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Blessed are the Geeks, for they shall internet the earth |
Geek Stand-Off
by Douglas Chick
While surfing the Internet, my friend Joe sent me a picture he
stumbled upon of Leo Laporte, dressed in geek garb, that read, “Here is a
picture geekier than yours.”. And although it is true that Leo is impressively
geeky looking, I insisted that my geek picture is geekier, while Leo’s is more
nerdy than geeky. Joe continued to argue otherwise. And this is what I am
reduced to in life, arguing with Joe over which one of us looks the geekiest…and
the discussion ensued.
Doug: “My picture looks more geeky because I have a pocket protector full of pens and markers—even a screw driver.”
Joe: “Yes, but Leo is wearing a bow tie.”
Doug: “But a bow tie represents nerdiness, not geekiness, and I am wearing thick dark glasses with white tape in the middle. So clearly, I am the geek, not Leo Laporte.”
Joe: Argue as you will; Leo’s glasses are real, and he is wearing a bow tie, and he is carrying books.
Doug: “Ah! I am holding a laptop, as today’s geeks carry laptops, and nerds carry books. And my glasses are for reading.”
Joe: “Yes, but Leo is wearing a bow tie. End of conversation!”
So I put it to the readers. From the picture above, which one of use looks truly geekier?
Please email your response to: geek@thenetworkadministrator.com and we will post your comments:
From Ed Lawless
Doug,
Please read the following from a wikipedia excerpt on geeks:
A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Comparable with the classic definition of hacker. The most competent person within a group or enterprise is sometimes called an alpha geek (see alpha male).
All wardrobes aside it’s the laptop in your right arm that seals the deal. Based on your website one might call you the alpha geek.
Just for fun “nerds” like to learn certain trivia about certain subjects but this is not always the up and coming nor do they feel they need to learn everything they can about a given subject area. Please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd Black and white notebooks have been around forever; they are definitely not the up and coming so that makes Leo a nerd. The bowtie simply backs up the fact that he is a nerd. (Just think about Paul Rubin “Pee-wee”).
Are there similarities between nerds and geeks? Most definitely. But based on the picture Doug has it hands down.
Sincerely,
Ed Lawless
From Jimmy Shake
Leo looks like a typical nerd. The garb, I see geeks at the local user group meetings are by far more in relation to Doug's look.
