On: Charge, a phone company with features for nerds

[nathan_f77]

Yeah I'm a nerd or a geek, if that means I'm interested in programming and IT. But if you ask Google for some definitions, it still tells you:

    nerd: a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.

    geek: an unfashionable or socially inept person.

And it's also kind of patronizing. I don't know, something about it just doesn't sit right with me.

[dimino → nathan_f77]

This is a you thing. Nerds are cool now, the battle you're trying to fight is over.

[50CNT → nathan_f77]

I assume when you come on Hacker News you feel offended for being called a hack and a criminal :P.

Colloquial usage of these terms has shifted massively, to the point where the most common definitions I hear from people are:

    nerd: someone with an obsessive interest in certain intellectual areas, especially academic/technological things (math/computers/the sciences/etc.)

    geek: someone with an obsessive interest in certain subsets of popular culture, especially ones relating to fiction (games/comics/novels/etc.)

Now 'dork', that still has the old ring to it.