Are you a Geek ? Are Pocket Protectors Cool ?

So I get home last night and I show my wife squiggler's charts and tell her that I want to be able to make cool looking charts like that so that I can appear to know what I am doing at work (and thus keep working). I say to her, "look at that chart, doesn't that look cool?" and she immediately gets this glazed look over her eyes and asks "what is it?". I say they are charts for some statistical purposes and she asks "how can you be so happy about something like this?". She had no interest at all and thinks what I do is completely boring. Then she called me a geek and then proceeded to go downstairs and watch tv while I puttered with Excel 2010. Is this a common theme for significant others?

Originally Posted by Mordred

Is this a common theme for significant others?

Definitely. My wife calls me a sad nerd (or worse) at least once a day. When I was made an MVP all she said was "I told you that you spend too much time on that computer".

Originally Posted by Mordred

Then she called me a geek and then proceeded to go downstairs and watch tv while I puttered with Excel 2010. Is this a common theme for significant others?

All my friends and even my boss call me a geek. It's so not true!

Dom

Originally Posted by Domski

All my friends and even my boss call me a geek. It's so not true!

Dom

Well, I'll take it. Lets see, what do I really enjoy doing????? Coding (both in Java and VB). Helping family when there computer "isn't working right". Playing video games with the dreams of becoming a well paid video game tester (will never happen ). I'll take computer time over tv time at any time. Yep, I'm a geek. I even own a checkered, short-sleeved shirt.

Originally Posted by Mordred

Yep, I'm a geek. I even own a checkered, short-sleeved shirt.

Last time I checked (sorry) they were still pretty fashionable over here. All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look

Dom

My wife said exactly the same thing which is why I made the "I Love you" graph! I also made one of an elephant, which she loves!

I got a smile followed by a glazed look again!

Originally Posted by Domski

All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look

Dom

Haha, too funny. I have only one (I like to wear a shirt and tie mostly) . As for Brokeback, I haven't seen it and I don't wear a cowboy hat. I was thinking about buying a pocket protector because I've had one shirt ruined via a leaking pen but, pocket protectors are just over that image line that I won't cross.

Originally Posted by squiggler47

I got a smile followed by a glazed look again!

The funny thing about that glazed look is I'll keep talking. I've even had the user I program for ask, "how did you do this?" and when I tell him, he gets that glazed look too. He asked me once (very early on) if I could show him the code to one of my first projects. I did and within a timeframe of about 3 seconds he had that look. I walked him through the code regardless but I don't think he was even listening because at the end of it he said something like "that's a lot of code, I'm glad you're doing it and not me". At any rate, he doesn't ask to see the code anymore.

Do you have a belt clip for your blackberry/cell phone ?

Incidentally the above is not an indication of whether or not you're a geek just whether or not you have in fact already crossed "that image line" to which you referred previously ... and if so go and get yourself some "pocket protectors"

Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.

Originally Posted by DonkeyOte

Do you have a belt clip for your blackberry/cell phone ?

Sadly, I am a fulltime student, husband, and father two boys (entering their teens) and one dog. I don't have the $$ yet for them new famdangled communicating devices.

Originally Posted by DonkeyOte

Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.

Yep, you are definitely right!

Originally Posted by DonkeyOte

Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.

But my friends/colleagues don't know that!!!

And what the hell are pocket protectors???

Dom

Why can't a pocket protector look cool? I have a prof that wears one and its some sort of brownish colour/color that appears to stick out like a sasquach at a shaving convention. I don't want to ruin my shirts but dang.

Originally Posted by Mordred

Why can't a pocket protector look cool?

Just Because...



On an aside I think we're ruining Darren's thread here... I have moved all non-related posts to a new thread.

Haha donkey, what a great way to start my day! I had a literal lol looking at that picture. What exactly is an "Exterior Retention System"?

I don't know but it sounds like the opposite of my previous boss' idea of having "sh*t deflectors" located at various points around his desk.

I carry my Android phone in my pocket, I couldnt find the real estate on my belt to hold it, after all 4 multi tools, a knife Ipod took up the best spots!

I did think of the top pocket but where would I keep my 4 colours of pen, 3 pencils!

Dont let the suit fool thats just my alter ego!

I should say I had to give them up on return to the UK, cant carry a knife :-(

After 30+ years computer experience, you learn that people arnt interested in computers that talking about them is boring to normal people!

The hard part is getting the normal people to realise that we do have other subjects we can talk about, and its just as boring to listen to them try and talk computer to you just to humour you!

I'm still laughing at this....

Dom's quote

Originally Posted by Domski

All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look

Dom

"I wish I knew how to quit you" burrrrrkkkkke!!!!

When I first started frequenting forums, it was at Mr.Excel... my wife then starting calling me Dr. Excel because she could never remember Mr.Excel was the forum name, and whenever her work friends have Excel problems, she says she'll speak to Dr. Excel... I suppose that is a compliment ... but on the other hand she gets a bit irritated that I spend so much time on here... so I tell her that she can't have her cake and eat it too When she found out about me getting awarded MVP she had that glazed over look that all of you are familiar with and didn't even know what to say.. Ha! Ha!

So how exactly does one become an Excel MVP?

You get nominated, MS review you, then make a decision. The actual behind the scenes workings are shrouded in mystery.

It's kind of random... you are supposedly nominated... although you don't know for sure... or there are MVP leads that scout the net and forums.. you just get notified by email or in the forum and answer a few questions and then they make the decisions...

Should we all got to http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpbecoming and nominate ChemistB for the honor?

I was just looking up Geek and see it may also mean: a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts - OUCH! See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek

Do you think there is an age requirement? Should being a geek also include tests like:
1. Minimim words per minute texting on a T9 phone.
2. Understanding the joke: "Doctor Doctor, I feel like an alpha particle" "Are you sure?" "I'm positive!"

I think I'm going to change my icon to one of these http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottjo...53791/sizes/o/ so I can be a specialized geek.

Originally Posted by MarvinP

1. Minimim words per minute texting on a T9 phone.

Surely I should get extra geek points for a slide-out keyboard.

Dom

There are, of course, dozens of online quizzes to see if you are a geek. Here are 3;

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/geekquiz.htm

http://www.quizopolis.com/are_you_a_geek.php

http://www.innergeek.us/geek-test.html I think this was the best (all incompassing including pocket protectors)

My scores
Psychcentral 9
Quizopolis 50% which makes you A Little Bit Geek
InnerGeek 32%

Does 5 years attendance at CES count me as a geek?
Does memorising 100 decimal places of PI?
Or is it just the fact that I subscribe to the Hugi Size coding compo, and never miss one of the disk mags?

I'm starting to realise I'm not really a geek after all

Dom

Originally Posted by Dom

I'm starting to realise I'm not really a geek after all

LOL, I think it's kind of like when we were discussing "What is an Excel expert?" It depends on who you hanging out with. To my wife, I'm a geek. In this crowd, I'm marginal.

Originally Posted by ChemistB

LOL, I think it's kind of like when we were discussing "What is an Excel expert?" It depends on who you hanging out with. To my wife, I'm a geek. In this crowd, I'm marginal.

To my wife I am also a geek but in this crowd, I am less than marginal. I'm going to have to pull up my socks and bare down on my geekisms I think.

Originally Posted by ChemistB

So how exactly does one become an Excel MVP?

Drink a lot. That's about it from what I can gather from the ones I've met

Dom

Interesting - which ones have you met? (clearly not Messrs. Schollar or Legg )

I think that, from a geek perspective, "meeting someone" includes online.

The plot thickens - how can you tell if they are drinking a lot? (on the internet, no-one can hear you burp...)
I was assuming Dom might have met them at a conference.

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Originally Posted by romperstomper

The plot thickens - how can you tell if they are drinking a lot? (on the internet, no-one can hear you burp...)
I was assuming Dom might have met them at a conference.

In my book meeting someone involves the physical presence of both parties in the same room.

Good guess, I did indeed meet Richard and Colin at an Excel gig at Microsoft London a year or so ago.

Dom

That's worrying - both of those two drink like old ladies.

Originally Posted by Dom

...I did indeed meet Richard and Colin at an Excel gig at Microsoft London a year or so ago

...longer ago than that if that's the same one I'm thinking of... and back then Colin was a mere Excel mortal (at least I think he was).

I am not sure a sample size of one, where that one is Richard, is indicative of anything...

0101001101110100011000010111001000100000010101000111001001100101011010110011101000100000010101000110100001100101001000000101010101101110011001000110100101110011011000110110111101110110011001010111001001100101011001000010000001000011011011110111010101101110011101000111001001111001001000000110100101110011001000000110111101101110011001010010000001101111011001100010000001110100011010000110010100100000011000100110010101110011011101000010000001101101011011110111011001101001011001010111001100100000011011110110011000100000011000010110110001101100001000000111010001101001011011010110010100101110

warning: offensive language in the link - I forgot that apologies !

@Morded, that reminds of The Humans Are Dead (edit: wait for the binary solo)

Originally Posted by romperstomper

That's worrying - both of those two drink like old ladies.

Richard likes to think he drinks a lot.

Dom

Richard likes to think he's good at a lot of things.

Originally Posted by DonkeyOte

warning: offensive language in the link - I forgot that apologies !

@Morded, that reminds of The Humans Are Dead (edit: wait for the binary solo)

I've watched those guys on Youtube before but not that clip. Very funny! "Come on sucker lick my battery" Hahaha.

Who's going to go to MrE and let Richard know he should come and defend himself

@NBVC, and the fun in that would be... ???

I just did - it's no fun insulting him if he can't hear you.

Make sure his head is out of his butt first or he won't hear you. Sorry, had to get that one in!

Originally Posted by NBVC

Make sure his head is out of his butt first or he won't hear you. Sorry, had to get that one in!

Why, it won't stop him talking sh....

Jeez - is there anyone in the thread who doesn't feel like insulting me???

Richard, so nice of you to join us :-)

Nothing for you to see in this thread. Move on now...

Dom

Hey Richard. Long time no see... How's it been? Is this what it takes for you to visit us?

While you're here you might as well give us an expert opinion on pocket protectors.

Dom

aROFL ! ......

You're probably a geek if...

xkcd

you think this is ironically true as well as funny.

You're probably a geek if your name is Dilbert!

Receiving this from your niece and nephew (8 & 6 respectively) leaves little room for debate.

I got one of these from my brother. Says it all.

That's pretty slick... I hope you wear it !

As a true geek, I wear it in preference to a Breitling...

@romper,

I guess you are only half a geek then, since it has the digit values on it!

I dont wear a watch, I prefer to triangulate the sun's angle to the horizon using my slide rule!

I've never seen one with just 1 and 0 on it...

Originally Posted by romperstomper

I wear it in preference to a Breitling...

Times still tough in the City then I see

Yup - no-one got me the Jaeger Le Coultre that was on my Xmas list.

The watch I have doesn't even make it onto their listings... off to the Poorhouse we go.