Work. The W-word, the most dreaded work in my dictionary. I hate working, but after much soul searching and much pressure from good ol' Dad, I decided, by myself, to find a temporary job.
Long story short, I got a job at a computer store despite the fact that I know nothing about computers. I suspect that the owner only hired me because I am, and I say this with no trace of immodesty, perfect eye candy for the customers who frequent his, in his words..."humble establishment."
This is somewhat insulting for me to say, considering the fact that I am not the most interesting person out there, but my fellow coworkers are nerds. Geeks. And proud of it. On my first day, they proudly proclaimed that they would make it their sacred duty to ensure that I would be...nerdified.
I say this not as an insult, but as a term of endearment. I have nothing against nerds and geeks. In fact, I watched the Call of Duty Modern Warfare E3 Demo Trailer thingy on Youtube earlier today and was impressed at the graphics and the clarity and whatever. I also watched a Star Wars game trailer. And as you probably know, I am a Spore addict. I have tried multiple times to make an Andalite on Spore.
My first day was nothing special. Actually, it was. I have discovered that people, when confronted by facts such as RAM and nVidia graphic card version xXx and dual core processor and whatever, will immediately pretend to know what I am talking about.
See - if you confess your technological illiteracy, you will get two things. First, a vastly superior smile from the salesperson...OR...the sort of smile that moves quickly towards drowning swimmers and has a fin on top. Secondly, an explanation such as below...
"Another thing you have to know is the L1 and L2 cache, or on-chip memory. Processors come with a small array of RAM (random access memory, we'll discuss system RAM a little later) built in. The L2 cache resides on the CPU outside of the microprocessor, the L1 cache is incorporated within the microprocessor. A CPU can access the L1 cache faster than any other memory in your computer. Next in line is the L2 cache. To access the main system memory, the CPU has to go through the motherboard, and even further away are the sound and video memory. L1 cache is not generally promoted as a feature of the chip but the specs are readily available. The L2 cache varies greatly from chip to chip, usually from 128 kilobytes (1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 byte = 8 bits, a bit can hold a boolean value (0 or 1), thus a byte can hold a value from 0 to 255) to 2 megabytes (1 MB = 1024 KB). The L2 cache serves as a half way point between the L1 cache and the main system RAM. Larger L2 caches mean more information can be placed very close to the CPU for use, and the CPU can execute commands much faster. Get it?"
Who in their right mind would want to subject themselves to something like that?
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3 comments:
I've always considered myself a nerd, a dork, a geek. Weird was always a nice adjective. See, I loved calculus and art in high school, but I decided to go with math, which is why I'm an engineer. All my friends are engineers, and we talk geekery all the time (RAM and graphics included). We watch shows like "Big Bang Theory" and laugh at the smart humor. And I love STAR WARS.
But at the same time, I'm an artist. I play guitar, mandolin, piano, and other things. I sing. I draw.
Perhaps it was the combination of these things that has led me out of the typical world of geekdom, where I function as a normal person.
Nice post.
Gratz on your new job! Geeks/Nerds are awesome. They only give you long lectures like that if they like you. Otherwise they sneer and walk off. If they discuss inane details of things that are most likely irrelevant, it just means they think you're smart enough to understand and worth talking to. It's a compliment.
I may never pass this way again, real life and internet life being what they are, but I wish to thank you for the Japanese folk music video and your charming, frequently very funny, blog entries. I hope you can hold your own in combat with your Dad and you always remember the window. Goodbye. You are a most delightful way stop on my journeys.
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