4 Oct
1998
4 Oct
'98
7:46 a.m.
Appearing quite stylish at work this week in my 'Geek' t-shirt from the
VCF, someone approached with a somewhat unexpected question:
"So, what does 'Geek' mean anyway?"
Ummmm.... (nervous pause)...
G enuinely
E nthuastic
E lectronics
K eeper
(best I could come up with on short notice)
Any other 'takes' on a definition for this? (word rather than concept)
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
4 Oct
4 Oct
8:08 a.m.
The New Hacker's Dictionary, 3rd Ed., 1996, Eric S. Raymond:
- Doesn't define "geek" alone,
- Does define "computer geek" as:
"One who eats (computer) bugs for a living. One
who fulfills all the dreariest negative stereotypes
about hackers; an asocial, malodorous, pasty-faced
monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater.
..."
Sounds like we're in trouble, right?!
James Willing wrote:
Appearing quite stylish at work this week in my 'Geek' t-shirt from the
VCF, someone approached with a somewhat unexpected question:
"So, what does 'Geek' mean anyway?"
Ummmm.... (nervous pause)...
G enuinely
E nthuastic
E lectronics
K eeper
(best I could come up with on short notice)
Any other 'takes' on a definition for this? (word rather than concept)
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
9:46 a.m.
I couldn't find a good etymology, but here's some early usage according
the the OED:
<<
geek (ik). [Var. GECK sb.1] U.S. slang. (See quots. 1954 and 1961).
[1876: see GECK sb.1]. 1916 Wells Fargo Messenger Oct. 29/2 A new Wells
agent struck our town the other week, and say - you never saw a more
enthusiastic geek! 1954 WEBSTER Add., Geek, a carnival `wild man' whose
act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake. 1961
Times Lit. Suppl. 27 Jan. 62/2 He picks up waitress, a simple girl, and
enslaves a `geek', a dumb sideshow stooge whose daily routine consists of
being exhibited in a pit which he has to dig for himself.
>
-- Doug
5:10 p.m.
On Sun, 4 Oct 1998, James Willing wrote:
Appearing quite stylish at work this week in my
'Geek' t-shirt from the
VCF, someone approached with a somewhat unexpected question:
"So, what does 'Geek' mean anyway?"
<...>
Any other 'takes' on a definition for this?
(word rather than concept)
A "geek" was a circus freak that bit the heads off of chickens (and/or
snakes according to my collegiate dictionary).
My how the definition has changed, although I am known to bite the heads
off of small furry creatures occasionally when I channel the undead spirit
of Ozzy Osbourne.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
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