What makes you a nerd?

[vibrant]

I saw a few bits of Glee. Definitely not to my tastes. I fear watching an entire episode may lead to me vomiting blood.

Like Bean, I tend to devour books. I recall one Christmas I got a new computer game (anyone here remember "Frontier: Elite II"?) and I was halfway through reading the manual before my mother gently reminded me that I had other presents to open. Today one of my talents - an evolution of Lego, I think - is assembling flatpack furniture. And I always start by counting out the pieces and reading through the instructions. This is just sensible to me but seems to baffle the "norms"!

Heh, I'm the same way about assembling furniture. Sitcom gags where the finished product looks nothing like the picture on the box or there's hardware left over make me insane. Just read the instructions, people!

[Waldo]

I'm not sure you can define a nerd via pop culture.

Nerds to me are unusually intelligent (esp in math/science/logic) and socially awkward because of it; because pop culture itself if illogical and dumbed down, something that can't be figured out by one who figures things out. Nerds have higher pursuits than the simpleton and mindless pop culture.

A true to the core nerd is a state you are born with, not a fashion statement. Whether a nerd likes one segment of pop culture or another is irrelevant.

[Maledictus]

If you're what I would class as I nerd, you really wouldn't give a flying feck how popular or otherwise your particular passion is (it should be entirely irrelevant in fact) ... I just love how people are find reasons to exclude people from being classed as nerds in this thread ... makes a pleasant change from when I was growing up! In response to the Glee question, it's ok but adding/removing from nerdiness? So what (Pink or Metallica or even ANL if you go back that far, take your pick)

[Silentplanet]

Semi agree with Waldo here . The pop culture geek is not a nerd. A nerd is someone who excels in a particular field such as science, computers or anything really. Doesn't have to be an introvert but often is. I sit the middle ground between nerd and geek. =) I love science, computers, economics, statistics and have a large but generally useless book of facts about pop culture + the world. I often prefer geeky activities too. I achieve top marks with *very* little effort but I'm not entirely an introvert nor am I obsessive about anything (especially pop culture). I guess I'm a nerd because I love learning new stuff and do so regularly for fun.

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[Suominatua]

Umm I'm a nerd because I'm an astronautical engineer? JK

I'm a nerd because I'm secretly a philosopher who decided astronautical engineering would be the best practical application of some of my held beliefs. I'm actually only OK at math and got the literature award at My high school, but while a book can change the mind of some, I decided sometimes things are best done with your own hands.

I study some philosophy, a lot of politics, and I absolutely adore space-directed concepts and discoveries. I'm behind in most fields, mind you, but it's impossible for someone at our level to really say they are 'ahead' of the game in any of those.

I also love anime, finding it's art to be amazing and inspiring all at the same time. I can say:

The Gundam enterprise helped me choose my career.

YuYu Hakusho inspired me to be the type of person I am.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has helped me come to terms with a lot of humanity and myself.

Eureka Seven, Sengoku Basara,Kaiba , & Howl's Moving castle help to push me forward.

Chobits, Bakemonogatari, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, Angel Beats, Onegai Teacher, and Kimi ni Todoke have all fundamentally shaped the way I look at females ^.^

In order to better understand politics, I also have looked into 'alternate history' as a fun 'indirect' way of understanding current events. Any historical moment can be better understood if you look at how it COULD have happened, but didn't.

Does all that work?

Oh, and if any of you want a little physics nerd-gasm, run here:

http://htwins.net/scale2/scale2.swf?bordercolor=white

[Book]

In all seriousness, this thread is going in a bad direction. I don't know what being a nerd meant or means to the rest of you, but for me a huge part of it is feeling excluded because of my interests, and the way I expressed those interests. So this effort to minimize people and exclude them because they define it one way or another is engaging in the exact behavior that makes its feel like nerds in the first place.

Pop culture has always been one way nerds have been defined. However, if you want to exclude pop culture, then you are telling everyone on this thread who used LOTR, video games, Star Wars, Zombies, horror films, etc that they can't classify themselves as nerds because these are all wildly popular things.

I mean really, now you have to be unusually smart to be a nerd (for the record, I have a degree in mechanical engineering from a very good college)?

Why don't we stick with sharing how our nerdiness manifests rather than tearing each other down?

[Silentplanet]

Not tearing anyone down, that is the definition as in... from the dictionary.

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[knifeboots]

I went to the Doctor Who experience in London in dec. lol

Husband and I went last July. Thought I was gonna lose it when I saw Nine and Ten's TARDIS control room with an endless loop of Ten's regeneration playing on a huge screen. We also saw Much Ado at Wyndhams with Tennant and Tate in the lead roles. Best. Birthday. EVER!

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[KAllen]

Ok...My wife and I had a Klingon wedding!!!

My oldest son is named after the greatest Warrior of the Klingon Empire... Kahless the Unforgetable

Son number 2 named after greatest ancient Warrior... William the Conqurer

I attend conventions dressed in Klingon uniform.

I'm a Lt.Col in the Klingon Assault Group KagMarines (KAG is the oldest & largest Klingon based Star Trek fan club)

Former Quadrant CO that covered 5 states(LA, TX, OK, AR, MS)

Met actor Robert O'Reilly (Gowron on ST:TNG & DS9) at airport in Full Klingon Uniform

Been on national TV syndicates shows twice in Klingon

Watch Professional Wrestling (pro wrestling is REAL....people are fake!!! - Mr. Anderson)

KISS fan since 1975 (longer than my wife has been alive)

Loved Babylon 5

Hate star wars

wear kilts on occasion

have one roon in house dedicated to KISS & Star Trek

Did the Anne Rice vampire thing for awhile.

Seriously considered naming one of my sons after my fav. vampire... Barnabas Collins

I think Iqualify as a nerd!!!

[Book]

Ok...My wife and I had a Klingon wedding!!!

My oldest son is named after the greatest Warrior of the Klingon Empire... Kahless the Unforgetable

Son number 2 named after greatest ancient Warrior... William the Conqurer

I attend conventions dressed in Klingon uniform.

I'm a Lt.Col in the Klingon Assault Group KagMarines (KAG is the oldest & largest Klingon based Star Trek fan club)

Former Quadrant CO that covered 5 states(LA, TX, OK, AR, MS)

Met actor Robert O'Reilly (Gowron on ST:TNG & DS9) at airport in Full Klingon Uniform

Been on national TV syndicates shows twice in Klingon

Watch Professional Wrestling (pro wrestling is REAL....people are fake!!! - Mr. Anderson)

KISS fan since 1975 (longer than my wife has been alive)

Loved Babylon 5

Hate star wars

wear kilts on occasion

have one roon in house dedicated to KISS & Star Trek

Did the Anne Rice vampire thing for awhile.

Seriously considered naming one of my sons after my fav. vampire... Barnabas Collins

I think Iqualify as a nerd!!!

I would wholeheartedly agree

The main thing that brings to my mind though is... why is Trek so poorly represented among this community? I mean, you could argue that Trek *defined* nerd, especially as it relates to fandom.

I blame Brannon/Braga. What a disaster they were. I'm not sure Abrams is the answer, though. To me, the new Trek is just action popcorn.

[Red1263]

My nerdiness? Let's see...

-Classic FF Fan: played FFI, IV(classic and After Years), V, VI, VII, Victory Theme Ringtone, Own FFVII:Advent Children, Own all 3 Black Mages CD's, and Both Distant Worlds CD's, went to one of their concerts, Nearly squealed like a lil girl when I saw that Nubuo Uematsu sat in the row behind me and a few seats down, ...Vowed then to shake his hand one day

-Zombie Fan: Received a Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse on my birthday and been one ever since, Love Walking Dead, Converted my brothers into preparing for the Z-Apocalypse, Part of the reason why I exercise... Vowed to enter some Race Zombie-related one day

-Warhammer Fan: I've played Warhammer for many Years off and on, mostly because the closest Games Workshop is 30+ mins away. Painted my own Orc Warboss on Wyvern, and several members of my Orc and Goblin Army

-Anime Fan: Favorite: Trigun, also own Trigun movie, Gundam Wing + Endless Waltz, YuYuHakusho, Have Shenlong and Nataku Gundam Models, Bleach, Inuyasha, Former Yugioh player, although my brothers still play it

-Medieval Fan: Knights and Samurais mostly since 4th grade, reinforced by Warhammer, their codes of Honor, and Weapons

-Comic Fan: DC and Marvel general fan, yet enough to be disappointed by some of the modern day translations, IE Spider-Man 3's Venom (shakes head), etc etc,

-Video Game Fan: Original Megaman and X Fan(although Protoman is my favorite, his whistle is my text ringtone), RPG's, Fighting Games, LoZ, Mario, SSB (all 3)

-Movie Fan: TOO MANY TO LIST, but I prefer movies with Story, ie, Kingdom of Heaven, V for Vendetta, etc; Martial Arts movies as well Favorite: Jackie Chan's Who Am I?

-Science Fan: Mainly Biology, Bio Major, Fascinated with biomechanical engineering, nano technology, biological news (like Zombie Ants), I often bore my brothers with theories and scientific clarification on stuff they watch, or question me on.

-General interests in Philosophy, Mythology, Nature, Physics, Mechanics, Astrology, and Self-improvement.

I think that pretty much covers it, although I have a feeling I might have missed a thing or two.

[Artinum]

My oldest son is named after the greatest Warrior of the Klingon Empire... Kahless the Unforgetable

...seriously? That's... wow. I like that. I'm actually slightly jealous. Does it attract any attention at school?

[KAllen]

...seriously? That's... wow. I like that. I'm actually slightly jealous. Does it attract any attention at school?

He's was born in Nov. so he won't start school till this Aug. so I guess I'll see then.

[Revah]

Let's see - I love Star Trek, have been to a couple of conventions (not in costume though, unless my Bajoran earring counts!). Stargate is perhaps even better and I had the biggest platonic crush ever on Daniel Jackson. Lord of the Rings got me seriously into conlangs and I used to maintain my own website on Quenya Elvish back around ther time the films were released. I love reading social/anthropological SF novels with alien characters who actually seem alien. Cherryh is my favourite author for that I think. Historical fiction is also awesome, as is fantasy with historical influences (I love ASOIAF!) I was in the SCA for a while. I love RPGs, both console-based and the online forum kind that are more like shared storytelling.

I'm fairly intelligent (or so I like to think...), but I didn't go to college - I just read nonfiction on any topic that interests me. I have lots on sociology and physics. I love etymology and am overly amused by the literal meanings of things. I used to be heavily into political activism and describe myself as a libertarian radical-cultural feminist. I was a teenage goth and into pagan and alternative spirituality. I'm also asexual (my views on romantic relationships are similar to Sheldon Cooper's. ). I love learning new things too and tend to go through phases where I'm completely devoted to learning all about whatever it is that I've currently picked up on as being interesting (right now it's healthy eating and fitness, thanks to NF...)

Oh, and I think Firefly was the best show ever and still can't believe it got cancelled.

...but I really don't like Glee.

I think I get nerd points for at least some of that ^^

[knifeboots]

The main thing that brings to my mind though is... why is Trek so poorly represented among this community? I mean, you could argue that Trek *defined* nerd, especially as it relates to fandom.

I blame Brannon/Braga. What a disaster they were. I'm not sure Abrams is the answer, though. To me, the new Trek is just action popcorn.

I don't think that Trek is poorly represented. I think it might seem that way because: 1) it became SO mainstream that it wasn't considered nerdy anymore, or 2) it's not nerdy "enough" for today's nerds. I honestly don't know which.

Trek for me was my gateway drug to all things geek. I started watching Trek when I was 5, and back then I thought Kirk/Spock/McCoy hung the moon and stars. I know EXACTLY where I was when ST:TNG premiered on our local affiliate in 1987, and yes, I harbored a crush on Wil Wheaton for a few years (I can't believe I just said that - although, Wheaton has become something of a poster child for the nerd community in the past 5-10 years). But maybe it's just that so many people are into Star Trek (and Star Wars, for that matter) that it doesn't seem worth mentioning anymore as part of my nerd cred. I mean, of COURSE I like Star Trek and Star Wars (and I firmly believe a person can appreciate both for what they are and not have to choose between them).

As far as Brannon/Braga, they killed the TNG movie franchise. The last good (possibly ONLY good) TNG movie was First Contact, and to this day I will stop and watch it when it's on TV. It was to the TNG movies what Wrath of Khan was to the classic movies - a fast-paced, well written story that focused on the characters as much as the action, and smartly pulled a fantastic villain from the parent TV series. Insurrection, by contrast, was a letdown - it could have been a two-part episode and been fine, but as a movie it lacked a lot. And Nemesis... where do I begin. It felt like mediocre fan fiction (and yes, mediocre is a proper adjective, for I have read some truly wonderful fan fiction in my time).

Abrams' Trek made Trek exciting again. He was bold about playing the alternate timeline card, and I think that opens up many avenues of exploration for the series. I take it for what it is, and find it far less an affront to the Trek legacy than the Star Wars prequels were to the Star Wars legacy. They should have - and could have - been SO much more.

[gymell]

Ok...My wife and I had a Klingon wedding!!!

Klingon wedding, that's pretty awesome ... Ka'plah!!

[Artinum]

Klingon wedding, that's pretty awesome ... Ka'plah!!

Do you mean "Qa'Pla"?

[gerbilOFdoom]

I'm often told that I am Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory, but I've never watched the show. But what makes me nerdy is my ability to focus on one topic of interest in exclusion of all others, master it, then move on and never think about it again but still have all the information. Taught myself to program around age 13, was a better gamer than my Dad around age 10, I lack confidence, pretty much all things nerdy.

Only place I'm not completely nerdy is the "easy to bully" stereotype. First time a guy tried to shove me around I reflexively redirected every move against me, made him look like a fool the whole time.

[Book]

Abrams' Trek made Trek exciting again. He was bold about playing the alternate timeline card, and I think that opens up many avenues of exploration for the series. I take it for what it is, and find it far less an affront to the Trek legacy than the Star Wars prequels were to the Star Wars legacy. They should have - and could have - been SO much more.

Yeah, I know... I'm one of the few diehards who really doesn't like the new movie/direction, and yet, I'm not one of the über-fans who knows every last detail. But what I fell in love with in the original series was the quality of the story-telling and the social relevance. For example, of the TNG movies, "Insurrection" is by far my favorite. Yes, it was light on action, and yes, it was basically a two-part episode with better production values. However unlike the rest, it dealt with real issues rather than epic battles. I'm not saying it cracks my top 5 Trek movies overall, but still.