A different sort of nerd

The angry white male political nerd, aka, Wingnuts, Teabaggers, Birchers, Freepers, fascist tools. They don't take as many selfies as the young MLP nerds, but then, give them a break - they're all old.

And angry. And easily parted with their scant dollars - yes, you too can join the "President's Enemy List" with a 25$ gift to Freerepublic.com. Freepathon is happening, folks, and without 100K per quarter, Obama and the Demoncrats win.

And often fat, like most nerds. Here's a "patriot" screaming at traitors during one of Johnny Mac's straight shootin' town halls. Just waking up the sheeple.

I'm Out (Abysses)

Fred was right. You fight monsters long enough, you become a monster. Or in this case, you search down nerd pics long enough...

Then a nerd you become. And I don't want to be a 21st century nerd. So I'm off this topic, dropping this

Dome arigato, ninjakutu roboto.

Class of 14 rules!

Worse still

Bronies.

"Grown" "men" who define themselves via the relaunched "My Little Pony" cartoon. A cartoon intended for little girls.

Why? No one knows.

 But rest assured, it's disturbing.

For even more (mildly) disturbing Bronies that would not be considered "Work Safe", click below. If you dare.

A New Kind of Love

These are the men of the future. Consider the men of the past. Think of a boy born in 1900, who grew up into a world of radio then TV. Think of how different he'd be than this young man above, born in the Internet. All the rules are changing.

Without foundation in this new world, we drift, assuming new personas, at least for a while. And some more passionately than others.

The Internet has opened a Pandora's Box, and it won't be easily shut. It could be shut though - a good sized solar flare would fry modern technology, and we'd revert to the year 1900 quickly enough, for a decade or more. But the Internet would return, inevitably.

My advice for this new world? Be flexible of mind and body.

My Dear Waifu

So, here we are: Waifus. I learned about them recently! They are the pillow wives of anime fans, from what I can gather. Go ahead and look it up, if you dare. There's whole sites, and words, and sadness. Look at these chaps, "coming out" with their waifus at school!

These people are "real", by the way, in that they feel - and express! - some sort of strange devotion to their pillow... girls. Wives. Whatever! At least the majority of these guys will not breed.

Or will they?!

So Bright

Summer selfie, maxxing and relaxing at the beach.

Brighter still - self expression in all the colors of the rainbow!

Bright as the sun - the future requires shades.

But a Taste of the Terror

I'm not sure what's going on here, really, but I present it as Exhibit A, The Kids These Days.

Cyber ready with their smart phones and internet cliques and energy drinks.

But of course this is the tip of the iceburgh, as the Tubes allow for all manner of expression (slightly NSFW):

Brace Yourself

Fair (and legal!) warning: It's gonna get much worse. By reading this, you waive all damage claims against Redshirt LTD.  Esq.

A taste of the terrors to come:

The Making of You (No Escape)

The urge to share, to record, to transmit your meaning to others is a powerful part of being human - we're social animals to the extreme, and technology has allowed us to be social in ways never seen before.

Look at this high tech stuff! All replaced of course in the glorious 21st century by

The smart phone, which is truly a wonder. And a horror, for so many reasons - the Selfie high among them.

So don't worry about privacy anymore - not only will the streets and skies and oceans be filled with cameras, but we'll be recording ourselves and others all the time, uploading it onto a cyberspace that will always be fully monitored by governments and corporations.

You have nothing to fear, of course, if you have nothing to hide. Unlike this poor cat.

Never Forget IX - Cyber 9 Edition!

One's dedication to an ideal can be measured by the amount of flair one is prepared to engage. How much flair do you wear?

You can tell they love America by the masks. And guns.

No one ever thinks they are evil, right? It's always the Other guy.

Ink on face

America, the mug shot. God bless these United States!

I also posit face tattoos are the last taboo to be broken when it comes to ink on skin - which, remarkably, in the last 20 years, has gone from verboten for polite society to something even Mom does (butterfly on the ankle). What happened? Oh yeah... Republicans.

This is actually the Jester look from yore. Fetching! Also, king me.

Totally expressing his individuality. Do you doubt it? He's an individual!

Not as individual as this guy though - complete individual. Appears to have his third eye open too, which is so cool. Could also hang many notes and mementos from his face.

Seriously, what would drive someone to do such things? Let me answer my own question: Falling in with a crowd that thinks facial art is cool, and a person without a firm sense of self.

And what of it? It's a big world, and is made fuller by people pushing boundaries. Also too - what are you looking at?

Floating Boats

The (in)famous pregnant man. I say go for it Brother - I am firmly in the "Float Your Boat" school, as long as your boat isn't bombing someone else's. It is 2011 for crying out loud (COL)!

Escape from your self

As always, click for big. It's glorious - all the colors of Trek nerds you could imagine. Look at the Boy Borg in the upper right.

When we dress up in costumes, we leave our normal world behind. This is a literal, physical feeling, one you can sense even when dressing up for a dinner at the Chez Fancy or going to one of them there Broadway shows. Different costumes for different events, as you fit the new mold of who you are supposed to be, then, and there. Going to a sporting event, for instance, requires a different costume than one for the opera, and it will make you feel like a different person. Perhaps.

If you agree so far, than, ask yourself this: What does this say about us? That we - the individuals we think of as "us", or, "I" - are actually largely constructed from the clothes we wear, and the circumstances we normally find ourselves. How could you argue for a permanent "you" if "you" can change simply by wearing a different costume? 


I would argue we, knowingly or not, use this dynamic as a social and personal release valve. Halloween, for another example, allows you to confront the darker side of life, in a fun and socially accepted way. You delve into it, knowing you'll be right out. You get to take a break from your own life, escape from your self, and perhaps see the world with new eyes.


It's like a battery recharge, and the more often you can break out of the mundane, the more fresh you'll be. This is the point of many of our costumed rituals.


So, live long and prosper, Star Trek (and all affiliated) nerds. Enjoy the liberation which is the release of self. 


This is the near ultimate aim of Buddhism, by the way: Letting go of the ego, understanding what it really is in the process: An illusion. A costume. A mask.

Also, too: I was on this same not London Bridge back in the banner year of 2004:

Hobbies are Habits

We are mostly creatures of habit, especially as we get older. Routines settle over the years, ways of thinking, ways of feeling, ways of acting in specific situations. This can form a huge rut that is difficult to dig out of. Or, one can "keep it fresh", and trod new ground, new sights, new sounds, and I posit this is the difference between being "young" or "old". Note! You can be old while young - old in mind, old in outlook - or young while old, or some mixture of both (of course). It's all a matter of your perspective.

Habits are the way we form our minds - we are mostly creatures of habits. We have some say in the deal, but it takes effort, will, constant application of energy, and it's oh so tempting and easy to give up, let go, settle down nearer the LCD.  Why not, right? But this is the secret of a good life, right here, so listen up!

We are our habits. Make them good, and you can reasonably expect a good life (there's always bad luck and loss and disappointment, but what are you going to do?); make them bad, make them lazy, self destructive, self defeatist, self denying, then, well, it seems equally reasonable to expect negative results. Thus, you are the author of your life, so write if you want to write, or let it be written for you.


A hobby is a habit, by definition. It requires attention, positive repetition (if you enjoy your hobby) and a focus on concepts out of your normal day-to-day. If your hobby is good, therefore, you can expect an equally good return for your time, not just enjoyment in the moment, but in the quality of your life. 


Are there any bad hobbies? If these guys above have wives, or girlfriends, or Mothers paying the bills, think they think this is a good hobby?


Also too: Check out the etymology of the word "hobby".

The Morning After

Alas! What was shiny and bright in the night has turned to discarded trash in the day. But I still love you, Chairry (though to be honest I was more of a Magic Screen man myself).


I'm serious too - are you familiar with your different "Day" and "Night" selves? Or am I crazy? Or, all of the above?

All Kinds

This fine looking gentleman was arrested attempting to kill someone in his Windstar. Sad. Obviously, he's got self-identity issues - as we all do, I suspect, since none of us are actually real, it only makes sense this would be a common psychological condition.

But horns? C'mon man. Stick with the weird piercings and tats.


Kids! Don't get horns. Or at least think about what you'll look like at age 65 with some floppy horns hanging over your wrinkled forehead.