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Monday, November 17, 2008 Geek Love I am a definitive lover of geek folk, both male and female, primarily because I envy all of that brain power that puts the brawn of many alpha males to shame. When we gauge the contributions to civilization, the geeks and nerds are simply without peer, starting with the ancient greek geeks (and I don't mean the software), the Renaissance geeks and those beyond. In most circumstances, I would choose brains over brawn simply because it's the smarter choice. I have a healthy appreciation of hyper intelligence and ingenuity; once while riding an elevator I mentioned to a former co-worker that I wanted Bill Gates' brain; a fellow rider interrupted and said she wanted Bill Gates' money, totally missing my point. It goes back to that axiom: "give a man a fish, he'll be fed for a day; teach that same man to fish, and he'll be fed for a lifetime." A lottery winner can win a million and be a pauper within a year. Someone with a million-dollar idea can lose a million, wipe herself off, and start again. There are other reasons I want at least one geek in my life. In this highly-dynamic tech society, knowing someone with troubleshooting tech skills is a plus. I simply cannot afford the Geek Squad. Do you know what they charge just for a phone consultation? And geeks can be sources of stimulating conversation. Decades ago, when I worked for the now-defunct Wieboldts, I befriended the quiet, shy (and unfortunately, somewhat misogynistic) supply manager and found him to be an extraordinary repository of sci-fi literature trivia and info. He worked in the dank supply office in the lower bowels of the Wieboldts aged building, but I tell you going down there was a treat I reserved for myself. When I ran out of supplies, it was a thrill to know that I was going to take a few minutes for myself to talk in depth with someone with an equal appreciation of H. G. Wells et al, so much so that he had decorated his dank environment with scenes he had drawn from some of the sci-fi classics. Sometimes their fount of information can be intimidating. When I worked for the ADA, I was within walking distance of CompUSA. At that time, I bought computer games with the same fervor with which I shopped for books, and that particular CompUSA had a whole alcove section dedicated to computer games. I would go there sometimes on my breaks and one day I was looking over some of the newer games, particularly the adventure games. I was rapt with the range of titles when someone interrupted my reverie, and I turned to find a guy about shoulder high to me. He was the stereotypical nerd; baby-faced, dark-rimmed glasses and a serious expression that was somewhat offputting. With that same seriousness, he inquired what type of game I was looking for. Understand, he didn't work there; he was just a customer. But I knew that if I gave him even a smidgen of a chance, I would be regaled with so much information, including respective game histories and kilobytes, and with a sense of patronism, my brain would likely explode. So, I gave him a no-nonsense look and told him I was fine. Maybe if I had had the time, I would have let him regale me with his ubergeekdom knowledge. I might have learned something that day. So, given my appreciation of geekhood, you'd probably guess correctly that one of my fav shows is the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The travails of geeks Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and their ultra nerdy posse sometimes have me LOL where other shows only elicit a smile or a smirk. Ubergeek Sheldon is the true star of the show, a geek so disengaged from regular non-Mensan schlubs, he finds it disparaging when his sister divulges that she tells people he's a "rocket scientist"; in actuality, he's a theoretical physicist. When asked what's the difference, an insulted Leonard exclaims: "My god! Why don't you just tell them that I'm a toll-taker at the Golden Gate Bridge! A rocket scientist, how humiliating!" Sheldon is an embodied contradiction, smart enough to have been labelled a genius from childhood, yet so naive and innocent that he doesn't know when a girl is coming on to him. And Leonard, well for all his brain power, he's just a sweetie. Geeks, you just gotta love 'em. Labels: Television
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