thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,417
|
Post by thyme4change on Aug 23, 2012 16:06:09 GMT -5
Trek, Wars, WoW - whatever.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:07:37 GMT -5
Still underestimating my geekery... file me under White Wolf, Magic the Gathering, and mIRC.
|
|
thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,417
|
Post by thyme4change on Aug 23, 2012 16:08:20 GMT -5
I don't know what any of that is.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:09:49 GMT -5
To the Google machines!!!
|
|
Chocolate Lover
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 15:54:19 GMT -5
Posts: 23,200
|
Post by Chocolate Lover on Aug 23, 2012 16:11:42 GMT -5
Holy crap, I actually "know" someone that knows how to play Magic the Gathering??? lol
ETA: disclaimer - I do NOT know how to play it. XH bought it ages ago and got confused by it and then pissed off at it.
|
|
thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,417
|
Post by thyme4change on Aug 23, 2012 16:14:15 GMT -5
Meh - that would show a level of interest.
|
|
hoops902
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:21:29 GMT -5
Posts: 11,978
|
Post by hoops902 on Aug 23, 2012 16:14:50 GMT -5
What the study did show was with age, men contributed more chromosomal mutations. So basically, older fathers end up with X-Men children. Oh doctor Xavier, you do get around.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:32:20 GMT -5
Oh, OK. I'll just explain them then.
White Wolf is a publishing company that produced a line of urban fantasy role playing games. Started in the very late 80s or early 90s. It's like Dungeons and Dragons, but instead of fantasy/magic type background in a medieval setting, White Wolf games used a modern day setting and vampires, werewolves, etc. that hide in plain sight. Kind of like Twilight with a lot less emo whining and more guns and ass kicking.
Magic the Gathering is a collectible card game. Well, it's actually the first collectible card game. It basically invented the genre. The players build decks out of the cards in their collection, then duel each other by summoning monsters, casting spells, tapping rare artifacts, etc., etc. The goal being to kill the other player. Very stereotypical fantasy themes. The genius was in getting a bunch of nerds to pay for rare pieces of cardboard that a company could print at will. And I do mean pay. I haven't really looked at card prices in a while, but I remember one single particularly rare card selling at auction for over $10k.
mIRC is an IRC (internet relay chat) client that was invented by some British guy as a grad school project. The m stands for my. IRC was like a precursor to instant messaging. It was, and still is as far as I know, available for free. Once you installed the client you could connect to a number of different servers, and then anyone could create a channel. It's basically just like a message board, but with no database behind it. There's no memory, no search function, just conversations in real time, and it had a lot more anonymity. You could also trade files with people so it was the perfect place to swap pirated software, illegally downloaded songs, and whatnot. The servers were completely unmoderated, and each chat room was only moderated by the person or people who created it, or the people they designated, so it was the perfect place for really fringe folks to find each other. I remember wandering into one room that was for people who had an erotic fetish with breakfast cereal. Stuff like that. Not that all the rooms were for weirdos or nefarious purposes. There was plenty of regular folks just talking too.
You're welcome.
|
|
thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,417
|
Post by thyme4change on Aug 23, 2012 16:36:00 GMT -5
oh crap - I fell asleep.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:38:59 GMT -5
How could you not be interested? When I was teenager those three things and sex comprised the four most awesome things ever invented. Although my interest in the first three kind of kept me from experiencing that fourth one.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:49:36 GMT -5
No, no, no. Drinking is gross. Skipping school is cool, but only as a means to get more time to play White Wolf or Magic with your friends, same with sneaking out and stealing the parents car. When you are stuck at home at least you have mIRC, and it took until I was about 18 to realize that you needed to stop hanging out with a bunch of dudes, or your computer, doing those things if you wanted to have any shot at that sex thing.
|
|
Miss Tequila
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 10:13:45 GMT -5
Posts: 20,602
|
Post by Miss Tequila on Aug 23, 2012 16:51:15 GMT -5
"Drinking is gross."
I'm not following...
|
|
hoops902
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:21:29 GMT -5
Posts: 11,978
|
Post by hoops902 on Aug 23, 2012 16:53:08 GMT -5
If I have a son, I either want him to be really REALLY like Dark, or not like Dark at all. I honestly can't figure out which way, but I know it's one extreme or the other.
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on Aug 23, 2012 16:54:05 GMT -5
Damn, is mIRC still around? I loved it in middle school because no one was on AIM yet. Oh no, does that make me a nerd? Maybe I'm a reformed one?
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 16:59:34 GMT -5
Yeah. It's still oddly popular too. I mean, less than it was obviously, but there are still quite a few people on DALnet.
|
|
Rocky Mtn Saver
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 9:40:57 GMT -5
Posts: 7,461
|
Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Aug 23, 2012 17:03:11 GMT -5
Good point. It's fucking Star Wars that causes Autism. Lucas you dirty bastard!!!! I knew it!
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 23, 2012 17:03:41 GMT -5
I hear ya. I still can't decide if I want my kids to be geeks through high school or not. They might not have much chance given their parents, but you know what I mean. On the one hand, nobody ever has pregnancies scares from a night of playing DnD. On the other hand, what if they never outgrow it?? I could end up with a grandkid named Aragorn, who actually speaks Elvish... or Dothraki.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,369
|
Post by Tiny on Aug 23, 2012 19:15:17 GMT -5
I hear ya. I still can't decide if I want my kids to be geeks through high school or not. They might not have much chance given their parents, but you know what I mean. On the one hand, nobody ever has pregnancies scares from a night of playing DnD. On the other hand, what if they never outgrow it?? I could end up with a grandkid named Aragorn, who actually speaks Elvish... or Dothraki. LOL! The married couples I play DnD (and some of those other games you mentioned as well as some you didn't) have reproduced and simply indoctrinated their kids into the 'gamer lifestyle'. Their kids all seem pretty normal (ie geeky normal) and seem to have normal names - they are smart and fun to be around. Then there's me with my commitment issues (I've known since childhood I did NOT want kids) and a couple of the other gamer geeks who have been/are married but not had kids or who haven't married (because they are really weird!) Strangely my gamer friends are all straight (or stick to that lifestyle). None of the GLBT friends/aquantances have the gamer background we all have and don't seem interested in it... Could just be our age group (grew up with the games in the late 70's early 80's). Or my circle of friends... It seems that gaming isn't something you hide these days - atleast amongst the HS/College age geeks I know - although there's still the stereotype of the dateless guys (and girls).
|
|
Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
|
Post by Phoenix84 on Aug 24, 2012 1:29:46 GMT -5
"This has been my opinion for a while now. I think creating the Autism Spectrum has allowed a lot more of the kids who may have just been considered quirky ten years ago to now fall on the spectrum and be classified autistic."
My opinion exactly. I'm not convinced there's a dramatic increase in things like autism or ADHD. We just recognize it now. In the olden days, people just thought so and so was strange or an overactive kid or scatterbrained or just weird.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: May 7, 2024 8:02:35 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2012 21:23:14 GMT -5
Being Socially Awkward is now a disability? I don't get it - how can that really be part of an autism spectrum?
|
|
doxieluvr
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 30, 2010 11:28:59 GMT -5
Posts: 5,458
|
Post by doxieluvr on Aug 26, 2012 7:20:39 GMT -5
Age of dad, nerdiness of parents, etc are all factors. Wait! Ym just found the cure for autism! Nerdy people need to stop having children!
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,866
|
Post by zibazinski on Aug 26, 2012 9:37:25 GMT -5
Young dads have just as many and probably more autistic children as old ones do. Probably more because they still have more children.
|
|
Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
Joined: Aug 15, 2011 15:39:24 GMT -5
Posts: 19,892
|
Post by Sum Dum Gai on Aug 26, 2012 16:49:49 GMT -5
Not on a per capita basis. Unless you have a study you'd like to link.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,866
|
Post by zibazinski on Aug 26, 2012 17:32:49 GMT -5
Nope, just observation as a teacher and having them in my family. In all cases the dads were young. Hugh hefners dick must shoot gold dust and his kids are fine. Just a luck of the draw.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: May 7, 2024 8:02:35 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2012 22:58:10 GMT -5
Its kind of like the fact that most down syndrome babies are born to women who are under 35... yes, older women have a higher individual chance of having a child who has downs, but many, many more women under 35 have babies...
I also think we are and have been diagnosing normal behavior for quite some time now... I'm not saying that some people don't have mental concerns, but in fact the over-proliferation of diagnosis, and definitions which seem to fit just about anyone at some time or another, in my opinion detract from those with real issues, rather than assist...
|
|