It's unfortunate to see this, but there are so many constantly reinforced stereotypes regarding geeks and 'geek culture' that very few want to embrace it.
Take a look at the (terrible, imo) TV show Big Bang Theory. The main characters are purposely socially awkward and distant.
Real-world geeks are typically far from that: far more exist on the socialable side of the spectrum than those who are constantly portrayed in the media. :(
The Big Bang Theory got on my nerves until I started reading a biography of Oppenheimer. Sheldon is not an appropriate symbol of whatever all geeks are. He might be an Oppenheimer though. He is certainly a Sheldon. I can appreciate that.
The idea that some people are more technically focused than others works for me as a definition of "geek". Especially I like when people use the word in a way that accepts that some people are simply like that, and that that's OK for them even if it's foreign to a majority of the populace.
Like you, I'd prefer to consider "geek" a category with a permeable boundary. I'd argue however that there are many people who spend practically their entire lives inside the category and others outside the category.
Donald Knuth seems admirably sensible about many things, one of which is publicity. I see him putting himself before the public where he is thereby able to accomplish something that he considers worthwhile, profitable. So I think that there's a side we don't see and that the side we see should surprise us if we imagined that geek behavior is whimsically self-indulgent. Nevertheless the word "geek" fits his activity that we see. He concentrates his attention as much as he can in a delineated technical arena where he seems unlikely to meet with conflict. Look at the good that he does and the grace with which he does it. If that's being a geek, it must be a really good thing.
staff designers provided me with an html template to make it render, then because they made me threaten legal action to get paid for the contract where about 80% of the work was performed as a volunteer in the first place, i lost my volunteer access.
the acm are actually a bunch of assholes who mostly spend their members' dues buying hardware and software licenses, much like the government, but it's nice to see that at least they have kept around the work i did which was focused on making the site performant and reliable, which seems to have stuck around for the better part of a decade.
but they are at times a beacon, and it's neat to just be surfing the web and stumble into something you've built.
the cool part was that i got to have an e-mail exchange with steve bourne, because he was at the time the past president of the ACM. i mean, we'll obviously never be friends because i had to throw a fucking tantrum over an entire year of income, but it was kind of like:
hey, steve, thanks for writing that unix shell we all use a clone of. by the way, i would fucking really like to get paid since i was living on the couch in fema housing babysitting my friends' kid after katrina the entire time i worked for you guys.
what's great is that i started doing the work as a volunteer and was aggressively pushed into a contract, which they later didn't want to pay, though they had no issues paying for piles of HP servers that went unused or oracle licenses to solve problems that could probably have been solved with mysql.
but hey, i'm still alive, so: yo, motherfucker, wheee!
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
---------------
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
12 comments
[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 32.5 ms ] thread"I think the most common fault in general is to teach students how to pass exams instead of teaching them the science."
Take a look at the (terrible, imo) TV show Big Bang Theory. The main characters are purposely socially awkward and distant.
Real-world geeks are typically far from that: far more exist on the socialable side of the spectrum than those who are constantly portrayed in the media. :(
The idea that some people are more technically focused than others works for me as a definition of "geek". Especially I like when people use the word in a way that accepts that some people are simply like that, and that that's OK for them even if it's foreign to a majority of the populace.
Like you, I'd prefer to consider "geek" a category with a permeable boundary. I'd argue however that there are many people who spend practically their entire lives inside the category and others outside the category.
Donald Knuth seems admirably sensible about many things, one of which is publicity. I see him putting himself before the public where he is thereby able to accomplish something that he considers worthwhile, profitable. So I think that there's a side we don't see and that the side we see should surprise us if we imagined that geek behavior is whimsically self-indulgent. Nevertheless the word "geek" fits his activity that we see. He concentrates his attention as much as he can in a delineated technical arena where he seems unlikely to meet with conflict. Look at the good that he does and the grace with which he does it. If that's being a geek, it must be a really good thing.
It's ai'ight. It might be like unto a superpower.
the acm are actually a bunch of assholes who mostly spend their members' dues buying hardware and software licenses, much like the government, but it's nice to see that at least they have kept around the work i did which was focused on making the site performant and reliable, which seems to have stuck around for the better part of a decade.
but they are at times a beacon, and it's neat to just be surfing the web and stumble into something you've built.
hey, steve, thanks for writing that unix shell we all use a clone of. by the way, i would fucking really like to get paid since i was living on the couch in fema housing babysitting my friends' kid after katrina the entire time i worked for you guys.
what's great is that i started doing the work as a volunteer and was aggressively pushed into a contract, which they later didn't want to pay, though they had no issues paying for piles of HP servers that went unused or oracle licenses to solve problems that could probably have been solved with mysql.
but hey, i'm still alive, so: yo, motherfucker, wheee!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+samuel+3%3A10-...
------------
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
---------------
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.