Early Evidence That You Were A Nerd

[Ulva]

Rhaven wrote:

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Knowing all the names of the constilations visible in the night sky at the age of 6.

This. My dad dragged me outside with a telescope and got me interested in what was out there. I dreamed of becoming an astronaut - until it was discovered that I needed glasses. All I could think of at the optician was how my future carreer were in tatters.

[thestrangequark]

My mom likes the tell the story of when I was 5 years old and asked her why, if we were capable of cloning, we couldn't have Star Trek style replicators. I think that was probably a pretty solid early sign of the nerdiness to come. Earlier than that maybe it was my obsession with bridges -- when I was two I was practically inseparable from a little black and white book of bridge blueprints I'd gotten for my second birthday. I am still quite fond of them, especially suspension bridges:

Ain't she just beautiful?!

[Emher]

Gotta agree, that's a nice looking bridge there. You must be on cloud nine walking over the bridges in NY then, huh?

[thestrangequark]

^It's why I do it every day! I don't know why I'm so obsessed with them. I've had the same weird fondness for dirigibles since childhood too...

[1001001]

I'm not a nerd.

[Emher]

I'm fascinated by buildings in general. I've gotten to see some interesting old building techniques in my job, but mostly I find the big projects the most interesting. Empire State Building is a given. I guess I'm facnitaed both by the thought it goes into making both the structure and the technology to make it possible to build it.

Like for example, I saw a documentary the other year about the World Trade Center, and a big part of that was what made that structure unique. That the characteristic outer beams is what held it up. Something that led to it's ultimate downfall unfortunately.

Also an extention is this are cathedrals. I don't admire what they stand for in their connection to religion, but as works of engineering they are fascinating. My favorite in Sweden is Uppsala New Judge-Church, built originally in the 1500s, but restored in the 1800s. It is exactly 118m meters tall and long. And a fantastic building. Just awe inspiring.

[thestrangequark]

^Have you ever read The Pillars of the Earth? If you're interested in cathedrals you'd probably really enjoy it!

[Emher]

I have not, I must add it to my list!

Also regarding cathedrals, I must go to Paris and Notre Dame at some point. Seems so awesome.

[Mr. Adventure]

It's funny looking back there were tons on signs but I can't remember when it really hit me that I was different. Probably around 13 I started not to fit in well and started feeling really shy and awkward. Around 10 I put on a lot of weight (despite being pretty active) that never left which certainly helped to exacerbate everything.

As to early signs, I watched all the superheroes and science fiction of the day. People talk about all the superhero movies these days but I had live action Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, Hulk, Shazam and Isis, Six Million Dollar Man (and his Woman). Had Star Trek, Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Land of the Lost and Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers. Not to mention King Kong, Dracula, Godzilla and more. I can remember drooling over 4K computers in the back of Radio Shack catalogs and my second-grade teacher inviting me to play some artillery game on a TRS-80. And all this before I was 8.

[thestrangequark]

Emher wrote:

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I have not, I must add it to my list!

Also regarding cathedrals, I must go to Paris and Notre Dame at some point. Seems so awesome.

It's very good. A nice, meaty bit of period fiction about politics and religion and daily life a thousand years ago, but throughout are detailed explanations and analyses of how cathedrals were built, how the styles evolved and spread from nation to nation, the technical aspects as well as the cultural. Plus, there is a great yet subtle twist at the end -- not a twist of plot so much as a twist of morality, where you get to literally the last sentence and think, "Fuck me! How'd he get me to think that this whole time?!"

[Emher]

Sounds excellent! It's the one by Ken Follett, right? Think I found it on my usual online book shop.

[thestrangequark]

^Yep! It was one that I first read at an inappropriately young age (like Kestra reading through her house), because both my parents really enjoyed it, so we had two copies lying around. I reread it again a couple years ago, though, and enjoyed it a lot now that I am old enough to understand it!

[Emher]

Well I read Jurassic Park which had disembowelment and stuff at age nine

Anyway, ordered it now! Is it healthy that I giggled when I saw that it was 900+ pages?


Also, am I a deeply disturbed man for preferring paperback versions of books? It just sort of started with me buying Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan books in paperback back in the day and it just sort of kept going.

[Gaseous Anomaly]

I guess it was 4th grade when I wanted a chemistry set for Christmas, I was just thinking it would be cool to blow stuff up. I still blow stuff up, but now the booms are much larger and cost more money.

[thestrangequark]

^I think my worst underage reading incident was when I was 11 and read half of Naked Lunch. I got to a scene where someone was injecting herion through a wound in their leg and was like, wait, I'm eleven...I think I'll put this down and rearrange my stuffed animals instead...