geek: A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.
Nothing about superior intellect, just a focus on science/technical subjects. So an artist cannot be a geek, no matter how much effort they put in. Unless they fit: A person regarded as foolish, inept, or clumsy or A carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken. [Which does fit a fair number of artists if you've ever seen the entrants to London's main modern art show] [Perhaps alteration of dialectal geck, fool, from Low German gek, from Middle Low German.] I'd argue it's not so much what you say as what you mean. Geek/nerd seems to be used more as a label by those who would not call themselves geek/nerds than it does by those people who, according to the dictionary.com definition, should be called scientists. Fortunately I'm a mathematician, which is an art not a science :) [And a programmer, which is a craft not an engineering discipline]. Hen On Sun, 12 Jan 2003 Mledie at aol.com wrote: > But Harry, it's the paradox in them. I'd rather be called a dummy than an > Einstein. After all, there is hope in my being called dummy, but when I am > called I am an Einstein, then I know what those who call me that, think of my > brain capacity. And with geeks it is the other way around, they don't so much > want to flaunt their superior intelligence, so they call themselves geeks or > nerds or whatever, And while I surely would have come up with more creative > titles for the idiot's or dummy's guides, my self esteem or self assurance > is in no way affected by reading them, for some of them are quite good. It is > not so much what you say, but how you say it. "Der Ton macht die Musik. " > Marta > > > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will > | be January 28. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be January 28. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>.
