NEW YORK, April 30, 2009
Will "Geeks" Rule The World?
Garth Sundem, Author Of "Geek's Guide To World Domination," Explains Why Being A Geek is Chic
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Play CBS Video Video Geek To Be Chic Garth Sundem, author of "Geek's Guide To World Domination" discusses why geeks aren't nerds on "The Early Show."
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Garth Sundem, the author of "The Geeks' Guide to World Domination." (CBS/The Early Show)
A recent study reveals that even in this economy, it pays to be a geek - with starting salaries in engineering over $50,000.
That, at least, is according to self-proclaimed "geek" Garth Sundem, the author of "The Geeks' Guide to World Domination".
Sundem's book provides the secrets needed to function - again, or for the first time - as a geek, ranging from technology, society and science to culture.
The author shared some insight on the geek culture and why being a geek is chic now. He also cleared up the difference between a geek and a nerd.
"I think nerds are defined by what they can't do? They can't be social. Geeks are defined as being passionate about something. We care so much about something that it sort of pushes our ability to function socially, to the side. But you know, I know tech geeks, fantasy-football geeks. I know music geeks. You know, a geek cares about something."
"Is Steve Job the ultimate geek?" asked Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
"Bill Gates, go through the geek line-up," he said. "If you care enough about the news, maybe you're a news geek."
Sundem says "it's something that we have that we care so much about we can't help but bring it up in dinner conversation, like parasitic behaviors."
He demonstrated some "geek language" that can be used on the computer called "emotocons," that show emotion.
For example:
))))*>
= ^ _ ^ =
----<--{@
Although Sundem can't take the credit for the clever emotocons, he says "these are in the geek culture at large."
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