GIP, and other Geeky stuff:

[capri0mni]

I made this icon, the other day, inspired by a comment from trouble, talking about writing her thesis. I used it, in the wee hours of the morning, in a response to the latest xkcd comic (Rss feed), and someone said they wanted it, so I gave permission to snag it.

I'm rather proud of that.

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I found this meme via linda_joyce

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

(Quote)
You are a d100: You're a bit odd, to put it mildly. We're not sure whether you're socially inept, brain damaged, or just trying to be funny. We've given up on trying to figure it out, and have to accept that it might be all three. For you, non-sequitur are the most common form of non-communication. You are given to great flashes brilliance, but don't have the attention span to carry out any of your most ingenious plans. We don't know what color the sky is in your world, and frankly, we're afraid to ask.
(unquote)

I think part of the randomness they picked up on is due to the fact that I don't actually have any experience with role playing games, and don't have any interest in gaining any. But, as a check for my personality, I answered each question in terms of the point of view characters I like to write into my stories, and the kind of stories I like to write (and I don't want to write the same story over and over).

But I think it's an accurate result, anyway, because my first reaction when I saw it was: "YAY! I passed!"

Also: any people who react to those they don't understand with: "You must be brain damaged." are horribly ableist, judgemental and condescending, and if they're setting down the rules for acceptible social behavior, then being "Socially inept," in their eyes is a great compliment.

And also: I hate the insult: "What color is the sky, in your world?" Anyone who's actually looked at the sky in the real world knows that the color keeps changing. What time of day is it? What's the weather like? Where in the sky are you looking? And so forth. Yes, I know it's just a saying. But it's a saying that works on the presumption that there is only one correct way to interpret the real world. And that the real world is a static thing. Neither are true.

A favorite quote of my mother's: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is not king -- he's crazy."

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Speaking of geek memes -- the one I snagged from snowgrouse the other day finished with the ticky-box set "I can think of things to include on this test," or something similarly worded. And the meme writer included five ticky boxes for ticking. I clicked all five, mostly out of pique at its horribly math-and-tech centrism, and short-shifting all the Humanities geeks out here.

Then, I have myself the challenge of actually coming up with five new questions to add to a geek test, all indicators of Humanities-centric geekery.

1. You can name all the plays written by Shakespeare
   
   • In chronological order
     
   • And have a favorite quote from each one
     
   • You have to ask whether that list includes the plays he wrote in collaboration
     
   • and ask about his collaborators by name.
   
   
   
2. You can map out the Great Vowel Shift
   
   
3. You've criticized a movie/book/television show for its cultural subtext, and privilege issues
   
   • in your blog
     
   • with friends around the lunch table
     
   • these conversations have lasted < 1 hour
   
   
   
4. You like to read Chaucer*
   
   • In the orginal Middle English.
     
   • Aloud
     
   • You've quoted Chaucer to your friends
     
   • In the original Middle English
     
   • As the punchline to a joke.
     
   • You know pieces by Chaucer that are not "The Canterbury Tales."
   
   
   
5. You've ever played the "Fantasy Dinner Party" game.
   
   • Most of the people on your guest lists are philosophers, writers, or artists
     
   • From over 100 years ago

*There was not a single Chaucer question in the entire quiz, btw.