I am a geek because...

[Joe Ross]

My computer is worth twice as much as my car.

Lets keep this going, and only post things that actually apply to you.

[rbayer]

...because I spent 100-150 hours writing RoboEmu but can't sit down for 1.5 hours to write a college application essay.

...because the value of my backpack triples depending on whether I have my calculator with me.

...because I've seen myself as the only person logged into ChiefDelphi.

...because my computer sounds like a 747 taking off.

...because I have a box of old FIRST motors, gears, and mounting plates on the floor of my room.

[Amber H.]

I am a geek because.......

-I like a good movie, but LOVE a good documentary.

-The radio in my car is almost always tuned to NPR.

[Ryan Foley]

...I still havent taken drivers ed yet (I'm 16 and a junior) and I wont take it until 4th quarter of this year because I would rather do FIRST (taking drivers ed any sooner would require me to miss 3 out of 5 meetings a week during the 6 week time we have to build the bot)

...I spent about 6 hours making my teams website (8 if you count the 2 it took me to learn basic HTML)(http://trhsroboticsteam.tripod.com), yet i cant focus and do english hw for more than an hour

...My FIRST binders are organized beyond belief, yet my school binders I couldnt care less about

...I have 3 FIRST binders. The FIRST manual for that year. A binder of Innovation First manuals. And I also have a binder for team related stuff (public relations, team roster, member info, etc)

...I have actually considered instead of buying a car, buy robot parts (such as an Isaac 16 or 32 system, among other things such as motors, Victor 883s, spikes, wheels, etc)(keep in mind i will only actually be driving for a year then I'm off to college, so buying a car to use only for a year kinda doesnt make much sense) so that i can build my own robot (not for any sort of competition, but just for the fun of it)

...I spent all math class last year programming my TI-83 Plus with programs that do out almost and geometrical formula for me

...I made a TI-83 Plus program that calculates the score, winner etc of the 2002 game (it asks you for a few numbers, like how many balls, goals, bots, in scoring position, calculates each alliance's score, and if it is tied, it runs through all the tie breakers)

...When I get bored in any of my classes I pull out a FIRST binder and do FIRST stuff

...Most of my online time is spent looking at FIRST, FIRST related (like this one), or other robotics related sites.

..when i get bored at home i go downstairs to my basement and experiment/ fiddle with all my robotics parts (motors from old kits, transmissions, old controllers from the really old kits (before innovtaion first) old batteries, etc)

..one of my favorite past-times is taking apart mechanical or electrical things just to see how they work, and if i could use and parts from them (so far i have taken apart 1 RC car, 3 calculators, 2 video camera remote controls (the tethered kind, not wireless), and an old computer tape deck (had this cool motor assembly that resembles one of those cranes in the crane games at arcades, but smaller))(by the way, all those things were either not working, or no longer wanted)

...I can write in Binary Code (i once wrote a half a page long note in binary, just to have some fun and confuse the person)

...I enjoy messing with peoples minds (when they get up from their desk i switch their stuff around, not taking it, just relocating it on the same desk, and watch them get confused. Or when people sit in the same seat every day (even though they arent assigned seats) i randomly sit in a new seat every so often, just to screw people up)

...it took me more than 20min to wirte this post (and I'll probably think of more and edit this post again and again and again)

...I have edited ths post 4 times in the last day

[MissInformation]

I am a geek because:

I've been dating one for the past 8 years...
I have two domain names all of my own...
I spend 3-4 hours a day on the Net...
I once won 2nd place for best role-player in a Role-playing tournament...
I read at least 5 books a week...
I've been to a Slashdot meet-up (heck, I've even posted on Slashdot)...

Truthfully, I'm still more of a freak than a geek, but I think the two mix together in most cases anyhow.

MissInformation

<===========>
Give a skeptic an inch and he'll measure it. -Unknown

[Rob Colatutto]

- the first thing i do when i turn my computer on is check to see where nationals is

- i'm almost 18 and i don't even have a permit yet

- i made our teams video for 2002 in one day, working about 12 hours straight

- the only two webpages i keep open are CD and the FIRST site

- my computers desktop is always FIRST related

- my friend mentioned einstien, and i thought of the feild at nationals before the person

[Ragin_Kage]

- I post replies to "I am a geek because..." thread

- I have already designed this years controll panel...including a detailed list of materials and building procedures...even though i dont know what this years game or functions with entail...

- I search ebay and garage sales for random toggle switches and push buttons to use on my panel

...can't think of any more right now...

[Mark Hamilton]

Originally posted by MissInformation

I've been to a Slashdot meet-up (heck, I've even posted on Slashdot)...

Yes, but do you have the +1 karma bonus...

[evulish]

...I'd give up my car before my computer.
...I've spent 3 days straight on the internet.
...I recompile my kernel because I'm bored.
...I can still connect to the internet even when my parents take away all the cables (the network cable, the phone cable, and the power adapter) and change the password for my ISP.
...I have played songs on my internal speaker (harder than it would seem...).
...I could go a few weeks (2-3) without wearing something besides a robotics/computer shirt. (Multiply the time by about 4 if I don't wash them...shirts are clean untill you roll around in the dirt or spill something on them)
...I do a daily search on google for 'evulish' to see what I'm in.
...I currently have more computers than I have ever had girlfriends (that would also be true if I got rid of all but one computer...Hmm...0 girlfriends...*sigh*).
...I had well over 300% participation in robotics this year. (I spent probably around at least 2 extra hours each meeting and spent the night a few times...I never missed an entire meeting)
...My vacation will be cut short because it would overlap kickoff

I'm sure there are many more...I just can't think of any

-i've been going out with a twin for almost 2 years...and i still make corny twin jokes

-i get mad if i miss the price is right one day...

-i get excited over the littlest things...and i mean little..lol..

[Rob Colatutto]

Originally posted by evulish

...I had well over 300% participation in robotics this year. (I spent probably around at least 2 extra hours each meeting and spent the night a few times...I never missed an entire meeting)

i';ve never missed a meeting... such a huge ammount of hours, if someone was in the robotics room, i was there with them

- i refresh the cd forums to see if anyone posted in here every minute

- i have more than 4 computers in my room, about 4 and a half

[Ian W.]

-I just spent at least a week setting up Gentoo Linux on my computer, for no reason whatsoever (besides the knowledge that I just made Linux work on my computer).

-I'm taking CISCO Networking Semster 1 this semester, and will be able to get my CCNA by the time I graduate high school (i'm a junior now).

-My room is a disaster area, but I know exactly where everything is.

-I'm in all honors and AP classes, except for English (maybe that's why my spelling is horrible...).

-I spent the summer at Brookhaven National Lab, and made more Cryo-Cream then actually doing work (LN2 == Lots of fun ).

-I was happy when I was allowed to gut old computers and get 72 pin RAM (along with other fun stuff such as keylocks ).

-I got the TI-83+ Silver Edition because it's faster and has more ROM.

-I used to play Kiloblaster and Jill of the Jungle on my dad's 486 (actually, it might have been a 286 or a 386, i can't remember) when i was no more than 5 years old.

-I'm probably one of the most dedicated team members on 810.

-I've had a LAN since the good old days of Coaxial Cable (Dasiy Chains, YAY!).

<EDIT>
-I had the robot at my house all summer because I wanted to try to make a dashboard program (which has since been determined a failure because Flash and C++ don't like to play together).
</EDIT>

That's all I can think of for now, but I do have a few 'anti-geek' things too .

-I'm in boy scouts, and I'm halfway through my Eagle Project.

-I love going outside and hiking (I wish I could go upstate more).

That's all of my 'anti-geek' things I can think of. I think it shows how much of a geek I am...

[Joe Matt]

-I can't ride a ride without looking at the controll systems
-I love Megan ( )
-All my stock settings are preset to Microsoft and Apple.
-I can cause someone to go into shock by talking about the techonolgy behind 'Soarin' over California'.
-I knew the layout of Disneyland before I even went
-I can spend 10 hours on Rollercoaster Tycoon and not even know 10 hours pased
-I can recite the entire speil to Test Track, Tower of Terror, Pooh, Pirates (WE WANT THE REDHEAD!), Splash, Big Thunder, ToN, ToD, Illuminations, and others.
-I know what a RPU is
-I've ridden a Segway, twice, and both times covertly
-My laptop has every Apple comerical on it
-I have Stitch as my background
-I solve they mystery of Push, Nevada.
-I had the origional Lemmings when it came out.
-I think this picture is funny (and I know why).

[Madison]

- I can identify practically any roller coaster on Earth from a photograph. It's easier with American and Canadian coasters, though.

- I have memorized the entire soundtrack to Disney's Haunted Mansion

- I rename all of my MP3s in a uniform file name format.

- I put my arms in the air on coasters even before they've left the station.

[dlavery]

- I knew the names and life stories of all seven Mercury astronauts long before I knew anything about Joe Dimaggio, Joe Lewis, Joe Theisman, or Joe Namath (why are so many sports figures named "Joe"?)

- I give out my office phone number in hexidecimal code.

- I learned to use a slide rule just because I thought it was cool.

- the first biography I ever read was "Einstein: The Life And Times" by Ron Clark

- I was the first student programmer ever hired by the Fairfax County, VA, school system - in 1974.

- I still have a copy of the first program I ever wrote, and it's on paper punch tape (but I don't have a TTY tape reader to read it anymore! )

- I have way more robotics/computer t-shirts than Evulish! (I've had a lot longer to collect them) But the really sad part is some of them are now approaching 25 years old - and I still wear them.

- my set of "Dungeons and Dragons" related materials collected during college took up more shelf space than all my non-engineering / non-computer science text books combined.

- every athletic endeavor in which I have participated has been a fundamentally "individual sport" (martial arts, scuba diving, rock climbing, bicycling), and I have always shunned traditional "team sports."

- I have way more power tools than any sane person should have.

- I built my first computer by hand wire-wrapping the whole thing together on 12 breadboards, following a set of "suggestions" (they weren't really instructions) in The Bugbook - Volume 2.

I'm going to stop now, becuase I am getting depressed as I read back through this...

-dave