So here I am in a classy hotel conference room, listening to an articulate, well groomed marketing rep from a large computer manufacturing firm talking to a pile of greasy, unkempt socially inept geeky network administrators and managers. It's a very interesting way to spend a day.
Geeks are so not cool. Well we are, but not to others. Geeks have a hierarchy just like any society, but it's not based on any traditional pecking order. Not muscle or looks, but mostly aptitude. Applied to any specialized geek field. The geek who knows the most about a particular subject is higher ranked in geekyness and therefore cool. To an outsider you would have trouble sticking a 'cool' label on many of these guys. I say guys, because out of the sixty some odd geeks in the room, there were two females. Both of whom must have been managers, due to their constant furrowed brows during the presentations.
While staring up at the person on the dais in the front of the heavily chandeliered room, I imagined that the marketing people, who were running the show, where the same jocks and cheerleaders who used to shun and jeer these new found "clients". Trying desperately to interact with us, while not having a clue why we are the way we are. Meanwhile the geeks are staring blankly at a bubbly smiling, excited glee-squad-leader trying to get an ounce of emotion from the pale faced masses. Sorry. No dice.
As I look around I see people doing what I'm doing. Nodding sometimes while interfacing with their PDA.
Questions? The geeks look up. A handful of palms raise.
"I'd like to ask a crazy theoretical techy question that has nothing whatsoever to do with your perky presentation."
"Great question. See me after, so I can pretend to care about your dorky question later. Just don't come to close to my crisply pressed trousers."
So the manicured hand and shiny haired individual continues without missing a beat. She smiles, cracks witty well rehearsed jokes, and laughs alone to herself. Probably thinking something like.
"How did I come to this point in my life? Pandering to people I would normally give a wide berth on the street."
The truth is simply this. Geeks don't do interaction well. I'm sorry, its just who we are.
Hey, is that the new smart phone on your hip?
6 comments:
Yes true, geeks are not the people most of us admit to interacting with, but deep down, we need you on that line! we want you on that line! Because we would all be completely lost without our technology and we don't have any clue as to how it comes into our homes in the first place!
You're too funny! Hopefully the food was good. :)
Do geeks usually eschew chairs and congregate in greasy piles?
Missy-
"...I ordered the code red!"
well done!
Agreed geeks have their place...it might not be congregating in posh hotels though. It was scaring all the guests!
Jenylu-
The coffee was very good... I generally avoided the rest... but it smelled nice. :)
Ando-
We don't mind it so much, though
chairs in front of computers with Internet access would have been better!
It was the flashy marketing stuff that was lost on most of us. I don't care about your cool PowerPoint Presentation, or a video greeting from the VP of sales.
meh.
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