Help Me Restore My “Nerd Card”…
We had quite a bit of fun the last episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show. Toward the end, we mentioned a dispute relating to the company behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons and I mentioned how I had never played either in my life. Jonathan, my co-host, then jokingly questioned my geek credibility and my “nerd card,” in disgust. The story starts at the 48:15 and the back and forth continues at random moments through the end. I actually partially redeemed myself by admitting to having an Atari 7800 hooked up to my TV.
With the help of Nukirk, we then railed off a list of perceived geek culture media… have I seen any Star Wars movies? No. Have I seen any Star Trek movies? No, but I have seen a handful of the old TV series. Have I seen any of The Matrix movies? No. Ever used an iPhone? No. Seen E.T? Quite possible, but I forget… parts at least. Seen any Lord of the Rings movies? No. Read the books? No, not any of them. Played any Final Fantasy games? No.
So, Jonathan put the call out to help me restore my “nerd card.” He asks you to “give us ideas for things that Patrick should have read or seen or participated in to restore his geek cred and we’ll ask him on the next show.” So, what do you think? Please leave your suggestions in the comments.
16 Comments
Jayson Flint
about 14 years agoPatrick, #1 You have to watch the Matrix trilogy. #2 Do you know what #bash is? #3 You gotta watch star wars for sure (all of them) Gotta...lol I'm not a star trek fan at all, I don't go to comic conventions, or the ones where people dress up as star wars characters, but I'm a G33K and I know it. If you know it then show it in other ways P. Jayson
ReplyKrist
about 14 years agooh Patrick. I'm so sad for you. :( Have you seen War Games? Ever worn a t-shirt printed with barely pithy computer related jokes?
ReplyPatrick
about 14 years agoGreat comments, thanks Jayson and Krist. :) Please keep them coming! Patrick
ReplyPatti Stafford
about 14 years ago01010010 01100101 01100001 01100100 01101101 01101111 01110010 01100101 01100010 01101111 01101111 01101011 01110011
ReplyPaul
about 14 years agoThe movie Office Space... essential for understanding the tech aspects of nerd culture.
ReplyJacque
about 14 years agoSorry Patrick, I'm afraid that after reading this I may agree with your co-host. You have a lot of work ahead of you. I would start with a game of Dungeons & Dragons and maybe a Star Wars movie. Another thing I have not seen mentioned yet - Lord of the Rings or any other JRR Tolkien books (please tell me you've read them or seen the movies). Have you at least played pong?
ReplyKrist
about 14 years agooh, how about anything Terminator related? Do you know what the "Whedonverse" is?
ReplyPatrick
about 14 years agolol. This is great. :) I think we'll be reading all of these on the show. :) Thanks Ms. Stafford, Paul, Jacque and Krist. :) If you have any more, please throw them out there! Patrick
Replychrispian
about 14 years agoTell me this is a late April fools joke ;) Let me translate what some of the others above have said before I get to some suggestions myself: When people say watch the "Matrix Trilogy" they really mean "Watch the Matrix". The second and third movie don't really add anything other than some coll FX. The first movie will blow your mind. It did mine anyway. It may be overhyped now. When people say watch "All the Star Wars movies" they mean the original trilogy. No real need to watch the new trilogy unless you just like to watch someone butcher their own work. There was some great potential in the new ones but no self respecting geek would put those on a "must see" list for geek cred. That's right, I said it! As for D&D or MTG, if you want the table top paper/pen role playing experience then D&D is a great choice, as is MTG. But there are dozens and dozens of choices. Playing any that appeal to you would raise your geek cred by like 5000 points. Some other movies to watch: Bladerunner, 2001 - A Space Odyssey, The Day The Earth Stood Still (original), Dune (first one) Star Trek II The Wrath of Kahn, Dark City, War Games, Metropolis, Alien, Terminator, Brazil, Night of The Living Dead, Tron... that should get you going. You should also seriously consider some classic arcade games like the original street fighter, mortal kombat & killer instinct or go even further back and play some Mario, Punch Out, Contra, Donkey Kong, Pacman, etc. All good to build up sagging geek cred. Really, this is more a list of how to become a pop culture fan boy than a true geek. A true geek is just someone passionate about a subject and by that definition, you've got geek cred in spades. That's why you hear things like "Astronomy Geek" or "Poker Geek". So, you lost your fanboy card, which wasn't worth much to begin with but your geek card is safe! Semantics? Perhaps, but true non the less.
ReplyBrandon Eley
about 14 years agoDo you run a multiple monitor setup? Two monitors = nerd Three monitors == g33k More than three monitors === Brain cancer waiting to happen!
ReplyBrian
about 14 years agoWell firstly, start with all those things you just mentioned. Then I'd move on to movies, The Princess Bride is a must. Also.. atleast become familiar with Douglas Adams and The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy. Watch the movie, but I suggest reading the book as well, as they are always better. There's plenty more but I have a case of the dumb today. So I'll have to get back to you on the rest of that.
ReplyKrist
about 14 years agoMST3000? Don't watch Dune. Sting stands around in funny clothes while there's a voice over.
ReplyPatrick
about 14 years agoThanks Brandon, Chris, Brian and Krist. :) This is gold. We're going to read this all on the show. :) Patrick
ReplyBrian
about 14 years agoWell I've recovered from my dumb spell and a small migraine, and I forgot to mention The Fifth Element and Stargate are also great movies. For the record, I agree with Chrispian. I don't think your 'geek' card should be revoked, only your 'fanboy' card. His definition of Nerd and Geek stand true in my eyes. I am a computer geek, and movie geek. Don't play me in Scene It because you'll lose every time. ^_^. Also if you haven't already, learn to swear in Klingon. That alone should restore your geek card status. Haha! Riddle me this. What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?
ReplyPatrick
about 14 years agoHah. Thanks Brian! :)
ReplyChrispian
about 14 years ago@Brian - great question. We could come up with one of those lists of geek questions and do some random number of questions, say, 42, and get it on digg.com! ;) How about "What's the average air speed of an unladen swallow?"
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