride Day 2018! This is a day of jubilation starting back to 2008 in which we celebrate geek culture. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we are all geeks about something. Anything that you enjoy doing or something you are passionate about earns you the geek moniker. Many of us probably started earlier, like high school (or even prior to that). Back then the geek label often indicated how much smarter you are than your classmates. It also marks you as someone who may lack certain social skills, primarily because our interests were esoteric and unorthodox (comparatively speaking).

Be that as it may, there are two significant geek events that marks this day with Geek Pride. The twenty-fifth of May is the anniversary of the release of Star Wars (A New Hope) and it’s Towel Day. Also this year, we mark Geek Pride Day with the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story!

WTF is Towel Day??

I shouldn’t need to elaborate on the anniversary of Star Wars A New Hope. If you don’t know what that is, return to your planet because you’re not human. Some of you may know what Towel Day is, especially if you saw any of my previous Towel Day posts. For those that don’t know, it is the day we celebrate the work of Douglas Adams, he is the author behind the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books. The easiest way to celebrate Towel Day is to simply carry a towel with you, wherever you go. Why a towel you ask? Well, according to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value.

If you check out on the Towel Day Wikipedia page the guides goes into much more detail. The movie is a decent interpretation however, I highly recommend reading the books. Just keep in mind that Douglas Adams is pretty wacky, and utilizes quite a bit of dry British humor. Therefore, as a final homage to Geek Pride Day, I leave you with more Vogon Poetry, entitled:

Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in my Armpit One Midsummer Morning

Putty. Putty. Putty.
Green Putty – Grutty Peen.
Grarmpitutty – Morning!
Pridsummer – Grorning Utty!
Discovery….. Oh.
Putty?….. Armpit?
Armpit….. Putty.
Not even a particularly
Nice shade of green.
As I lick my armpit and shall agree,
That this putty is very well green.

So long and thanks for all the fish. MTFBWY.


When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way.” – J.J. Abrams

The Big Bang Theory Does Not Mock Geeks

My favorite type of sitcoms are, what I call, highbrow comedies. Fraiser was the first, and will always be, my favorite highbrow comedy. I enjoyed it because the dichotomy that people with an extensive vocabulary are not necessarily haughty or persnickety. Despite their affluence they still found themselves in the same awkward predicaments as Ross, Rachael, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe. When Fraiser ended in 2004, after 11 seasons, I thought it was the end of highbrow comedy, until I found The Big Bang Theory.

Big Bang Theory Does Not Mock Geeks

I own the same caffeine molecule shirt BEFORE I saw it on TBBT

I was surprised to learn there are other individuals like myself (i.e. geeks) who felt the show made a mockery of geeks. I disagree, I think The Big Bang Theory does not mock geeks. In fact, it teaches us to embrace who we are and it teaches the world to accept us the way we are.

The Big Bang Theory paralleled my life in some capacity. Actually it was almost uncanny in many situations. When I saw Leonard wearing that caffeine molecule shirt I knew I was going to enjoy how the show was analogous to my life. It starts its 10th season this year, and the show still makes me laugh myself to tears. It’s the intellectual, re-imagining of Friends.

The Tropes are the Pillars of Our Identity

The show does make heavy use of geek cultural tropes. Comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, super heroes, video games, etc! These are not tropes, they are the pillars that define us! It is that sense of identity that makes the show so easy to relate to. Let’s face it, we were all socially awkward and intimidated by the opposite sex when we were younger. It’s possible some are the same as adults. When we were growing up, because we preferred books to booze and video games to sports games, we were “geeks”. Today, “geek” doesn’t have the same negative connotation.

When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way. – J. J. Abrams

Perhaps those that find the show offensive to geeks are marred by the demons of their past. When you spend your whole life trying to discard that label, you have a hard time letting go of that negative association. If The Big Bang Theory has taught us all anything, it’s that our perseverance will pay off. Penny and Leonard’s relationship shows us that smart is the new sexy; they don’t ignore the “nerdy guy with the hot girlfriend” dichotomy. We can “get the girl” and still be true to ourselves.

Geek is Passion

So I do understand why some may find the social structure in The Big Bang Theory difficult to believe. Bullying back then was just as awful as bullying is today. It’s very difficult to overcome. Our damaged self-esteem makes us believe we will live a lonely and clandestine life. The Big Bang Theory shows us that you can overcome bullying, love something with unbridled passion, and NEVER be afraid to show it. Let go of those old wounds because, in reality, we are all geeks about something.

Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating. – Simon Pegg

minions_iconI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

And the Geeks Have Inherited the Earth!

the geeks have inherited the EarthRemember us; from 20 years ago? I know you do. We were the daily mugging. It was never about the lunch money or the dress shirts. We were bullied because we were smarter than you, because we could thrive without trying, because you felt threatened by us. We warned you to be kind to us because you should feel threatened. We had many mantras.

“Be nice to geeks, you’ll probably end up working for one”

“Geeks, will one day, inherit the Earth.”

“Geeks rule the World”

Well now the geeks have inherited the Earth, and we remember! Our minds are steel traps. We haven’t forgotten who bullied and tortured us. Your misplaced machismo may have brought us down on the outside, but it steeled our willpower and drove our ambitions. Now we are the timid tormentors. We are the kings of passive retribution. There are now more of us than there are of you. We may hide behind our monitors and tablets, but that is to disguise our numbers. We may dress like Jedi, Nintendo princesses, hobbits and wizards but that doesn’t mean our resolve has been weakened. We dress as creatures of power because we are creatures of power!

Now we pray on your insecurities and inadequacies. While you sleep, we are building empires but now as CEO, CTO, CIO and even as actors and actresses. Now we control your fate as yours employer and your superiors. Most of us do it as presidents and board members; or we enter your homes through your televisions and Blu-ray players; but there are those of us that do it … “anonymously”, from afar. We know your secrets because we have silently infiltrated your life. Our manifesto from the ’80’s still applies today. You live in our world now! You cannot hide from us; we are smarter than you, remember?

We are abundant.

We are everywhere.

We are watching you.

And we tried to warn you – now go empty the trash!

Geeks and Our Eclectic Hobbies

blizzcon-geek-is

Chris Metzen at Blizzcon 2010 telling us what it means to be a Geek

How many geeks do you know and what hobbies do you assume they have? If you are a geek, you’re not allowed to answer that question. I’m sure when one thinks of the geeks they know they probably assume computers, video games and/or books are their hobbies. You’re probably right, those are likely among their hobbies but most of us are probably ADD or ADHD and often have far more eclectic tastes outside our [presumed] nerdy sphere.

You might actually be surprised to learn that we do have hobbies outside the typical nerdy genres and a lot of them might actually be outdoors (despite our fears of the daystar‘s brimstone). Personally I’m really into grilling (if you couldn’t tell by my frequent posts about my grilling exploits). I have other geek friends that work on their cars or are actually pretty good carpenters. Now these hobbies do come with some of our geeky idiosyncrasies. We can become quite OCD about the details of said hobby and, of course, if there is a gadget, app or any kind of tech which can be incorporated into our hobbies, well “Holy Frak” that’s an Epic Win! I know there are several geeks out there that are really into fitness (i.e. exercise, running, etc) thanks to gadgets like Fitbit. I know I probably make as much of an effort to go for a walk as I would to make time for video games and/or reading.

Most of us don’t have these other hobbies in hopes of earning awards or other accolades, we’re just into it because, in some way, they still engage our analytical mind. It’s the problem solving or puzzle of the activity that intrigues us; or maybe it’s just different from our other everyday activities (especially if we are stuck behind a computer most of the day for our jobs). It’s probably our love for technology that helps us with our hobbies; it allows us to research and adapt our solutions in hopes of perfecting each project.

Now, if you are a geek, what are some of your out-of-the-[computer]-box hobbies?

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Best. Quote. Ever.

“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy
and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection.
It means never having to play it cool about how much
you like something.
It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat
childish level rather that behave like a supposed adult.
Being a geek is extremely liberating.”
Simon Pegg

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