Geek is Cool

After a lot of reflection, I've come to the (obvious) conclusion that I
like being a geek. As technology gets more pervasive and as people get
more tech-savvy, geeks are more socially acceptable in society.

Everyone geeks to some degree; my aunt is getting a DAB radio and is
looking at set-top boxes, my dad has acquired a Freeview box and a DVD
player in the recent past, and is getting a new PC soon ( although he
doesn't know it yet ).

Years ago, I turned up at a client site, suitably suited and booted, and
was black affronted to be described as "the engineer from ..." by the
receptionist as she called through to my host ( hey, I was young and
even more stupid in those days ).

Now, I'm proud to be considered to be an engineer ( especially given
that my father and both grandfathers were real engineers, with dirty
hands and callouses ).

As I sat on the plane this AM, reading the 30th edition of PCW and
reminiscing over the computers that I've had ( I was the proud owner of
a PET, a ZX-81, a Spectrum, an Electron, a BBC Micro, an Archimedes, a
PS/2 and various other PCs from 286 upwards ), I realised that I am a
geek, I've always been a geek and I may well be a geek forever.

On a recent customer visit, I described myself as an anorak; the
customer, who knew me quite well by then said "Oh no, I think you're
more of a donkey jacket; far more use". Of course, donkey jackets are
quite thick (!) but they do keep one warm in the winter.

On a final note, I saw an excellent badge at Lotusphere in Orlando ->
C:\GEEK\RUN.

Right, back to my tall decaff latte ..........