A Geek's Guide to Being Stuck in an Airport

For the past few weeks, I've been seriously looking forward to a little vacation out to California, specifically San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. I have been awake since 9:30AM on August 10, 2010. As I'm writing this, it is 5:30AM on August 11. Why am I up so early? My flight was supposed to leave at 5:10 this morning, but beacuse of fog, I'm stuck here until 9:30AM. So, what am I going to do? Write a blog post of course! And what better topic than what to do when you're stuck at the airport.

Airport Wifi

Obviously the most essential part of being a geek stuck in an airport is finding (and possibly paying for) a Wifi signal somewhere near by. I'm actually stuck in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which offers free Wifi for everyone. However, most major airports require payment for Wifi access, or multiple hotspots. 

Hulu, Netflix, etc.

Like I said, I'm here for 4 hours. That means I'm going to need a lot of time filler. Again, this may vary from airport to airport, depending on Wifi strength, but if strong enough, fire up Hulu or Netflix and catch up on the latest episode of your favourite show, or watch a movie. You'd be amazed how fast time flies when you're making your way through all 6 seasons of "Lost."

Email/Facebook/Organizing

You have a bunch of extra time. What better way to spend it than by getting something actually productive done? Go through your old email, deleting messages you'll never look at again. Go through Facebook, cleaning up your wall or comments on your best pictures. Reorganize the entire filesystem on your computer. The possibilities of organizing and being productive are absolutely endless.

Read a Book

Even with our endless access to technology these days, a book is still your best friend. Given, it doesn't necessarily have to be a paperback or a hardcover; many people have ebook readers now, including Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, and even Apple's iPad. Books can truly take you into an entirely different world, letting your imagination do the work.

As for me, I'm busying myself with this post, then I just might watch some old Futurama on Netflix. I can only hope that they get me out of here before I go insane.

Be Proud To Be A Geek

So what’s out there? What are the common stereotypes that get played with my fellow geeks and I? That we can’t speak to females romantically? That we only listen to classical music? That we are very very organized all the time? That we were bullied in high school? The list goes on and it has been growing for years. The way that geeks and nerds like me are portrayed in films and television and todays society in general does irritate me a bit, especially because not all of the stereotypes are true. Sure most of us are smart, I mean my IQ is 141. Sure we may not workout too much or do anything very physical, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be healthy and thriving.

Take me for example. I listen to classical music, don’t workout, I’m not very good with females romantically, my IQ is 141 and I am very organized. I may be the stereotypical “nerd”, but not everyone of us are like that. One of my best friends right now actually played football in high school, works out everyday and is such a huge nerd. We met in college. What is funny is that he would be friends with those jerks in high school who shoved me in lockers and gave me swirly’s and put me in the trash can. Yet, he is one of my best friends right now. I know a fellow geek who is obsessed with hip hop music and attempting to get with girls, yet he is in my computer science major at my college and has built two computers with me. It’s all relative. What I am trying to imply is that anyone can be a nerd and anyone can be smart. And these stereotypes us nerds and geeks get aren’t always true.

The stereotypes don’t end though, and neither does the ridicule. You get used to it though when you realize that you will be making money being smart and those jocks who beat you up in high school will be unemployed and maybe even homeless one day. Being smart pays off in the long run. Don’t waist your life trying to be “cool” and “in” with the popular guys because in the long run you will be the one with the money and love of a beautiful girlfriend and family, and they will be no where. I’m going into my 20’s very very soon, working at Apple in NYC, and doing very very well for my age because I am smart and worked hard. If there’s one piece of advice I try to give to people still in high school and middle school, it’s do very well in school while you still have the chance. You may get ridiculed in your school now, but in the long run it will all be worth it. Perspective is key. I know this may seem random but I felt the need to share with my fellow nerds, especially in a great community and social blog like this one. Geeks unite!

Twitter: Twitter.com/LordIntel

Happy Holidays!

Decorate Your Living Room With These Geeky Pillows!

Throwboy recently released a bunch of new pillows, a funky RSS pillow, and a collection of Chat pillows (LOL, WTF, n00b...)

If you would like to get YOUR hands on one of these amazing pillows, go to Throwboy's website and purchase one at throwboy.com

Geek Food For UK

This is a UK only one unfortunately. Probably not such a good idea for a blog composed mostly of people from the US, but here goes anyway.

Geek food. We all have to eat, and any company that combines the internet and food is automatically in my good books and is completely genius. Graze send snack boxes by first class post that are tasty and healthy and ludicrously cheap at just £2.99 a time. At the moment, they are doing something even better.....

Head over the graze.com to claim your first free box and your second half price, using the code I have included at the end of the video below. Even without the code, you can get your first box for a pound, and there are other various links scattered around the web with various promotions. They really want you to give it a try, so what you got to lose? Head over there today.

Enjoy!

-Adam