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Are we geeks?


breck_hiker

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Geocaching is alot less geeky than metal detecting (a hobby I had a few years back). I could never get used to swinging the detector around people. I just felt so stupid and nerdy.I did find tons of cool stuff though including jewelry (sp) for my wife. I'll get another detector when I'm like 50 and too old to care wheather or not I'm cool.

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Geek is as geek does. Where I first went to school the engineers had groupies. Nothing geeky in the mix. Then when I came to the lower 48 and went to school in engineering all I found was a bunch of engineers running around like geeks saying "gee why do people think we are dorks" No wonder they didn't have groupies.

 

That's the long way to say "if you have to ask".

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Yes, we are geeks. And we should be proud of it. In my profile I describe myself as a "professional technogeek". While it may not have been the case in the past, geeks are cool now. Geeks get the best jobs, earn the most money and, most importantly, have all the best toys. icon_cool.gif

 

____________

Gorak

 

I love frogs. They taste like chicken. Yum.

 

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been passionate, rebellious, and immature." --Tom Robbins

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Well I have no doubt that I am a Geek, but that has been the case since long before I started Geocaching. I blame those Apple IIe's in school for starting me on the path to Geekdom.

 

Maybe the determining factor for geekdom with respect to geocaching is something like this:

 

- Bought the GPSr because I needed it to Geocache: Not a geek (maybe).

- Started geocaching so I had an excuse to buy a GPSr: Geek.

- Started geocaching because I already bought a GPSr and had no real use for it: Geek.

 

I can't remember if I fall into the 2nd or 3rd category.

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How to tell if you're a geek.

 

Have you ever played a role playing game? (D&D, Shadowrun, etc.)

 

Have you ever memorized lines from a Sci Fi series? (Any of the Star Treks, Sliders, SG1, X Files, etc.)

 

Have you ever dressed up as character from any Sci Fi movie or series, and it wasn't Halloween?

 

Have you ever attended an event ending in the suffix "con"?

 

Have you ever collected, or made your own medeival armor, then actually put it on?

 

Have you ever completed any of the Final Fantasy video games, and consider it to be a feat worth boasting of at parties?

 

Have you ever written a letter in a language that was never used by humans?

 

Have you ever wished you'd go to sleep, and wake up in Middle Earth?

 

If you answered yes to more than one of theese questions, it is higly recommended that you immediately consume at least 32 ounces of beer, watch ESPN for 3 hours, then rebuild the engine on a thirty year old American muscle car.

 

[This message was edited by Bloencustoms on March 32, 1999 at 25:60 PM]

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quote:
Originally posted by Bloencustoms:

How to tell if you're a geek.

 

Have you ever played a role playing game? (D&D, Shadowrun, etc.)

 

Have you ever memorized lines from a Sci Fi series? (Any of the Star Treks, Sliders, SG1, X Files, etc.)

 

Have you ever dressed up as character from any Sci Fi movie or series, and it wasn't Halloween?

 

Have you ever attended an event ending in the suffix "con"?

 

Have you ever collected, or made your own medeival armor, then actually put it on?

 

Have you ever completed any of the Final Fantasy video games, and consider it to be a feat worth boasting of at parties?

 

Have you ever written a letter in a language that was never used by humans?

 

Have you ever wished you'd go to sleep, and wake up in Middle Earth?

 

If you answered yes to more than one of theese questions, it is higly recommended that you immediately consume at least 32 ounces of beer, watch ESPN for 3 hours, then rebuild the engine on a thirty year old American muscle car.

 

[This message was edited by Bloencustoms on March 32, 1999 at 25:60 PM]


 

Oh boy! I got 4.5(the armor isn't done- it takes a long time to weave chain mail by hand), so I guess I'm officialy a geek. And here I'd always just thought that I was a science nerd. icon_eek.gif

But as to the original definition of a geek, I can say that I'm not one. I have never bitten the head off a chicken in a circus. Marshamallo peeps? That's another thing. icon_wink.gif

 

...the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese...

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quote:
Originally posted by Breck Hiker:

The reason why I posted this question is that when I first mention Geocaching to my wife, she looked at me and started to laf... To my surprise she is usually has a tendency to be more supportive.


 

My wife laughed at me, too. Then I took her out for a day of caching. We went to parks and trails we never new existed. We discovered new dog parks. Now she's a convert. We've since discovered that she has a 6th sense for finding caches. icon_smile.gif

 

____________

Gorak

 

I love frogs. They taste like chicken. Yum.

 

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been passionate, rebellious, and immature." --Tom Robbins

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quote:
Originally posted by Breck Hiker:

"A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept."

 

Well are we?????

 

http://ocollines.com/

 

By your definition: The ones who have never bothered to go to an event cache ARE.

 

quote:
Originally posted by Breaktrack:

Yes, we are.

 

And your point is?????

 


 

"WE'RE" not 'ol buddy. The ones I mentioned above ARE.

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

 

If you are not failing now and again, it's a sign you're playing it safe. - Woody Allen

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quote:
Originally posted by Breck Hiker:

The reason why I posted this question is that when I first mention Geocaching to my wife, she looked at me and started to laf... To my surprise she is usually has a tendency to be more supportive.

 

http://ocollines.com/

 

Breck Hiker, that's not uncommon. No matter how you describe it it sounds goofy. No matter how you describe it it sounds a lot like "you take a gizmo and walk up to a box of McToys" They then look at you like you are daft and say (if they are being nice) "And that's fun because?...."

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My wife tends to be on the condescending sort of support:

 

"How was caching today Hon?"

 

"You want to see the Mctoy I picked up?"

 

"Oh, that's great Hon", "Did you remember to take your medication this morning?"

 

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. The rest go geocaching.

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quote:
Originally posted by Breck Hiker:

"A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept."

 

Well are we?????

 

http://ocollines.com/

GPS - check

PDA - check

Laptop - check

Assorted power and connector cables - check

Got Coordinates? - check

 

Yep. We're Geeks. icon_cool.gif

 

That Quack Cacher:

Lone Duck

 

When you don't know where you're going, every road will take you there.

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Sure we are, noone except geeks has a use for such a gadget. This happened to me when entering a government building one Monday morning:

- (opening a backpack at the security screening, taking out laptop, cellphone, pager, GPSr)

- (a security girl) What is this???

- oh, that's just a GPS receiver

- what is it?

- (a security guy) yes, that's a GPS, you are a computer programmer, right?

When I admitted that I am, everything was ok. You can probably carry a Geiger Mueller counter and nobody wonders, if you are an official geek.

 

Czech caching in US.

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As I read this thread I realized I was becoming a bit defensive. I now know that I am a closet geek. I have always been the first on the block with the new gizmo. I have never purchased a readybuilt pc, always done it myself. Geeky things appeal to me. On the other hand... I surf, scuba, rock climb. My kids and their friends think I'm cool. I have side by side portraits of Jerry Garcia and Al Einstein.........

 

Whats it all mean?

 

"Me transmitte sursum, Caledoni!"

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quote:
Originally posted by Bloencustoms:

How to tell if you're a geek.

 

Have you ever played a role playing game? (D&D, Shadowrun, etc.) D@D Yes

 

Have you ever memorized lines from a Sci Fi series? (Any of the Star Treks, Sliders, SG1, X Files, etc.) "My GOD Jim, I'm a DOCTOR!" yes

 

Have you ever dressed up as character from any Sci Fi movie or series, and it wasn't Halloween? NO

 

Have you ever attended an event ending in the suffix "con"? Nope

 

Have you ever collected, or made your own medeival armor, then actually put it on? Huh? Nope again

 

Have you ever completed any of the Final Fantasy video games, and consider it to be a feat worth boasting of at parties? Umm... No

 

Have you ever written a letter in a language that was never used by humans? Does "pig latin" count? I didn't think so...NO

 

Have you ever wished you'd go to sleep, and wake up in Middle Earth? No Way... Too many short furry guy's...Gotta go with a NOPE on this one!

 

If you answered yes to more than one of theese questions, it is higly recommended that you immediately consume at least 32 ounces of beer, watch ESPN for 3 hours, then rebuild the engine on a thirty year old American muscle car.

 

[This message was edited by Bloencustoms on March 32, 1999 at 25:60 PM]


 

I guess a 2 means I'm a borderline geek! Hell, I build engines and then run the P*** outta them till they blow up for a living! I haven't even been caching since football season started but I do play fantasy football. I own over 30 firearms and shoot regularly! Espn.com is my homepage. Is there hope for me or am I doomed to eternal geekdom? Give it to me straight Doc.

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A note from a wife:

 

My husbands excuse for getting a gps was that we could go geocaching. I thought - whatever. He had no idea that I would be more addicted than he is. He really loved it when I decided I wanted my own gps. Yep, we consider ourselves to be geeks, but we are cool geeks.

 

And, geocaching is a lot cooler than something that I used to do:

 

I would go to the lake and stand on one of the piers/boat docks and have a really strong magnet attatched to a nylon rope. I would tie the rope to the guard rail and throw the magnet into the water. You wouldn't believe what I would pull up. One time I pulled up a "no parking" sign that a acquaintance of mine had thrown in many years before when we were teenagers. But the coolest thing I think I ever pulled up was a metal tackle box with the tackle still in it. It had holes in it and was deteriorating, but it was cool, no less.

 

I am glad that I have moved into a higher class of entertainment. Geocaching is the best. Plus, when you tell people about it and they don't get it, I always get the same response, "you must be really smart to be able to do that". And, I love bragging to my husband about the other women that I know that say they would never go geocaching. It makes him very proud of me.

 

"Nice find! I must go tell Harry, Ron and Hermione."

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quote:

Have you ever played a role playing game? (D&D, Shadowrun, etc.) Yes once, but I didn't care for it

 

Have you ever memorized lines from a Sci Fi series? (Any of the Star Treks, Sliders, SG1, X Files, etc.) Yes if Sci-fi books count.

 

Have you ever dressed up as character from any Sci Fi movie or series, and it wasn't Halloween? Yes

 

Have you ever attended an event ending in the suffix "con"?

Yes

 

Have you ever collected, or made your own medeival armor, then actually put it on? No, but I have a ren faire costume.

 

Have you ever completed any of the Final Fantasy video games, and consider it to be a feat worth boasting of at parties? No

 

Have you ever written a letter in a language that was never used by humans? Yes, more than once.

 

Have you ever wished you'd go to sleep, and wake up in Middle Earth? Many times

 

If you answered yes to more than one of theese questions, it is higly recommended that you immediately consume at least 32 ounces of beer, watch ESPN for 3 hours, then rebuild the engine on a thirty year old American muscle car.

 

But I also do the beer and ESPN thing regularly too.

 


 

pika waving

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Being a geek isn't all that bad. Look at it this way:

 

As we all know (or SHOULD know) computers run the world. When a computer system goes down, everything stops!! Now, when those computers do go down, who do they call to fix them??

 

GEEKS!!!

 

Therefore: Geeks run the world!!

 

How else would the computers be programmed and fixed? It would be really interesting to see all the geeks in the world stop fixing the big corporations' computer systems and tell the CEO's to do it. Then we would see who has the real power in today's business world!!

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quote:
Originally posted by Bloencustoms:

it is higly recommended that you immediately consume at least 32 ounces of beer, watch ESPN for 3 hours, then rebuild the engine on a thirty year old American muscle car.


 

Not only am I a geek, but I drink beer, watch a lot of ESPN and have rebuilt more 67-69 Camaros than I can easily count (although they are now 40 year old muscle cars). Not sure what to do about that...

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OK, only a 10.65089 from the geek test. I think my vocation (programmer) and taste in music (They Might Be Giants, Ween, Weezer and Devo are favorites of mine) may have skewed the results. Also a 1 for 8 on Bloencustoms test. So I guess I'm not all that geeky. Now is that good or bad icon_confused.gif ?

 

Have you ever played a role playing game? (D&D, Shadowrun, etc.)No

 

Have you ever memorized lines from a Sci Fi series? (Any of the Star Treks, Sliders, SG1, X Files, etc.)No

 

Have you ever dressed up as character from any Sci Fi movie or series, and it wasn't Halloween?

No

 

Have you ever attended an event ending in the suffix "con"? No

 

Have you ever collected, or made your own medeival armor, then actually put it on? No

 

Have you ever completed any of the Final Fantasy video games, and consider it to be a feat worth boasting of at parties? No

 

Have you ever written a letter in a language that was never used by humans?No

 

Have you ever wished you'd go to sleep, and wake up in Middle Earth? Yes

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on October 30, 2003 at 05:54 AM.]

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