Save the Robot – Chris Dahlen

Geeks are everywhere nowadays. … Or are they?

SIGNS THAT GEEK STUFF IS BLOWING UP

- Everyone knows what a Wii is; Nintendo suddenly mainstream again
- Niche, arch humor now huge thanks to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
- The Office is everywhere, shy, geek-ideal Jenna Fischer taking off clothes in all possible venues
- Sci-fi and comic book movies some of the only blockbusters left now that serious adult dramas are pfft
- Actually, even comic books are sort of tolerated, and not just Chris Ware’s
- “Geek” used affectionately to describe anything people obsess over, like knitting, meaning that the act of obsessing over something is validated and Star Trek fans can come out of the closet
- There’s even a Geek Magazine, informally described as “Maxim for geeks”

SIGNS THAT EH, MAYBE NOT

- Gaming still a little embarrassing for “non-gamers”; widely-acclaimed Gears of War not exactly on an artistic plane with The Godfather
- The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are huge – for Comedy Central, and among people who know who Neil Cavudo is (did I spell that right?)
- NBC’s Thursday night slot, which is full of those “smart” comedies that you can’t believe made it onto Thursday night, is bringing the lowest ratings for that night in decades; maybe Rainn Wilson should start taking it off too
- Movies suck
- Comic books still just a step above pornography (to paraphrase Chris Ware)
- “Geek” still a term for unnatural obsessions that need to be excused in mixed company, like knitting
- Maxim already was for geeks.