geek

Geek Mafia

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Rick Dakan’s novel, Geek Mafia, tells the exciting tale of Paul Reynolds, a recently unemployed comic book artist/videogame designer who befriends a wild crew of techie con men and women living in Silicon Valley. His relationship with the crew (and its attractive head con woman, Chloe) blossoms as they help Paul to get back at his former co-workers, and while doing so, give him a glimpse of how thrilling life can be when it is lived “completely off the grid.” Throughout the novel, Paul vies for the acceptance and approval of both Chloe and her crew. It all comes to a head when he devises a con of his own and presents it to the crew with the promise that if his plan does not work out, he will share the money they helped him scheme out of his former co-workers with all of them.

During the weeks Paul spends cavorting with Chloe and her crew, he finds himself falling in love with not only Chloe, but with the wild life that she and her crew lead. They party hard, and work equally as hard, sustaining themselves by ripping off those they believe deserve it, or simply find to be easy targets. But as Paul attempts to put his own plan into motion with the crew, he also comes to see the dangerous side of living in their nonconformist world. He also learns of secrets and deceit between friends and crew members.

Geek Mafia is an engaging tale about those who choose to live their lives rejecting mainstream society while existing parallel to it. Living under the radar and renouncing all the societal norms and obligations that govern our daily existence is an idea many people find sexy, and many of us have fantasized about it. The book does not delve deeply into the real implications that would accompany the lifestyle lived by the book’s characters, but reality checks would make the book much less fun to read.

Written by: Becky McBride, September 22nd 2009

Kilobyte Couture: Geek Chic Jewelry to Make From Easy-to-Find Computer Components

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:16:00 +0000

By Brittany Forks

Watson-Guptill Publications

As someone who has recently begun making and designing jewelry using the standard materials—such as beads, chains, ribbons—I was impressed to see a book about jewelry made from computer parts. Yes, that’s right, computer parts. Written by former Etsy seller Brittany Forks, Kilobyte Couture touts itself as "geek chic", but I think many of the designs and styles are simply chic! For many of the styles, if you weren’t told it was made out of computer parts, you might never know. Forks literally transforms these “uncool and ‘nerdy’ things” and makes them “100 percent cute.” It connects women to things that may have in the past been relegated only to men: computer technology. It’s a fun way to creatively reclaim and rebrand what it means to be a geek while celebrating your love of uniquely geek-y things. There’s everything from rings and bracelets to ID holders and Wii charms.

Forks tells the reader where to get the items you'll need—whether online, from Radio Shack, or from local universities. You’ll also need some basic jewelry making tools from a craft store. There are vivid color pictures of the finished products along with detailed drawings of some of the more difficult (yet clear and easy to read) instructions. (As someone who teaches technical writing, I know clear and easy to follow directions are paramount!)

Kilobyte Couture isn’t just about creating fun and unique jewelry. It's an historical celebration of technology as well. Scattered throughout the book are Top 10 lists of the best nerdy date activities, leading men, cities, books, and more. There is also a timeline that traces the components you’ll be using for your jewelry back to the late 1800’s, which is when the first radio signal was transmitted.

Kilobyte Couture will inspire you to be proud of your inner (and now outer) geek!

Written by: Kristin Conard, July 21st 2009

She's Such a Geek: Women Write about Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:40:00 +0000

Edited by Annalee Newitz, Charlie Anders

Seal Press

A collection of essays by women geeks? What can self-professed geeks share with the rest of women about what it means to be female? A heck of a lot, whether you measure it in decimal or binary.

She's Such a Geek is a wonderful affirmation of what it means to be a geek and to be a woman (sometimes even feminine!) without falling into the trap of sounding bitter or obnoxiously over-assertive. I loved it. From essays like Kory Well’s “Really Good for a Girl” to Violet Blue’s “The Hacker’s Guide to What’s in Her Own Panties,” these essays explore the beginnings of geek culture with hard drives that had less memory capacity that floppy disks to the growing field of teledildonics – with musings on how cool it would be to have a vibrator that plugs into your USB port for cybersex.

These women think about logic and intuition and how male/female stereotypes apply to the worlds of geekiness. But geeks, of course, aren’t defined by computers. “To me, a geek is someone who is passionate about something,” Jessica Dickenson Goodman says. These geeks are obsessed with computers, chemistry, astronomy, history and (I would add) life. There are worse ways to live than being passionate about learning. Let these women introduce you to obsession, or validate your insecurities about your own passions.

Written by: Janine Peterson Wonnacott, March 9th 2007