
The Nerd Handbook - adrianwaj
http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html
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adrianwaj
I felt parts of me resonate with the Nerd Stereotype. It made me laugh.

There is a good description of a personality requirement I found on this blog
(<http://blog.boxee.tv/2007/08/08/wanted-a-code-poet/>) for a programming job
in Israel typifying the stereotype:

"someone that can write PHP with two hands tied behind his back, but dreams in
C++.

favorite beach book reading: design patterns (hard cover edition, signed by
the authors)

favorite debate topic: LAMP vs. J2EE (prefers LAMP, but can argue both sides
of the issue)

favorite animal: penguin.

hobbies: none.

(social skills are not a requirement)

if you think you fit the bill please send us an email (don't forget to mention
your favorite compilation flags for the Linux kernel)."

Obviously they're trying to find someone of the stereotype - they'd be the
best for that job. I laugh at my Nerd side, it's only just the beginning of
personality development.

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Goladus
Is this supposed to be a parody of something else?

Anyway, I think this one tends to be a bit more accurate, for a stereotype:
<http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/appendixb.html>

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edw519
Nerds are efficient, too. Just emailed this to everyone I know. One minute to
give them all the data they ever need to know me. Pretty good return, huh?

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jetpack
Although this is surprisingly accurate overall, I think the author is
describing the INTJ personality. That's a much better label than "nerd".

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henning
Stereotyping like this doesn't really accomplish much.

For instance, I find that a lot of people who program because they love to
often have no problems with speaking in front of crowds. The only time I'd be
nervous is if I had nothing to say. I love sharing the things I find
interesting with other people, so after you get started it comes very
naturally and you can just be yourself.

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mynameishere
_It's cliched, but a [WORD_OMITTED] is defined by his computer_

Nobody is defined by his computer, and nobody likes being called a
[WORD_OMITTED] 500 times in one article. Can we have a downmod arrow?

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cperciva
I don't mind being called a nerd. I don't have all of the social faults
described in the article, but I certainly have many of them -- enough that I
immediately sent this to girlfriend with the suggestion that she read it.

Most geeks (people who have exceptional interest and ability in a particular
field, usually technical) are also nerds (people who are socially awkward or
abnormal). Rather than pretending that this isn't the case, why not accept
reality and try to find the best way of dealing with it?

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timr
Why? Because it's not "reality". The described "nerd" traits are largely a
self-imposed condition, and glorification of them only makes them worse.

There are _plenty_ of people out there who are exceptionally good with "nerdy"
subjects, yet whom also have social lives, enjoy travel and human contact, and
find a life spent locked in front of a computer to be extremely limiting. And
those people are often the most respected and honored by their peers.

The common thread that I sense in these kinds of articles is one of
_defensiveness_ \-- here's why I'm different, and why you should treat me with
kid gloves. And I suppose that's a natural behavior for a group that perceives
itself as marginal, but it's not anything particularly insightful or life-
enhancing.

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hhm
This is a fantastic comment. You are absolutely right.

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wahh
Seconded. Spot on comment

