nerd

At last! Science draws a line between geeks and nerds

At long last, a line of demarcation more clearly dividing the respective territories of geeks and nerds is being drawn with the help of (what else?) science.

Scientist and software engineer Burr Settles took on a little weekend project this year to try to more precisely define the realms of geekdom and nerdaliciousness using data scraped from Twitter.

Settles took a look at how often various words occurred within tweets alongside "geek" and "nerd" and then, using a mathematical equation that I sadly am not quite nerdy enough to explain adequately here (Settles finds "math" to be a much stronger part of the nerd vocabulary, as is the word "vocabulary"), plotted the following graph to serve as our first-ever atlas of a subcultural universe occupied by two sometimes dueling empires.… Read more

The 404 1271: Where we Carey on just fine without Yu (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Wrapping up CNET's coverage of Google I/O 2013.

- Nerd fight!

- Follow Bridget on the Twitter.

- Watch CNET Update every single day of your life.

- Make sure you tune in to find out how you can win one of six MLB/NBA 2K Sports prize packs!… Read more

'Game of Thrones' chair made from melted keyboards

Take "Game of Thrones." Stir in a high level of geekiness. Add a dash of Salvador Dali. Mix well. Apply heat. Congratulations, your name is Mike DeWolfe and you've just created the Throne of Nerds.

The Throne of Nerds is a full-size replica of the Iron Throne from "Game of Thrones," but with one important difference. Instead of being forged from the swords of his fallen enemies, DeWolfe sculpted the beast from the keyboards of his fallen enemies. All the keys and hard plastic make it look just marginally more comfortable than the pointy metal version it's modeled after.… Read more

Rumor Has It: Microsoft Office finally coming to iOS in 2013

Rumors have been swirling for a long time about the possibility of Microsoft's Office suite coming to iOS, but new leaks point to this happening sometime in the next year.

The biggest question we have about this rumor is: why hasn't this happened already?

Also this week, we go on and on about Bloomberg's possible plans and what that means for LinkedIn, and Dish has its eye on your cell phone contract.

Thanks for watching!

Heard a tech rumor you think we should cover? Leave a comment below; ; send us a tweet (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, and @CNETRumorShow); or … Read more

Better know an airport with iOS and Airport Guide

Holiday travel, with the sheer volume of travelers and the potential for bad weather, seldom goes according to plan. If you are a frequent or even occasional air traveler, then you likely have an app or two on your phone that keep you apprised of your flight status. But I doubt you have an app that can answer the following questions:

"How do I get from Terminal A to Terminal B?"

"What are my ground transportation options?"

"Do I buy a soda and a soggy slice of Sbarro now, or can I get a beer … Read more

Dear nerds, there will be no revenge

Intelligence gets you nowhere. Being right is as overrated as A-Rod.

That has, at least, been my impression of the world as we know it. I feel uplifted, therefore, that this view -- so often derided as cynical -- has now been confirmed by economists.

Large brains from as far apart as Chicago and the U.K.'s Essex (under the guise of the National Bureau of Economic Research) have concluded that the mere idea that nerds will have their revenge and soar like Shrek into money and love is just so much Hollywood bunkum.

I am indebted to The AtlanticRead more

Low Latency No. 36: Look who's talking

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.

Wear a Wampa skin: 'Star Wars' outfits for the ladies

Some people watch the Wampa cave scene from "Star Wars" and think, "Look out! Wampa attack!" Others watch it and think, "I could make a dress out of that!"

Nerd Alert Designs falls into the latter camp. The geeky Etsy store is full of custom dresses with "Star Wars" themes.

One of the most impressive of the lot is the $130 Wampa dress crafted of fake white fur with a bomber-style horned hat and clawed boot covers. A little touch of blood on the chest really makes it pop.… Read more

Fashion site Nerd Boyfriend finds its Nerd Girlfriend

Trendsetting fashion site The Sartorialist be damned! Everyone knows the geeky guys featured on Nerd Boyfriend dress much, much classier.

And now it looks like the geeky girls will get their own chance to stumble strut down the virtual runway too.

Hubba hubba: Nerd Girlfriend has arrived!

Debut "cover girl" Gilda Radner is somewhat surprisingly not in Lisa Loopner garb, but then, that's one of the things we've always liked about Nerd Boyfriend: in addition to nailing the thick-rimmed stereotype in spot-on but unexpected ways, NBF is very good at offering up a nerdy revelation or two.

In part that's because the site doesn't limit "nerd" to the tech-, science-, or intellectually oriented. And we agree: a nerd is a nerd--and though we might not always be able to define the term with slide-rule precision, we know one when we see one.… Read more

Five gifts for the wiseass in your life

There's always at least one person on your holiday shopping list you put off as long as possible because he or she is such a pain to find something for.

You know these kinds of people. The insufferable wiseacre who insists he's easy to shop for when he's constantly looking for weird movies no one has heard of (more accurately, ones no one wants to watch), or talks about how he needs to add to his collection of '70s and '80s TV commercials. They're like gift hipsters. It would be too easy to just get them something readily available.

These are the people for whom gift cards were created.

Ah, but it doesn't have to be that way. With a minimum of fuss, you can get something unusual for that precious snowflake in your life without having to leave the house. Here, in no particular order, are five Crave-worthy ideas that don't involve your online shopping history being inexorably linked to movies with titles like "Blood Freak" or "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies." … Read more