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Thread: 10 geek sins that will get your geek card revoked - By Author: Jason Hiner

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    Default 10 geek sins that will get your geek card revoked - By Author: Jason Hiner

    10. Admitting that you like iTunes
    Sure, it’s convenient for buying music and media in one place and syncing it to an iPod or iPhone, but iTunes has a draconian DRM system and it started out as one of the worst pieces of software ever built. And, it hasn’t gotten much better.
    9. Not knowing the difference between binary and hexadecimal
    Binary is the basis of all computing and is simply composed of zeros and ones. Hexadecimal is a 16-digit numeric system — based on numbers 0-9 and letters A-F — that represents binary in a more friendly way. Know the difference.
    8. Not knowing what MMORPG stands for
    Even if you don’t play games (or rarely play) you should know that an MMORPG is a “massively multiplayer online role-playing game,” also known as the alternate reality for geeks. The biggest one is World of Warcraft (WoW), a cultural phenomenon with over 12 million subscribers.
    7. Loving your cable or telecom company
    Geeks built the Internet. Geeks live on the Internet. Geeks love the Internet. However, the companies that bring us the Internet to our homes and offices — the telecoms and cable companies — are doing everything they can to wall it off, manipulate it for their own financial gain, and stop geeks from using it so much. For as long as they do that, they will remain at war with the geekosphere.
    6. Not knowing the name of the book that Blade Runner was based on
    Blade Runner is one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. If you’re a true geek, you’ve seen it multiple times. But, not only that, you also know that it’s based on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” which is one of the best-titled stories in all of literature and an absolute classic in science fiction.
    5. Confusing Star Wars and Star Trek
    If someone mentions a Wookie and a Klingon and you’re not sure which one was part of the Star Wars universe and which one belongs to the Star Trek milieu, you are definitely not a geek.
    4. Believing the “free” in open source refers to price
    Repeat after me, “Open source does not mean it doesn’t cost anything.” Sure, some open source software is freely available to download at no cost. But, that’s not a requirement of open source. There is plenty of open source software that requires a fee. When open source talks about “free” software, they are referring to “free” as in “freedom.” It is freedom from overreaching licensing agreements. You’ll also hear this concept referred to as “Gratis verses Libre.”
    3. Defending Facebook for its privacy transgressions
    Look, Facebook is lucky the entire geekosphere hasn’t dropped it like a bad habit after all of the crap they’ve pulled in changing and violating their own lackluster privacy policies. Leo Laporte nearly led a geek revolt out of Facebook in May 2010. The only thing that prevented it was lack of a viable alternative.
    2. Taking something into Geek Squad to get fixed
    Best Buy’s Geek Squad has a few legitimate geeks on staff; however, too many of their technicians are completely clueless and can do more harm than good to your equipment. Besides, if you’re geek, just geek-up, open up the case, and fix it yourself. (Exception: It’s acceptable to go to the Geek Squad counter to exchange a DOA device that is still under warranty. Just don’t let us catch you asking for advice.)
    1. Buying a paper computer book at Barnes & Noble
    In 1999, if you wanted to quickly learn more about HTML or Exchange 5.5 or Apache or how to earn CCNA certification, you’d typically make a quick trip to your nearest book superstore like Barnes & Noble or Borders and comb through the huge selection of computer books. However, this is 2010. Any computer book you find at a bookstore is at least six months out of date. Almost everything you need to know is available on the web for free or in ebook format that you can quickly download to your laptop or tablet. Buying a dead-tree tome about a new technology is an immediate tip-off that your geek credentials are in question.

  2. #2
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    Default

    speaking of star wars, seeing your avatar makes me want to go play KoTOR again...

  3. #3
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    Default KOTOR

    You are the FIRST one who knew who my avatar was! Yep-borrowed this one from my son-I totally thought this character, Darth Nihilis, was the coolest looking with the coolest name. When my son and I play-we often end up at a draw by killing each other's characters. Very funny.....

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    Smile

    Not that I'm an apple fan, but in fairness it should be pointed out that I-tunes now offers DRM-free music.

    Then again, so does Amazon...

    Adam

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    Thumbs up

    Definitely I hold my geek card.

    Hi all
    The Mexican geek
    Ed

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    I guess I am not a geek. Fine with me.

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    Ditto Mr. Yaya's...I only know the diff between Star Wars and Star Trek...I guess I lost my geek card too.

  9. #9
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    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
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    That is not the Geek rules,that is the teenage nerd rules. But we'll let Laserchik slide on that one. She would not have been in a position to know. From back when there was still a E.E. in Geek.

    The real 10 commandments for geeks, and this one is old enough that Carmamgary, like my self, already knows it from when it went around as a memographed sheet.


    1. BEWARE THE LIGHTNING THAT LURKETH IN THE UNDISCHARGED CAPACITOR, LEST IT CAUSE THEE TO BOUNCE UPON THY BUTTOCKS IN A MOST UNTECHNICIAN-LIKE MANNER
    2. CAUSE THOU THE SWITCH THAT SUPPLIETH LARGE QUANTITIES OF JUICE TO BE OPENED AND THUSLY TAGGED, THAT THY DAYS IN THIS EARTHLY VEIL OF TEARS MAY BE LONG.
    3. PROVE TO THYSELF THAT ALL CIRCUITS THAT RADIATH AND UPON WHICH THOU WORKETH ARE GROUNDED AND THUSLY TAGGED LEST THEY LIFT THEE TO RADIO FREQUENCY POTENTIAL AND CAUSETH THEE ALSO TO MAKE LIKE A RADIATOR.
    4. TARRY NOT AMONGST THOSE FOOLS WHO ENGAGETH IN INTENTIONAL SHOCKS FOR THEY ARE SURELY NONBELIEVERS AND ARE NOT LONG FOR THIS WORLD.
    5. TAKE CARE THAT THOU USETH THE PROPER METHOD WHEN THOU TAKEST THE MEASURE OF A HIGH-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT LEST THOU INCINERATE BOTH THYSELF AND THY METER, FOR VERILY, THOUGH THOU HAST NO ACCOUNT NUMBER AND CAN EASILY BE SURVEYED, THE TEST METER DOTH HAVE ONE AND, AS A CONSEQUENCE, BRINGETH MUCH WOE UNTO THE SUPPLY DEPARTMENT.
    6. TAKE CARE THAT THOU TAMPERETH NOT WITH SAFETY DEVICES AND INTERLOCKS, FOR THIS INCURETH THE WRATH OF THY SUPERVISOR AND BRINGETH THE FURY OF THY SAFETY INSPECTOR UPON THY HEAD AND SHOULDERS.
    7. WORK THOU NOT ON ENERGIZED EQUIPMENT, FOR IF THOU DOST, THY FELLOW WORKERS WILL SURELY BUY BEERS FOR THY WIDOW AND CONSOLE HER IN OTHER WAYS.
    8. SERVICE THOU NOT EQUIPMENT FOR ELECTRICAL COOKING. IT IS A SLOTHFUL PROCESS AND THOU MIGHT SIZZLE IN THINE OWN FAT FOR HOURS UPON A HOT CIRCUIT BEFORE THY MAKER SEE FIT TO END THY MISERY.
    9. TRIFFLE THOU NOT WITH RADIOACTIVE TUBES AND SUBSTANCES LEST THOU COMMENCE TO GLOW IN THE DARK LIKE A LIGHTNING BUG AND THY WIFE HAVE NO FURTHER USE FOR THEE EXCEPT THY WAGES.
    10. THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS TO EQUIPMENT, BUT CAUSETH THOU TO BE RECOREDED ALL FIELD CHANGES AND AUTHORIZED MODIFICATION MADE BY THEE, LEST THY SUCCESSOR TEAR HIS HAIR AND GO SLOWLY MAD IN HIS ATTEMPT TO DECIDE WHAT MANNER OF CREATURE HATH MADE A RATS NEST IN THE WIRING OF SUCH EQUIPMENT.

    Author unknown... But I first saw it in 1988. Attributed to some one in the US Army Corps of Engineers.

    And "dead-tree tomes" work when the mains power is down, the RF modem is dead, the cable modem is off line because Time Warner, Uworse and Verizontal do not believe in 48V backup banks, and your patching wires on the aux generator outside, in the snow, before flashing the field with the tractor battery. Usually holding a 2AA maglite in your teeth while doing so....

    Damn computer nerds think they are something special... Well, they aint.

    Steve
    Last edited by mixedgas; 10-22-2010 at 18:15.

  10. #10
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    Default I need to lift my game

    Ohhhhw... 4 out of 10! Who am I kidding?

    Please geek police I'm trying my best. It's sunny out side and I should go to the beach
    but I'm inside working on my DIY solder reflow oven. I've even got an 8 Channel temperature data logger hooked up to it to check the reflow profile.

    How about I draw the curtains and get back to my vampire roots. Q pipe organ sound.

    Sun is bad...hiss boo....

    2am in the lab.... Goooood.

    Can you give me a "has potential" report card and hold off revoking my geek card for a little while longer?

    I'll be good

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