This can make geeks appear strange to much of society, often making them the target of mockery and even ridicule.

However, in the last few years, the term “geek” as well as the people that proudly call themselves geeks have enjoyed a surge in popularity and social acceptance. More than ever, intelligence is valued over traditional forms of popularity, especially in adolescents. For instance, it is just as common to see geeks interacting with members of the opposite sex as sports jocks today, whereas just a few years ago they were a much more isolated group.

This rise in popularity of geeks can be attributed to a few causes. The first, and perhaps most relevant, is the rise in popularity of the World Wide Web. The Web has caused the average person to have less of a fear concerning computers and technology then they did just a few years ago. This has, in turn, allowed the average person to become more familiar with the world in which technologically-adept geeks thrive. Since many IT professionals that work in the corporate environment are self-proclaimed geeks, their abundance in numbers has shifted the perception of geeks from that of non-conforming outsiders to that of any other person with acceptable idiosyncrasies.

Another contribution to the popularity of geeks is the fashion world’s acceptance and promotion of “geek chic.” More than ever before, fashion designers are spinning the traditional look of what the common perception of how a geek dresses into designs that are just as at home on the runway as they are in a computer lab. Additionally, the popularity of portable devices such as mp3 players, laptop computers, and mobile phones has caused fashion designers to accessorize these otherwise geeky tools into their ensembles.

The more that our society becomes reliant on technology and science, the higher percentage of geeks there will be among the population. Geeks’ devotion to learning, knowledge, and academia has always ensured that many of them enjoy higher stations in life as a result of their accomplishments. Now, more than ever, is a great time to enjoy being known as a geek.

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by Jamie Carruthers, author of the Geek Test and other fun personality tests
Author: Jamie Carruthers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Are you shopping for geek gifts for a geek friend? Is your geek friend into technology and gadgets? Getting the perfect gifts for him can be very frustrating because, most often than not, the things that bring a smile into his face cannot be normally found in malls or your local gift store. Though finding an amazing gift for your geek buddy can be quite a challenge, it does not have to be a chore. To find the perfect gift, begin by thinking about what type of a geek your friend is and what he is interested in. Is he the James Bond-type, or much more like the mathematician-type of geek? Or maybe he is a survivalist-type of geek?

If you have a James Bond-type of a geek friend, for instance, spy on your geek gifts recipient and check to see if he has been hiding his embarrassment for his quite-obsolete cell phone or is secretly drooling at the sight of his rich friends’ smart cell phones; perhaps it is time that you should buy him one of those hot, new smart phones! He would love to see himself as the next James Bond guy and a unique, rugged- or retro-looking wristwatch will surely complete his high-tech gadgets.

Your Sherlock Holmes-type geek of a friend would greatly appreciate inexpensive, security-type toy gadgets such as laser trip wires or motion-activated gizmos. These toys are used by geeks who love to wire them around their house or near their bedroom, to let them know if someone is approaching or not! Other geek toys that Sherlock Holmes types would love to have are inexpensive book vault safes, hidden wall or outlet safes, cheap listening device kits, various kinds of intruder alarms like Google Spy Science, water-soluble security papers that are useful for sending secret messages, and a variety of USB locks.

By the way, have you heard of the product called Survival Kit in a Sardine Can and other similar products? Now those are perfect for your true-blue Survivalist-type of geeks!

Your DOS/ASCII or Linux-and/or-BSD-loving, Windows-bashing type of geek friend, similar to the Mathematical or Mathematician-type of geeks, would love all sorts of toys and other items featuring the ubiquitous, mostly yellow-colored ASCII smiley characters or Tux, the predominantly yellow, black, and white-colored Linux penguin mascot, or even Beastie, the predominantly red-colored BSD Operating System mascot who wields a trident spear.

Additionally, Mathematical or Mathematician-type geeks are also suckers for all sorts of puzzles, IQ or otherwise, but most especially the ‘mathematical’ kinds! But of course, to avoid embarrassment, check first to see if your geek buddy hasn’t seen or done the puzzle toy that you have in mind before purchasing it for him. Also, have you heard of the Shake Powered Calculator or the Roll-up Calculator or even the Water-Powered Calculator? Mathematical or Mathematician-type geeks would also greatly appreciate them!

Conservation-conscious, Mother Earth types of geeks, on the other hand, admire all sorts of toys made of recycled materials. Examples of this are the Scrap Metal Sculpture series of toys.

Lastly, have you heard of the product called LED Binary Watch and other similar-themed products? These are just the type of toys that the I-only-speak-in-Binary or hexadecimal type of geeks would die for!

So there you have it; just some geek gifts ideas for your geek buddy. There are plenty more out there. All you need to do is to invest some of your valuable time to look for them and to think a little bit out-of-the-box.

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Author: Arlene Cuares Article Source: EzineArticles.com

]]> http://bloggermind.net/tech-news/life/out-of-the-box-geek-gifts-ideas-for-your-geek-buddy/feed/ 0 http://bloggermind.net/tech-news/life/8-reasons-smart-girls-should-date-geeks/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=8-reasons-smart-girls-should-date-geeks http://bloggermind.net/tech-news/life/8-reasons-smart-girls-should-date-geeks/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:22:52 +0000 jadah http://bloggermind.net/8-reasons-smart-girls-should-date-geeks/

Girls, here are the top eight reasons you should consider dating a geek!

1. Geeks will look after you.
Geeks are sweet and caring individuals who have their heart set in the right place. They know what is feels like to be tormented and teased through high school wedgies and toilet dunkings – and wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. A geek will look after you better than any jock could.

2. You’ll never run out of conversation with a Geek
Super intelligence makes for great conversations on just about everything! Even if they’ve got no clue on a topic, they could Google it and grasp any topic from rocket science to such as South Africa and The Iraq and everywhere and such as. There’s no running out of conversation with a geek.

3. Geeks will do the thinking for you!
Of course this will come in handy for you… Think trivia nights, removing viruses from your computer, calculating the cost-per-wear of your new Jimmy Choos before you can say “does it come in pink?” This means your pretty brain free to focus on the important things. Like World Peace, or what’s going to go with those new shoes???

4. You’ll have your own little project
A project that will keep you amused for hours! Your geek will usually come in a standard packed geek uniform and haircut so you may be required to play a little dress ups to upgrade your model to geek 2.0. Like most girls that slap on shadow and lippy, you are privy to fashion… a geek appreciates someone who is an expert in a field in which they are not. Manicure your geek with a well chosen haircut, come new clothes, a little Vitamin D and voila!

5. Geeks are free on weekends
Oh God! The tragedy… Football… Baseball… Basketball! Who needs to watch men chase a ball around? Not Geeks! With your Geek, you’ll be able to indulge in date ideas! with visits to the art gallery, walks in the park and dinners out on the weekends. With the odd occasion of online adventure gaming – which of course you could always learn to play by creating a basic profile – you could be a princess on a quest!

6. You’re the one!
Right after the internet, that is. But, think of it this way – a Geek has spent much of his time one-on-one with the Internet. No doubt He’s ready for a change – and the fact that you’re 3-D, well it’s a whole new dimension yet to be explored!

7. His friends are lovely
A Geek’s friends are sweet and sincere… and as fun as he is. Think social interactions a quiet weekends playing Everquest at home, giving you all the time to shop with your friends. You’ll be able to shop without care for you know your Geek won’t be with the boys at strip clubs, drinking too much or flirting with others.

8. Geeks have money
Geeks are far too clever to be on welfare. In most cases they are in high-level, high paying jobs. In most cases they’ve already bought the gadgets they need to keep themselves amused – you’ll be next in line for the spoiling.

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Author: Denis Merkas Article Source: EzineArticles.com  

Date Ideas

Top free software to prevent our children from viewing adult sites

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Parental control software enables parents to limit what their children see on the internet, select what programs they use and monitor all their online activity.

Although there is not a single solution as all the parental control programs either over- block or under – block. While selecting the parental control program it is necessary to keep checking its drawbacks and shortcomings as the children are tech-savvy and they come up with different ways to break the control on their online activity.

There are various free software available if you are looking for parental filtering software, among them the top four that I found are:

1) open DNS

2) K9 web protection

3) B Gone – Safe Families

4) File sharing sentinel

1) open DNS is available on www.opendns.com it is the world’s leading provider of internet navigation and security. It makes the system safer and more reliable without the cost and complexity. Key features include [ad#GAtext]

· Web content filtering- it has more than 50 categories of content filtering.

· Ultra reliable and globally distributed network

· Easy to use for families, schools and businesses

You control everything from their website where they keep a log of every webpage the members has seen, although it is very easy to install, you just type the DNS servers into your router and automatically every Wired and Wireless PC will have internet access monitoring in just seconds, If you don’t want to use it on certain pcs, you just change the DNS servers on it, if you dont have a router you just change it on each computer, regardless of the operating system.

Here is a great video that shows you how to configure it on your home

open DNS

2) K9 Web Protection is available on www.k9webprotection.com it is one of the top internet filtering program that provides a family safe internet experience where you can control the content that enters your home. The key features included

· It blocks 60 content categories- these categories are stored in the master database and if a web site fall into one of these categories the system configuration block or allow specific categories

· Time restriction – enables you to restrict the time of the day internet can be used in your home.

· Blocking effects – the program has a feature that it plays a bark when someone tries to access the blocked site.

· Web search option- it offers the option of enforcing the use of google search.

· View reports – it allows you to view the reports of the internet activity.

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3) B Gone is content filter for parents or anyone who want to keep their internet experience pleasant. The key features include

· This software allows you to block sites, based on the keywords

· The program is password protected.

· It also prevents the pop ups appearing when entering or exiting certain sites.

· It can also be used to prevent someone accessing a certain website or a group of websites.

4) File sharing sentinel is available on www.akidthaine.com . It is one of the top free software for parental protection. The key features include

· It prevents spy ware from installing on your computer. A spy ware cause your computer to run slow, they monitor your surfing habits and report back to the advisors who produce pop ups.

· It provides password protection

· It has no trial time limits or banner ads

· It is user friendly- it is easy to install and use

Thus there are plenty of options available for parental control and comparing the features the best can be chosen. Not only installing the software but it is also necessary to keep checking the reliability of the software installed and if the child has devised some means to counter the software protection.

Thus by installing a good software and keeping an open eye we can keep on checking the Internet usage by our children and make it a healthy and pleasant experience.

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Let us know if there are more out there, leave a comment.

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Her ad was listed under the heading “Virginity for sale,” notes the Telegraph. The unnamed teen reportedly said she was offering her body “to the highest bidder” in order to pay for her education.

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The startling story was pursued by a reporter at The Sunday Life, who investigated the claims and found the girl was serious about the transaction. In order to stop her, the paper dispatched a journalist who posed as an interested bidder and placed a bid.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, after being contacted by the reporter, the girl responded quickly via text with descriptions, including her bra size, and asked for details about the transaction. Her text messages to the reporter, who posed as a wealthy businessman, included

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Online auctions such as this one have taken place before. About one year ago, 22-year-old Natalie Dylan decided to auction off her virginity, receiving offers of up to $3.7 million. The Telegraph names at least three additional situations in which women turned to online prostitution, including a Peruvian model who “put herself up for sale to help pay her family’s medical bills but ended up having second thoughts and turning down $1.5 million.”

Whenever you encounter an auction of this type, try to stop it, report it, don’t play along, you never know if some day your daughter is going to be in the same position. Lets try and find a way to help instead of bringing their souls to the ground…

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according to the huffingtonpost