Happy Geek Pride/Towel/etc. Day!
Editor's note: A few years ago, the nerds at CNN.com had to explain to our coworkers what Towel Day was. We helped clear things up on CNN's long-defunct SciTech blog. In commemoration of today, we're bringing back our very informative post. We like to think of it as a "collector's edition."
Romulans, puppeteers, hobbits - lend me your ears! Today, we geeks can gather today and celebrate all that makes us unique.
Worldwide, May 25 is known as Geek Pride Day, Towel Day (for "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" fans like our own No. 42 above) and Glorious 25th of May, for Discworld fans.
Although Geek Pride Day is a relatively new holiday; founded in Spain in 2006, the Inalienable Rights of Geekdom (at least as we see them) that it celebrates are not:
1. The right to strive to be even geekier.
2. The right to not leave your house when there's plenty to entertain you there.
3. The right to not like football or any other sport.
4. The right to freely associate with other nerds.
5. The right to have a few select (inevitably awesome) friends.
6. The right to have a ton of friends - each geekier than the last.
7. The right to not be “in-style.”
8. The right to be overweight/underweight/have poor eyesight and the like.
9. The right to show off your geekiness at all times.
10. The right to take over the world.
Not all geeks will agree with or adhere to all - or in some cases even most - of these rules. Everybody geeks out in their own way; that's the beauty of it.
But we can all agree that being a geek can be a good thing. Why is that?
Well, let’s take a look at a couple of the great things about being a geek:
1. We can always find a game to play no matter what. We are like the MacGyver of games. Give us a pen and paper and we’ll entertain ourselves and others.
2. We look good in glasses. Seriously, we do.
3. We are clever. Who was the one who everyone turned to on "Lost?" The doctor.
4. Speaking of doctors, we have Doctor Who. He’s smart, funny, has a time machine and is one of the biggest geeks in the universe.
5. We can balance a checkbook. Whether we use a computer program, our raw brain power or a good old-fashioned abacus, we will not be overdrawn.
Geek Pride Day is all about looking at the best parts of being a geek, so grab your towel, stick out your thumb and tell us what your plans are - or what you've already done - for Geek Pride Day.
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Geek Out! 1.0
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May 25th was geek pride day! I spent the day making Excel spreadsheets of my workouts with mathematical formulas to figure out what weight I should use on what exercise. I also read a comic book and discussed it with the people around while they gave me odd and confused looks because they couldn’t comprehend what I was talking about and were bewildered on why a grown man was still reading comic books. Yes I grew up a jock and I am bigger than the average man and look at myself as a hardass but still a romantic, but I have a soft spot for the fellow geek. If the characters of the show The Big Bang Theory were real, they would definitely be my friends, while I would protect them from their mortal enemies...meanies, doo doo heads, bullies and just plain jerks. Though the majority of the conversations I would encounter with them I would not be able to follow since I am not on their intellectual level, I feel that I would be a vital addition to their crew. Power to the geeks and live long a prosper.
Growing up in Detroit as a black kid, the last thing you want to be identified as is a "geek", because those kids (and later, adults) will come after you HARD. I learned from a young age to hide my geekiness, and to this day is not something I like to admit to when first meeting a person (especially women). I don't look like the typical geek or gamer, so I use that to my advantage to see how people really feel about World of Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons before I just let it all out.
I'm surprised there is a Geek Pride day. Do people really get swept up in the emotion of being able to tell others they like to roll dice? I never knew that was a flag that needed to be flown.
Jynnan Tonnyx Jello shots, served in a lemon wedge, like a large gold brick.
I celebrated with ouisghian zodahs and jynnan tonnyx with a bunch of froods! thanks for the hitchhiker references!
too bad i noticed this article 3 days too late...bummer
I displayed my Geekdom at Animazement this weekend. Good show of geeks, and loved it!
My question would be: do any of you geeks have an inside line to the people in charge of CNN's blogs?
If so, could you please get them to fix these blogs? They are buggy and don't work good. thx.
Now there is a holiday I can get behind...I like that you specifially mentioned Puppeteers in there btw