What's a Geek?

Because I wrote a book with "geek" in the title, people ask me all the time, "What is a geek? What is a nerd?" I'd like to be some sort of expert on the subject, really, but I've always had a hard time coming up with an answer; I've always felt the you either grok it, or you don't.

WWdN:iX reader Kim pointed me to the following definition from the über-hawesome encyclopaedia dramatica:

Geeks are nerds that almost get along and function non-awkwardly in real life. Geeks can't help but associate with nerds because of common interests but often appear embarassed by the behavior of their nerd counterpart. The truth is that they are ashamed of their own nerdiness and try to hide it from their real-life friends. In short, geeks are nerds who have a semi-social life.

It's imperfect, but I grok what the author is going for: geeks are essentially nerds with social skills, so they hide their geekiness well. The problem with that, for me, anyway, is that I'm not ashamed of my geekiness at all. In fact, I wear it proudly and geek out whenever I get the chance. OHMIGOD! Does that mean I'm actually a nerd who thought he was a geek?! Wait. Maybe not. Maybe that makes me some sort of Alpha-geek. That could be kind of cool.

Oh! Could I be the dreaded übergeek? Only the Grue who eats me will know for sure.

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