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EDITORIAL
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What?! I'm a NERD?! Impossible!
Posted on: Fri Sep 22, 2006 03:27 AM
I took one of those online tests, this time to determine if I was a Nerd, Geek, or a Dork. Here are the OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT results:
I consider myself a geek, so obviously a "test" stating otherwise must be wrong. But how can I defend my position that I'm a geek and not a nerd, as the "test" claims I am? Looks like it time to employ facts to back up my claim (gee, what a concept!). Now, some people might be confused as to what exactly a Nerd or a Geek is. Lets turn to the internet, shall we?
According to a Dictionary.com search, a "Geek" is:
Quote:
While a similar Dictionary.com search on the word "Nerd" states that I would be:
Quote:
Now, a geek I most certainly am. I've made a business out of my knowledge of computers, and I would never deny my geek roots. A nerd, though? Lets take a look at myself. Am I obsessed with computers? No, not really. The time I spend on my computer is spent either browsing the internet, playing games, or working on websites. I don't think any of these things constitute an obsession, so that's one hit against my Nerd status. I also enjoy few-mile-long bike rides, and I've played baseball for the last 13 years, along with the my involvement with my city's Traffic Commission as a full-time Commissioner for the last three years. Obviously, most of my hobbies involve people, but I do enjoy a bit of alone time. Strike two against Nerd-dom.
Oh, and I have had girlfriends, so my social skills aren't lacking at all ;) That's, what, strike three?
Taking all this into account, and the fact that Nerd struck out three times when I tried to apply it to myself, I can say without a doubt that this test is obviously faulty. I am and always will be a geek, and may a disk crash happen to anyone who says otherwise >:D
Pure Nerd78 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 13% Dork
I consider myself a geek, so obviously a "test" stating otherwise must be wrong. But how can I defend my position that I'm a geek and not a nerd, as the "test" claims I am? Looks like it time to employ facts to back up my claim (gee, what a concept!). Now, some people might be confused as to what exactly a Nerd or a Geek is. Lets turn to the internet, shall we?
According to a Dictionary.com search, a "Geek" is:
Quote:
an expert in computers (a term of pride as self-reference, but often considered offensive when used by outsiders.)
While a similar Dictionary.com search on the word "Nerd" states that I would be:
Quote:
an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.
Now, a geek I most certainly am. I've made a business out of my knowledge of computers, and I would never deny my geek roots. A nerd, though? Lets take a look at myself. Am I obsessed with computers? No, not really. The time I spend on my computer is spent either browsing the internet, playing games, or working on websites. I don't think any of these things constitute an obsession, so that's one hit against my Nerd status. I also enjoy few-mile-long bike rides, and I've played baseball for the last 13 years, along with the my involvement with my city's Traffic Commission as a full-time Commissioner for the last three years. Obviously, most of my hobbies involve people, but I do enjoy a bit of alone time. Strike two against Nerd-dom.
Oh, and I have had girlfriends, so my social skills aren't lacking at all ;) That's, what, strike three?
Taking all this into account, and the fact that Nerd struck out three times when I tried to apply it to myself, I can say without a doubt that this test is obviously faulty. I am and always will be a geek, and may a disk crash happen to anyone who says otherwise >:D
I know, I know, this post should have been about the solution I found to my "can't underline text in an input button" problem, but a realization hit me just now and I had to write about it.
YOU might be wondering about the title, "A truly impossible task". You're probably thinking, "Whatever could he mean? International peace? Solving world hunger?" Actually, I'm referring to everyone's search for the "perfect" operating system (OS).
IN today's economy, rising prices and not-so-rising incomes put a huge strain on people to budget and prioritize what they purchase. At the top of everyone's list is the essentials necessary to survive, relative to today's standards of living: food, shelter, and utilities (gas, water, electricity). After that, the list changes from person to person, but I think we can all agree that operating systems are towards the bottom of "the list".
AS it stands, its not like OS's come out everyday. The big two operating systems that 99% of computers users use, Microsoft's Windows and Apple's Mac OS, have fallen into a fairly predictable time table for releasing a new operating system. Apple, for example, releases a new "whole number" OS about once every four to five years, with incremental version (x.1, x.2, x.3, etc...) releases averaging out to one a year[1]. Microsoft releases a new operating system at an approximate ratio of one OS to every three years[2]. With such long times between major OS released, operating systems are not (nor should they be) a priority on ANYONE's personal "gotta buy to live" shopping list.
SUCH as it happens, though, during the advertisement-created anticipation of a new operating system's release (Microsoft's Windows Vista, for example), loyal Windows users find themselves staring in disbelief at Microsoft's estimated retail price of their newest creation. At the time of this writing, I can't find any numerical data to back up my claim that Vista will cost an arm and a leg, but my gut tells me that if Microsoft feels justified, it'll jack up the prices to compensate for all of the "features" we'll see in the new operating system (this is, of course, NOT taking into account the facts that Microsoft's new filesystem and one of the "Three Pillars" of Longhorn, titled WinFS, will never see the light of day[3], PC-to-PC synchronization has been cut, and the new scripting shell, code-named Monad, was deemed too risky and a security violation[5]).
WITH all of these cuts Microsoft has made to get Windows Vista out of the door and into the market in a timely manner, computer users have been wondering if their hard earned money would be well-invested in the next generation of Windows. Recent doubt about Vista has created an opening for Linux enthusiasts, and the various flavors of Linux have received consideration because of their improved usability and their very attractive price: free.
I suppose part of this article has roots from my recent experience with the Linux operating system Ubuntu. My experience wasn't all that bad, but it was no where near as easy or hassle-free to use as Windows is. For comparison, When I do a fresh install of Windows, it usually takes me about 1-2 hours to get Service Pack 2 and subsequent updates installed, my firewall and anti-virus set up and updated, install better video drivers, and install all the other miscellaneous software I use on a daily basis, games included. I can get Windows set up and ready to go in that short a period of time because I know what I'm doing and I've had 6 installs before this one to get everything sorted out and restored. It took me a good three to four hours with Ubuntu to get it somewhat near what I felt would be a "normal" status. I will give Ubuntu, this though: right out of the box, this operating system offers a perfect combination of software that would be suitable for anyone doing mundane word processing, spreadsheeting, internet browsing, and e-mail sending. If I didn't play PC games, relied on some Windows-Only software, or had the time to learn a new OS, I would have made the switch sooner.
A big deal has been made about Linux's XGL interface; to be honest, after getting it working on Ubuntu, its just a whole lot of Eye-candy that can't mask the myriad Terminal commands one must execute to install software or even make changes to the list of start-up programs. For an operating system that wants to be as an alternative to Windows, it needs to work on removing Linux's Terminal as a requirement to do anything. And I want it to be known that I don't believe for a minute that XGL is in direct competition with Vista's new Aero interface. Sure, it may look nice and wobbly, but when it comes down to it, only one will be on greater than 90% of computers starting early next year.
NO matter what tech site you look at or forum you browse, you'll most likely find one or two or ten people singing the praises of a Linux-based OS; you'll also find ten times, if not a HUNDRED times, that many people arguing for Windows' superiority (I'm sorry to say I neglected Mac OS because I personally have very little to no experience with Apple-based technology). The truth of the matter is, each side of the OS triangle (Windows, Mac OS, and Linux) has its own Pro's and Con's, and there will never be that perfect OS that will have the market share and software selection of Windows, the adaptability and free price of Linux, and the multimedia capabilities of Mac OS. In my opinion, computers were designed to give people choice, and as long as an economy is present and markets exist to sell to, operating system manufacturers will be competing against each other until computers become obsolete. Until that time, I say go with what you're comfortable with; if you can't have everything, get most of what you want!
P.S. I haven't done a long piece of writing like this in a long time, so let me know what you think of not only my message, but my writing style too, please!
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Microsoft_Windows
[3] http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1640454,00.asp
[4] http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1973620,00.asp
[5] http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122145,00.asp
YOU might be wondering about the title, "A truly impossible task". You're probably thinking, "Whatever could he mean? International peace? Solving world hunger?" Actually, I'm referring to everyone's search for the "perfect" operating system (OS).
IN today's economy, rising prices and not-so-rising incomes put a huge strain on people to budget and prioritize what they purchase. At the top of everyone's list is the essentials necessary to survive, relative to today's standards of living: food, shelter, and utilities (gas, water, electricity). After that, the list changes from person to person, but I think we can all agree that operating systems are towards the bottom of "the list".
AS it stands, its not like OS's come out everyday. The big two operating systems that 99% of computers users use, Microsoft's Windows and Apple's Mac OS, have fallen into a fairly predictable time table for releasing a new operating system. Apple, for example, releases a new "whole number" OS about once every four to five years, with incremental version (x.1, x.2, x.3, etc...) releases averaging out to one a year[1]. Microsoft releases a new operating system at an approximate ratio of one OS to every three years[2]. With such long times between major OS released, operating systems are not (nor should they be) a priority on ANYONE's personal "gotta buy to live" shopping list.
SUCH as it happens, though, during the advertisement-created anticipation of a new operating system's release (Microsoft's Windows Vista, for example), loyal Windows users find themselves staring in disbelief at Microsoft's estimated retail price of their newest creation. At the time of this writing, I can't find any numerical data to back up my claim that Vista will cost an arm and a leg, but my gut tells me that if Microsoft feels justified, it'll jack up the prices to compensate for all of the "features" we'll see in the new operating system (this is, of course, NOT taking into account the facts that Microsoft's new filesystem and one of the "Three Pillars" of Longhorn, titled WinFS, will never see the light of day[3], PC-to-PC synchronization has been cut, and the new scripting shell, code-named Monad, was deemed too risky and a security violation[5]).
WITH all of these cuts Microsoft has made to get Windows Vista out of the door and into the market in a timely manner, computer users have been wondering if their hard earned money would be well-invested in the next generation of Windows. Recent doubt about Vista has created an opening for Linux enthusiasts, and the various flavors of Linux have received consideration because of their improved usability and their very attractive price: free.
I suppose part of this article has roots from my recent experience with the Linux operating system Ubuntu. My experience wasn't all that bad, but it was no where near as easy or hassle-free to use as Windows is. For comparison, When I do a fresh install of Windows, it usually takes me about 1-2 hours to get Service Pack 2 and subsequent updates installed, my firewall and anti-virus set up and updated, install better video drivers, and install all the other miscellaneous software I use on a daily basis, games included. I can get Windows set up and ready to go in that short a period of time because I know what I'm doing and I've had 6 installs before this one to get everything sorted out and restored. It took me a good three to four hours with Ubuntu to get it somewhat near what I felt would be a "normal" status. I will give Ubuntu, this though: right out of the box, this operating system offers a perfect combination of software that would be suitable for anyone doing mundane word processing, spreadsheeting, internet browsing, and e-mail sending. If I didn't play PC games, relied on some Windows-Only software, or had the time to learn a new OS, I would have made the switch sooner.
A big deal has been made about Linux's XGL interface; to be honest, after getting it working on Ubuntu, its just a whole lot of Eye-candy that can't mask the myriad Terminal commands one must execute to install software or even make changes to the list of start-up programs. For an operating system that wants to be as an alternative to Windows, it needs to work on removing Linux's Terminal as a requirement to do anything. And I want it to be known that I don't believe for a minute that XGL is in direct competition with Vista's new Aero interface. Sure, it may look nice and wobbly, but when it comes down to it, only one will be on greater than 90% of computers starting early next year.
NO matter what tech site you look at or forum you browse, you'll most likely find one or two or ten people singing the praises of a Linux-based OS; you'll also find ten times, if not a HUNDRED times, that many people arguing for Windows' superiority (I'm sorry to say I neglected Mac OS because I personally have very little to no experience with Apple-based technology). The truth of the matter is, each side of the OS triangle (Windows, Mac OS, and Linux) has its own Pro's and Con's, and there will never be that perfect OS that will have the market share and software selection of Windows, the adaptability and free price of Linux, and the multimedia capabilities of Mac OS. In my opinion, computers were designed to give people choice, and as long as an economy is present and markets exist to sell to, operating system manufacturers will be competing against each other until computers become obsolete. Until that time, I say go with what you're comfortable with; if you can't have everything, get most of what you want!
P.S. I haven't done a long piece of writing like this in a long time, so let me know what you think of not only my message, but my writing style too, please!
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Microsoft_Windows
[3] http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1640454,00.asp
[4] http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1973620,00.asp
[5] http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122145,00.asp
My grandparents, being as cool as they are, gifted me a pay-as-you-go cellphone from Net10 Wireless. How cool, I thought, as I opened it up and activated it, a cellphone to call my very own.
Oh, but fate has all kinds of twists up its sleeve! For you see, when I proceeded to set up my voice mail, I discovered that my brand new phone lacked a working microphone! Woe betide me, something is wrong with my brand new phone and I can not speak to those whom I reach out to! Kind of defeats the purpose of having a cellphone, in my opinion...
What course of action did I have? Why, I could call the free tech support and ask them for advice in solving my silent-phone-syndrome! Of course, it all sounds so simple...what could possibly go wrong?
I called the 877 number, secure in the knowledge that I'd get help with returning my phone for a replacement model. What follows is paraphrased from the wonderful time I had getting my problems laid to rest:
[color=#FF8888]Me: doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: *ring ring ring*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: (wonderful automated menu bs...finally waded through all the crap to get a real live person!)[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Hello, un' welc-am to da Net10 wireless su-vice technical supp-owt. How may I he'p you?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Yeah, I'm having a problem with my cellphone, when I talk into it, no sound is heard by the person I'm calling. I found this out when I went to record my voicemail message and the phone acted as though it could not hear what I was saying."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Alright, ma' I pleese have yur cell ph-own's IMEI numba'?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: *tells lady my cellphone's serial number*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So fo' clarifahcation, dat numba' was *serial number*".[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Yes"[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So da praw-blem seems ta be witch yer voy-ce may-le."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Well, the problem is with my phone's microphone, its not picking up anything, so a byproduct of that is my voicemail not working."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So da praw-blem seems ta be witch yer signal strenth."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "...no, that can't be right, because when I call a landline, a HOUSE phone number, they can't hear anything either. And besides that, my phone says it has full signal strength."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Well den, can you tell me you' name und' address?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: *tells lady "ma name un' address"*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Ok den, he's yo' case numba' *reads off case number*"[/color]
God, I'd type more, but then I'd end up smashing my laptop through the nearest window and then jumping up and down on my cellphone; only problem is, I love my laptop and I need my cellphone to return, so I'll just have to break it down to basics (accent edited out for sanity...my sanity):
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Your phone was stripped of its minutes, and you must wait 3-5 business days for a new phone and credited time to arrive. When the new phone arrives, you have 20 days to return the old phone."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "So do I keep the SIM card? Or do I return that, too?"[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Your phone was stripped of its minutes, and you must wait 3-5 business days for a new phone and credited time to arrive. When the new phone arrives..."[/color]
God, I feel like I was talking to AOL, what with the repeated requests of the same information, "clarifying" everything, and scripted responses...
What a HUGE inconvenience this has become; I'd look for an actual cellphone service like Verizon or Motorola if they didn't cost $40 a month, but as it is with this service I pay $30 for 300 minutes and 60 days of service. Not too bad for a starter phone, and the first month or so I'll find out if I'm getting the best bang for my buck with this pay-as-you-go plan.
Oh! Good news, I got my new 200GB Maxtor drive today! Time to wipe the faulty one and reinstall Windows!
Oh, but fate has all kinds of twists up its sleeve! For you see, when I proceeded to set up my voice mail, I discovered that my brand new phone lacked a working microphone! Woe betide me, something is wrong with my brand new phone and I can not speak to those whom I reach out to! Kind of defeats the purpose of having a cellphone, in my opinion...
What course of action did I have? Why, I could call the free tech support and ask them for advice in solving my silent-phone-syndrome! Of course, it all sounds so simple...what could possibly go wrong?
I called the 877 number, secure in the knowledge that I'd get help with returning my phone for a replacement model. What follows is paraphrased from the wonderful time I had getting my problems laid to rest:
[color=#FF8888]Me: doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot-doot[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: *ring ring ring*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: (wonderful automated menu bs...finally waded through all the crap to get a real live person!)[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Hello, un' welc-am to da Net10 wireless su-vice technical supp-owt. How may I he'p you?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Yeah, I'm having a problem with my cellphone, when I talk into it, no sound is heard by the person I'm calling. I found this out when I went to record my voicemail message and the phone acted as though it could not hear what I was saying."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Alright, ma' I pleese have yur cell ph-own's IMEI numba'?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: *tells lady my cellphone's serial number*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So fo' clarifahcation, dat numba' was *serial number*".[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Yes"[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So da praw-blem seems ta be witch yer voy-ce may-le."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "Well, the problem is with my phone's microphone, its not picking up anything, so a byproduct of that is my voicemail not working."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "So da praw-blem seems ta be witch yer signal strenth."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "...no, that can't be right, because when I call a landline, a HOUSE phone number, they can't hear anything either. And besides that, my phone says it has full signal strength."[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Well den, can you tell me you' name und' address?"[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: *tells lady "ma name un' address"*[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Ok den, he's yo' case numba' *reads off case number*"[/color]
God, I'd type more, but then I'd end up smashing my laptop through the nearest window and then jumping up and down on my cellphone; only problem is, I love my laptop and I need my cellphone to return, so I'll just have to break it down to basics (accent edited out for sanity...my sanity):
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Your phone was stripped of its minutes, and you must wait 3-5 business days for a new phone and credited time to arrive. When the new phone arrives, you have 20 days to return the old phone."[/color]
[color=#FF8888]Me: "So do I keep the SIM card? Or do I return that, too?"[/color]
[color=#6A6AFF]Them: "Your phone was stripped of its minutes, and you must wait 3-5 business days for a new phone and credited time to arrive. When the new phone arrives..."[/color]
God, I feel like I was talking to AOL, what with the repeated requests of the same information, "clarifying" everything, and scripted responses...
What a HUGE inconvenience this has become; I'd look for an actual cellphone service like Verizon or Motorola if they didn't cost $40 a month, but as it is with this service I pay $30 for 300 minutes and 60 days of service. Not too bad for a starter phone, and the first month or so I'll find out if I'm getting the best bang for my buck with this pay-as-you-go plan.
Oh! Good news, I got my new 200GB Maxtor drive today! Time to wipe the faulty one and reinstall Windows!
Just now, I've decided to create a new category of posts: Something to Think About. Well, I have yet to implement categories into each post, so for now you'll just have to recognize them by their subject line with the same text.
For the first Something to Think About, I posted this rant on a friend's forum after reading SOOOO many fake news posts on Digg.com and Slashdot.org and getting tired of all the BS I had to sort through. For some reason, this April Fool's day really annoyed me...
So here's the post, so aptly titled, "Why I hate April Fools day":
[quote]Yeah, pretty self-explanatory, I was perusing many of the tech news sites that I frequent, and I found that today happened to be the "fake stories" news day. Now, I can take a joke, but for some reason it was really annoying to see headlines stating some untruth and not being able to determine the truth from the fiction.
Why is this day so great? I've never really seen the point to it, I pull jokes on friends all the time, why do I need a day for it? At least the holiday hasn't been commercialized...yet...
Anyway, what do you guys think? I saw some pretty funny non-news related pranks pulled today, including the "Chuck Norris and his Karate Crew" tv show from the 80's, and an attempt by a favorite mod of mine to convince us that they had achieved the impossible, but other than that, the meaning of April Fool's Day has been lost to me...[/quote]
So there ya go, my rant on AFD; what do you all think?
For the first Something to Think About, I posted this rant on a friend's forum after reading SOOOO many fake news posts on Digg.com and Slashdot.org and getting tired of all the BS I had to sort through. For some reason, this April Fool's day really annoyed me...
So here's the post, so aptly titled, "Why I hate April Fools day":
[quote]Yeah, pretty self-explanatory, I was perusing many of the tech news sites that I frequent, and I found that today happened to be the "fake stories" news day. Now, I can take a joke, but for some reason it was really annoying to see headlines stating some untruth and not being able to determine the truth from the fiction.
Why is this day so great? I've never really seen the point to it, I pull jokes on friends all the time, why do I need a day for it? At least the holiday hasn't been commercialized...yet...
Anyway, what do you guys think? I saw some pretty funny non-news related pranks pulled today, including the "Chuck Norris and his Karate Crew" tv show from the 80's, and an attempt by a favorite mod of mine to convince us that they had achieved the impossible, but other than that, the meaning of April Fool's Day has been lost to me...[/quote]
So there ya go, my rant on AFD; what do you all think?