Can Bill Gates be said to be a geek?
DJ Kim
when a PC Magazine article called Bill Gates a geek. Does the word "geek"
have a whole different meaning in the world of computers?
Thanks in advance.
Skitt
DJ Kim <king...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:26uj3.1064$Bb4....@news.bora.net...
I think, you might say that. Bill, and I mean no offense, is a non-looker,
if you know what I mean, the book-worm type, one who most likely was
engrossed in computer-related things to the exclusion of normal social
intercourse, one who'd rather spend Saturday night discussing ideas for
software development with his friends, rather than investigating the
software development of his friends.
Note to our non-NES friends:
The definition of "software" varies with the application, of course.
--
Skitt (on Florida's Space Coast) http://come.to/skitt/
... and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.
Richard Fontana
> Thanks for your definitions of "geek". However, it still doesn't make sense
> when a PC Magazine article called Bill Gates a geek. Does the word "geek"
> have a whole different meaning in the world of computers?
In reality it doesn't. Bill Gates isn't a geek, he's a business tycoon
who looks like a geek. He may have *been* a certain sort of geek (using
some of the definitions but not others) at one time, but I don't think he
is one now in any meaningful sense. He can't even be called a geek using
the definition I hear being used, which, again, is "competence in the use
of popular PC software, especially that written for the Microsoft
Windowsw platform" since he's probably too busy to learn how to do a macro
in Word or whatever.
RF
Perchprism
>From: Richard Fontana <re...@columbia.edu>
>Date: Thu, 15 July 1999 09:14 PM EDT
>Message-id: <Pine.GSO.4.10.990715...@ciao.cc.columbia.edu>
"Computer geek" is one thing -- "geek" is another, older thing. A geek is like
a creep, but with extra sleaze. Rent the movie "In the Heat of the Night," and
fast forward to the part where a guy working in a greasy spoon plays the song
"Foul Owl on the Prowl" (sung "fal al ahn the pral") on the jukebox. Now that's
a geek. A geek makes your skin crawl.
Perchprism
(Official Panel Member, aue Summer Doldrums Competition)
Skitt
Perchprism <perch...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990715221805...@ng-fs1.aol.com...
Yeah, but Bill, with all the respect given to one who is the richest man on
this earth, is a geek who done good in computer usage, not English. Sorry,
Bun.
a1a5...@bc.sympatico.ca
wrote:
>"Computer geek" is one thing -- "geek" is another, older thing. A geek is like
>a creep, but with extra sleaze. Rent the movie "In the Heat of the Night," and
>fast forward to the part where a guy working in a greasy spoon plays the song
>"Foul Owl on the Prowl" (sung "fal al ahn the pral") on the jukebox. Now that's
>a geek. A geek makes your skin crawl.
>
>Perchprism
>(Official Panel Member, aue Summer Doldrums Competition)
I was told it's circus talk: the chap in the sideshow who bites
the heads off (of) live chickens. The (of) means it never
happens in Blighty.
Bertel Lund Hansen
>"Computer geek" is one thing -- "geek" is another, older thing. A geek is like
>a creep, but with extra sleaze. Rent the movie "In the Heat of the Night," and
>fast forward
"Fast forward"? ... with "In the Heat of the Night"? ... That's a
criminal offence.
> to the part where a guy working in a greasy spoon plays the song
>"Foul Owl on the Prowl" (sung "fal al ahn the pral") on the jukebox. Now that's
>a geek.
Now I know what a geek is. I only knew it sporadically in
connection with computers and assumed that it wasn't much
different from a "nerd".
Bertel
--
Denmark, Europe
Please do not send me copies of usenet messages in e-mail.
Simon R. Hughes
> On 16 Jul 1999 02:18:05 GMT, perch...@aol.com (Perchprism)
> wrote:
>
> >"Computer geek" is one thing -- "geek" is another, older thing. A geek is like
> >a creep, but with extra sleaze. Rent the movie "In the Heat of the Night," and
> >fast forward to the part where a guy working in a greasy spoon plays the song
> >"Foul Owl on the Prowl" (sung "fal al ahn the pral") on the jukebox. Now that's
> >a geek. A geek makes your skin crawl.
> >
> >Perchprism
> >(Official Panel Member, aue Summer Doldrums Competition)
>
> I was told it's circus talk: the chap in the sideshow who bites
> the heads off (of) live chickens. The (of) means it never
> happens in Blighty.
Strange. An American sideshow attraction becomes a geek and a British
rock musician becomes demon-possessed. Yet they do essentially the
same thing.
--
Simon R. Hughes -- http://members.xoom.com/srhughes/
<!-- As unofficial as a member of any "panel". -->
Richard Fontana
> Thanks for your definitions of "geek". However, it still doesn't make sense
> when a PC Magazine article called Bill Gates a geek. Does the word "geek"
> have a whole different meaning in the world of computers?
One thing that has not really been pointed out in the responses is that
"geek" can be used in a sense which is close to "(computer) geek" but has
nothing especially to do with computers per se. I believe that this usage
is somewhat older than the "(computer) geek" use but is still current.
This sort of "geek" is or was most likely to be a student of electrical
engineering. This usage of "geek" was used without a modifier, whereas I
remember when, not long ago, in the popular language, you had to qualify
"geek" with the word "computer" if what you meant was "computer geek".
Indeed, I would say this is still the case, except that in recent years I
have heard "geek" used with a specific association with computers without
any modifier. Because personal computing and the Internet are becoming
ubiquitous, the word "geek" is being transformed more fully into something
that has a specific association with computers rather than general
knowledge or ability in technological matters. Lord knows how the readers
of "PC Magazine" would define the term. This is actually an interesting
point, because to me the word "geek" conjures up a visual image that,
while looking a fair bit like Mr Gates, does not match my image of either
(a) an expert or acolyte of computing in the classical sense, or (b) a
modern-day afficionado of Microsoft software, the "new media" and similar
stuff.
Some will object to this, perhaps, pointing out that "geek" was used with
no modifier and had a close association with expertise or interest in
computing going back many years, but I think this does not describe what
was going on with the word "geek" in the popular language in the same
period.
Thus, to call Bill Gates a "geek" is, as has been pointed out, really to
say Bill Gates "looks like a geek", which is not necessarily (to the
average reader) in any strong sense a comment about Bill Gates and
computers.
RF
George F. Hardy
GFH
a1a5...@bc.sympatico.ca
That chap was Jewish was he not? Not all of them go in for this
kosher stuff you know.
Hot...@poolside.com
wrote:
>
>Now I know what a geek is. I only knew it sporadically in
>connection with computers and assumed that it wasn't much
>different from a "nerd".
>
>Bertel
If I learned my English correctly, geek and nerd are quite different.
Geeks are the ones with unattractive appearances, while nerds have
abnormal mind.
Bill is not a geek but a nerd. He's the nerdest nerd of all nerds.
An idol the rest of nerd society can look up to.
Richard Fontana
> If I learned my English correctly, geek and nerd are quite different.
> Geeks are the ones with unattractive appearances, while nerds have
> abnormal mind.
There is something to your distinction, in that with "geek" the focus is a
bit more on the appearance of the person as opposed to the personality or
studiousness of the person. But still your definition of "nerd" is way
off. A nerd is not someone with an "abnormal mind"; a nerd may be smarter
than the average person, or just more bookish, but otherwise his mind is
fairly normal.
> Bill is not a geek but a nerd. He's the nerdest nerd of all nerds.
> An idol the rest of nerd society can look up to.
I wouldn't say Gates is either a geek or a nerd. He doesn't
seem to have had the appropriate academic focus or discipline or
inclination to properly be called a "nerd". Of course there are a lot of
people who admire Gates, but they're the same sort of people who admire
Warren Buffett and I doubt most of these people can properly be classified
as "nerds". (If anything, it seems that Gates is especially disliked or
resented by a significant subset of the people classically or
contemporarily being referred to as geeks and/or nerds.) The terminology
in recent years has become confused, at least in the popular media, where
increasingly I see "nerd" and "geek" being used somewhat interchangeably,
and to describe a more specific and different group of people than was the
case in the very recent past. I would hesitate to draw conclusions from
this because it is so often the case that the popular media pick up
on certain slang usages and get them wrong.
RF
Bertel Lund Hansen
>> Bill is not a geek but a nerd. He's the nerdest nerd of all nerds.
I don't agree with that.
>> An idol the rest of nerd society can look up to.
... and I certainly don't agree with that either.
Richard Fontana skrev:
>I wouldn't say Gates is either a geek or a nerd.
I would (nerd).
>He doesn't seem to have had the appropriate academic focus or discipline or
>inclination to properly be called a "nerd".
I think he has. As far as I know he has written som BASIC
versions for homecomputers. That takes some doing. I saw a
message from someone responding to some ridicule against BG,
pointing out that the writer had been to a meeting where BG had
shown intelligence and a fair understanding of complicated
matters.
Add to that the fact that his mother reminds him of when to
change his socks and you have a typical nerd.
Richard Fontana
>
> Richard Fontana skrev:
>
> >I wouldn't say Gates is either a geek or a nerd.
>
> I would (nerd).
>
> >He doesn't seem to have had the appropriate academic focus or discipline or
> >inclination to properly be called a "nerd".
>
> I think he has. As far as I know he has written som BASIC
> versions for homecomputers. That takes some doing.
This is true, and I don't mean to deny this achievement. But that isn't
what makes someone a "nerd", as I have long understood the word. The word
"academic" there is important. A true nerd is not likely to drop out of
Harvard in order to pursue his dreams of selling microcomputer software to
the world, assuming he would even be at Harvard to begin with. A true
nerd would not be so conventionally enterprising; a true nerd would have
his nose in a textbook, or would be spending his time in the lab, or else
would be busy exhibiting socially awkward behavior. I don't deny that
Gates is an intelligent person, but mere intelligence is also not
sufficient to make you a nerd, and it is not entirely clear that it is
necessary.
> I saw a
> message from someone responding to some ridicule against BG,
> pointing out that the writer had been to a meeting where BG had
> shown intelligence and a fair understanding of complicated
> matters.
>
> Add to that the fact that his mother reminds him of when to
> change his socks and you have a typical nerd.
That *could* be strong evidence of nerdiness, but I think you'd need more
information to make a judgment.
Of course, it is likely that we are familiar with somewhat different
definitions of "nerd".
RF
Hot...@poolside.com
<re...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 Hot...@poolside.com wrote:
>
>> If I learned my English correctly, geek and nerd are quite different.
>> Geeks are the ones with unattractive appearances, while nerds have
>> abnormal mind.
>
>There is something to your distinction, in that with "geek" the focus is a
>bit more on the appearance of the person as opposed to the personality or
>studiousness of the person. But still your definition of "nerd" is way
>off. A nerd is not someone with an "abnormal mind"; a nerd may be smarter
>than the average person, or just more bookish, but otherwise his mind is
>fairly normal.
>
A normal mind cannot create an industry miracle. In Bill's case, his
"abnormal mind" is an extraordinary one.
Richard Fontana
I won't get into an argument on that point, but, if you accept my
definitions, then you cannot consider Bill Gates a "nerd".
RF
Bertel Lund Hansen
>A normal mind cannot create an industry miracle. In Bill's case, his
>"abnormal mind" is an extraordinary one.
He has not created any miracle. He has been unscrupulous and
extremely lucky.
Truly Donovan
>A normal mind cannot create an industry miracle. In Bill's case, his
>"abnormal mind" is an extraordinary one.
No argument there. It takes a lack of ethics and a genius for
misrepresentation, along incredibly fortuitous timing. What he has
done is taken the ball and run with it [1], and when he didn't happen
to have the ball in hand, he ran as if he did and nobody, including
those who thought themselves to be on the same team, realized that he
didn't until it was too late.
[1] American football metaphor.
--
Truly Donovan
tr...@lunemere.com
Win...@macrosoft.com
<re...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 Hot...@poolside.com wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 10:21:03 -0400, Richard Fontana
>> <re...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>>
>> >On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 Hot...@poolside.com wrote:
>> >
>> >> If I learned my English correctly, geek and nerd are quite different.
>> >> Geeks are the ones with unattractive appearances, while nerds have
>> >> abnormal mind.
>> >
>> >There is something to your distinction, in that with "geek" the focus is a
>> >bit more on the appearance of the person as opposed to the personality or
>> >studiousness of the person. But still your definition of "nerd" is way
>> >off. A nerd is not someone with an "abnormal mind"; a nerd may be smarter
>> >than the average person, or just more bookish, but otherwise his mind is
>> >fairly normal.
>> >
>> A normal mind cannot create an industry miracle. In Bill's case, his
>> "abnormal mind" is an extraordinary one.
>
>I won't get into an argument on that point, but, if you accept my
>definitions, then you cannot consider Bill Gates a "nerd".
>
>RF
We were never arguing, just some grammatic discussions.
Win...@macrosoft.com
wrote:
>Hot...@poolside.com skrev:
>
>>A normal mind cannot create an industry miracle. In Bill's case, his
>>"abnormal mind" is an extraordinary one.
>
>He has not created any miracle. He has been unscrupulous and
>extremely lucky.
>
>Bertel
Obviously you ain't a Windows user. Just bought an Imac?
Bertel Lund Hansen
>>He has not created any miracle. He has been unscrupulous and
>>extremely lucky.
>Obviously you ain't a Windows user.
That may be so, but my computer is running windows.
>Just bought an Imac?
No.
JB
>
> Yes, a very rich one. Geeks are often very successful.
What do you call a geek 10 years after graduation? "Boss". --JB
JB
>
> Yeah, but Bill, with all the respect given to one who is the richest man on
> this earth, is a geek who done good in computer usage, not English.
That he has done *well* is undeniable. That he has done *good* is
debatable. --JB
Joseph C Fineman
--- Joe Fineman j...@world.std.com
||: When we admire people, we seldom ask "What did their parents :||
||: do right?". :||
Skitt
Joseph C Fineman <j...@world.std.com> wrote in message
news:FF70v...@world.std.com...
> As it is written: Beware of geeks bearing grifts.
I thought those were the Wisemans -- always coming with those silly gifts
...