Tag Archive for 'nerds'

March Madness is for Everyone: Rockers, Obama, Nerds, and You!

published
on March 21, 2008
by
Sandra
in culture, music, and nerd
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Now that March Madness is upon us, let’s all join in on the chaos, shall we? Hey, even Obama is doing it. But what if you like the excitement but aren’t particularly enthused about basketball? There are bound to be some alternatives out there…

For example, Philly’s Rock Station, 94WYSP, is hosting “Rock Madness”. There are 64 bands. You fill out your own bracket and should you pick correctly, you win a 42″ HDTV. Of course, the catch is you have to live in the greater Philadelphia area, as per the official rules.

Or, let’s adress another demographic: the nerds. Though not typically huge sports fans, why not let the geeky types join in…but with their own unique approach. A somewhat more mathematical one, let’s say? Check out Owen’s Photolog, in which he predicts – by way of a “bracket-generating algorithm that uses the seeds to generate weights for a random function” – that Kansas will win.

Finally, for the theater-lovers out there, March also means the beginning of Broadway season. Anybody else surprised to see Terrence Howard starring on Broadway? Makes sense though, I guess. The guy blew me away with his acting and singing in Hustle and Flow. I’m sure he’ll kill it.

So whatever your passion this month – be it basketball, music, or otherwise – join the madness. In whichever way you see fit.

Nerd is the New Black

published
on October 1, 2007
by
Sandra
in nerd
. 9 Comments Tags: , , , .

I heart nerds. Like, a lot. The condition began in college, when I realized that my obsession with smart people had resulted in a disproportionate number of my friends being Computer Science majors.

One late night in a friend’s room at Triangle, the engineering frat (that feels like an oxymoron), it occurred to me that I spent more time there than at “normal” frat houses. Granted, I was not a sorority girl, but still. I was like, W-T-F? Shortly thereafter, I reluctantly accepted my fate. Clearly, my role in life is the Nerd Hag/Nerd Whore/Nerd Groupie (or whatever your preferred nomenclature might be). Now I wear that hat with pride.

Disclaimer: when I say “nerd” I am using the term loosely and intend for it to include the various subcategories of nerd, as well as other labels like geek, dork etc. Yes, there are some big differences. But I won’t go into that here. Lots of other people cover that territory. Here and here, for example.

Oddly enough, it seems that mainstream society is increasingly embracing nerd culture too. While Revenge of the Nerds was a surprise hit back in the day, these days nerd is everywhere. Consider the recent slew of nerd-friendly and goofy-guy-gets-the-hot-girl themed films and TV shows: SuperBad, Knocked Up, Beauty and the Geek, The Pick Up Artist, Napoleon Dynamite, 40 Year Old Virgin, etc.

Some say this is simply a reflection of society – which is getting more nerdy – and that the entertainment industry is racing to catch up. Like this article. I say Nerd is the new Black. So much so that instead of auctioning off attractive women during fundraisers, some colleges are auctioning off nerds. Because they’re awesome.

Speaking of awesome, let’s not forget the xkcd comics. Here are a few of my favorites:

[slideshow id=576460752318539924&w=426&h=320]

There’s also the wonderful world of sardonic t-shirts (nerd uniform) found at places like T-Shirt Hell and NerdyShirts.

wiid.jpg youtube.jpg

That’s right, talk nerdy to me.

[digg=http://digg.com/arts_culture/Nerd_is_the_New_Black]