Blair Mathis posted this on LaptopLogic.com last spring. It is quite a check list of things to know if you want to be a Geek. A few of them, I know, but several I don’t even have any desire to learn. So regardless of what my friends think, I don’t guess I am one.
First he starts out defining the term “‘geek’, once used to label a circus freak, has morphed in meaning over the years. What was once an unusual profession transferred into a word indicating social awkwardness. As time has gone on, the word has yet again morphed to indicate a new type of individual: someone who is obsessive over one (or more) particular subjects, whether it be science, photography, electronics, computers, media, or any other field. A geek is one who isn’t satisfied knowing only the surface facts, but instead has a visceral desire to learn everything possible about a particular subject.”
That makes sense to me a few of the items on his list are:
1. The Meaning of Technical Acronyms such as
# USB – Universal Serial Bus
SATA – Serial ATA
# P2P – Person to Person data sharing
He does more.
4. Surf the Web Anonymously
5. Bypass a Computer Password on All Major Operating Systems
9. Monitor Network Traffic
11. Retrieve Data off Hard Drive
There will come some point in your life when a hard drive craps out sans warning. It could be due to a number of reasons–physical damage, file corruption, etc. There are computer service centers that would be happy to extract the data for a (hefty) fee; a true geek would be the one working at center, not taking his or her drive there.
14. Replace a Laptop Keyboard
15. Rip Streaming Videos
21. Hexadecimal and Binary Number Systems
Everyone knows the normal, everyday digit system used. It takes a special–possibly psychotic person–to also know hexadecimal and binary number systems.
23. Increase Wifi Range (This one Iwouldn’t mind learning – lcw)
24. Carrying a Computer Cleaning Arsenal on Your USB Drive
25. Running an Operating System from a USB Thumb Drive
43. Soldering Glasses Together
Nerds use tape on broken glasses; geeks use solder. ‘Nuff said.
To read all of these and get the links to the tutorials go to this web page: http://laptoplogic.com/resources/64-things-every-geek-should-know
BTW a few of these besides the glasses have nothing to do with computers.
