It’s a Monday night and I’m sitting at a local Madison coffee shop. My Doctor Who TARDIS t-shirt is visible under my button up. The guy at the table next to me is flipping between his laptop and his iPad. The far wall has shelves devoted to books and board games.
We are a society of geeks.
The term “geek” has infiltrated our everyday lexicon. People “geek out” on topics from space to football. A Google search yields results for anime, history, horse, wine and fishing geeks. A friend is a self-proclaimed car geek, while I have used the term to describe my photography infatuation.
We each have hobbies that interest us and we enjoy sharing with others. We all geek.
I have many interests that could be considered “geeky” in the traditional sense. I am a science fiction fan and a web designer. I read graphic novels and have an interest in science. I love to play board and video games with friends. I have many others including fishing, hunting and restoring classic cars that traditionally are more socially accepted.
Still, do I “geek out” when I walk into Gander Mountain? You bet your ass I do.
Hobbies are what make us unique individuals. Still, a lack of knowledge of our pastimes mixed with a fear of what we do not understand causes undo isolation and scorn. As a great philosopher once said: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
This came to a head recently when a writer from the tech blog Gizmodo went on a date with a guy she met on an online dating site. While he was a nice guy, she was shocked to find out he was a wold champion at the “Magic: The Gathering” card game. This was obviously a deal breaker for her and she wrote an article about the shocking experience.
I am sure many wold champion anglers had identical problems in their younger years.
In response, Madison author and friend Monica Valentinelli proposed “Speak Out with Your Geek Out” week. From her website:
Sometime during the week of Monday, September 12th to Friday, September 16th post about what geeky hobby you love. Then, tell us why we should try it, too. Leave your fears (and edition wars) at the door. Forget about your latest rant. Tap into that well of positive energy and share in the excitement of all things geek.
Let us invite those who would stereotype us to sit at our table and share our interests.
So what do you geek out about? What hobbies or interests do you enjoy that others might have questions about? Add your answers below and tell people why you really enjoy it. Check out “Speak Out with your Geek Out” for more, or just enjoy the silly video below.
We all Geek
We are a society of geeks.
The term “geek” has infiltrated our everyday lexicon. People “geek out” on topics from space to football. A Google search yields results for anime, history, horse, wine and fishing geeks. A friend is a self-proclaimed car geek, while I have used the term to describe my photography infatuation.
We each have hobbies that interest us and we enjoy sharing with others. We all geek.
I have many interests that could be considered “geeky” in the traditional sense. I am a science fiction fan and a web designer. I read graphic novels and have an interest in science. I love to play board and video games with friends. I have many others including fishing, hunting and restoring classic cars that traditionally are more socially accepted.
Still, do I “geek out” when I walk into Gander Mountain? You bet your ass I do.
Hobbies are what make us unique individuals. Still, a lack of knowledge of our pastimes mixed with a fear of what we do not understand causes undo isolation and scorn. As a great philosopher once said: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
This came to a head recently when a writer from the tech blog Gizmodo went on a date with a guy she met on an online dating site. While he was a nice guy, she was shocked to find out he was a wold champion at the “Magic: The Gathering” card game. This was obviously a deal breaker for her and she wrote an article about the shocking experience.
I am sure many wold champion anglers had identical problems in their younger years.
In response, Madison author and friend Monica Valentinelli proposed “Speak Out with Your Geek Out” week. From her website:
So what do you geek out about? What hobbies or interests do you enjoy that others might have questions about? Add your answers below and tell people why you really enjoy it. Check out “Speak Out with your Geek Out” for more, or just enjoy the silly video below.