UK Geek

I am a geek. 

Or a nerd, I tend to use the terms interchangeably.  

This comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me or knows my work on Stargate.  I’m often rattling on about my childhood fascination with computers and science fiction (specifically in the form of Doctor Who as played by John Pertwee or Tom Baker)  But it's something that I've started to think about a lot as I think about as I consider my home on the web, dGeek.com.

There are a lot of different type of geeks.  My wife Jane, would call them “enthusiasts”, but she means the same thing, she's just much more diplomatic than I!  I always assumed that nerds were just computer geeks.  That’s how I got myself labelled as one!  But then I met my filmmaking friends, and it became apparent that the same obsessive passion could be applied to movies as well... which naturally I went along with whole-heartedly.  Still, the more people I meet the more the term widens out to embrace all sorts of fellow nerds.  Having been given a series of different hand knitted Daleks I can safely add knit nerds to the mix!  It’s nice to see nerdom spread out from my original image of a solitary geek tapping away at some arcane computer programming language.

I started thinking about all this because I've been discussing how my uncle, a Train Nerd, could go about creating a train enthusiasts community.  He loves the idea of using the railway to teach kids about problem solving, science and the like.  He has built an impressive railway system himself, which runs around my Grandfather's property.  He ran out of room on the flat, so he's now zig-zagged the line down the side of the hill, which definitely gives it little more Indiana Jones-style excitment...something that's not often done in Train Nerd circles apparently.  The cars are currently pulled by an old diesel loco that was once used for mining, but there's a steam-powered locomotive that they are currently rebuilding from the ground up.  When they can't find a part, they create them!  He would probably wince at how simplistic and general I'm being about the whole thing, but then I'm just a train nerd in training!  

The point being, there are a lot of nerds out there... and the thing you'll find about them is that if you get them talking, if you've got a shred of inner-geek in you that is, you'll get caught up in their enthusiasm for these specific nerd niches.  I find myself drawn into all kinds of cyber-steam punk possibilities after just one afternoon up at Grandpa's railway with the train nerds!

I was never a very social geek, in part because I didn't think that I was one.  I was too cool for that nonsense!  But I still wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons.  Seeing as I was such a solitary nerd I kludged together a dungeon master program in BASIC on my Commodore 64.  D&D without all that messy human interaction... what bliss!  Had I been less of a nerd, I'd have sold them instead of writing over the tapes every time (yes little nerd babies tapes!)  Luckily the nerds of today are a lot more social... and probably better organized!

I want dGeek.com to be a place where these different forms of nerd can be discussed, perhaps even cross-pollenated to create evil new ones!  So let's get the 20 sided die rolling here...tell me what you're into. What kind of a nerd are you, and why?

Can't wait to hear what you're up to!

Cheers,

D!

Comments

[twitter.com/lysambre]

I'm a "new-tech" geek, with a side of "anything Internet thank you very much".

But I'm also a cooking and baking nerd.

If I could have both on the future dGeek ? Perfection :).

[Mike]

Hmm, I'm definitely a video gaming nerd, but not a hardcore gamer nerd. FPS games aren't my thing, but I'm way into Dragon Quest.
I've also been known to dress like a Stormtrooper, and put on a Stargate uniform on occasion ;)

And of course I'm a computer nerd, it comes with the job when you're a Network Administrator.

I'm also an 80's nerd, and love old 80's cartoons and music and styles.

[EGOKA]

Harry Potter, SG1, SGA (let's say series) geek and of course Tigger geek and last but not least friend geek! :D

[Uranium 194]

I'm a Music Nerd (Singing/Intrumental for 20 years), but mostly computer nerd (Bachelor's in MIS and Master's in Computer Security). In between the two I played a ton of D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Lastly A scifi Nerd...Love the Stargate series, specially Atlantis. And not for brown nosing, but McKay IS my fav character as I can relate to his erraticness (yes, new word!!!)

[Stackee]

Well, let me see; as a kid, I always wanted to be a football playing scientist who built spaceships for NASA. I don't think I've ever grown out of that.

I still play football (which people still think is weird for a girl), I still read New Scientist and understand a lot of it and I still find Maths *fun*.
(I have since added uber-film nerd and lover of Shakespeare to my repertoire thanks to University).
Sadly, my career options have veered away from genius scientist to computer person. but that's OK, because I enjoy that, too.

These days, I channel most of my energy into (corrupting my nephew) sci-fi geekery; be it film or TV or book, since it's easier to do in my spare time and I genuinely love the craziness of it all.

[twitter.com/chickieleighc]

I am, first and foremost, a book nerd. As a kid, I always had one in my hand. I read the encyclopedia from A to Z. I would hide books behind books in class, and prop myself up against the wall with a book at recess. I hid under my bed and read with a flashlight when I was supposed to be playing outside.

Through reading, I became interested in science, and so I became (secondly) a science (and science-fiction) nerd. Science fiction calls to me because what is science-reality today was science-fiction 20 years ago. I remember playing on my TI-99 as a kid, and now? I can surf the web on my phone while taking a bubble bath. That's pretty sweet. It's a good time to be a geek. Or nerd. Whichever term you prefer (I also tend to use them interchangeably).

[Gareth Kingston]

I am a quiz nerd - I attend events all around the UK and Europe. I love being asked questions and trying to answer them. the harder the better.

I am also a picky genre tv nerd. Picky in that I love Doctor Who, Battlestar, Firefly/Serenity, and Stargate Atlantis. But I never hit it off with SG1, Sarah Connor, or Lost even though I feel as if I should.

There is nothing wrong with having a niche passion that leads you to nerddom. But you have to respect the fact that not everyone will share your passion, and also respect what they are nerdy about.

Vive la difference!

[twitter.com/TeacherLindaC]

I'm the original research geek--especially early American history. I'm also into lots of needlework, nature photography, and daily read science ficton, historical fiction or mysteries. I used to be a big STOS and the SG1.

[Katrin]

I'm a TV and movie nerd. seriosuly, if you watch any show with me i know at least two actors of them. wish i could make money with it *lol*

[George]

Bog standard computer geek here. Bachelors in CS, software engineer by trade and I too wrote things on the Commodore 64 in BASIC without ever selling any of them. Actually, mine didn't save to the tape drive. It was read only for some reason, which would have made selling things difficult even if I did want to.

[Silver Autumn]

I began to see the difference in nerds when I began college. I was the sci-fi/fantasy nerd but next door was the anime nerd who was very similar to me but very different.

And then I met my best friends - a Chemistry nerd and an English geek.

There are all kinds of "enthusiasts".

BTW- Tom Baker will always be THE doctor.

[kathmuse.livejournal.com]

Hummmm...

I am a reading geek, pop culture geek, a research geek, a solitary geek, and a writing geek (when/if I let myself write). Always liked to create worlds in my head, not good at getting them on paper.

I also like gadgets, but that's more my husband's domain. He's the Editorial Director for several sites that review things like cameras, camcorders, and phones, so we always have toys around I can play with.

~katherine

[Kirsty]

I'm a TV geek. I have many series obsessions (SGA being one, of course!) I'm also a bit of an internet nerd as I use it to fuel my TV nerdism and help me be a better fangirl :)

[Robert von Heeren]

Hi David,

I love this post, thank you so much! Why? Because to me - as foreigner or non-native English speaking guy - I understand those terms 'nerd' and 'geek' much better. You describe something I miss in some people: to be passionate, enthusiastic, excited and also proficient/knowledgable at least with ONE passion and topic! In that context my parents were totally nerds: father told me many thing about nature, especially animals, which birdsong is associated with which bird and situation, butterflies and so many other things, my mother told me everything about medicinal herbs, mushrooms (also how to cultivate them) and so many other things. it was totally normal to me. Nowadays my "nerd"-interests are web, music (classical, Beatles, Sviatoslav Richter, my collection of his CDs is now about 300), still butterflies, nature in common, astrology (that's something I acquired myself via interest for astronomy) and some other things. So I don't want to indulge too much in self-adoration, but I have many passions, something which probably makes me interesting to one half population and the other half feels strange about it, as I think that's something "nerds" often experience, isn't it? No, I'm not segregated, but when it comes to my "nerd"-topics, I have often to be careful and have to restrain myself. Did you or ther other nerds here experience something similar? Is such thing inherent to beeing a "nerd"? I don't want to problematize it too much, but that's also a facet or sometimes even downside of beeing an nerd isn't it? And isn't that downside is also part of the very definition of a nerd or geek? Just some thoughts, hopefully to ignite some deeper talk about that. And last but not least: there is a state of nerd too. You can be so much into something that a magical point "flash point" is achieved, is that the center of the nerd?

[villy]

I'm a bit of a gamer, especially World of Warcraft.

All things fantasy, and sci-fi to a (slightly) lesser extent.

Writing, music, photography, history... seriously, I don't think you have the room to know all that I geek out on. :-)

[Ken Denmead]

Wil Wheaton is credited with the definition that geeks are just self-aware nerds. At the root, it's about being passionate about a subject, sometimes to the detriment of your general social standing. But these days being a geek has been recognized for the virtue it really is.

Gaming is always good. Books. Comics. Music. Heck, anything can be approached from a geek sensibility!

-Ken Denmead, editor
GeekDad.com

[Angie]

Female 40+ nerd into Sci fi and fantasy (film and writen), marvel comic books (x-men ,wolverine, Punisher), graphic novels and mmorpg.
I am also very into wheel spinning and weaving and all things fiber/textile which most people think is nerdy. Although knitting has had a bit of a revival in recent times. Mostly a solitary nerd but my fella does like sci fi too, just not as much as me.

[Pete]

Heya im a Ufo geek i cant help it but i gotta look up an find anything about everything to do with the whole subject weather it be cover-ups conspiracy or just plain mad folk "i slept with a webbed toe'd 10 armed alien from planet wonko" the science about the whole thing thats my biggest interest, 'modern' science is soo compact and rigid which isn't really science.

[Judy]

My boyfriend and I fall into a general category. See the following:

Category A: The Literary Geek.
i. The Scifi Geek (Named a pet/child/plant/computer after the protagonist in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, owns an embossed leather-bound edition of Dune, The Foundation Trilogy and the complete HP Lovecraft collection, and routinely has to buy new copies of Ender's Game because he/she keeps lending out their copies)
ii. The Fantasy Geek
(has read The Silmarrilion)
iii. The Classics Geek
(has read all the classics before they even came up in school curriculum)
iv. The Epic Geek
(Can actually recite Virgil)
v. The Russian Literature Geek
(read War and Peace voluntarily)
vi. The Detective Geek
(has read so much crime fiction they could write their own crime series if they would just put down the library card long enough to write)
vii. The Cookbook Geek
(has never made a single recipe from his/her vast collection)
viii. The Non-Fiction Geek
(reads everything Bill Bryson has ever written and is continually disappointed that no one reads the books he/she lends to them because it isn't fiction)

[Barb Shearer]

I've been a yarn nerd from the get-go - definitely a knit nerd (love that!), but also crocheting, and over the years I've added other crafts like sewing, jewelry-making and scrapbooking. My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet as soon as I was old enough to hold the needles and hooks, and it's a passion I've carried with me to adulthood.

But I'm a computer nerd at heart. I started with a Timex-Sinclair 1500 (tapes! 1K of RAM!). I've progressed through VM/CMS, vt100 terminals and Windows to arrive at my little MacBook. I'm a web and database geek, definitely. The dichotomy between my hand-made crafting obsession and my technology obsession amuses me to no end. I think I fell in love with science and technology the first time I saw those rolling words at the beginning of Episode IV.

I'm a 70s and 80s sci-fi nerd - the original BSG, Star Wars, ST:TNG, Baker's Dr. Who. I'm an 80s music nerd. I used to be a video games nerd - still have my Atari 2600 - and with the Wii I'm finding myself enjoying video games again. I love RPGs, though I always had more fun rolling characters and drawing maps than actually GMing for my kid brother.

I'm definitely a StarGate: Atlantis nerd. ;)

One of these days, I'll finish that Season 12 Dr. Who scarf.

[Shivana]

I'm an art geek and reading nerd. It sort of branches off into these little family-nerdity categories, like comic book nerd, Dada nerd, and contemporary art nerd. Not to mention being a cooking nerd. (Although I say "foodie", does that count?)

[Jeff]

David...

I'm a magic geek -- have been since I was nine years old. There's certainly a feeling of power in being able to do apparently "impossible" things, and it's terribly cool to watch people's jaws drop when you make a card or a coin appear out of nowhere.

Honestly, though, I most enjoy performing magic for children. The laughter and excitement does wonders to recharge the soul. If there's something better for the down-in-the-dumps than a child's laugh, I have yet to find it.

I'm trying to get back into performing children's magic after a hiatus of some twenty years. Wish me luck.

JGB

[FraggleDragon]

Well, yesterday I totally geeked out at my new 50" plasma and new cinema kit. Threw in my SGA disks and completely immersed myself in the sound and colours, the booms and the crisp clear huge picture, while I watched one of my all time fave shows. Also counting how many external HDDs I now have filled. ( I am making a library of HDDs!) So I am a tech geek.
Animations, making and watching films are other things that get me chatty about my other inner geek. Using my graphics tablet to create pictures right there on the screen, and relishing in the fact that it is an A4 sized tablet and not a tiny A5. I love talking about how I draw on the computer, how I create my animations. (I have come a long way since some dodgy looking early animations were made....;) So I am also an art geek.
I also love to talk about my other passion for making short movies and parodies. When my work colleagues ask me something about what I am currently working, they have already got a coffee out and got comfortable to listen to my hyper explanations of layers and brushes, angles and cameras, why i wrote that way I did and how I made my costume for whatever. So I am also that sort of geek too.
I am a rocker and love music. Every kind of music from classical to trailer music, heavy metal to eighties madness. *ONE STEP BEYOND!* So I am a music geek.
Costumes. I love to create costumes, make my face up into some creature, become a futuristic soldier, wear my multitude of weird and wonderful contact lenses, and once became a rather big green princess who married an ogre named Shrek. So I am a costuming geek!
Last but by no means least, I am a book nerd. I love to read and have three books that I absolutely must read at least once a year and have done for the last ten years. The Talisman by Stephen King. Lightning by Koontz, and The Wolfs Hour (which I have re-read since I was at high school) By Robert R McCammon.
You asked, I told. Geeks love to chat about what geeks them out, and I have told you a mere few of my loves. Hey, it is a full time job being this geeky and loving my family!
Oh, and I have a collection of movie memorabillia, over including 5000 movie 35 mm slides and a nice collection of Transformers figures. Which includes the awesome and mighty Ultimate Bumblebee. They sit next to my own personal cinema, that I sit and watch while I chat and draw on my mighty Macbook. *sigh* I think I have altogether too much fun. I am rambling, so I take my leave! :)

[Athena]

I am definitely an animation nerd. If asked about the release of a past animated movie or an upcoming one or what piece of animation you should be watching and I'll quite happily launch into the subject and talk all day about it if given the opportunity. :)

My interest in animation spawned two other kinds of nerd-dom. About ten years ago, I built a website devoted to the subject and inadvertently launched myself into a career on the web, (definitely was not planned), and a considerable amount of web-related nerdness. Also, as a result of a couple years in animation school, I became a 3D graphics nerd and, as a by-product of "research", a video game nerd to some degree as well.

It's interesting though that being a "nerd" still has a certain amount of stigma attached to it. You can be a sports fan--or sports nerd--but somehow it's seems less culturally acceptable to be a video game nerd or a computer nerd.

[FraggleDragon]

*SHOCK!* I am also a gaming nerd! Guitar Hero, Halo, Bioshock! Man the games I could list! I have an Xbox, and Xbox 360, a gamecube, a Wii, and Playstation. Best of all worlds!!!
Jeez, when do I actually LIVE! Good job I married a nerd and have a geeky son ;)