Look at this frakking geekster.
posted by Pronoiac on Dec 4, 2009 - 70 comments

Technology innovation will be a large part of late 20th century American history. Now the gearheads can explore the roots of all that geekdom. The Geek's Guide to Seattle is a virtual tour of some of the region’s most interesting and notable technology locations. A Geek's Tour of Silicon Valley hits hotspots there. Don't forget The Tech Museum and the Computer History Museum. Back east, there's Research Triangle Park (pdf) in North Carolina, and The Computing Revolution at the Museum of Science in Boston.
posted by netbros on Aug 28, 2009 - 8 comments

“...the Platonic nerd is invariably male. The stereotype is flexible to incorporate women and girls on an individual basis, but few people conjure up the image of a woman when they think about nerds.” Feminist blog Pandagon reviews two books about nerdiness and geekery, Jason Tocci addresses the question of why female involvement in geek culture seems to call for a special explanation, and two feminist geeks set out in search of an egalitarian future.
posted by velvet winter on Jun 26, 2009 - 142 comments

A group of middle-school-aged self-proclaimed nerds from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, who won the New York City FIRST Lego League Robotics Championship with their motorized robot called Thingamajig are embarking on a trip to the Robotics World Festival in Atlanta. After a lack of funds nearly scuttled their journey, they've been bailed out by British vacuum cleaner exec James Dyson, and have been given the kind of sendoff most young nerds can only dream of: an all-school nerd-cheering pep rally.
posted by ocherdraco on Apr 10, 2009 - 52 comments

A Life Well Wasted is a new podcast about video games and the people who love them, created by freelance writer Robert Ashley. [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Mar 18, 2009 - 20 comments

There's a showdown in Ann Arbor, MI between geeks and suits. It starts when local public tax-funded parking garages start posting the number of available spaces on their site. A few geeks decide to make it more useful while driving so they code up some asterisk hacks to scrape the page and bridge the web content to a phone and presto! you can call to hear which garages have the most spaces available for parking. Not so fast says the city and they shut down access to the site from the app and stop publishing real-time stats (mostly grumbling about a loss of "control"). Geeks are in an uproar (mostly trying to teach the suits what "public domain data" means). This long ass blog post tells the entire tale from both sides of the fight.
posted by mathowie on Mar 16, 2009 - 55 comments

Circuits are flipping on in the nation's attic. A couple of weeks ago, 31 "digerati" -- like Clay Shirky, Chris Anderson, and George Oates -- dropped in to the Smithsonian Institution for the invitation-only conference "Smithsonian 2.0: A Gathering to Re-imagine the Smithsonian in the Digital Age". Dan Cohen of the Center for History and New Media provides a great summary (and continues to pose provocative questions) on his own blog. Those whose invitations were somehow lost in the mail can play fly-on-the-wall by watching the keynotes, paging through the Flickr pool of envymaking glimpses of their behind-the-scenes lab and collections tours, reading the blog (where Bruce Wyman of the Denver Art Museum lays out a succinct road map for museums using social media), and poking around in the SI's website gallery. Want to cheer on the USA's favorite 163-year-old "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge" without taking the trip to DC? Thanks to their recent efforts, you can now follow the SI on Twitter, listen to its podcasts, watch its YouTube channel, visit the Latino Virtual Museum in Second Life, or use the FaceBook gifts page to send your best friends their very own pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers, Hope diamond, Negro Leagues baseball, or coelocanth.
posted by Miko on Feb 27, 2009 - 13 comments

Want to play a swashbuckling pirate, space opera hero, or monster-fighting Victorian dandy? How about a supervillain fighting against alien invaders? Or a mutant snack cake? Welcome to Savage Worlds. [more inside]
posted by MrVisible on Feb 25, 2009 - 56 comments

Dorkbot is a "monthly meeting of artists (sound/image/movement/whatever), designers, engineers, students, scientists, and other interested parties who are involved in the creative use of electricity." Started in NYC in 2000 by Douglas Repetto, Director of Research at the Columbia University Computer Music Center as well as one of Wired's 10 Sexiest Geeks, there are now dozens all over the world. Past presenters have been featured here on the blue. For instance Jeff Han presented his multi-touch interface at dorkbot-nyc in April of 2006. Miru Kim presented her naked city spleen at dorkbot-nyc in October of 2006. Bummed that there's not one in your own city? Start your own! [more inside]
posted by funkiwan on Dec 30, 2008 - 19 comments

Search Engine Battle.
posted by gman on Sep 22, 2008 - 42 comments

Commando Performance: (Toy) Guns on Campus Post-Virginia Tech - A fun game of tag for campus geeks? Or a celebration of immaturity and glorification of war and violence? Playing Humans v. Zombies after the Virginia Tech Massacre. [more inside]
posted by longdaysjourney on Apr 12, 2008 - 31 comments

Remember old D&D? What, 3rd edition? Pah! Not 2nd edition AD&D either, nor 1st edition. Not even "original" Basic/Expert/Companion/Master/Immortal. I'm talking really original D&D, based off of Chainmail wargaming rules. OD&D! Read about it at Delta's D&D Hotspot, which discusses the development of a game system that is almost 35 years old. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Mar 11, 2008 - 23 comments

Move Over Alpha Geeks, Here Come the Fangrrls an article about thousands of women gathering for a sci-fi convention, and what it means in fandom circles. [more inside]
posted by FunkyHelix on Feb 20, 2008 - 87 comments

Record your bad (or good) raps, share them with the world and add to other people's raps at RapHappy. Via Projects.
posted by sveskemus on Sep 26, 2007 - 7 comments

The portrait of Maris, from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, raises yet again the age-old question.
(img, without which this thread is useless, from llbbl.)
posted by jfuller on Jun 5, 2007 - 62 comments

The Top 10 Geekiest Yarn Creations If you've ever felt knitting was in danger of getting too sexy these days, the people at Threadbanger have provided an antidote. They've compiled a list of the ten geekiest projects on the net, which include an Atari 2600 system (on which you will never max your Pac-Man score), a knitted Hogwarts (though it appears to actually be crocheted and needlepointed), and a scrollbar scarf. And if anyone wants a crocheted yoda hat and matching light sabre, I am not taking orders.
posted by orange swan on Jun 3, 2007 - 41 comments

Judd Apatow's Family Values A look inside the comedic mind that brought us "Freaks and Geeks", "Undeclared", and "The 40 Year Old Virgin". Apatow’s childhood hero was Steve Martin. On a summer trip to L.A., Apatow persuaded his grandparents to drive by Martin’s home until Apatow spied his hero in the driveway. Martin wouldn’t give him an autograph, so Apatow wrote him an angry letter saying it was his patronage of Martin’s projects that allowed him to live the high life. A few weeks later, Martin sent Apatow a copy of his book “Cruel Shoes” with an apology: “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was speaking to the Judd Apatow.” Also: Judd and Seth Rogen at play.
posted by ColdChef on May 27, 2007 - 33 comments

The Gentleman's Fight Club: Armed with Dust Busters (Warning dopey MSNBC anchor and video ad.) How do you blow off steam after a long day of coding? Why smack your buddy over the head with a toilet seat, of course. Higher consciousness through harder contact (.WMV LINK - LOUD).
posted by tkchrist on May 25, 2007 - 18 comments

Geeks gone wild! The ten most embarrassing silicon valley, according to Valleywag. Totally NSFW.
posted by delmoi on Feb 2, 2007 - 35 comments

Two new takes on the world of Star Wars: "The public choice economics of Star Wars: A Straussian reading"; and "A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope:Reconsidering Star Wars IV in the light of I-III." Were the Jedi actually useless and powerhungry? Was R2-D2 the true hero of the rebellion? Most importantly, where do people find the time to come up with this stuff?
posted by nevercalm on Jan 27, 2007 - 85 comments

Back in 2005, they put out a call for submissions. The call was answered, and a book was published, the the world now knows that women can be geeks, too! "She's Such A Geek!"
posted by flapjax at midnite on Dec 31, 2006 - 7 comments

What goes together more than geeks and hawt (ok... some scary), comic-book costumed girls?
(mildly NSFW??)
posted by jpburns on Nov 3, 2006 - 37 comments

Autism is growing, especially in the Silicon Valley. We’ve talked of this twice before, but what are we missing about the connection between autism, geekhood, and the Silicon Valley? Let’s talk about this more [inside].
posted by Milkman Dan on Aug 13, 2006 - 80 comments

Slate Remembers Nerd Camp. I'd thought all parents everywhere were sending their kids to turn-pro-at-18 camp now, but it seems that CTY is bigger than ever. (Albeit subject to accusations that the standards have been watered down.)
posted by MattD on Jul 21, 2006 - 76 comments

This 'How Geeky Are You?' quiz illustrates how geekdom today means something completely different from what it used to. Out with unwashed hair and actually programming, in with mindless purchase of consumer goods.
posted by splitpeasoup on Apr 4, 2006 - 65 comments

Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? Who is changing the world more for the better? Some people believe Bill Gates and Microsoft are the Spawn of Satan, while others praise him for his philanthropy. [subs. req'd] Steve Jobs has more buzz on the internets than Bill Gates and a near religious following for his products with Apple. One might not give like the other, but one definitely is much more Zen-like.
posted by Mijo Bijo on Jan 25, 2006 - 92 comments

Listen to some of the g{0,1}[r]e[ea][tk]{0,1}[i]est minds on the planet. Some of the most ubarest geeks on the planet have an hour long interview talking about technology, ideas, and giving away the source code for MacPaint.
posted by eurasian on Nov 8, 2005 - 20 comments

How the Death Star Works — In this article HowStuffWorks will look at the Death Star inside and out, examine the fascinating history behind this powerful military and political tool, discover other incarnations of the Death Star and learn about what really happens when you blow up a planet. [via MonkeyFilter]
posted by Rothko on Nov 2, 2005 - 33 comments

National Geek Day. Neil "Sandman" Gaiman & Joss "Buffy" Whedon both have movies coming out this weekend; in honor of the nerd confluence of events, Time magazine conducted a joint interview with the two.
posted by jonson on Sep 28, 2005 - 26 comments

Over 300 Proofs of God's Existence!
posted by Citizen Premier on Aug 25, 2005 - 170 comments

Tall, Dork, and Handsome The online dating website where guys who love Star Trek can meet women who will reformat their hard drives. Do these profiles speak your language? This guy "prefers to make love under black lights." This nerdette has "realized that the book 'the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' has all of the qualities I'm really looking for [in a guy]." Only thing verboten on the site: No pictures. via
posted by onlyconnect on Jun 7, 2005 - 40 comments

Nothing like spending time on the beach... with your laptop. (.mov trailer)
Geeks On Board is a documentary about a unique phenomenon, a one-week cruise designed for people who have an extraordinary relationship with their computers.
posted by jba on Jan 20, 2005 - 9 comments

A tour with WotC, a session to play D&D with them. Lifetime subscription to Steam. Ok, some items are better than others. But for Child's Play, the folks at PA are pulling one heckuva dream auction for geeks. More auction items are detailed, go to the the second news post.
posted by eurasian on Nov 18, 2004 - 6 comments

Don't Forget to Pack the Scimitar (NYT Link): Mainstream media covers Live Action Role Playing in a way that makes us sound only a little like freaks.
posted by Karmakaze on Oct 22, 2004 - 5 comments

Dunegon Majesty! In what must be an accomplishment worthy of The Gygax himself, this guy found four girls willing to not only play D&D, but brave enough to be filmed while doing so. The fact that they're also willing to dress up as their characters is just icing on the cake. Be sure to check out the teaser video and learn a little something about courage!
posted by robocop is bleeding on Oct 19, 2004 - 27 comments

The Daily WTF features braindead code samples. High-larious to a nerd like me.
posted by sonofsamiam on Oct 15, 2004 - 41 comments

I stumbled on The Geek Test today. Very comprehensive (measures more than just technical geekiness). What's your score?
posted by tbc on May 29, 2004 - 95 comments

Things We Will Never See On Star Trek
posted by Orange Goblin on Feb 5, 2004 - 39 comments

Who you calling Poindexter!? Certainly not geeks with guns.
posted by studentbaker on Dec 18, 2003 - 13 comments

Are You Just A Little Nerdito, A Regular Nerd Or Full-Blown-Ambulance-Case Nerd Well, take the test and find out! (Via LinkFilter. Oh and perhaps someone will kindly take the time to explain to us strangers the nuances that distinguish nerds from wonks, pointy-heads, wusses and geeks?)
posted by MiguelCardoso on Nov 13, 2003 - 39 comments

I didn't know geeks could dance like this. (Quicktime; via Celsius1414)
posted by timeistight on Sep 26, 2003 - 16 comments

Geek or killer? Can you tell the difference? (via Daypop)
posted by CunningLinguist on Aug 4, 2003 - 41 comments

One Ring Circus -- insanely detailed Lord of the Rings costumes stitched up by some fans...for those who can't wait 147 more days.
posted by serafinapekkala on Jul 22, 2003 - 12 comments

Like a hole in the head, like an old Onion link, like an outburst of cholera, MetaFilter needs these custom-made Flames. But some of them are hilarious. And anyway, as has been posted before, we didn't start the fire. [Flash needed for this latter golden oldie. Via Linkfilter. NSFW.]
posted by Carlos Quevedo on Apr 20, 2003 - 8 comments

Freaks and geeks. Etc., etc., etc. And so on. And so forth. Blah blah blah.
posted by grumblebee on Dec 11, 2002 - 8 comments

Geekroom contest 2002. [this is a mirror, the site was recently slashdotted] They say these are the best geekrooms; to me they seem to fall somewhere between somewhere between quintessential, and epitome-of. Does your computing take over a significant chunk of your space? A room? A nook? What do Mefites' geek lairs look like?
posted by condour75 on Nov 10, 2002 - 35 comments

Magnificent Obscessions II. In the original post, we had a blast exploring odd sites in which people displayed eccentric talents. MOs walk a thin line between genius and madness. These are people with "too much time on their hands." How I envy their crackpot devotion, energy and perfectionism. These are the True Geeks! (Fresh examples inside...)
posted by grumblebee on Sep 19, 2002 - 14 comments

Microsoft unleashes Palladium, an intrusive doozy of a feature involving specially secure AMD/Intel computer chips and cryptology provided by Microsoft. Newsweek's head-bobbing Steven Levy, the first to get the story, remains taciturn, failing to call into question Microsoft's security sins of the past. Geeks run scared while digital rights and GPL concerns are wholly ignored by the mainstream media. Is this yet another example of a malcontent media that will never possess the balls to actually question a new feature put out by Microsoft? Even Wired can't seem to read between the lines of a technology that "stemmed from early work by engineers to deliver digital movies that couldn't be pirated."
posted by ed on Jun 25, 2002 - 16 comments

If you're an old geek like me, you'll enjoy a nostalgic browse through the collection at OLD-COMPUTERS.COM. If you're a young geek, you can laugh at all the boxen that we used to think were cutting edge 20 years ago. What system currently in use today will be the Intertec Superbrain of 2020?
posted by MrBaliHai on Mar 3, 2002 - 24 comments

Don't let the URL fool you, it's completely work safe, and yet oh so naughty. I wish more sites would do this. It would lead to mass confusion, and last I heard, that's the next big monkey-making trend.
posted by jcterminal on Feb 2, 2002 - 15 comments