Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nerd

Geeky things to do in Paris?

mediamelt — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:15:46 -0800

Geek loose in Paris for a week - What to do? So a friend of mine is going to Paris for a week and is looking for a few geeky things to do while there. Not the typical touristy stuff, she's looking for some hard core nerd experiences. Having never been there and my google-fu failing me, I'm turning to you, the metarati. You're my only hope.

Things for math nerds to do in the big apple

Lucubrator — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:08:55 -0800

This is probably the zillionth question on things to do in New York. But are there any cool things that a complete math nerd can do in the city? I'm more interested in places I can visit than things I could do with people.

Steampunk Lincoln & the Robot Monkey need company

braveterry — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:15:36 -0800

I'm looking for art with a certain geek/nerd aesthetic. So far I like Robot Destruction, Steampunk Lincoln, and various Penny Arcade prints such as this one. My criteria are:

No cats. "LOL" or otherwise.
No posters.
Has to be frameable

Any recommendations? The backstory:

My wife has decided that my man cave (spare bedroom) is no longer pretty enough to meet her standards. My old particleboard desk from Wal-Mart is marked for death and she has informed me that "things" will need to be placed on the walls to aid in the prettification of the room. I have been given some discretion regarding the "things", so I'm looking for some cool/geeky prints to help spice things up a bit.

My Subculture Is Becoming Mainstream, Oh No!

signalnine — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:29:26 -0800

What is a geek? Does the term still have meaning? Recently, I've noticed that large groups of people I'd have never considered to be geeks claim the label as their own, citing interest in things like video games and social networking sites which were once the domain of geeks but have now become entirely mainstream. So, what does it mean to be a geek? If you self-identify as such, why?

Is possession for nouns that end in x indicated by a quotation mark alone or is the quotation mark accompanied by an s?

christhelongtimelurker — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:35:58 -0800

Genuinely dumb question to waste on the brain trust here but: when nouns end in x, do you indicate possession with just a quotation mark or do you need to include the s? Examples of proper use:
-noun that ends without an s-'s
-noun that ends in s-'s

Use in question:
-noun that ends in x-'s

Inspired by a niggling sensation from here.

Perhaps someone waxing brainy on the topic might pose the question of whether possession is auditory, visual or both.

I'd bet dollars to dimes this has been asked before but I couldn't find it.

We wanna get Down & Nerdy. Now we need music.

jbickers — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:51:20 -0800

Help me come up with opening theme music/sounds for a geek-oriented radio segment. Later this week, we're going to debut a new feature on my morning radio show - "Down 'n' Nerdy," a 5-minute bit where myself and a fellow nerd co-host offer a weekend nerd culture recommendation, whatever we're excited about lately ... a new comic book series ("Irredeemable" for the win!), the season debut of Torchwood, a new Decemberists single, that kind of thing.

So, I'm looking for the perfect 6-10 second bit of music to open the segment. It needs to immediately suggest geek/nerd ... but, and here's the rub, it needs to suggest that to someone who isn't steeped in that culture. (Otherwise, the Doctor Who theme is a no-brainer. And maybe it's still the right choice, but I worry that too many people will not recognize it.)

So, can you help? What's the perfect musical opening for a nerd radio segment (one which will be podcast, BTW). Theremin music? Some old TV show theme? 8-bit blips and bloops?

What's the best game system for Rock Band?

Space Kitty — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:15:02 -0800

The Beatles: Rock Band - help! So after reading this thread, I realize I must have this game. I want to pre-order ASAP so I don't end up waiting forever or paying a premium because it's completely sold out. The problem?

I've finally got to decide which game system to go with: Wii, X-Box, or Playstation. I swear I'm not trying to start a PC/Mac flame war - but I don't know the relative strengths/weaknesses of the systems, or even what qualities will be important to me. I trust the collective intelligence here - how do I pick?

Obviously, I'm not a gamer, but I've enjoyed Rock Band, Katamari Damaci and DDR in the past. I've had a great time playing the Wii but don't know how well Rock Band translates to that system. Your experiences, shopping regrets/triumphs, anything you wish you'd thought of sooner all welcome here.

Thanks!

Magic Ring vs. Space Skeleton in the Battle for Sigma 5 or whatnot

Shepherd — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:40:06 -0800

Geek Lantern Filter: a half-remembered GL comic from my youth, some sort of mega-event from the era before mega-events. I am trying to recall what story arc or villain in Green Lantern, probably from the early to mid-'80s, involved a giant decaying skeleton with a freaky huge pelvis and eyeballs coming out of a tear in space and slaughtering vast swaths of the Green Lantern Corps. It was some sort of epic story where the Corps got wiped out, and eventually they force the skeleton into... another dimension or something.

Definitely modern era Hal Jordan Space Cops stuff. It scared the fucking fuck out of me as a child. I've been catching up on this Geoff Johns Prismatic Lanterns stuff recently and thinking it was pretty weak sauce, but can't recall enough about this old GL arc to look it up.

Where do the nerds hang out in NYC?

miskatonic — Sat, 09 May 2009 08:11:44 -0800

I'm looking for some awesome geeky and/or nerdy places to go and things to do in New York City. I've noticed that since my friends and I finished college and scattered to many different cities, a lot of my nerd-life has migrated online. (Online games, that sort of thing.) I want to bring some of it back to meatspace, because I live in a great city and I often feel like I'm not taking full advantage of it.

I'm looking both for things I can do by myself and also (maybe especially) for places I might meet and befriend other nerds in the city. I love all types of gaming, plus the usuals - science, sci-fi, fantasy, math, history, etc. I've found the D&D group on Meetup, though if anyone has a better D&D recommendation I'd love to hear it (I'm not comfortable enough with 4th Edition to DM yet). Also looking for any good places to play Magic, video games, etc. What's your favorite comic shop? Are there other meetup groups I should be aware of?

I am also interested in any geeky landmarks or things to visit which don't really fall into the social hangout category. I love the Museum of Natural History, for example, and I plan to check out the Medieval festival at Cloisters in the fall. More things like that would be great.

I'm primarily looking for Manhattan recommendations, but the occasional outer borough option is fine too as long as it's walking distance from the subway. Also, if there's a place you usually hear about these kinds of things in NYC (a forum or mailing list, maybe), I'd love a link to it.

How to wrap text around a circle

ezola — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:16:54 -0800

I'm giving a big presentation in a couple of weeks and it has to be impressive. I have a fabulous idea for a graphic, inspired by the facebook friend wheel, where I want to wrap perhaps 100 words around a circle and draw lines to connect them in illustrative ways. The drawing lines part is easy, but the wrapping text around a circle part is hard (without doing it one element at a time, rotating and aligning each one just so). I *know* there's an easy way to do this, but am not quite smart enough to figure it out in omnigraffle or find another program that can do it. I can use Mac or PC. If you point me to a workable solution, you'll get your name in lights (if you wish) in addition to my unending gratitude.

"Getting the girl."

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:17:11 -0800

A tricky "getting-a-girl" question. Nothing that might cause trouble, but still worth asking anonymously. Recently, I started sending e-mails back-and-forth to a girl living about 40 miles from me via online dating site OkCupid. She was listed as single at the time. We had a date planned but not scheduled. Recently, I contacted her to find that she had stumbled upon someone in her city and they had started dating.

So, obviously, I want to "get the girl," so to speak. She's certainly not committed, and hanging out is still an option, but as the ratio of nerd girls to guys is about 1 to 9, I don't want to give up just yet. Is there a good way to go about this?

Fun birthday ideas for fantasy-sci-fi fan/crafter/science nerd/animal lover?

Jennifer S. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:50:31 -0800

Ideas for a birthday week of fun for a lover of animals, sci-fi/fantasy and crafting? I’ll be 40 in March. I want to mark the occasion with a week of fun for me and my friends.

I’m looking for ideas/suggestions about four things I want to make happen (what do I do, and how do I pull it all off well?):

* a benefit for a local 24-hour emergency vet or other animal charity. Tips and ideas?

* a day of creativity for a knitter/crafter & her friends: a knitter’s tea? A knitting retreat in a wooded cabin? A shibori party? What have you done that's fun?

* something that celebrates sci-fi fantasy: not too many ideas here! A movie-watching get-together? I’m a fan of Doctor Who (all seasons), Star Trek TNG, Spaced, BSG, Heroes, Lost, Harry Potter… Ideas?

* something science-nerdy: a tour of the local observatory? A lecture? I’m in Western NC and would love something fun to do in early/mid-March for someone who loves the physical and natural sciences.

What have you done that was fun and successful?

Enter Sandman

cazoo — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:14:59 -0800

Does anyone know where I can read a copy of The Sandman film script by Roger Avary? A few years back, I remember reading Roger Avary's movie script adaptation for Neil Gaiman's Sandman. The PDF file was hosted on Mr. Avary's site around 2002, but since then he no longer has it up. Perhaps he was threatened by the copywrite owner to take it down. Would anyone happen to have a copy or know of where I can find it? It doesn't appear on any of the other film script collection web sites. Thanks.

I am 100% positive it was Avary's and not Rossio's draft I had read and I believe it may have been written mid to late 90's or possibly early 2000.

Hey!

Cantdosleepy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:58:14 -0800

I'm looking for songs that have as their first lyric the word 'Hey'. For example there's that kinda-famous Beatles song 'Hey Jude', where the first sung word is 'Hey.' Hey me up! Genre no object, though I particularly like offbeat indie, soul and disco, new- and no-wave. Three minute pop songs are super-bestest, whether they're smooth as silk or abrasive as Mark E Smith strung out like roadkill.

I'd also accept slight bendings of the formula - I think the album (and indeed track) 'What's Goin' On' by Marvin Gaye opens with background chitchat, and the first discernible line in the conversation is 'Hey man, what's happening? Great party man.'

Let me know your best Hey-starting songs!

You must be THIS nerdy to enter.

eurasian — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:15:59 -0800

How much does a spaceship weigh? I can't believe that this hasn't been asked before. Or, rather, I can't believe my google-fu is THIS bad. How much does a spaceship weigh, where spaceship can be:

1) Enterprise (either from TOS or TNG)
2) Battlestar Galactica (new series)
3) Imperial Star Destroyer

Or answer for all of them, whatevs homies.

Reading Rainbow

Parasite Unseen — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:55:23 -0800

Help a friend survive in Reading, PA. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, a friend of mine has been forced to move back in with her parents in Reading, PA. She's grateful that her parents are giving her a hand, but she's starting to go a little bit crazy and she feels very isolated. Her life prior to this was in Los Angeles and New Orleans, so she's away from her friends and experiencing a little bit of culture shock. Please help me find things nearby that will ease the ache of homesickness for her.

The lady in question is in her mid-twenties. She doesn't have drive, so anything will need to be within biking distance or easily reached via public transportation. Her interests veer towards the nerdy (roleplaying games, comic books, science fiction and fantasy), she has a strong artistic streak, and her previous social circles seemed inclined to gather in goth/fetish clubs. Local businesses, museums or groups that cater to that sort of crowd would be appreciated (also, let me know if any of them do gift certificates, as I may be in the market to send her a little something to increase her cheer level). Also, please keep in mind that her funds are very limited right now. This isn't to say that you shouldn't make a suggestion if something perfect happens to cost a bit, but cheaper is definitely better in this case.

I know that this is a bit of a long shot, Hive Mind, but I'd be really grateful if you could help me help her feel a little bit less cut off from the world that she loves.

How to care for my geek husband?

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:12:50 -0800

I need help understanding how my hyper-smart geek husband's brain works. I want to give him the understanding he craves but am having a hard time inhabiting his plane. I have been happily married for some years to a wonderful, geeky, man whom I love deeply. He's super intelligent (mathematician/computer scientist) and has tons of fabulous qualities, but even he admits that he's a "difficult" character: he believes himself to live a life of pure logic and despairs - literally despairs - at all the irrationality around him.

I'm also a geek, but to a less extreme extent (I'm also female - don't know if that's relevant). He admits that I am "more rational" than average but still at times rages at me for my idiocy when I don't agree with his "rational ideas". He does this to friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, too, with predictably disastrous results. My default reaction is to try to explain the causes and reasons behind mine and others' seeming irrationality, to talk about the complexity of real life and the validity of implicit social rules - but this infuriates him further.

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that as I love this man, I just need to accept how he is and find strategies to deal with the fact that there will sometimes be inevitable conflict.

However, last night, after a discussion about politics sparked off by him yelling "liars!" at the TV, he admitted to me that he often feels lonely not being able too talk about his ideas without them being "attacked", and pleaded with me to try to just "go with it" when he has some idea he wants to discuss. Now, I'm sure I often *do* do this (after all, he chose me to marry - I must occasionally get things right) - but frequently I genuinely don't know how, and we don't seem to be able to figure it out together.

For example, last night the idea he floated was that every person holding public office should be under video surveillance 24/7/365 as a condition of holding the job. I responded that this was unrealistic and that nobody would ever want office given this condition. I guess he was looking for me to riff with him on the advantages of such an idea, but frankly, I really thought it was lousy. I can't lie to him - not when he's seeking to have an intellectually exploratory discussion - but I don't know how to respond both honestly and postively when the "abstract" ideas he posits seem to me to be as realistic as deciding to raise unicorns.

Although he works with computers, his passion is mathematics, and he seems to believe that his mastery of formal logic qualifies him to "fix" things outside of mathematics. He tells me he's starting from pure logic and then wants help working back to reality. However, when so many of his "fixes" concern human beings, I find it really hard to take them seriously without immediately bringing in issues around human nature. This, to him, sounds like .. criticism? irrelevance? whatever ... it's not where he wants to go.

Maybe my discussion style doesn't help - I am used to rough-and-tumble intellectual debates, where challenge and dispute is not a negative but a spur to strengthen one's arguments. I guess I need to learn to turn this off at times.

He's a really, really, angry man, and I can see that it hurts him, as well as causing social difficulty. He doesn't want to "give in" and be like all the other "sheep" and claims to value integrity and honesty above everything else. He admits he is an idealist, and while I admire that, a large part of me wants to "cure" that so that he won't be continually disappointed when humanity fails to live up to his ideals.

I understand that you can't and shouldn't try to change someone. I accept that he is likely to remain "difficult" and abrasive. I would, however, like some advice on how to help him feel less alone. He tells me he'd like for just one person in the world to understand him, and he wishes it could be me. I wish that too - what should I do?

What's the difference between a geek, a nerd and a dork?

feelinglistless — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:33:28 -0800

What's the difference between a geek, a nerd and a dork? For various (what I consider positive) reasons I've been called all three recently and I just wondered if there were differences between the labels (however subtle) as I thought or if they were interchangable? If there are differences can they be catagorised in subcultural ways?

MeFi Eye for the Dork Guy

SansPoint — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:23:05 -0800

I'm a heavyset, geeky guy with no sense of fashion or style. Can you help me change my look? I'm about to graduate college and be thrust out into the real world. I'd like to change my appearance a bit (or more than) to look a) more professional, b) more attractive, and c) less clueless.

I'm already aware that I should try and lose some weight. I'm gonna work on that. What I would like to know is twofold:

1) What should I do w/r/t clothing? Right now, my usual wardrobe is a pair of jeans (black or blue), an untucked button-down shirt (often black), or a t-shirt (often black). Recently, I got a nice charcoal gray blazer, which looks wonderful. Aside from more colors—and my preference goes towards dark colors, I don't plan to change that—, what else should I be considering?

2) What should I do with my hair? Currently, I wear it long and in a ponytail. I have a very round face, and very, VERY, fair eyebrows. Short hair, such as buzz-cuts or the like, tend to make me look like an overgrown child. Also, I have a whole fuckload of cowlicks, and I don't want to spend an hour preening my hair to get it together each day. I'm absolutely lost about what to do with my hair to make it look sane. Any suggestions would be appriciated.

Here is a photo of myself for reference. I don't have a full beard anymore, but everything else is pretty accurate.

How to understand a libertine nerd who acts shy / busy ?

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:34:22 -0800

NerdTalkFilter : What is guy talk about anyway ? What does a (nerd), (in an open relationship), (that is going downhill) (which im not supposed to know about) (guy with values), (mysterious and probably shy) Very Busy Guy (in a PhD program that makes him work 24/7)

/// mean, when he repeatedly says that he is "Entirely Available" to help me, (though he is super super busy), invites me ocasionally on get togethers with friends i don't really know, only talks about common things in person, yet makes romantic hints to me when we talk online ?

What could he mean ? The reason i am confused, is because after sending him mixed messages (he was talking about inviting me over to eat a few months ago, after we had just met, but i was going through hard things of my life (cf previous posts), and, underlining this, politely turned him down because i wasn't feeling like getting close to new people would be wise at the time. He knew it, and we lost touch, mostly due to busy schedules, both being in grad school. 4 months later I went on a few dates with one of his friends, who never told him about it (both are super nerds), and he saw us, which made me rather uncomfortable, therefore i left (we were at a café). Since then, he has mentionned wanting to hang out with me once, which we tried a few times, planning on him dropping by for a drink (casual talk once again), but he didnt contact me afterwhats (it happened 2 times); and every time i'd call him, he'd be very nice and say that he would be honored / glad to be of any help i would need (for class or anything). A rather gentlemany manner, it seems. But then, not showing up or calling back looks a bit rude Or not interested to me.

On the evening of the café episode, i heard from a newly-met mutual friend whom i talked to, that the guy im talking about, had a girlfriend, which i didnt know about, and that she was in another city.. also, that they were in an "open relationship", and that his gf had heard about me (looks strange for a nerd / gentleman, but thats okay..). His gf knowing about "me" kindda freaks me out, especially since i wasnt aware of their relationship, and wasnt supposed to know about it anyway.

Let me add that the guy is known for being quite oblivious or dense, often late and focused on his schoolwork, which could explain his odd behaviour. But, since we are both "taken", or it looks so at least, i don't feel right making another step towards him (though he has shown quite an interest to spend time with me when we first met).. How could i find out about his possible true thoughts, without confronting him ? (i dont want to be the girl walking out on his relationship, and neither do i want to hurt his friend with whom ive been on dates).

All i really want is to know him better, since a lot of things got in the way. Im not even talking about dating.

Before I finish, id like to add that i have told him already that i felt like i was disturbing him when i called (since he wouldnt follow up), but he responded by saying it really wasnt the case, and that he was particularly busy at the time (which is all the time). Thanks a lot if you can explain me all these nerd code messages :)

Hot-blooded, check it and see / got a fever of 312.594444° Kelvin ...

WCityMike — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:23:45 -0800

There are gay bars, lesbian bars, and leather bars. Are there "geek bars"? In geek culture, what institution, meeting, or whatever serves the purpose that "meat market" single bars do amongst the non-geeky populace? One might define a "meat market" singles bar as a recreational locale where people know that those within are there within a romantic context. Are there geek equivalents?

I am contemplating going out and trying my hand in "normal" singles bars here in Chicago. However, I think I would much prefer "girl geeks" — women who actually have a brain in their heads, and who would have a much higher likelihood of sharing some of my interests. (Intellect is sexy.) Plasticine women who are looking to latch onto the next golden ticket to walk into the bar are a bit unpleasant to be around. (Just as are plasticine men who are looking only for plasticine just-off-the-factory-line women.)

Or, to put it another way, where is there a bar or locale where there's a much higher probability that if I say "Starbuck" to a woman, she's going to respond "I love her! She's such a hardass!", not "I love their double-dip nonfat decaf whipped mochatrickalatte!"

Where/what is the geek/nerd "meat market" — i.e., a place where, by default, it's fairly safe to assume that those around you are also looking for a relationship, romantic companionship?

If it's an answer regional in nature, I live in Chicago; also, I did not find Nerds at Heart, despite its name, to in any way serve this purpose.

Belt for GPS tracking and my tiny laptop

phrontist — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:23:04 -0800

I'm currently waiting for my Eee PC and Mologogo phone (a motorola i415) to arrive. These are items I'd like to carry with me very frequently (essentially always), and I call upon the hivemind to help me figure out the best way to do so. The Eee is too big to fit in my pockets comfortably, and for maximum comfort I'd rather not have the phone in my pants all the time either. I have a Timbuk2 bag, but it's too large for when I just want to carry the phone and laptop. The best idea I've come up so far is some sort of... utility belt. I'm envisioning the Eee hanging off my hip and the phone in some sort of holster. I have a hunch military surplus may be a fruitful avenue of inquiry, but I'm not having much luck googling.

Can anyone reccomend such a belt and holsters (bags) that would work with these items? Preferably something modular, in case I have to add some other device down the line.

I'm open to non-belt suggestions as well, but my priorities are fast access and secure stowage (I'm a college student that rides a bike very often). It shouldn't be a vest - this needs to be a general solution that will work in the summer as well.

Killer D&D campaign

baphomet — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:16:22 -0800

How can I, as a first-time D&D 3.5 DM, make my campaign completely kick ass? I'm starting up a campaign with a group of friends who will be taking an extended stay in Ravenloft. I'm an experienced player, having done everything from D&D 2nd ed to Paranoia! to Rifts to the whole White Wolf series (circa 2000ish), but I've never run a game before.

What sort of embellishments and experiences did you, as a DM, think got the best responses from your players? What did you, as a player, think made your game totally kick ass? Some of the players in this game are fairly experienced, which is not intimidating as they're friends, but all the same I want them to walk away from our first few sessions thinking, "Man, this is why D&D is fun," instead of, "Business as usual in Barovia...yawn".

Any answers would be great; they can be as specific as particular encounters that really stick out in your mind, or as broad as general points on style and game composition, pacing, etc.

Anything specifically tailored to Ravenloft is great, but feel free to opine even if you've never played there.

Escape from Autodesk's madness

DenOfSizer — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 04:04:50 -0800

AutocadFilter: I'd like to change two shortcuts that aren't possible via the "aliasedit" command. The first one, I suspect, will be straightforward: I'd like a shortcut for Select the Object/Right-Click/Display Order/Send to Back (or front.)

The second thing I'd like to change is the Esc key. It would great if it could be F12 or something on the number pad (in addition to Esc). I'm so tired of accidentally hitting F1 and getting the help screen.

making a hackintosh

localhuman — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:10:49 -0800

Has anyone here been able to run OSx on non-Macintosh parts (Thereby cutting the cost of a Mac in a third)? I see that some people are doing it over here but I'm just wondering if any mefites had accomplished this awesome feat.

post script: I just ordered new computer parts which I hope will be able to do this. If anyone wishes I can post what I got and we can discuss whether it will work or not.