Me Talk Nerdy One Day

Out and about this Sunday, listening to They Might Be Giants, “Science is Real,” I made some comment to Scott about the lyrics and had what I’ve come to think of as a Resident Nerd moment. Like Resident Alien, only pertaining to things like TMBG lyrics and puns off the names of famous mathematicians. I’m not a science nerd and I’d never pass for one, but in the years I’ve been with Scott, I’ve picked up some of the lingua franca and it makes me feel kind of pretend-cool. Nerd cool.

You may want examples, if you are yourself a nerd and like to situate all things with proofs. And if you are not, these are useful terms for everyone to know and bandy about. I accept your gracious thanks in advance.

Power-Cycle. Means to turn something off, then on again. You can use this expression when talking to Tech Support people, to establish credibility and reassure them you are not one of those dopes whose device is not working due to its Turned-Off-ness. No-ho! You have already power-cycled that sucker, and it ISN’T working.

Pop the stack. This is not just technical jargon, it’s like speaking Nerd Jive. A stack is a programming term that refers to a stack of code or something that all goes in a certain order, kind of like a conversation goes in a logical order. To “pop the stack” means to jump back in conversation to something you were talking about previously. Which you have to do all the time, of course, and now you have a name for it! If you do this a lot but do not say (or recognize) that you are “popping the stack” it’s just called Asperger’s Syndrome.

Frob. This is such a useful verb that if you aren’t using it already, you must begin immediately. It means to twiddle or fiddle or jigger with something, and it’s an actual word derived from the more formal frobnosticate. Look it up, geeks-- I’m serious.

Slash.dot. I can’t claim that I’m a regular reader, but I know what it is, and I sometimes read it. If you tell a nerd that you came across some piece of information on slash.dot, it’s as good as flashing a police badge at a crime scene-- gets you right in. Same as “power cycle” with the help desk. Check it out.

These terms are not just my coquettish ways of getting Scott’s attention, although they do have that affect too. I actually find them helpful in real life. And once in a while I come up with my own nerdisms, like when I compared the heat of my annoyance with someone to that of “a collapsing sun” and Scott fell into a swoon.

“That’s nerd talk,” he said, all breathless and flushed.

I try.