ParticleGirl's Journal: A diversity of friends

I just spent a couple of hours with a friend of a friend from Michigan; it was very nice to chat with someone about far-reaching topics. Expecially to chat with someone who likes hardware, video games and computers, and who knows what Slashdot is. I've spent the last six months with people who need help recovering their Microsoft Word files and know that I'm good with the "dread machines"-- and without people who can talk to me about that whole realm of my interests. I left my job as a programmer happily, and plan never to work in a cubicle again; I hope never to have a profession in the "computer industry" or the "information technology industry" again... but that doesn't mean that those interests have dropped totally out of my life. And while Slashdot and other electronic outlets are always available, I have found it hard to find real, live people to talk to who share some of these interests.

Where's a geek-gal-in-hiding to go? I'm not really in hiding-- I just spend my days teaching college kids about evolutionary biology and doing research in archaeology, so it seems like the computer geekiness is hidden. Where, oh where, do I go for an outlet?

slashdot meetups?

[red5]

You might want to try the /. meetup in your area. Website here [meetup.com]

Re:slashdot meetups?

[ParticleGirl]

Even if there were a meetup in Pittsburgh (which there isn't) I'm not sure how I'd feel about going to one... It strikes me as kinda weird, meeting someone "in real life" that you've only met online, or even moreso meeting someone that you've never met before. I've never wanted to go on a blind date, either, for precisely the same reasons. It would be interesting to meet people, I suppose-- but I worry about meeting people I don't know through someone or some organization.

One of the scariest experiences I've had was when I was in college; some random guy in a computer lab somewhere saw me and looked up my personal information and then started leaving me notes at my dorm room, calling me, sending me text messages from random false accounts at other schools, etc. It was terrible because I knew I was in the same room with him occassionally and would never know when-- I didn't know what he looked like, I didn't know his last name, I didn't even know if the first name he signed was really his. Eventually he messaged (zwrite; this was a while ago) me:
him: hi! I like your dress very much.
me: are you in the same computer lab as me?
him: yup. You see the guy on your left with the red baseball cap?
me: yes?
him: that's not me...

This went on until I figured out what terminal he was messaging me from and went to the help desk; they warned him that he was harassing me and that if he contacted me again they would call the police. But it was a scary situation. As a result, you can't even find anything much about me on google these days. You can find through this handle some things about me--like the links I find useful, and my name and the like-- but you have to have been looking based solely on my handle and what I've posted here. It'd be very, very weird to meet someone new, someone I know absolutely NOTHING about except that (s)he reads slashdot at least occasionally, and introduce myself. Though I guess I don't need to introduce myself as ParticleGirl. :)

Re:slashdot meetups?

[red5]

That really sucks. I don't know what to say other than try not to think of everyone online as freak types like that loser. (I'm sure you don't.)

Meeting people online isn't that bad usually and most of the site that specialize in that sort of thing make sure your identity is private.

Anyway when it comes to meeting new people in general I tend to stick with the tried and true methods. Friends of friends and so on.

Re:slashdot meetups?

[ParticleGirl]

I certainly don't think everyone online is a freak; I mean, I'm online. :) I know that the vast majority of people I communicate with places like this are neat and worth getting to know. I just don't know which ones they are!

As for friends and friends of friends, etc, that's my initial dilemma-- I moved to this city without knowing ANYone; now I've met people in my program, and they've become really amazing friends. However, they have never heard of "UNIX" and think, for instance, that "PC" is the same as "Windows." When I make a website for the class I'm teaching that is nothing more than a black background and a list of links from which to download the handouts I've already passed out in class, they're impressed that I managed to turn it out in a single afternoon. That's what, 8 lines of HTML? I'm flattered and must admit that, every once in a while, I love being thought of as the computer genius... but I really just miss geeking out with someone. So. All my friends here are new to the city and the only people we know are each other, and NONE of them can understand why I still have an Atari 2600. Didn't those come out like 20 years ago? So where do I find someone to geek out with? :)

Re:slashdot meetups?

[red5]

Yes, I do have a way of missing the point, don't I? As for finding people to geek out with you might want to try the computer section at borders. Thats the best I can come up with thus far.

Re:slashdot meetups?

[Elwood P Dowd]

If I ever got an online stalker, they'd probably be able to google up my real name, my social security number, my past three addresses and the names of every former girlfriend. All my phone numbers. Previous employers.

The last place I worked, there were these two guys that were always at eachothers throats. One of them was an idiot, and very upset by the other guy being gay. It was just that simple. So, my friend googled on this idiots yahoo email addy... and found a post to a BDSM personals newsgroup. We also knew that he was living with his mother before, during, and after that post. Once we realized exactly how sad his life was, his hatred of my friend seemed more harmless.

Anyway.

Michigan

[Chacham]

Not bad. I'm from Michigan. :-)