Monkinetic Weblog

On Being A Geek

Per Rob O.'s recomendation, I ordered Jon Katz' book "Geeks" (From Barnes and Noble) and started reading it tonight. My wife just finished "Microserfs" , by Douglas Coupland, and loved it. She's already started again. Why mention Microserfs? Because like "Geeks", "Microserfs" deals with what makes me tick.

I loved "Microserfs". Douglas Coupland's writing is personal, funny, ironic, and touching, all without going completely overboard. As a longtime nerd many things in Coupland's book touched a nerve in me.

Katz' "Geeks" is turning out to be a whole different experience. "Geeks" takes the clean-LEGO world of "Microserfs" and rubs off the shine, exposing the pain and isolation of not fitting in, as well as the triumph of being indispensible to a new world of communication. Coupland's "Microserfs" is a novel, "Geeks" is simultaneously an expose and a manifesto, part reality-based television and part Declaration of Independence.

I've only gotten through the first two chapters in "Geeks". I think I'll have more to say later, but for now,

Ciao

--Steve

Well, on my machine, http://www.redmonk.net/ points to this site. Woohoo! Thanks to Macrobyte and Network Solutions.

DW, re: Manila: "We use the tools, we're sick of how awful we are, but we also know that they're the best that are available anywhere. What a conundrum."

Major Kudos go out to Seth Dillingham and Macrobyte Resources, makers of fine content management systems and groupware for the web gourmet.

image for site

My name is Steve Ivy, and I run redmonk.net. I'm a web developer by trade, formerly of U-Haul, Compass Technology Management, CBN, and ArtLab Europe. My unofficial title could be web architect, designer, and Conversant/XML/R.E.M. evangelist.

I've spread the template around the site a bit... Now I'm squashing GUI bugs and finding the remnants of old tempalte lying around.

is coming along well. Conversant's style sheet editor is great. The form interface takes a lot ofthe guesswork out of "what do I put where?"

This is a test page. This is test content.

Doc Searls has an article on Jabber, an XML-based chat client and server, in the Sept. Linux Journal. Looks like good, technical reading.

This is great. I want a copy of that chart.

MacFixit, resource extraordinaire for Mac in trouble, has started a Mac OSX page. Here's to all you black belts out there: Welcome to the future, and don't give up!

I love seeing what others are doing on the web. At the main Free-Conversant site, MacroByte has a list of other sites that are using Conversant. Check 'em out! You may learn something too!

Anyone doing Java development and need a good resource on OO design? Try this PDF. Trust me.

sorry about the mess. i was editting temapltes when i broke them. still trying to fix it.

Resetting Templates.

From Apple's OSX Public Beta - Extreme Internet page:

mmmm, feeling good.

I'm home from the dentist, one incisor's nerve poorer, and just took my first dose of Vicodin. If you've ever been on Vicodin, you'll know that I'm expecting to lose interest in typing soon, so I'm going to post while I can.

Hi- if you want to see me at work, check out my webcam. See ya round the 'net!