CityTV story about Dell and pre-installed linux, from linuxcaffe

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Fri, Apr 06, 2007 at 10:55:31PM -0400, Colin McGregor wrote:
> Cool, as you have a 5 character VE3 series licence I
> would have automatically assumed you had held your
> licence for a while (I've held my licence since 1990).
> 
> So, back to the question of people with a geekdom
> image problem. Accountants have a image problem of
> people tend to think that they are boring, but not
> geeky (noted as one who has an uncle and a cousin who
> are accountants ...). 
> 
> This past week I watched on DVD "The World's Fastest
> Indian" about a man who tweaked the @#$% out of an
> Indian brand motorcycle. Again the serious gear heads
> have image issues, but not one of geek...
> 
> So, how do we put some distance between us and the
> geek label? Or is it even worth doing?

I think some of us are doing just fine. :)

I think I am a computer geek.

I have the specs of way too much hardware in my head (no idea why it
sticks while lots of other thigns don't).  

I write software for a living, including the occational device driver.  

I don't wear jeans and t-shirts anymore (in university I did, but have
since found out people seem to take you a lot more seriously if you
dress reasonably business casual, as in a shirt and pants.  Given I look
younger than I am, anything to be taken seriously helps).  

I don't drink lots of caffeine (I used to, no I don't have any).  

I will talk about computer things, cars, and other technology until
people tell me to shut up (usually my wife, unless she started up some
topic of NP complete problems and proofs and such.)

I am married to someone with a degree in Math, who has done multiple
years of embedded systems programming, and is now working on a masters
in computer science and probably a PhD as well.  I think I must be
doing something right. :)

So I think I am a geek, but I don't think I necesarily fit the old image
of one anymore.

I also think after the burst of the big tech bubble, companies don't
just hire all the tech people they can get, so they can afford to be a
bit more picky about who they hire.  The geeks can't just do whatever
they want anymore.  We have to at least try to fit in.

--
Len Sorensen
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