Comments on How to Become a Real Computer Geek

So you want to be a geek, but alas; you're a girl! Society foists upon us the idea that girls can't be geeks, but this is an error. Just look at me! It's 1:30 am, I'm surfing the web, chatting on MSN, contemplating strategy for NWN and counting down the days until Stargate's 10th season starts. Ladies, don't force yourself to fit within society's restrictive constraints. If you feel that you're a geek inside, go with it. Learn about computers! Get into the gaming! Throw out your Cosmo mags to make room for MacWorld, PC Gaming or other geek reads. Whatever you do, please do not try to force yourself into geekdom because it seems like the thing to do. It's sort of a fad these days, and real geeks can tell poseur geeks from a mile away.

Write your own operating system, preferably one that will run on less than a meg of RAM. When completed, develop applications to run on the operating system that replace Microsoft Office, Money, Encarta, etc. Last, but far from least, once your Operating System and software is complete, donate it all to Bill Gates to do with as he pleases.

This is completely and totally not a geek thing to do. Assuming that a geek has any idea what he/she is doing, they would understand that "most" cases are designed for increased airflow, which means that as soon as the side panel is removed it impedes the airflow causing the processor, RAM, video card, hard drive, and other components to begin heating rapidly, eventually potentially causing overheating and severe system errors. A better and more realistic option on this is to have a clear side panel, with internal lighting to see the components, and to have a water cooled system (either commercial or "hacked" together, if your going to make your own, do some reading, and make sure you do it right, because water and electricity do not mix well... I apologize for that little run-on) As for my real tip... do not, I repeat, do not type in all CAPS, or use "leet speak" (0f wh1(h 7h15 w0u1d b3 4n 3x4mp13 0f).

Computer geeks don't become computer geeks because one morning they wake up and set up this goal for them. They just like computers and find out things about it. Eventually, you will learn that the command-line interface is quicker in some cases (like when trying to find a phrase in a folder of 30 documents without knowing which document contains it), you will see that working at night is often more rewarding (more quiet, fewer things to disturb you). You may learn to appreciate some things, like the complexity of the rules in games like D&D and so on. Mindlessly imitating is lame enough not to bother most computer geeks. Oh yea. I forgot to point out that world's richest computer geek does use a GUI. In fact, he works for Microsoft and uses Windows. So you can forget that tip with using only keyboard. Use whatever suits you best, it's what most computer geeks do.

Computer geeks don't become computer geeks because one morning they wake up and set up this goal for them. They just like computers and find out things about it. Eventually, you will learn that the command-line interface is quicker in some cases (like when trying to find a phrase in a folder of 30 documents without knowing which document contains it), you will see that working at night is often more rewarding (more quiet, fewer things to disturb you). You may learn to appreciate some things, like the complexity of the rules in games like D&D and so on. Mindlessly imitating is lame enough not to bother most computer geeks. Oh yea. I forgot to point out that world's richest computer geek does use a GUI. In fact, he works for Microsoft and uses Windows. So you can forget that tip with using only keyboard. Use whatever suits you best, it's what most computer geeks do.

Don't use your mouse at all, just take it off and see how you can deal with your computer.

Don't use your mouse at all, just take it off and see how you can deal with your computer.

1. Don't use a Homer Simpson or any Disney character mouse mat. 2. Don't use any desktop wallpaper that came with Windows. 3. Don't call the wallpaper the screensaver. 4. Don't buy any novelty USB product e.g. coffee cup warmer. They are uncool and drain system resources. 5. Don't use floppy disks. Get a USB Flash Drive. 6. Call it a Flash Drive. Don't use one of the 300 unofficial nicknames.

1) Build your own PC. 2) Learn to create and customize different systems (as much as possible create generic applications so that it will be reusable and easy to sell) in different industries such as telco, manufacturing, banking, and by doing sidelines, research (through Internet, books, experiences). 3) Learn to make and configure network from LAN and up. 4) Teach what you learn. 5) Learn from others and operate on your own - one man team, so you could understand the process.

Build your own operating system for others to use. Something like Windows, but something that works all the time!

Try to configure the new hard drive as a primary controller on the IDE cable and the older one as the primary slave drive. The new drive can more easily detect the old drive than the opposite.