Aaaaaargh! Mr Cherryflava referred to us as NERDS. 
Is a geek an evolved nerd or are they simply interchangeable in most people’s minds? Somehow I?m feeling a tad slighted.
I know I?ve some traces of the geek - but heaven forfend - a nerd?! I rushed to Wikipedia to allay my blistered ego and found that I am indeed a classic nerd (confirmed in being an INTP in the Myers-Briggs years back.. must’ve been in denial) %-] For the purposes of simplicity and self-confidence I?m staying with geek till it doesn?t sting so much so… Are you a geek? Geeks love metrics & tests - so for a giggle try this one to determine your GQ ::geek quotient
- Where you’re asked which languages you speak on a form: do you list English, Afrikaans, a little Zulu, C++, HTML, Python, Ruby? Your concept of classical languages not Ancient Greek or Latin, but DOS?
- If a waiter sidles up to your table and says “I’ll be your server tonight” do you respond “I’ll be your client!” & ROTFL #-D ..while others blink at you vapidly.
- Does someones Google page-ranking affect their prospects as a romantic partner?
- Do you sit in front of your computer all day at work only to rush off home to sit in front of your computer all night? What makes a geek?
What do you need to do to qualify? What if you aren’t a computer geek? Do only those geeks make it in? What about if you live a mixed-reality existence in the MMORPG’s (an extension of your D&D days), or perhaps you’re one of those perennial lurkers in the labs on campus, do you delve deeply into the fathomless mysteries of quantum physics or applied math, neuroscience or even the nuances of neural marketing or manga?
Like any class there are certainly the geek elite who conform to a distinct archetype. But from my few decades of tootling around on this spinning ball I’ve seen geeks in so many different & delightful forms (some closet geeks who may be astrophysicist by weekday and a gorgeous blonde surferbabe on the weekend - I know of at least one - admittedly a pretty rare iteration of the geeky format but valid nonetheless).
Geekiness is an attitude, a way of interacting with the world rather than a set of rules/ which languages you can program in. It’s about being more into data than dates. It’s about the utter fascination with how things work behind the scenes, testing the limits of reality to see if it can be hacked and reprogrammed. (Well that’s my story & I’m sticking to it.. challenge it & rework as you will, I’d expect no less).
What does geek mean to you? Curious? come and join the nerd herd on Wednesday at our Cape Town GeekDinner. See why we think cerebral is sexy! Maybe the realworld remake of the dodgy 80’s flick Revenge of the Nerds is our assertion that the geek shall inherit the earth. Come play at the evolutionary edge>>
The geek shall, indeed, inherit the earth, because Geekiness (to me, at least) equates to a fervent passion for the work that you do - particularly the developmental, exploratory and innovative edge of it.
As Tom Peter’s says: “Work is Love. I’m a Loveaholic”.
And even worse than the ‘nerd’ statement was the ‘over 35′ ageist comment! ;) On second thoughts, I may have started developing on punch cards in the 70’s, and am clearly over 35, but I’d rather be dissed in ignorance by arrogant young developers than be included in such a pseudo-elitist group. The vanity still so prevalent in our industry today is so last century.
Hey :-) was great seeing you again in such an unexpected way. Loved the evening… lots of food for thought.