I wanted to remind all the nerds (a term I use to encompass as well geeks, poindexters, dweebs, and those in allied fields) that you'll need to nerd things up by Sunday evening if you want to be considered for the final nerd-off rankings. The time remaining to represent is ticking down.
And that reminded me of my nerdy DARPA time piece, pictured here. You can't buy this watch in stores!
But perhaps even nerdier is the reason I always opt for analog over digital watches: analog watches remind me of the unit circle, for which I have a deep and abiding love.
More like this
Back in September Janet at Adventures in Ethics and Science challenged Sciencebloggers to a nerd-off. I didn't take part because I have an inherent sense of fairness. Professionals shouldn't compete with amateurs. So I let it go. But now I want to claim my rightful crown from the usurper.
In that…
Yes, it appears that I have won the great ScienceBlogs nerdoff/geekoff. [Janet announced the results yesterday][geekoff], and despite [much][orac-whines] [whining][pz-whines], I'm proud to say that I was the winner. There was some stiff competition, particularly from Orac, but in the end, no one…
The recent discussion over the academic tenure system has sort of wound down, or at least, those parts of it that I feel I can contribute to have wound down. I really ought to note the posts by Bill Hooker and the Incoherent Ponderer, who correctly note that the biggest problem with the academic…
In the spirit of helping my readers increase their preparedness, I thought I'd remind you that you have 0 more days before Zombie Day to shop and get ready for Zombie attacks. So just in case there are zombies coming down your pike, and you aren't ready, I offer a reprint of a piece I wrote about…
My entry is here:
http://johnmckay.blogspot.com/2006/09/my-nerd-cred-kids-over-at-science…
If appreciation of archy (along with mehitabel, et al.) provides credit in the nerd off, I (and others of Dr. F-R's forbearers) should get additional credit.
Dr. F-R's maternal grandfather introduced me to archy in my early teens. I immediately took to the philosophical theories promulgated by said cockroach, and enjoyed the humor, strictly as an ancillary activity of course. This was as close as I ever got to Dr. F-R's chosen field, as I avoided all philosophy courses throughout my formal education.
I was so taken with archy, that I introduced him to my future husband LONG BEFORE Dr. F-R was even a gleam in his eye. We found it intolerable to share a single copy of archy and mehitabel when separated by college and the Navy, and so invested in duplicate copies for our period of courtship (and often separation). Thus, Dr. F-R and her siblings had access to 2 copies once we were together and with family. They needed them to determine why we would so often quote the pharaoh (his dustiness): "thinking, thinking, thinking of beer."
I vote that your interest in your (and our) patron cockroach should get you some points, along with those other valuable nerd credentials you list.
And I must ask for some extra bit of credit for myself for engendering Dr. F-R's fondness for the unit circle. Since 11th grade I have believed that I have the unit circle engraved on my forehead, and have used it often. I now wonder if referencing it in mirrors has not increased my difficulty with accurately identifying right and left in all manner of endeavor, including reading, writing, and driving directions.
Me want that Darpa watch!