being a geek

being a geek Philip Tellis / philip@bluesmoon.info Yahoo! Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Who am I? Philip Tellis philip@bluesmoon.info @bluesmoon yahoo geek Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

How does one deﬁne a geek? An obsession with books, studies, gadgets? Wearing thick glasses? Having no [social] life? Speaking in large incomprehensible terms and not caring about sport? Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

2200 years ago, knowing only that at a particular place in Egypt, on a particular day of the year, at noon, the sun cast no shadow, Eratosthenes accurately calculated the circumference of the Earth. Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

It’s about being curious Why doesn’t it work? Why does it work? How does it work? How do I break it? How do I ﬁx it again? Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

It’s about being curious about everything Why doesn’t it work? Why does it work? How does it work? How do I break it? How do I ﬁx it again? Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

It’s about being an explorer Seek out unsolved problems To boldly go where no one has gone before Do something just because you can Do something because someone said it can’t be done Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

And about Experimenting Change small parts and observe differences in the whole Tinkering can get really addictive You learn more by doing than by reading Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Not being afraid to break things Geeks are like children The thought of breaking a system doesn’t arise Fear limits possibilities, geeks hate limits This could be dangerous - Curiosity killed the geek Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Geekdom isn’t limited to a domain Physics, Math, Hi Tech, Comp Sci Biology, Gaming DIY Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

During the Atom bomb testing, Enrico Fermi accurately calculated the intensity of the blast by throwing a few small pieces of paper up into the air as the explosion took place and measuring how far they fell. Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Software Geeks Need to be involved in every part of the system Some geeks are hackers Boredom and Drudgery are evil - unless it’s personal Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

So what about linux and FOSS? That’s like the big prize you get for being geeky Software geeks love to use FOSS They can ﬁx bugs that annoy them The transition from user to developer comes naturally Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Dispelling the myths Geeks like to study Not all geeks wear glasses. Some use lenses. Geeks have great social lives, and very large social networks Geeks are active in sport like UT, Warcraft and Everquest Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

Why be a geek? It’s exciting Something’s always happening What do you do when you get to 42? Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

What are you waiting for? Go be a geek. Linux Bangalore 2004, Freedel 2005 being a geek

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being a geek

by Philip Tellis on Nov 21, 2009

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