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View Full Version : You know you're a Computer or Tech Geek when...



Harold Mansfield
08-26-2009, 07:42 PM
I just came to the stunning revelation that I may indeed have become some sort of geek:eek:
I don't know when it happened, or how it happened and I fear it's too late to go back and I suspect that there are more Geeks amongst us.

You know you are a Computer Geek when...
You go to the technical help section of a blogging forum and time yourself giving correct answers to all the questions on the first page for fun.

What has become of me folks, I used to do that with whiskey back in the day. I was doing this the other night and one of my friends called to go out for drinks and when he asked what I was doing...without thinking I lied ! I was too embarrassed to admit it.

billbenson
08-26-2009, 07:53 PM
Welcome to the club eborg :)

KristineS
08-27-2009, 12:41 PM
Well, I'm not a computer geek, but I'm thankful for those who are. Makes my life much easier.

vangogh
08-27-2009, 01:03 PM
Funny and yes welcome to geekdom. I can't say I time myself on how giving out support answers, but I do my share of geeky things.

I read programming books for fun and also download tech manuals for many of the products I own.

rezzy
08-27-2009, 02:17 PM
Manuals? Steven thats terrible.

I am the type of fiddle with something until I can get it working, until I break then, I find the manual and read it.

vangogh
08-27-2009, 04:48 PM
I read them for fun. Sad, huh?

cbscreative
08-27-2009, 06:56 PM
That's beyond sad, vangogh, that's at the deep end of the geek pool. :D

vangogh
08-27-2009, 08:09 PM
Help, I'm drowning in geek.

You should see my library. I have an entire bookcase devoted to tech related books, from web design to programming in Assembly. And that's after getting rid of all the out of date books.

By the way I do find tech manuals to be very useful. People think they should just skip them, but it's amazing how much you can find to help you troubleshoot problems in some of them. The better ones tend to be things you have to scour the web to find too.

nealrm
08-28-2009, 09:13 AM
vangough - that is really sad. Sound like it's time to go out into the sunlight some. I suggest a weekend at a campsite WITHOUT cell service.

cbscreative
08-28-2009, 01:07 PM
I have a pretty good collection of tech books too, but I also have a good excuse. I had to read them for classes a few years ago. I look at all those books (most 1" to 2" or more thick) and am amazed to think I usually read through 2 of them every 10-15 weeks. Every once in a while I'll pull one of them out when needed. That's geeky enough for me.

Patrysha
08-28-2009, 02:23 PM
My inner geek leaks out through the act of buying university textbooks from the second hand store. I mostly stick to business, finance, psychology and sociology...though I have picked up some education, nursing and religion ones too. I have a hard time passing on books for less than a buck...especially reference books.

KristineS
08-30-2009, 01:14 PM
I'm with you Patrysha. I buy history, philosophy, reference books that sort of thing. Technical manuals require you to be able to do technical things, which I can't do. When those things come up, unless they're very simple, I turn things over to Vangogh.

After all, he has to do something with all the technical knowledge he's soaking up. :-)

ELCaD
09-08-2009, 09:37 AM
have never done that with the manuals...but there are other things (that I will not share) which are quite embarrassing.
Why should it be embarrassing though? There are those that are good at sports and will play sport all day long, those that are good with cars or whatever and will play with them all day long. Why should we be embarrassed about being good at something and enjoying it?

nighthawk
09-08-2009, 12:09 PM
have never done that with the manuals...but there are other things (that I will not share) which are quite embarrassing.
Why should it be embarrassing though? There are those that are good at sports and will play sport all day long, those that are good with cars or whatever and will play with them all day long. Why should we be embarrassed about being good at something and enjoying it?

quite right - not to mention what used to be geeky is now considered cool again. 10 years ago i was using computers and surfing the net, spending lots of time in chat rooms and playing online games. That was considered sad and geeky. Now everyone is at it, and it is suddenly considered the norm.

I had a friend phone me up last year and asked me if I had xbox live, and proceeded to tell me how amazing it was that you could play online against someone on the other side of the world. I told him I had been there, done that and got bored of it 10 years ago.

Ok, so I may have just outdone vangogh for geekiness!

vangogh
09-08-2009, 01:54 PM
Maybe we need to have a contest to see who's the most geeky member here :)

cbscreative
09-08-2009, 04:21 PM
Maybe we need to have a contest to see who's the most geeky member here :)

So far, my vote is for you, vangogh, but I agree that there should be no shame in it.

billbenson
09-08-2009, 06:00 PM
All I know is that when I'm in line at the grocery store, I have no idea who the people are in the tabloids. I only use a cell phone for making calls though... My only redeeming factor.

Patrysha
09-08-2009, 06:21 PM
I'd be proud to even qualify for a geek contest...

Alas, I think my eldest son outgeeks me...so as long as he's not competing I might have a chance.

vangogh
09-08-2009, 09:32 PM
I have no idea who the people are in the tabloids.

Me either. However I do read the headlines while in line since they often lead to ideas for titles of blog posts. I take out my phone and write the titles down in a notes app for future reference. Do I win?

By the way, while it's not a tabloid Oprah's magazine usually has some of the best article titles.

Harold Mansfield
09-10-2009, 02:39 AM
When I'm channel surfing and I pass HSN and they are featuring a new computer, camera, or anything that plugs into a computer, I automatically go back, check the specs and the price and drool over it for a minute or 2.

3 years ago, I wouldn't have even noticed HSN. I thought it was all collectible plates and Snuggies.

I also get more tech magazines in the mail than I can read in a month, yet still renew all of them because I'm scared I'll miss something.

When me and my (few) friends speak "Geek", I use abbreviations that 3 years ago I didn't know what they meant.

I'm still waiting for someone to perfect the cell phone watch. (with Blue Tooth of course)

I tell my friends that the Motorola flip phone, with push to talk is patterned after the old Star Trek communicator from 35 years ago and they think I'm strange.

I have a whole drawer of old cell phone parts, batteries and chips that are obsolete and cannot be used with my current cell phone, but I'm scared to throw them out. (Still have my Motorola Star Tac..and last time I checked, it still works !)

I have 18 email addresses loaded into Thunderbird and I check them everyday - 8 of them I use for daily communications.

I haven't listened to commercial radio for more than a combined 2 hours this whole year.

I don't know the difference between Young Joc, and Young Jeezy and MTV gives me a headache. (that's just from being old)

I miss the shows Frazier and The West Wing (I think that from being old too)

I was at the supermarket today, and noticed how dirty the computer was at the Customer Service desk, and it upset me. Really.

cbscreative
09-10-2009, 11:46 AM
Looks like eborg is our runner up, but it's now harder to cast my vote. I'm still leaning toward vangogh. Help us, vangogh, show us you are more geeky than eborg. :D

vangogh
09-10-2009, 11:54 AM
Too funny eborg. I can identify with most of the things you say.

I keep every computer I ever owned after it died, just in case I ever want to do something with the parts. I also collect parts from other people's working and broken computers.

Last night after softball I took out my iPhone so I could show off the new astronomy app I downloaded.

To relax on weekends I spend time researching how to make my computer run better.

I actually know how to program VCRs (does anyone still have one?) and can even hook them up to your tv.

When a wireless network isn't working I can usually figure out why.

I once tutored a friend in an engineering class I never took. I spent a half hour reading a chapter of his text book and then taught him the material.

When I walk into an electronics store I check every computer to see what programs are on them and dig around the file system just to see what I can find.

While browsing in a bookstore I tend to alphabetize all the books that are out of order so the person after me can find what their looking for.

KristineS
09-10-2009, 12:51 PM
I think both eborg and Vangogh when the geekiness crown.

Too funny.

Harold Mansfield
09-10-2009, 01:58 PM
While browsing in a bookstore I tend to alphabetize all the books that are out of order so the person after me can find what their looking for.

That did it..that's the one.
I bow to the king of the geeks:D...I can't beat that one.

Not only that, but that's just down right decent and respectful. Too many people in this society don't care what happens after they have gotten what they want or need.

How many times have you seen ice cream or something that needs to be refrigerated sitting out of place on a shelf in the supermarket because someone changed their mind, and was too lazy to walk it back. No regards for the store owner, or purposely ruining the inventory.
That really pisses me off when people do that. It's so selfish.:mad:

@Vangogh. I got one for ya...How many times have you seen a product that wasn't quit ready and still had a lot of bugs, like a 5.1 surround sound audio chair, with speakers in the headrest and a subwoofer under your butt, but you wanted it to work so bad you have to talk yourself out of ordering it anyway ? Yet you bookmark it, to go back and dream of the day that they get it right, or maybe order it anyway and hope it works for you ?

I've wasted a few thousand dollars doing stuff like that.

But I would never alphabetize a book shelf. That behavior is embedded in the DNA.



When I walk into an electronics store I check every computer to see what programs are on them and dig around the file system just to see what I can find.

That one's pretty Geeky too !

cbscreative
09-10-2009, 03:53 PM
because someone changed their mind, and was too lazy to walk it back

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one annoyed by human laziness and selfishness. But that is a completely different subject.

Looks like we have our winner. Who's gonna crown our king? Should we wait to see if anyone tries to commandier the throne first? I suspect corronating a geek king is more civil than the transition of power in ancient kingdoms was.

vangogh
09-10-2009, 11:36 PM
The book thing got me a job in a bookstore years ago. When they interviewed me I told them I was already working there, but wasn't getting paid.

I hear you about the lazy people. It's like when you see garbage sitting on the ground right next to the garbage pail. You wonder why someone couldn't walk the one extra foot to get it in the can.

seolman
09-11-2009, 12:00 AM
While browsing in a bookstore I tend to alphabetize all the books that are out of order so the person after me can find what their looking for.

ROFL....that does it. I'm sending you my meds.

vangogh
09-11-2009, 12:15 AM
C'mon it's not like it's that hard. I do know the alphabet after all and it's not as though I'm redoing the entire section. Just the few books I happen to be looking at. I do it now more because after having worked in a bookstore I know how annoying it is to see people pull a book out of a shelf and instead of putting it back, just leave it on top of the other books.

lav
09-17-2009, 10:35 PM
Im glad Im not a geek Im cool!!! lol........hang on its cool to be geek nowadays isnt it.

When I walk into an electronics store I check every computer to see what programs are on them and dig around the file system just to see what I can findIve done this but Im not a geek!....am I?? I also tested a Wacom tablet at one store and drew a sketch of the girl behind the counter (yeah I sketch pretty well) anyhow come back a couple of months later and my sketch was the sample print they had sitting in the printer..... my wife didnt believe me when i said "I drew that" lol

vangogh
09-17-2009, 11:52 PM
I think you may be joining us in geekland :)

That had to be a nice feeling seeing your sketch as the sample print. Did they know in the store it was you who drew it?

lav
09-18-2009, 05:52 AM
I was a little proud yes ......and No they had no idea it was me, it was quite a big store, the girl behind the counter gave me a lot of strange looks though while I was drawing her (20 or so minutes of constantly looking up at her) but she would have realised what I was doing after seeing her picture when i left. I just walked out and left it on the screen so they must have saved it....... lol

vangogh
09-18-2009, 11:29 AM
She probably walked over to the computer the minute you left to see what you were up to. It is pretty cool that she saved it.