The Nerd Manual

About the Manual

The Nerd Manual is meant to be both a useful resource for nerds and a guide for the people involved with nerds. If you're a nerd you can find information here that will help you improve your life and perhaps better understand yourself. If you're close friends with, dating, or married to a nerd, I want to give you insight into things nerds do that a lot of people have difficulty understanding.

Not sure if you're involved with a nerd? Read this article to find out more.

I hope to avoid offending anyone--either nerd or non-nerd--but please understand that the manual will get into some sensitive topics, stray into contentious territories, and even use stereotypes to illustrate points. It's OK to disagree with something, but keep your comments civil.

2017-01-05

Nerd Q&A: Why Are Smart People So Quiet?

I've heard the phrase "still waters run deep" too many times to count, so I think most people (and I include myself in that group) consider intelligence and silence directly connected.

Before I go on, I need to get the obligatory disclaimer out of the way: not all smart people are quiet.

But this is still a fair question that has a lot going on behind it.

Nerdy and Geeky Gifts Guide - Winter 2016 Edition

Whether you’re into Christmas, Hanukkah, Hogswatch or some other holiday, December is a big month for gift giving, and you need to do right by your nerdy friends. Sure, you could spring for a Loot Crate subscription, copies of Pokémon Sun and Moon, or an NES Classic (if you can find one), but those are the gifts you’ll find on any lame “Top 7 Geek Gifts” list thrown together by a news outlet with nary a nerd or geek on their staff.

You’re here because you want to show that you’ve dug deeper than Buzzfeed and the Toronto Star. You're here because you want to show you care!

So, here it is. The extra thoughtful Nerdy and Geeky Gifts Guide for 2016. Winter Edition!

Nerd Q&A: Arcades of the Future

Chris Ainsworth - TRON

What will arcades look like in the future?

This is a really cool question.

Judging by the fact that stand-alone arcades are nearly extinct--apart from a few high profile places that manage to stay alive to host tournament play, or are run by collectors with deep enough pockets to operate at a loss--I don’t think arcades will ever be as prominent as they were pre-1990s. So I imagine there will be some arcades that cater to nostalgic game players and tournament players, there will be digital gambling, and there will be arcades connected to establishments that offer additional services like cart racing and children’s entertainment.

What does this mean for the types of games in arcades? I think you’ll see arcades specialize, much like they already have, into a few groups: nostalgia, cutting edge adult, gambling, and heavy-duty child entertainment.

Types of arcades likely to survive into the future:

Build Your Own Death Star Christmas Tree Topper

Craineum's Death Star Super Laser

Do you wish you could have the awesome Hallmark Death Star topping your Christmas tree, but don't want to pay the 200% markup that eBay price gougers are charging?

Here's your chance to show the world how nerds handle scalpers!

Just head on over to Instructables where Craineum gives you step by step instructions to build your own Death Star.

Tree topper. Not--you know--a real Death Star.

Hoist your middle finger at Hallmark because Craineum's design not only lights up and plays sounds, but it includes a fiber optic super laser, motion sensor triggered sound effects, and it plays more than two pieces of music. If you're creative, you can make it do even more.

2016-10-31

Nerd Q&A: Classifying Computer Geeks

What are the types of computer geeks?

Hmm. This is a question I don’t see a lot. I can only imagine why someone would ask, but if it’s worth asking it’s worth answering.

Note: By setting up classifications I am in no way suggesting that every computer lover fits into a single category, or that someone who is good at systems administration is necessarily a geek or nerd.

Blake Patterson - The Byte Cellar (Check out his other awesome pics!)

Notes

Is there a "Geek Manual"?
Valid question, seeing as how there is a difference in the connotation of nerd versus geek. However, in the common parlance, nerd and geek are terms used interchangeably to classify people who have also been identified as brainiacs, dorks, dweebs, eggheads and spazzes. If you are unable to accept “nerd” as a catchall term for this social group, it is highly likely you are a nerd or a geek, but keep in mind that no one is forcing you to read this guide. (If someone is forcing you to read this guide, use this major flaw as an argument not to make you read it.)

A note on gender
Given that the majority of nerds are male, this manual will often refer to nerds with the male pronoun. This is not meant to marginalize female nerds, nor is it a statement about feminism, chauvinism, or any other -ism. It is simply a way to keep things simple.

The Nerd Manual

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