Nerd Dinners the new cool for technology lovers
Nerds. Techis. Geeks. Bloggers. Programmers. Call them what you want, but one thing is for sure, they are the new wave of cool.
In a world consumed with technology, being labeled a geek has lost its negative connotation and is now worn like a badge of honor. This is evident in a new movement that is popping up in major cities across the country and worldwide.
Nerd Dinners or Geek Dinners, as they are called, provide a meeting place for people who are passionate about technology and social media. The dinners have become a monthly event on the Eastside.
As a Microsoft Senior Program Manager, Scott Hanselman has made a name for himself with his popular blog, Programming Life and the Zen of Computers. With that, Hanselman recently hosted a Nerd Dinner at the Crossroads Bellevue mall. The dinner attracted more than 70 people for the informal meeting.
“It’s about putting names to faces,” Hanselman explained, who is based out of Portland but makes his way to Seattle about once a month. “You blog with these people and chat with them and this puts a face to the blog and a personality. You can have “relationships” with people online, but these dinners give you a chance to finally meet them in person.”
The invite for the dinners is open to anyone who has an interest and a passion for technology, the Internet, software or for those who just enjoy “geeking out.”
Based out of Los Angeles, Russ Nemhauser found himself attending the Bellevue Nerd Dinner after learning about it at the ASPInsiders Summit.
“At the summit everybody was talking about the dinner and I thought it would be a great place to meet up with friends and socialize,” Nemhauser said, an architect for MySpace. “This is where Microsoft is based, it’s a technology hub, and it’s always good to meet new people and learn about what’s new.”
Hanselman follows in the footsteps of Jim Blizzard, a Microsoft developer evangelist, who strived to keep the community plugged in to the ever-changing world of technology.
“I’m sure the dinners existed before Jim began hosting them but he was kind of the cheerleader for the Portland area and brought everybody together,” Hanselman said.
The Nerd Dinner is just the first stop on the express train for Hanselman. He and Jason Mauer, senior developer evangelist at Microsoft, worked in collaboration to host a Nerd Party to raise awareness for diabetes. The pair rented out an entire movie theater and had a Halo party on two full-size theater screens. The event raised $30,000.
“What nerd in their right mind wouldn’t want to see Halo on a 100 foot, high definition movie screen,” Hanselman joked.
As opposed to its origins, the term “geek” or “nerd” recently has become more complimentary and is often used when labeling someone who possesses extraordinary skill in a particular field.
Spain now recognizes Nerd Pride Day on May 25, promoting the right to be nerdy or geeky. Geek Dinners are hugely popular in London and are growing across Europe. The Best Buy vans painted black, white and orange signify the Geek Squad, a technical support service provided by the company. A convention called Geek.Kon celebrates all things geek in Madison, Wis.
Originally, the local Nerd Dinners attracted as few as five people. Taking place about once a month, the dinners now average around 60 and are open to the community. According to Hanselman, this includes Blue Badges, full-time employees of Microsoft, better known in the technology world as the Big Blue Monster.
“It’s easy for software programmers to kind of get their heads down, consumed with their work and not interact with the public, but there’s something about hanging out at the mall and eating mall food that gets people chatting,” Hanselman explained, adding that the informal meetings usually attract a wide variety of people from professionals, to bosses, enthusiasts, bloggers and technology hobbyists. “It’s just about “geeking out” in a classic way.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or at 425-453-4602.
Are you a Geek?
To learn about future Nerd Dinners in the Bellevue area visit http://nerddinner.events.live.com. To read more on Scott Hanselman’s blog visit www.hanselman.com/blog.
