Recruiting and Category Proposals

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

Redneck Parrotheads — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:05:06 GMT

Is this category going anywhere?

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

checkmark — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:26:23 GMT

haggaeus:
Just noticed ENIAC in new WMs today :)

Featured

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

cache_test_dummies — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:33:12 GMT

Exactly!

And while my son and I were out waymarking, my wife and daughter could spend aaaaalll the time they wanted to at the Mall of America.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

TheBeanTeam — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:07:56 GMT

cache_test_dummies:

Cray Research is no longer Cray Research, and what they became is no longer in Eagan, Minnesota. But that location would make an excellent waymark

Especially with a little personal touch like the one you could put on it.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

cache_test_dummies — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:53:27 GMT

Great historic marker, haggaeus. Thanks for sharing that.

Back in 1995 (when Seymour Cray was still alive), I was lucky enough to be able to spend a couple of days doing some software consulting at the (then) headquarter campus of Cray Research in Eagan, Minnesota. On the second day, after lunch, one of the Cray employees that I had been working with took me down to see the large collection of operational Cray Supercomputers they kept running in a special area in one of the buildings. There must have been about two dozen Cray Supercomputers in that room - from some of the really old models to one of the new ones.

Seeing that was just about The Coolest Thing Ever.

Cray Research is no longer Cray Research, and what they became is no longer in Eagan, Minnesota. But that location would make an excellent waymark

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

haggaeus — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:34:48 GMT

Just noticed ENIAC in new WMs today :)

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

team farkle 7 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:58:26 GMT

TheBeanTeam:
the blue quasar:

Just catching up on some threads and saw this story... All I can say is WOW, with an I'm impressed tone. Very cool, thanks for sharing that. BQ

Bernd das Brot Team:
> ....In 1982, we got two desk-sized computers to work together (one at our school and one at a ship building institute five miles away) -with my bicycle, I carried punch-cards back and forth between the two.
Yes, the information super highway was first traveled by bike.

Great story.

It was also safe to hitchhike back then too...

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

TheBeanTeam — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:22:23 GMT

the blue quasar:
Just catching up on some threads and saw this story... All I can say is WOW, with an I'm impressed tone. Very cool, thanks for sharing that. BQ

Bernd das Brot Team:
> ....In 1982, we got two desk-sized computers to work together (one at our school and one at a ship building institute five miles away) -with my bicycle, I carried punch-cards back and forth between the two.

Yes, the information super highway was first traveled by bike.

Great story.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

the blue quasar — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:36:24 GMT

Bernd das Brot Team:
> we had one of the first computer networks in the world - long before Al Gore invented the internet. And as a young student at the East German Marine Academy, I was an integral part of it! In 1982, we got two desk-sized computers to work together (one at our school and one at a ship building institute five miles away) -with my bicycle, I carried punch-cards back and forth between the two.

Just catching up on some threads and saw this story... All I can say is WOW, with an I'm impressed tone.

Very cool, thanks for sharing that.

BQ

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

TheBeanTeam — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:18:33 GMT

Bernd das Brot Team invented the Internet?

Sounds good to me.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

Bernd das Brot Team — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:00:36 GMT

> Factories making VAX clones in Eastern Bloc?

Hey, I love the idea! And as far as the Eastern Block goes - we had one of the first computer networks in the world - long before Al Gore invented the internet. And as a young student at the East German Marine Academy, I was an integral part of it! In 1982, we got two desk-sized computers to work together (one at our school and one at a ship building institute five miles away) -with my bicycle, I carried punch-cards back and forth between the two.

Sounds crazy, but 16 years later, in my first job interview in America, this story got me a job as data base administrator :-)

I wouldn't try to define "Geek" and I don't think we have to. Let people decide for themselves. In the "Scenic Hikes" and "Scenic Lookouts" categories, we also don't have a definition of "scenic."

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

haggaeus — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:25:21 GMT

Not global :)
Not that I would care much - I don't have a problem with architecture styles or history markers limited to one continent. Wondering if local geek/computer history locations would apply?
First installations of URAL2 computers around Czechoslovakia?
Factories making VAX clones in Eastern Bloc?
First Slovak FidoNet node?

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

GEO*TRAILBLAZER 1 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:39:14 GMT

Geek is actually a very old word. It is a variant of geck, a term of Low German/Dutch origin that dates in English to 1511. It means a fool, simpleton, or dupe. Geck is even used by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night.
"Why haue you suffer'd me to be imprison'd. And made the most notorious gecke and gull That ere inuention plaid on?"

The geek spelling is an American variation, even though Shakespeare uses the spelling geeke in Cymbeline V.iv., but this is probably just a misspelling. Geek first appears (outside the single Shakespearean usage) in 1876 America. American usage adds the connotation of offensive or undesirable to the original foolish and stupid sense. The Carnival sideshow sense appears in 1928.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

jeremy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:51:37 GMT

Here's the inspiration for the category. He chose Dot Com Tourist Spots which may even be better, though I do like Breakthroughs of the Information Age. Where Bill Gates used to eat burgers doesn't really fit in the category but I can live with that.

Re: Cat Proposal: Geek History?

team farkle 7 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:03:47 GMT

opinionate:
You guys are scaring me a little now,

CRAP! Just a little?