I Will Not Be A Poser
In the recent past - I don’t remember when or how - I realized I was being a total poser about something. Maybe it was something in Make magazine that made me think of that, some cool component that I thought I could build easily then realized that I couldn’t. At that moment, I came to the conclusion that sometimes - rarely, of course, but sometimes - I’m kind of a poser.
So that got me thinking that I should take some steps to change that. And here they are.
I will not post stickers of stuff I don’t use. This seems trite, but it’s important. No blue elephant database sticker because someone gave it to me and said it was a cool, or some random app sticker that had a shiny holographic rainbow on it - doesn’t matter. No software I don’t use, no "one less car" stickers on my bike that hasn’t been ridden in over a year, no "Obama ‘08" when I really wanted Clinton, no bands I don’t really listen to - the list goes on. If I haven’t really done it, I don’t get to advertise it, period. This means that the stickers I *do* have speak the truth. I’m a tree-hugging dirt-worshipping linux-using geek who used to hang in Ocean Beach, CA and is a member of the IEEE. So help me goddess.
I will not leave tools on my bench untouched. This means that I need to actually use (1) the solder sucker, even though it makes me nervous; (2) the rotary tool, even if I don’t have any cool projects that require sanding, engraving, buffing, or etching; (3) the model paints that have been collecting dust because my NCC-74656 isn’t assembled yet; and (4) the digital multimeter, even if it’s just to keep up the practice. I just moved an oscilloscope off my workbench for this reason: it was too daunting, so it doesn’t get to live there.
I will not wear t-shirts of stuff I don’t use. Same as the sticker thing. No free advertising for stuff I don’t have any experience with.
I will not call myself something I’m not. Can I claim to be a big ol’ geek? Hell, yes! At least once a day, someone calls me that to my face, and the truth is, it’s a compliment. I worked long and hard to have the knowledge I do, and I work at it every day. I believe that Han shot first, I have had my ass shot off in 0.0 space, and I do know more things about Farscape, BSG, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly than almost all of my friends combined, and I really do use three different operating systems daily. But am I coder? Not unless HTML, markdown, and CSS count. I’ve even considered the fact that maybe I shouldn’t join Code’n'Splode unless they agree those particular "languages" are actually code. Am I a hacker? Um, no. I tend to look things up instead of hacking at them myself, and last time I checked, that made me a good researcher, not Captain Crunch. Am I a maker? Not unless I actually build some of the things that roll around in my head late at night when I’m trying to fall asleep.
Perhaps this sounds too negative. That’s not my intention. I want to be a better geek, a better engineer-in-training, a better maker/builder/doer. That means I gotta get my hands dirty a little more often. I’ve gotta finish that stupid circuit board with the globs of solder on it because I laid it on heavy when I first started building the thing and now I don’t want to finish it because it’s uglier than a rusted out ‘70 Chevy. (Yes, I’ve had a 1970 rusted out Chevy, otherwise I would not mention it in the "I’m not a poser" post.) Gee, if I don’t like the solder, maybe I should use the solder sucker to remove it and start over!
Mostly, I want to be able to stand up and say, yes, I did this, whatever that "this" might be. Cocky? Sure. But I’ve got *A LOT* to learn. So, the daily mantra is now, "I will not be a poser." Feel free to join me. I bet we get a whole lot of cool stuff done.
[Edited for politeness.]
Related posts:
- 5 Tech Projects For The Non-Posing Geek
- New Ham + VX-170 + Local Repeater = No Joy
- Circuit Troubleshooting Resources
- Elenco/Amerikit Motion Detector Build Complete
- Project 1: Assemble The Elenco/Amerikit AK-510 Motion Detector, Part 1
Leave a Reply