Sunday 30 January 2011

Both Sides Now: Nerds!

Firstly, here's the song "Both Sides Now" sung by Judy Collins in 1967.


"I've looked at x from both sides now, from up and down and still somehow, it's x's illusions I recall. I really don't know x at all."

Basically, anything can be looked at in a positive or negative way. Which brings me to the subject of nerds. Please note: The following may be a little tongue-in-cheek.

I'm a nerd. Did you notice?

Nerds: The good
1) We're single-minded & very focused. If you want something to work, get a nerd to do it. Just about every gizmo on this planet was invented, designed or developed by nerds.

2) We don't crave a partner's attention. We're not really people-people. Gizmos, on the other hand.....

3) All of the cool stuff like computers, smart-phones & the Internet were invented/designed/developed by nerds.

Nerds: The not-so-good
1) We're single-minded & very focused. If you want more than one thing done at a time, don't get a nerd to do it. A nerd trying to multi-task can result in unintentional hilarity. Don't talk to us when we're concentrating on something!

2) We can be socially inept. Body language = Double-Dutch. If I button-hole you in a fascinating (to me) conversation, I won't notice any of your subtle signs that you want to escape.

The best way to interrupt a nerd is to hold up your index finger and say "Interrupt request!". If you're lucky, the nerd will say "Interrupt request acknowledged!" and allow you to get a word in. This, of course, doesn't work with telephone conversations. Shouting "Stop talking while I'm interrupting you!" loudly is an option.

We also "teach granny how to suck eggs" by stating the bleedin' obvious - just in case you didn't get it the first few times.

3) We can be a bit obsessive. From Duty Calls:-


If you think that I'm nerdy, see "The big bang theory" on YouTube. :-D

Continued on Both Sides Now: Asperger's.

3 comments:

Galina L. said...

Good job, Nigel! I am married to a nerd (PhD. in chemistry, computer staff as a hobby). A very accurate description. Another nerdy benefit - he doesn't crave your attention all the time - a big plus.

Galina L.

Nigel Kinbrum said...

Hi Galina.

I hope you're enjoying my blog. Thanks for the 2nd benefit. I was struggling to think of something!

Cheers, Nige.

LeonRover said...

Just finished Michael Lewis "The Big Short" -- greatly enjoyed it.

The Nerd among the "shorters" was Michael Burry, a reclusive obsessive researcher. When his son was diagnosed with with Asperger's, he concluded that he had thro'out his life, displayed most of the characteristics of Asperger's -- including nerdiness.

BTW I love this genre -- since "Bonfire of the Vanities", thro' "When Genius Failed -the Rise and Fall of Long Term Capital Mangagement" and NN Taleb's "Fooled by Randomness".