... and I'm OK with that

I'm not sure how to even define nerd, but I'm pretty sure I fit the bill. All my life, I've been socially awkward -- likable enough, but awkward -- and I've always had a passion for learning new things which seems, unfortunately, to be one of the hallmarks of nerdism in this day and age. Computers have fascinated me since 1975 when I, as a bit of a math prodigy, was privileged to make one spit out a picture of Snoopy on a dot-matrix printer. (Most people had never seen a computer in those days, let alone directed one to print something.) Star Trek and Star Wars are far more interesting to me than Star Magazine. Does that qualify me yet?

It's OK to be a nerd. In high school I wasn't too comfortable with it, but I made do. In college, it helped me meet lots of women who wanted to study with me, an activity that ended up getting me more play than partying ever did. In my professional life it hurt me when I was trying to fit in with the cool kids of corporate America, but it's been very good to me recently. Turns out, when people need things done they would rather hire a geek than hire someone who plays office politics skillfully.

So, yeah, I'm a nerd, and it's actually kind of cool. Welcome to my nerdy blog.