I've read a couple of history books, does that make me a historian now then?
What utter bullshit.
We’re All Nerds Now
21–30 of 30 posts
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#22Being perceived as an intellectual of any type (nerd or otherwise) still mostly excludes one from public office above a certain level (in the USA, at least). Until that changes, it's difficult to take the idea seriously.
You don't think constitutional law professors are perceived as intellectuals?
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#23Heh, I recently posted this on Facebook:
As I spent a sunny Sunday working through Project Euler problems in Haskell, I got a little sad that the word "nerd" has been re-appropriated to people who like video games ($100billion industry) or Star Wars (3rd highest grossing film of all time) or people who like phone apps (everyone in SF).
Is there a new word that's been invented to take its place?
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#24Being perceived as an intellectual of any type (nerd or otherwise) still mostly excludes one from public office above a certain level (in the USA, at least). Until that changes, it's difficult to take the idea seriously.
As jacalata pointed out, President Obama could be cited as a counter-example, and under the same criteria I would add at least Wilson to the list.
Being perceived as an intellectual is not strictly exclusionary, but opponents will certainly try to hold it against a candidate - much like any other characteristic that can be played up for factionalism.
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#25No, we're not, at last not in the original meaning. Nerd used to mean someone obsessed and therefore knowledgeable about something (book nerd, comic nerd, or... The War Nerd[1]). Later geek took over that meaning and nerd moved towards someone socially awkward but smart. Owning a smartwatch, reading a best seller novel, or watching a blockbuster doesn't make anyone a nerd. Not any more than wearing aviator sunglasses…
Maddox said it best in "You're not a nerd, geeks aren't sexy
and you don't "fucking love" science."[1]
People love science in the same way they love classical music or art. Science and "geeky" subjects are perceived as being hip, cool and intellectual. So people take a passing interest just long enough to glom onto these labels and call themselves "geeks" or "nerds" every chance they get. I feel a sharp pang in my head every time some moron on Twitter or Facebook says something like "i'm doing my homework i'm such a nerd LOL!!!" Wrong, fuck belch. You're not a nerd for doing your assigned homework; you're doing it because you have to, not because you want to. That'd be like saying, "I'm eating food, I'm such a foodie, LOL!!!" Since when did it become cool to label yourself a "nerd" anyway? (...)
If you have to tell people you're a nerd, chances are you're not. Nerds don't have to advertise their status. We know. Being a nerd is a byproduct of losing yourself in what you do, often at the expense of friends, family and hygiene. Until or unless you've paid your dues, you haven't earned the right—or reason—to call yourself a nerd. Being a nerd isn't graceful or glorious. It's a life born out of obsessive dedication to a craft, discipline or collecting some stupid shit that only you care about.
[1]: http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=youre_not_a_nerd
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#26IMHO, I must respectfully disagree. It is easy for non-nerds to try defining nerds in their own image.
This is true especially for journalists. They have a conflict of interest in the matter.
Their interest is to sell content online or in the newspapers. To appeal to people's self-aggrandizement is a very powerful motivation in this case.
Is that what Mr Cohen is doing? At a glance that's not certain. However with regard to this opinion piece, reviewing definition of terms and how they are used, looking for logical fallacies, reviewing the background of people being interviewed and some healthy skepticism is warranted.
Journalists talking about science and scientists is not equivalent to a thorough understanding of it.
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#27I think there needs to be a distinction (when using the term Nerd) between people who use technology, and those who create it. Users of technology are more commonly called "Customers". Or "Consumers" in the new parlance. Whereas traditional Nerds are far more deeply involved with the technology, and grok it in it's fullness as they combine it into things never before seen.
I think "lusers" was the word used sometime ago for the people who use technology without understanding it :)
Well that's not elitist or anything.
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think "lusers" was the word used sometime ago for the people who use technology without understanding it :)
Well that's not elitist or anything.
well, elitism _was_ part of the thing.
Please note I am merely reporting what I remember was the most common way to refer to non tech savvy people.
This is the same culture that gave us LART, PEBKAC, cluebat, and of course the BOFH.
Interestingly enough, in italian we used "utonto" as a blend of "utente" (user) and "tonto" (dummy, simpleton), showing the feeling was shared across language barries within similar groups.
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#29Being perceived as an intellectual of any type (nerd or otherwise) still mostly excludes one from public office above a certain level (in the USA, at least). Until that changes, it's difficult to take the idea seriously.
You don't think constitutional law professors are perceived as intellectuals?
Obama was elected despite being an intellectual. And I did think of Obama and carefully phrase my statement to account for him. The point stands that intellectual is a dirty word in politics, just like nerd, which wouldn't be the case if we were all becoming nerds.
Re: We’re All Nerds Now
#30i beg to differ. never has the gap between producer and consumer been so wide. what the consumer is seeing is getting more and more dumbed down, while the tech that runs behind the interface is getting more and more complicated.
its like (this is really vague, sorry)..once upon a time you interacted with your pc via cli..now you get a in-browser webgl game..
or..this certainly is not universal..but those people that have 3 devices often don't even know how to add a mail account(whats pop3/imap/tls?)..