The World's Fair

Janet has finally put up the results for the nerd-off here, and I have to say that I feel like it was a fair and heated battle. Some folks have mentioned that I was a better contender for winning a "Geek-Off" and I am similarily confused by the Geek vs Nerd nomenclature. This I fear, could be a whole field in the philosophy of names.

Anyway, here are some choice reasons used for the battle:

That's a real picture of me on my blog, balding ponytail and all.
(Mark Chu-Carroll)

When I was in high school, my sister was watching Star Trek. I walked into the room. I saw Kirk leaning over the transporter; he said "no." Based on that alone, I was able to identify the episode.
(Rob Knop)

Sitting in my office at home are (besides my computer): an Elvis clock (complete with a pendulum made to look like his swiveling hips); a 12" model of the Incredible Hulk; a replica two-handed sword; a Dalek-shaped cookie jar; a variety of EneMan Christmas ornaments; posable figures of Kirk, Spock, and Doctor McCoy; a Lava Lamp; a talking Yoda, complete with lightsaber to train with; several Monty Python and the Holy Grail bobbleheads; the model of Minas Tirith from the extended edition DVD of The Return of the King; a Kung Fu hamster; a telephone shaped like the starship Enterprise (not in use, but it looks cool); a foam heart, brain, and red blood cell; a posable action figure of The Road Warrior; a whole boatload of science fiction books, a whole boatload of books about World War II and the Holocaust; a candle shaped like a dragon; a bust of Willliam Shakespeare; a Darth Vader helmet; paperback SF books over 30 years old; a Gandalf action figure; two Lord of the Rings posters (although I do have to admit that I lose nerd points for the posters because my wife kindly framed them for me--just taping them to the wall would have earned considerably more nerd points); a collection of baseball caps; and several other nerdly things. I have no idea how my wife puts up with it, but it's probably because all of my nerdiness (not to mention bad decorating taste) is concentrated in just one room and the rest of the house is pretty much hers to decorate as she sees fit (namely, tastefully).
(Orac)

... Nothing says "nerd" quite like flirting with a Klingon
(Karmen Franklin)

Real nerds are made, not born, and should be judged not on how easy it was for them to become a nerd, but on how well they do at turning others into nerds. On those lines, my daughter figured out how to kill the net nanny software when she was 6, and tried to use a credit card she "borrowed" from her mother to register for the disney.com premium content when she was 7.
(Mike Dunford)

Intellectual oneupmanship and who had the best calculator (HP/RPN all the way, baby!) became the stuff of pillowtalk.
(Dr. Joan Bushwell)