# Off Topic > The Water Cooler >  >  Are you a Geek ?  Are Pocket Protectors Cool ?

## Mordred

So I get home last night and I show my wife squiggler's charts and tell her that I want to be able to make cool looking charts like that so that I can appear to know what I am doing at work (and thus keep working).  I say to her, "look at that chart, doesn't that look cool?" and she immediately gets this glazed look over her eyes and asks "what is it?".  I say they are charts for some statistical purposes and she asks "how can you be so happy about something like this?".  She had no interest at all and thinks what I do is completely boring.  Then she called me a geek and then proceeded to go downstairs and watch tv while I puttered with Excel 2010.  Is this a common theme for significant others?

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## romperstomper

> Is this a common theme for significant others?



Definitely. My wife calls me a sad nerd (or worse) at least once a day. When I was made an MVP all she said was "I told you that you spend too much time on that computer".

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## Domski

> Then she called me a geek and then proceeded to go downstairs and watch tv while I puttered with Excel 2010.  Is this a common theme for significant others?



All my friends and even my boss call me a geek. It's so not true!  :Frown: 

Dom

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## Mordred

> All my friends and even my boss call me a geek. It's so not true! 
> 
> Dom



Well, I'll take it.  Lets see, what do I really enjoy doing?????  Coding (both in Java and VB).  Helping family when there computer "isn't working right".  Playing video games with the dreams of becoming a well paid video game tester (will never happen  :Frown: ).  I'll take computer time over tv time at any time.  Yep, I'm a geek.  I even own a checkered, short-sleeved shirt.   :Smilie:

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## Domski

> Yep, I'm a geek.  I even own a checkered, short-sleeved shirt.



Last time I checked (sorry) they were still pretty fashionable over here. All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look  :Wink: 

Dom

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## squiggler47

My wife said exactly the same thing which is why I made the "I Love you" graph! I also made one of an elephant, which she loves! 

I got a smile followed by a glazed look again!

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## Mordred

> All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look 
> 
> Dom



Haha, too funny.  I have only one (I like to wear a shirt and tie mostly) .  As for Brokeback, I haven't seen it and I don't wear a cowboy hat.  I was thinking about buying a pocket protector because I've had one shirt ruined via a leaking pen but, pocket protectors are just over that image line that I won't cross.

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## Mordred

> I got a smile followed by a glazed look again!



The funny thing about that glazed look is I'll keep talking.  I've even had the user I program for ask, "how did you do this?" and when I tell him, he gets that glazed look too.  He asked me once (very early on) if I could show him the code to one of my first projects.  I did and within a timeframe of about 3 seconds he had that look.  I walked him through the code regardless but I don't think he was even listening because at the end of it he said something like "that's a lot of code, I'm glad you're doing it and not me".  At any rate, he doesn't ask to see the code anymore.

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## DonkeyOte

Do you have a belt clip for your blackberry/cell phone ?

Incidentally the above is not an indication of whether or not you're a geek just whether or not you have in fact already crossed "that image line" to which you referred previously ... and if so go and get yourself some "pocket protectors"

Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.

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## Mordred

> Do you have a belt clip for your blackberry/cell phone ?




Sadly, I am a fulltime student, husband, and father two boys (entering their teens) and one dog.  I don't have the $$ yet for them new famdangled communicating devices.  





> Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.



Yep, you are definitely right!

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## Domski

> Regards geek test: you're posting in the social room on an Excel forum - enough said.



But my friends/colleagues don't know that!!!

And what the hell are pocket protectors???

Dom

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## Mordred

Why can't a pocket protector look cool?  I have a prof that wears one and its some sort of brownish colour/color that appears to stick out like a sasquach at a shaving convention.  I don't want to ruin my shirts but dang.

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## DonkeyOte

> Why can't a pocket protector look cool?



Just Because...



On an aside I think we're ruining Darren's thread here... I have moved all non-related posts to a new thread.

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## Mordred

Haha donkey, what a great way to start my day!  I had a literal lol looking at that picture.  What exactly is an "Exterior Retention System"?

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## DonkeyOte

I don't know but it sounds like the opposite of my previous boss' idea of having "sh*t deflectors" located at various points around his desk.

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## squiggler47

I carry my Android phone in my pocket, I couldnt find the real estate on my belt to hold it, after all 4 multi tools, a knife Ipod took up the best spots!

I did think of the top pocket but where would I keep my 4 colours of pen, 3 pencils!

Dont let the suit fool  thats just my alter ego!

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## squiggler47

I should say I had to give them up on return to the UK, cant carry a knife :-(

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## squiggler47

After 30+ years computer experience, you learn that people arnt interested in computers that talking about them is boring to normal people!

The hard part is getting the normal people to realise that we do have other subjects we can talk about, and its just as boring to listen to them try and talk computer to you just to humour you!

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## Blake 7

I'm still laughing at this....

Dom's quote





> All depends how Brokeback you get with the whole look 
> 
> Dom



"I wish I knew how to quit you" burrrrrkkkkke!!!!

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## NBVC

When I first started frequenting forums, it was at Mr.Excel... my wife then starting calling me Dr. Excel because she could never remember Mr.Excel was the forum name, and whenever her work friends have Excel problems, she says she'll speak to Dr. Excel... I suppose that is a compliment  :Smilie:  ... but on the other hand she gets a bit irritated that I spend so much time on here... so I tell her that she can't have her cake and eat it too  :Smilie: When she found out about me getting awarded MVP she had that glazed over look that all of you are familiar with and didn't even know what to say..  :Smilie:   Ha! Ha!

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## ChemistB

So how exactly does one become an Excel MVP?

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## romperstomper

You get nominated, MS review you, then make a decision. The actual behind the scenes workings are shrouded in mystery.  :Smilie:

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## NBVC

It's kind of random... you are supposedly nominated... although you don't know for sure... or there are MVP leads that scout the net and forums.. you just get notified by email or in the forum and answer a few questions and then they make the decisions...

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## MarvinP

Should we all got to http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpbecoming and nominate ChemistB for the honor?

I was just looking up Geek and see it may also mean: a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts - OUCH!  See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek 

Do you think there is an age requirement?  Should being a geek also include tests like:
1. Minimim words per minute texting on a T9 phone.
2. Understanding the joke: "Doctor Doctor, I feel like an alpha particle" "Are you sure?" "I'm positive!"

I think I'm going to change my icon to one of these http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottjo...53791/sizes/o/  so I can be a specialized geek.

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## Domski

> 1. Minimim words per minute texting on a T9 phone.



Surely I should get extra geek points for a slide-out keyboard.

Dom

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## ChemistB

There are, of course, dozens of online quizzes to see if you are a geek.   Here are 3;

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/geekquiz.htm

http://www.quizopolis.com/are_you_a_geek.php

http://www.innergeek.us/geek-test.html  I think this was the best (all incompassing including pocket protectors)

My scores
Psychcentral  9
Quizopolis  50% which makes you A Little Bit Geek
InnerGeek   32%

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## squiggler47

Does 5 years attendance at CES count me as a geek?
Does memorising 100 decimal places of PI?
Or is it just the fact that I subscribe to the Hugi Size coding compo, and never miss one of the disk mags?

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## Domski

I'm starting to realise I'm not really a geek after all  :Smilie: 

Dom

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## ChemistB

> I'm starting to realise I'm not really a geek after all



 LOL, I think it's kind of like when we were discussing "What is an Excel expert?"   It depends on who you hanging out with.  To my wife, I'm a geek.  In this crowd, I'm marginal.    :Wink:

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## Mordred

> LOL, I think it's kind of like when we were discussing "What is an Excel expert?"   It depends on who you hanging out with.  To my wife, I'm a geek.  In this crowd, I'm marginal.



To my wife I am also a geek but in this crowd, I am less than marginal.  I'm going to have to pull up my socks and bare down on my geekisms I think. :Cool:

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## Domski

> So how exactly does one become an Excel MVP?



Drink a lot. That's about it from what I can gather from the ones I've met  :Wink: 

Dom

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## romperstomper

Interesting - which ones have you met? (clearly not Messrs. Schollar or Legg  :Wink: )

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## ChemistB

I think that, from a geek perspective, "meeting someone" includes online.    :Wink:

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## romperstomper

The plot thickens - how can you tell if they are drinking a lot? (on the internet, no-one can hear you burp...)
I was assuming Dom might have met them at a conference.

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## squiggler47

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.1
GB/M d() s(+++)>+:>- a+ C$>++++$ U@ P L>+ E> W>++ N>++ o K-- w>+++++ O M V PS>+++ PE>++ Y>+ PGP>+++ t>+ 5>+++ X>++ R@ tv>++ b>+++ DI>+++++ D>++ G>++++ e>+++++ h>++ r>+++$ y 
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

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## Domski

> The plot thickens - how can you tell if they are drinking a lot? (on the internet, no-one can hear you burp...)
> I was assuming Dom might have met them at a conference.



In my book meeting someone involves the physical presence of both parties in the same room.

Good guess, I did indeed meet Richard and Colin at an Excel gig at Microsoft London a year or so ago.

Dom

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## romperstomper

That's worrying - both of those two drink like old ladies.  :Wink:

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## DonkeyOte

> ...I did indeed meet Richard and Colin at an Excel gig at Microsoft London a year or so ago



...longer ago than that if that's the same one I'm thinking of... and back then Colin was a mere Excel mortal (at least I think he was).

I am not sure a sample size of one, where that one is Richard, is indicative of _anything_...  :Smilie:

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## Mordred

0101001101110100011000010111001000100000010101000111001001100101011010110011101000100000010101000110100001100101001000000101010101101110011001000110100101110011011000110110111101110110011001010111001001100101011001000010000001000011011011110111010101101110011101000111001001111001001000000110100101110011001000000110111101101110011001010010000001101111011001100010000001110100011010000110010100100000011000100110010101110011011101000010000001101101011011110111011001101001011001010111001100100000011011110110011000100000011000010110110001101100001000000111010001101001011011010110010100101110
 :Cool:

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## DonkeyOte

warning: offensive language in the link - I forgot that apologies !

@Morded, that reminds of The Humans Are Dead (edit: wait for the binary solo)

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## Domski

> That's worrying - both of those two drink like old ladies.



Richard likes to think he drinks a lot.

Dom

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## romperstomper

Richard likes to think he's good at a lot of things.  :Wink:

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## Mordred

> warning: offensive language in the link - I forgot that apologies !
> 
> @Morded, that reminds of The Humans Are Dead (edit: wait for the binary solo)



I've watched those guys on Youtube before but not that clip.  Very funny!  "Come on sucker lick my battery" Hahaha.

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## NBVC

Who's going to go to MrE and let Richard know he should come and defend himself  :Wink:

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## DonkeyOte

@NBVC, and the fun in that would be... ???

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## romperstomper

I just did - it's no fun insulting him if he can't hear you.  :Smilie:

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## NBVC

Make sure his head is out of his butt first  :Smilie:  or he won't hear you. Sorry, had to get that one in!

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## Domski

> Make sure his head is out of his butt first  or he won't hear you. Sorry, had to get that one in!



Why, it won't stop him talking sh....  :Wink:

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## Richard Schollar

Jeez - is there anyone in the thread who *doesn't* feel like insulting me???

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## Domski

Richard, so nice of you to join us :-)

Nothing for you to see in this thread. Move on now...

Dom

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## NBVC

Hey Richard.  Long time no see... How's it been?  Is this what it takes for you to visit us?  :Wink:

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## Domski

While you're here you might as well give us an expert opinion on pocket protectors.

Dom

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## DonkeyOte

aROFL ! ......

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## ConneXionLost

You're probably a geek if...

xkcd

you think this is ironically true as well as funny.

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## squiggler47

You're probably a geek if your name is Dilbert!

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## DonkeyOte

Receiving this from your niece and nephew (8 & 6 respectively) leaves little room for debate.

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## romperstomper

I got one of these from my brother. Says it all.

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## DonkeyOte

That's pretty slick... I hope you wear it !

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## romperstomper

As a true geek, I wear it in preference to a Breitling...

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## squiggler47

@romper,

I guess you are only half a geek then, since it has the digit values on it!

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## squiggler47

I dont wear a watch, I prefer to triangulate the sun's angle to the horizon using my slide rule!

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## romperstomper

I've never seen one with just 1 and 0 on it...

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## DonkeyOte

> I wear it in preference to a Breitling...



Times still tough in the City then I see  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## romperstomper

Yup - no-one got me the Jaeger Le Coultre that was on my Xmas list.  :Wink:

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## DonkeyOte

The watch I have doesn't even make it onto their listings... off to the Poorhouse we go.

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