# Geekier than Thou **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229 "2005-02-21T20:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/41 "2005-02-23T10:46:31Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I designed a CPU and didn’t get paid for it. I designed a CPU **out of TTL chips** and didn’t get paid for it. I own a PDP-11. Two of them, actually. And some vaxes. You decide which is worse. Plus, I think my dopername has to count for something in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/42 "2005-02-23T10:56:36Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > There is no editor but Emacs, and rms is its prophet. There is no editor but Emacs, and rms is its prophet. There is no editor but Emacs, and rms is its prophet. Agreed. Vi is the work of the Devil ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/43 "2005-02-23T12:12:34Z")
> [@essvee](#): > > Um, if there is something I don’t know about here, I apologize. I was referring to the chest-thumping tone of Kelly’s post. I seem despite myself to be doing this again: **KellyM** (and this is public-domain knowledge) is transgender(ed|ing), although I am unaware of the individual’s current state of penishood. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/44 "2005-02-23T12:26:58Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I learn new programming languages for fun, and I commonly get into a language simply because of the aesthetics. Smalltalk, for example, doesn’t need to be practical: It’s one of the most beautiful languages ever developed. Same with [Joy](http://www.latrobe.edu.au/philosophy/phimvt/joy.html). I don’t want to argue, but I personally hated Smalltalk. It may have been because I had to program it in a kiddie interface for Alan Kay’s Squeak program, but damn it drove me up the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/45 "2005-02-23T12:37:57Z")
Smalltalk? Is that all? I taught myself to program in REXX just because I was bored. About ten years later, I actually came up with a practical use for it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/46 "2005-02-23T12:56:43Z")
I’ve implemented Logo in BASIC and Scheme in Perl. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/47 "2005-02-23T16:03:26Z")
> [@](#): > > **engineer\_comp\_geek** said: > Plus, I think my dopername has to count for something in this thread. You would not be the only computer engineer in the thread. BS CoE, University of Pittsburgh. And my name comes from the IEEE Category 6 cable standard. I’ve written an RS232 driver in 80x86 assembly that was under 1,000 bytes in size, designed a CD-MP3 player stand alone unit, have a SparcStation 5 and a TI-99/4A that still work (have programmed in BASIC on the TI. It’s how I learned to read), and done a tiny bit of work on the RFID ‘smart dust’ technology. I think the biggest sign of my geek-ness is that I have talked to my mom for an hour and then had her say ‘I didn’t understand a single word of that.’ ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/48 "2005-02-23T16:21:53Z")
So it’s true after all, **catsix**. You _are_ a guy! ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/49 "2005-02-23T16:55:54Z")
Okay, folks, you’re outshining me where it matters, but it takes more than engineering skills to be a true geek. It takes obsessive knowlege of useless information as well. How many Optimus Primes can you count? How many of them do you own? I can count 22, of which I own maybe sixteen. Hm. 24, maybe. That’s not counting Primals, mind you. What is the difference between a SRM, a LRM, and a Streak-SRM? Why do you never want to roll a 2 when you shoot a plasma rifle? Who doesn’t care about that? What version of Kryptonite doesn’t affect Kryptonians? What was the first, chronlogically, real life, Marvel Mutant? What is the speed factor for a longsword? Who wrote the first wargame? Have you ever played it? Were you in Band? Name all four characters in Gauntlet. No, I don’t mean “Warrior, Wizard, Elf, Valkyrie.” Name them. From memory. Beware, who lives? What was the first recorded scam Steve Jobs pulled on Woz? What trinket let you make free phone calls? What is the largest electrical shock you’ve survived? Did you ever work in: Comic book store, video store, library? When did you get on the internet? How old were you? (Anyone else got good Geek Purity Test questions?) ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/50 "2005-02-23T17:13:03Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Okay, folks, you’re outshining me where it matters, but it takes more than engineering skills to be a true geek. It takes obsessive knowlege of useless information as well. > > How many Optimus Primes can you count? How many of them do you own? > > I can count 22, of which I own maybe sixteen. Hm. 24, maybe. That’s not counting Primals, mind you. Sadly, I only own the original Prime. But I do own Jetfire/Skyfire. > [@](#): > > What is the difference between a SRM, a LRM, and a Streak-SRM? Range between the first and second, don’t know the third. > [@](#): > > Why do you never want to roll a 2 when you shoot a plasma rifle? Who doesn’t care about that? I wonder which Plasma Rifle this refers to… > [@](#): > > What version of Kryptonite doesn’t affect Kryptonians? White. Jewel. Silver. Possibly Blue, dependent on interpretation. > [@](#): > > What was the first, chronlogically, real life, Marvel Mutant? You mean real-life chronology? I’m not sure how else you could mean it. In Marvel’s own timeline, it’s En Sabah Nur, but as for the first published, I believe Namor counts. > [@](#): > > What is the speed factor for a longsword? It’s 4 or 5, I’m certain. > [@](#): > > Who wrote the first wargame? Have you ever played it? Define ‘wargame’ … cause they do date back a few centuries… > [@](#): > > Were you in Band? Alto Sax represent. > [@](#): > > Name all four characters in Gauntlet. No, I don’t mean “Warrior, Wizard, Elf, Valkyrie.” Name them. From memory. You got me there. Can’t think. Need food badly. > [@](#): > > Beware, who lives? Sinistar. > [@](#): > > What was the first recorded scam Steve Jobs pulled on Woz? Suckering him in to co-founding Apple? 😉 > [@](#): > > What trinket let you make free phone calls? It used to be manageable with some kind of cheap whistle… > [@](#): > > What is the largest electrical shock you’ve survived? Electric Fence, unsure of the Voltage in this case. > [@](#): > > Did you ever work in: Comic book store, video store, library? Did volunteer in a library for a while. > [@](#): > > When did you get on the internet? How old were you? '94, I think. 16. > [@](#): > > (Anyone else got good Geek Purity Test questions?) Well, I recall taking a Geek Purity Test a while back, online. Scored somewhere in the high 80’s. Might want to look that up. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/51 "2005-02-23T17:29:55Z")
Note: White and silver Kryptonite do affect Kryptonians. Silver, of course, doesn’t exist. The first reference to a character as a ‘mutant’ in Marvel Comics. Hint: Clearly, not Namor. Wargame. Simulation of a battle on a field with soldiers. Not Chess. There is one specific author and game. Steve scammed Woz earlier than that. What is the difference between Jetfire and Skyfire? What organization does Jetfire belong to, according to his stickers? If he was part of that organization, what would be his model number? Why? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/52 "2005-02-23T17:31:12Z")
I have been known to dream in LabView. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/53 "2005-02-23T17:45:11Z")
I’m sure I’m not the geekiest, but I’ve got my fair share. 'Course I have an SO and don’t really _look_ like a geek (most of the time) but still. I played Dungeons & Dragons, the Pokémon CCG and Magic: TG all through high school, and used to be friends with a few Wizards of the Coast artists. My high school boyfriend worked in a card shop selling Magic and Star Wars cards, and vintage Star Wars toys. I have worked booths at conventions in the past, and within the next year or so will probably be having some of my own booths at conventions and recruiting other people to work them. Currently I watch lots of anime (well, I have nothing but network TV, so when I want something to watch it’s pretty much all there is)… mostly unlicensed fan-subs. I am a Star Trek fan. My only phone is a mobile; I got Speakeasy DSL so I could avoid having a landline all together (can’t get cable here). I play Dance Dance Revolution! I’ve been on the internet since 1997 and designing websites almost as long. I taught myself HTML and some CSS and how to do pretty much everything I know with computers, except build them, which a friend taught me. I built my own computer, named Enoch, and he has tons of lighted dials and knobs and light-up fans and such inside, I sleeved my own cables to increase the airflow. I have almost half a terabyte of hard disk space in him. I just built my parents a computer, named Job (they’re totally new users so I figure the poor computer is in for some trials), so my mom can expand her job skills. My boyfriend asks me computer questions, even though he’s the one going to school for information systems. I’ve used Mozilla for years, and I type with the Dvorak keyboard layout. Sooo…maybe I don’t win. But I’m pretty geeky. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/54 "2005-02-23T17:55:54Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Note: White and silver Kryptonite do affect Kryptonians. Silver, of course, doesn’t exist. White does not. It can affect Kryptonian plant life, of course, but Kryptonians are mammals. (They flip out and kill people.) The exception for Silver, I’ll give you, in a hokey roundabout fashion. But if we get that hokey, even Kryptonite-X can affect Kryptonians. > [@](#): > > The first reference to a character as a ‘mutant’ in Marvel Comics. Hint: Clearly, not Namor. He is a mutant. He was published first. I’m not sure what distinction you’re trying to make, unless you mean the first use of the word mutant in a comic - I’d guess that would’ve been in X-Men. > [@](#): > > Wargame. Simulation of a battle on a field with soldiers. Not Chess. There is one specific author and game. I dunno, my sources indicate that wargames date back thousands of years, and Chess and Go descend from _Those_. I’m afraid you’ll have to clarify. > [@](#): > > Steve scammed Woz earlier than that. My response was a joke, hence the wink smiley. Don’t know, don’t care, Apple Computers are not the way, light, and truth. > [@](#): > > What is the difference between Jetfire and Skyfire? What organization does Jetfire belong to, according to his stickers? If he was part of that organization, what would be his model number? Why? One’s the cartoon Autobot scientist recovered from the Antarctic. Another’s a cheap knockoff Veritek Robotech fighter toy designed to emulate said Autobot in color scheme, if not design. When they get together, hilarity ensues! Don’t know the model number. Robotech/Macross has never been readily accessible to any of the TV markets I’ve lived in. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/55 "2005-02-23T18:22:00Z")
Well, let’s say ‘Kryptonian life’, then. I consider cats and dogs to be terrans, just not humans. Okay. The first _modern_ wargame, then. From which the rest of the lot descend. Like, say, Warhammer 40k. (Which is a hint) Namor: Until the Avengers issue with Namor and Magneto, he wasn’t a mutant. Clearly, the X-Men were referred to as mutants before that. But yes, there is an earlier reference. Re: Jetfire/Skyfire, Other way round, of course, toys come first. Wouldn’t be a Skyfire if there wasn’t a Jetfire toy. (There’s only one toy I can think of that’s a direct result of the cartoon. It’s recent, and if you can name him, cool. Hint: No robot mode. American cartoon, not japanese. Even the recent rest of the lot tend to be a merging of toy and toon.) And it’s not a knockoff, if it uses the original molds and stickers and materials. (There are some minor physical differences, mostly around the jet nosecone.) C’mon, folks, the more improbable and geekier the better. Where were you when you first saw Star Trek? Star Wars? (I did see Star Wars in the theater. I was twoish, and apparently, I spent half the film, turned around, fascinated by how the projected beam switched from camera to camera in the back of the theater.) Where did you first come across the term ‘Trekkie’? ‘Trekker’? What books can you cite specifically as inspirations for D&D? Tolkien is obvious… Have you ever made a line printer play music? Have you ever built a: Radio? Telegraph? Robot? From a kit? From bits at radio shack and plans? Taken the result and randomly modified it? Did it work after? Did you ever program a robot to operate as a result of a LOGO program? What is the name of the triangle in LOGO? Did you ever get really confused between Ada and Linda Lovelace? Did you then spend half an hour writing computer porn? How many completely no longer functional electronic parts do you have around the house? How many of them are simply obsolete? How many are broken, but you have plans for them? How many are _really_ broken, but they’re shiny? Do you ever use your vast engineering skills to solve common household problems in somewhat ad-hoc manners? (Like, for example, turning on a lightswitch on the other side of the room.) Do these ad-hoc manners take more time and effort than fixing it properly? Do they stay up for years despite that? How many things do you have that only function when you personally operate them? Do you have a pocket protector? Slide rule? Ever used either? Ever used either because you needed them, and not ironically? ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/56 "2005-02-23T18:33:06Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Well, let’s say ‘Kryptonian life’, then. I consider cats and dogs to be terrans, just not humans. Still leaves us options. Jewel K, while it can be used by Phantom Zone types to focus their mental powers, does not affect Kryptonians, per se. Blue K - it’s unclear, I do recall some references to it having a beneficial effect, but that may have been a later retcon. Kryptonite-X, I believe, is the one that behaves like Green K to humans. > [@](#): > > Okay. The first _modern_ wargame, then. From which the rest of the lot descend. Like, say, Warhammer 40k. (Which is a hint) Kriegspiel, then? Don’t know the name of the man who invented it, and I’ve never played it. > [@](#): > > Namor: Until the Avengers issue with Namor and Magneto, he wasn’t a mutant. Clearly, the X-Men were referred to as mutants before that. But yes, there is an earlier reference. Well, it’s a retcon, but technically, Namor’s been a mutant from birth. So what’s the earlier reference? > [@](#): > > Re: Jetfire/Skyfire, Other way round, of course, toys come first. Wouldn’t be a Skyfire if there wasn’t a Jetfire toy. (There’s only one toy I can think of that’s a direct result of the cartoon. It’s recent, and if you can name him, cool. Hint: No robot mode. American cartoon, not japanese. Even the recent rest of the lot tend to be a merging of toy and toon.) And it’s not a knockoff, if it uses the original molds and stickers and materials. (There are some minor physical differences, mostly around the jet nosecone.) Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten the Hasbro marketing machine. Toys, then cartoons. I still consider him a knockoff, just like the South American Riddler Super Powers figure, which was a repainted Hal Jordan GL figure. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/57 "2005-02-23T18:40:54Z")
> [@](#): > > **Malacandra** said: > So it’s true after all, catsix. You are a guy! > > ::d&r:: I have pictures that prove otherwise! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/58 "2005-02-23T18:44:12Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I have pictures that prove otherwise! Cite? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/59 "2005-02-23T18:48:58Z")
I am afraid they would violate the SDMB’s two click rule and therefore if you want them, you’ll have to uh, well ok I’m not just going to randomly hand them out either… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229/60 "2005-02-23T19:04:52Z")
I was thinking of [Little Wars](http://www.gardenwargaming.com/wargame/title.html) by one H. G. Wells. Kriegspiel may or may not predate it, I’ll have to check… Yep, 1899 to 1913, it seems Kriegspiel does predate it. But it’s a chess variant, not a wargame. The first time Mutant was used in the Merry Marvel Manner was Amazing Fantasy #14, The Boy Who Could Fly. And I did mean X-Kryptonite, which had no effect on Kryptonians, but gave terrans Kryptonian powers. Anti-Kryptonite affected unpowered Kryptonians (Argo City), Slow Kryptonite affected Terrans and Kryptonians, and Yellow K was another hoax. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geekier-than-thou/291229.md?page=4)