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What the fuck happened to nerds

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51–60 of 118 posts

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#51
post #44

In the movie Revenge of the Nerds, they basically rape someone. So I dunno, being a "nerd" doesn't necessarily imply you're also a good person. Mark Zuckerberg is definitely a nerd, and he's also a piece of shit. I also think its another variation of that trope that the people that seek power are the very ones you don't want to have it. And those that don't care about it are the ones we need to seek it. Take Woz for…

Where the self-identifier of "nerd" as "I don't care that I don't know how to make people like me" is given precedence over "I care more about esoteric knowledge than about how to make people like me"

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#52
post #28

I could similarly ask what happened to journalists? Or the politician that cared about their stated principals. The reality isn't even that they went away, necessarily. Or that it was all a lie. There were always exceptions and it always took some level of good faith between our different institutions to keep them working well. At some point, that good faith interaction got hijacked and it has quickly spread as a rot…

> I could similarly ask what happened to journalists? Or the politician that cared about their stated principals. It’s all the same. What happened is that principals became a liability and lying became a virtue.

Principals were always a liability. It is literally a key point in countless interactions. Is why "holding hostage" works. They are literally playing against a principal.

Similarly, lying has never been a virtue. But, joining people to your lie has always been a powerful way of gaining support.

I honestly don't know when or how things changed. My gut is, oddly, that the stakes all just changed. Used to be, you could literally retire to a homestead and you were living on your own. That just does not exist at all in the same way, anymore.

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#53

I have an imperfect "canary in the coalmine" test for whether/where the principled/idealist nerds have the power vs the mercenary/cynical nerds have the power: Advertisers vs Ad Blockers - as long as the Ad Blockers are blocking the vast majority of junk, I feel like team principles is winning. Like they have more nerd power to outsmart the lesser nerds working on team mercenary. But there are places like Facebook wh…

There are currently multiple trivial ways for a layman to block all YouTube ads.

If you are using a real computer or can sideload apps.

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#55

I have an imperfect "canary in the coalmine" test for whether/where the principled/idealist nerds have the power vs the mercenary/cynical nerds have the power: Advertisers vs Ad Blockers - as long as the Ad Blockers are blocking the vast majority of junk, I feel like team principles is winning. Like they have more nerd power to outsmart the lesser nerds working on team mercenary. But there are places like Facebook wh…

There are currently multiple trivial ways for a layman to block all YouTube ads.

For some definition of layman, I guess.

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "Revenge of the Nerds" movie series follows this arc too - when them being oppressed to becoming the oppressors.

Yep, even just in the first movie: as soon as the chief nerd has a chance, he assaults one of the jock's girlfriends.

All those nerds were sex offenders.

https://www.illinoislawyers.com/blog/so-many-crimes-in-reven...

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you read the article, it's not about competition.

I read the article, but the attributes which OP views as negative are just the general traits of hypercompetitive people. The only way to win is by hook or by crook - that is what you learn in hypercompetitive environments. Edit: Can't reply > Yours is the kind of attitude that has ruined the industry If you can't compete you will be made redundant. Honestly, in some aspects that is what I appreciate about the Chines…

> If you can't compete you will be made redundant.

Self-defeating attitude that you will regret later in life. Best of luck.

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#58
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, even just in the first movie: as soon as the chief nerd has a chance, he assaults one of the jock's girlfriends.

All those nerds were sex offenders. https://www.illinoislawyers.com/blog/so-many-crimes-in-reven...

A more realistic movie than anyone realized

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you read the article, it's not about competition.

I read the article, but the attributes which OP views as negative are just the general traits of hypercompetitive people. The only way to win is by hook or by crook - that is what you learn in hypercompetitive environments. Edit: Can't reply > Yours is the kind of attitude that has ruined the industry If you can't compete you will be made redundant. Honestly, in some aspects that is what I appreciate about the Chines…

[flagged]

Re: What the fuck happened to nerds

#60
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in the US, most tech leaders and middle managers never did an MBA. Most are engineers who climbed the ladder into management. Edit: Can't reply > “Making money off of shareware” is no longer enough Based on this I am guessing you are at least 10-15 years older than me and probably grew up in the 1980s and experienced the 1990s internet > how do we make this company into an investment multiplier > It’s a diff…

Could be so but once their companies get on the path to getting listed they get advice from their banks or investors and either or both have one thing in mind: how do we make this company into an investment multiplier? Also often founders are paired with business types to make companies more viable. “Making money off of shareware” is no longer enough (never mind that it’s a non-starter now that everything is needs to…

Do you really think Zuckerberg is only evil because he's getting evil advice from his banks?
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