Geek, nerd or boffin?

[SN]

liz said:


Wow – that reminds me of another 1980s insult meaning the same thing: Tefalhead. (Brits who were watching TV in that decade might remember a series of advertisements starring people with humorously outsized craniums, inventing clever things.)


still a valid insult today where I live!

[winkleink]

By the original definition here I would be a geek.

But, I see myself more as a techie.

I like and enjoy technology, innovation and intelligent and refined solutions to problems.

I do coding (badly) since the 80s

I'm the guy my family and friends call when their computers act up.

I run Linux (Ubuntu) at home.

I customized the firmware on my WD TV HD

I play with Arduino

I use Google+ (by all account where the technical people hang out)

I do a bit of web design (again badly)

I can design mySQL databases (another thing I do badly)

But, I'm not a Star Wars, Star Trek fanatic.  I have watched some 'The Big Bang Theory' but not obsessive.  I don't wear sandals with socks.  I don't own a scientific calculator.  A slide rule is interesting to me but I don't know how to use one.

I do sometime sport a beard worthy of a boffin but that's just laziness rather than anything else.  I usually describe it as a folk singer beard.

I strangely love the fact that the Captcha here is maths related.

[maccboy]

Referring back to the title of the OP, this might help decide:

http://bit.ly/BBvenn

[ADAMPOKE111]

Alan already has an unruly beard. David objects very strongly to the words "geek" and "nerd", because he sees them as divisive and thinks they put people off computing; I think they"re just part of the vernacular (and now refer to a lot more than things electronic), and am perfectly proud to be referred to as either. I don"t feel very boffiny, though...

I completely agree. As an 11 year old I feel that when some one calls me a nerd or a geek it puts me off going on computers. Once my dad call me a geek which seriously offended me. I object to both of those words when the are used as and insult.

[Lob0426]

ADAMPOKE111 said:


Alan already has an unruly beard. David objects very strongly to the words "geek" and "nerd", because he sees them as divisive and thinks they put people off computing; I think they"re just part of the vernacular (and now refer to a lot more than things electronic), and am perfectly proud to be referred to as either. I don"t feel very boffiny, though...

I completely agree. As an 11 year old I feel that when some one calls me a nerd or a geek it puts me off going on computers. Once my dad call me a geek which seriously offended me. I object to both of those words when the are used as and insult.



I was in Chorus in high school, loved technology and science and was considered a geek. During the Junior break (17) I was at Army Basic Trianing for the National Guard, while all those jocks were getting drunk at parties. I just retired from 26 years working in the California Correctional System (prisons) as a Correctional Officer. When someone calls you a geek or a nerd next time.... Just smile back at them. You will always have better and wider ranging opportunities than the jocks of this world. You can be a geek/nerd and still work in any field you want to.