Geek Monthly is a pretty cool magazine aimed at people like you and me: geeks.
Face it. It’s true.
They interviewed me a few months ago, and the issue is finally out! It’s the June issue, and they sent me a copy in the mail. I look at the cover, and what do I see?
Wil Wheaton and I are in the same issue.
OMGOMGOMG. SQUUEEEEE!
And may I add: hawesome.
And even better: he is on page 14, and I am on page 28, which numeralogically is twice as cool. Geek Monthly clearly is supporting me in the Wheaton/Plait antimatter dilithium debate. Yes, I know, I conceded to Wil, but it still stings*.
Anyway, I was so excited I blogged before I read the articles. I have to admit the picture with his article is better than the one of me (posing near a giant radio telescope in Tidbinbilla, Australia). But I have supernova remnants in mine. That ups the cool quotient.
So go buy an issue. Now!
*Actually, it burns with the luminosity of 1701 warp core breaches.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
ADAM WEST!!!
Dinner dinner dinner dinner, BATMAN!!!!!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
More importantly: Rob Corddry!!!!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I actually saw it this weekend at Best Buy and flipped through it, saw you were in it so I bought it. Once I got home I did notice your mancrush was in there as well. It is a really cool magazine, I’ve never seen it before and think I may subscribe.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Heh heh heh. Excellent issue to be in.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hmmmm…this looks interesting.
Triple “A” geek here: Anime, wArcraft, Aphex Twin.
I would include bad Astonomer as a 4th…but he’s not exactly a cultural phenomenom yet. And there’s no way to fit “A” into skeptic.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Cool, so when were you at Tid, I have a friend who works there and he is affectionately known as our “Rocket Scientist Friend”
Unfortunately I havnt seen the Mag anywhere in Australia so I can’t comment on the article.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Who is the babe with Conan? !!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
“Actually, it burns with the luminosity of 1701 warp core breaches.”
Nice subtle Trek ref there.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Well, I guess that settles it.
*Raises arms in zombie-like fashion*
Must…buy…mag…
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 pm
What’s the deal with Phil and Will (even their names rhyme… destiny?), throw a noob a bone?
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Who is this Will guy anyway.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 pm
(backs away slowly)
Please tell me Phil has a 13 year old daughter who sometimes ghost writes the blog.
Anyone? Please?
(backs away a little faster)
Aaaah!
(runs away quickly)
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
*Gives chase in zombie-like fashion*
June 24th, 2008 at 12:42 am
It’s Wesley “my tinkering with the warp drive won’t send us to the other side of the universe, really!” Crusher from ST: TNG.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:50 am
*excited gasp*
Phil,
Wil,
AND Adam West!
What could be better?
My inner geek just died with happiness.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:13 am
Page 14, and 28?
I’m amazed nobody has yet noted that 14+28=42.
Apparently the two of you together are the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Gaaaak! Zombies! *draws and pumps 12 gauge*
June 24th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Am I the only one here who hates the word “geek” with a passion? Here in the UK, I see it primarily as a derogatory and perjorative term that mainly gets used when insulting and/or belittling another individual.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:36 am
+1 for Adam We. He’s a wonderful Mayor
June 24th, 2008 at 1:37 am
@Ian Regan: I’m in the UK too, and I’ve always found the term to be a compliment.
Mind you, I actually AM a geek…
June 24th, 2008 at 2:07 am
You blurred “X-Files”. Shame on you!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:31 am
I should like to take exception to the term employed.
As I understand it, the word “geek” comes from the American carnival circuit of the 1920s, where it was used to refer to “entertainers” who would bite the heads from live chickens. Tastes having improved, the term has now been adapted – distorted – to refer to people who show an unhealthy interest in reading and writing.
If you think that this is some personal prejudice of my own, allow me to refer you to the late Professor Stephen Jay Gould, who surely needs no introduction.
In his collection of essays, “Bully for Brontosaurus”, he goes into some depth with regard to the hostility he encountered as a child, due to his intellectual interests – “…wonk, dweeb, geek – one item in that litany of cruelty is always current….. it hurt.”
Professor Gould adds that you should not judge, based on those individuals, such as himself, who go on to have successful, rewarding, careers, but the far larger number of others who have never reach their life’s ambitions, due to the “pressure of a profoundly anti-intellectual society ….. because some swaggering fellow called them “nerd” in the playground.”
Orwell’s “1984″ was intended to illustrate, amongst other things, the idea that, by controlling a person’s choice of words, you can go some way to controlling their thoughts, and, hence, their behaviour. In the same book, “Ignorance is Strength” is one of Big Brother’s slogans.
However, I understand that “1984″ was intended as a warning, and not, in fact, a guide.
“A word to the wise”, indeed.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Ah Mr Mike Torr,
I used to live in the UK and the term Geek is a not a nice word to use to describe someone.
I love Science and Astronomy, and i’m an former British Army trained “killist”……sir, you would not call me a Geek, if you met me!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I’d like to join those objecting to the use of “geek” (or nerd, same thing) to stereotype practically all scientists and engineers. And please don’t try to co-opt it on our behalf out of perverse pride. I see it more and more all the time – Newsweek had a ridiculous article about some attractive and smart female students at Tufts who are being called “The Nerd Girls” just because they are engineers. I can think of an analogy in race relations, adopting a derogatory term as your own, but I don’t think that’s what we want to do.
I’m a civil engineer, and definitely not cool, but I don’t think I’m a geek. I have two sons, one of whom is a rock musician and one a classical pianist. Is one of them cool and the other a geek? I don’t think so, and they don’t think so. Down with stereotypes.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:47 am
I didn’t realize you were into the numerology as well! Wow.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Or, speaking as a bisexual guy, you could take a tip from the GLBT community, and reclaim the word, and wear it proudly. Change the meaning, and not allow it to remain an insult. We reclaimed “queer” in the late ’80’s… if we can do that, those of us who are geeks and nerds should have no problem.
Besides, geeks and nerds rule the Earth now… where have you been?
June 24th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Wrong, Joe! Scientists and engineers may rule the Earth (actually I don’t think so) but they’re not all geeks and nerds!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:43 am
The word “Geek” hasn’t been used as a pejorative in popular culture in at least ten years. It got co-opted a looooooong time ago. Even as a kid, when all the “cool kids” were using to berate me and my friends, we called each other “geek.” It wasn’t so much something we were “proud” of. We were just aware of the fact that we were socially awkward and in to things that the majority of the population was not.
Now-a-days kids wear it as a badge of honor.
I actually don’t even self-identify as a geek anymore because I think it’s been played out. Plus, people have a tendency to define it as someone obsessed with a particular interest (especially esoteric or academic); like “comics geek,” “astronomy geek,” etc.
I prefer the term “nerd” for myself. Or even “dork.” I’m not particularly obsessed with a single interest. The closest I could come is “art geek” and that just sounds weird.
At any rate…
Wil is the photographer of the most popular item in my Flickr stream. I altered his photo of a tea garden to look like a miniature:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vertigo25/271083073/
He’s really a swell netizen (and if you remember and use that term, then you really are a geek!).
June 24th, 2008 at 8:45 am
BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF
June 24th, 2008 at 9:04 am
the end of the universe!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:26 am
For those of you who have a problem with the word geek, here’s some friendly advice: get over it.
Anyway, I read the article. I fear I come across in it as something of a jerk. I hope that’s just the way it read to me and not for everyone! I remember being pretty fired up that day during the interview, and being excited. Well, time will tell. If anyone reads it, please comment here, and be honest!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:31 am
@Utakata:
“I would include bad Astonomer as a 4th…but he’s not exactly a cultural phenomenom yet. And there’s no way to fit “A” into skeptic.”
Yeah, I’m going to have to disagree on both counts, just on principle.
-A
June 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am
here’s some friendly advice: get over it.
Man, I thought I was reading my own comment when I saw this, until I realized that when I say it, it contains a word not allowed on this blog.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
How have I never heard of Geek Magazine? I will be subscribing to that.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
As for the word “geek”, I just don’t like labels of any kind. It’s a stereotype, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter of some small subset has co-opted the word.
I enjoy and do many things that might make people think I’m “geeky” at that moment, but I have many other likes and interests that fall far outside the “geek” stereotype. I work out and exercise regularly, and am in pretty good shape. I’ve been known to watch sports. Does that make me a musclehead or a jock? I’m not socially awkward at all, and good at improvisational humor in social situations. So what label does that one get me? Maybe I shouldn’t ask.
And, honestly, the magazine looks a bit blah to me. Just an honest opinion. X Files? Adam West? Meh… Wheaton seems like a nice guy, but, I dunno. Hellboy 2? Maybe. The first one was OK, and I like Perlman’s work.
Maybe they can do a Star Trek Voyager and Seaquest retrospective next issue. Special guest interview with Veronica Cartwright!
Oh, what the heck. I’ll go get an issue, but I do get most of my news & information online, but there’s always a need for bathroom reading.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Like a lot of these things, the circles in which people move can be a huge factor. I happen to mix with people who see the term as, at worst, amusing, and at best, a compliment. Others’ mileages clearly vary. C’est la vie