Gnomic statements II.

Don't forget, the only water in the forest is the river.

- Sid

Some are born geek, some achieve geekness, and some have geekness thrust upon them.

Observant readers will have already noticed that I've added a Geek tag to the page, announcing to the world that I'm a Major Geek.  Sadly, this isn't as positive an announcement as you might think - as the screen grab from the quiz demonstrates, being a Major Geek only required a mark of 37 percent. (37.26937, to be exact.)

The Geek Quiz was created by Yvette Beaudoin, and a full description of the origin of the test can be found on her site at innergeek.us, along with an analysis of the word "geek" itself.

Okay, enough small talk, let's cut to the chase.  ONLY 37 PER CENT?  I was mortified - how could the test so completely have underestimated my Geek Quotient, or at least the GQ that I see myself as possessing?  The answer is simple:  as per the final question (see above), I can think of other things that should have gotten me points on the test.

I mean, come on, I've got TWO sets of original series Enterprise blueprints! (And one set of Next Generation.)  Come to think of it, I've also got two sets of the original Star Fleet Technical Manual, for that matter. (Yes, and one copy of the Next Generation Technical Manual - there's obviously some kind of trend here.) I own the first Tom Swift book!  I know that Analog used to be Astounding!  I kept issue one of WIRED!  I'm on my third replacement copy of Dune! I celebrate Towel Day!  I saw William Gibson on the street when I first moved to Vancouver, and first, I knew who it was, and second, I was really excited!  I have a toy robot collection!  Hell, I own a Space Marine, a Dalek, a Scopedog, a Master Chief, a Destroid Defender (AND a Destroid Monster), a Super Gobot, a Gundam, and a blue stripe Major Matt Mason! I'm outraged that they want to make a live action version of Akira!  I could go on forever - there are so many things that the test didn't ask!

I'm even a Second Gen geek - my mother was a geek, which I think is a far more impressive achievement than any of us being geeks!  (Honestly, any geek whose date of birth falls before World War II deserves special recognition.)  My sister is a geek, and her daughter is a geek. 

That final comment is actually the key to this whole problem.  My niece is certainly a geek, but she's a very different geek than her mother or my mother.  Over time, the geek gene has mutated - which is actually a very geek comment to make.  The growth of geek chic has resulted in a plethora of geek subgroupings:  gamer geeks, hacker geeks, action figure geeks, Star Wars geeks, cosplay geeks, and so on, with new geek phylae being added every day.

Regardless, I think that there's a shared kinship among geeks, a recognition that we've all decided to dedicate a portion of our lives to something a bit more intellectual than, say, hockey, Dancing with the Stars, or monster trucks, and it's that kinship that provides the real basis for the Geek Test.  In fact, the desire to write the test is probably the most significant factor of all. We know that we're geeks, we just want to know what our score is.

But the final joke for me was that version 3.14 (insert pi joke here)  of the Geek Test missed the most important  - and obvious - question of all:   

Do you run a geek oriented blog?

- Sid

 

January 18 2024 update:  for absolutely no reason I can think of, this post has received over 400 hits today.  On the outside chance that it's actual people rather than Russian bots (or in case the bots are interested) I am pleased to announce that, having revisited the innergeek.com Geek Test in December 2023, I went from being a Major Geek (greater than or equal to 35%) to being a Super Geek (greater than or equal to 45%).  It just goes to show that it's always possible to improve your place in life.

Uncomfortable parallels.

This piece is a clear nod to a favourite childhood movie. I felt it was a great metaphor for the subject matter at hand: Is treaty really black and white or shades of grey? Do the “good guys” always wear white? Will there be a treaty empire and am I part of the rebel alliance? Ha Ha! I did insert a glimmer of hope in the chin of the mask--a small cedar tree seedling that represents a rekindling of awareness and growth. “A new hope,” so to speak....

Andy Everson, artist

My workplace is located near Vancouver's Gastown community, and my regular lunchtime walks with my co-worker Bill offer many opportunities to see what's on display for window-shoppers from cruise ships. Generally I don't pay a lot of attention to the merchandise, but a recent addition caught my attention immediately.

My first thought was that I had found nothing more than another strategy for relieving tourists of their money. To my surprise and pleasure, a little online research revealed that this particular print, created by K'omoks artist Andy Everson, is a deliberate, multi-level comment on the treaty system that still underlies Canada's relationship with the First Nations.

To be honest, along with that surprise and pleasure came a little discomfort - not easy to find out that you're part of the evil Empire.

- Sid