What Would You Want In A "Geek Bar"? 85
NiceGeek asks: "Is there any interest in a 'Geek' bar? After reading a comment in a recent story on Slashdot, I started thinking about a 'geek hangout' type bar. Basically, beer, music, classic arcade and console games and maybe classic network games like Doom and Quake. One advantage to the 'classic' theme would be reduced overhead. I already possess a lot of classic consoles/games and older stand-up systems are pretty cheap also. I would also consider adding a 'cyber-cafe' for broadband access. I have several other ideas but would like to see if there is any interest." It's an interesting idea, but are there any other things that you think such an endeavor would need? NTN Trivia consoles would be a nice addition (it would fit in well with the other things listed). I have fond memories of playing NTN with friends when it was available at a local hangout.
NASA Dance Pub (Score:1)
IQ tests (Score:1)
IQ tests at the door to keep out people who might ask teh question, "hey what would you want in a geek bar?"
Geek Bar in San Francisco (POW!) (Score:1)
It's a great jumping off point if you're clubbing down in SOMA, or you can stay all night. Good restuarants near by, such as Tu Lan (Vietnamese), Original Joe's (Italian), and Taqueria Can Cun (mexican). Just a great fucking place to put it simply.
Oh yeah, it's on the corner of 6th street and Mission street.
Josh
http://www.itsdarkhere.com/
Re:another suggestion (Score:1)
Flanns? As in "Flann O'Briens Pub"?!? Gaah... I used to watch my friends drag their sorry asses back from that dive every couple of nites after classes.
The best 'geek bar' I have ever been in: the former Liberty Cafe in Central Square. They had "the Bomb" - six shots of espresso straight up, and Net access back in like 96 or 97. Then the guys that ran it were kicked out to make way for the gentrification of CentSqu, and the infusion of Starbucks, "luxury" apartments" and the Gap.
anyway, rant off...
One essential for a geek bar - a stage with video projection, ethernet and a decent sound system, for doing spoken word and other performance.
Gentleman Loser (Score:1)
Re:Americans are not authorized for such things... (Score:1)
The Whore of Mensa (Score:1)
Also, English or Amish hard cider (not that crappy stuff with the rhino on it) German dark beer, Engish ale & bitters, smoking & non-smoking areas with separate air handlers, NO MUSIC THAT MUST BE SHOUTED OVER (except in the dance room, which should also be equipped with first aid equipment) and maybe that "cone of silence" thing from Get Smart. It'd be cool even if it didn't work any better than it did for Max.
--Charlie
Stuff I have picked up. (Score:1)
Computer books ( on abstract concepts ( AI, Neural Nets, space exploration)
Coffee after hours 2am +
Needs to be open 24 hours a day.
Private booths to reduce noise with built in speakers and net connectivity with some sort of mp3 server (upload and download.)
Star wars video games
Sci-fi, Cartoon Network, mtv2
Kick @$$ deserts.
Lots of flat panels.
Freakin light I don't like the stereo typical dark, noisy, dirty bar.
a good view with a patio.
Quiz sessions with fellow geeks to see who really knows pix firewalling, or linux proc file system would be really cool thing
all for now. sounds like a lot but I could probally live there.
john
Re:another suggestion (Score:1)
Yes. Mission Hill, corner of Tremont and something. I actually lived down the block from there for about six months but never went in -- we tried once near last call but got kept out. I've bee in there once. It's probably too small for a geek bar, but I used it as an example of a good location because its probably cheaper than two floors and 2,000 sq ft in a well traveled part of Cambridge or Boston.
I do remember at least hearing about Cybersmith and Liberty Cafe. Cybersmith was probably still around my freshman and sophomore years, but we had no need for it as we had an online lab in our dorm. I remember meaning to visit Liberty Cafe but forgot about it, or else couldnt find people who were also interested. But regardless, I dont think either of those were actually bars, just coffee shops.
Which illustrates why I might go with a smaller space, because the cybershops that go all out with haute couture interior decorating and the finest strong coffees in a spacious storefront tend to go out of business.
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
I'd go in for a pseudo democratic system... each of the table within proximity of a given TV votes for what they want, and the appropriate stuff gets shown. Either that, or personal flat panel TVs in each booth. Simple, and easy.
I'm not crazy about sushi, but hey - a nicely varied menu would be great. As long as they have Guinness, I'd be happy 8^)
--
Better question: what ones already exist? (Score:1)
Something besides alcohol (Score:1)
I also second the motion for some sound engineering and clean air. I usually want to talk with my friends or those that I'm trying to meet.
Girls (Score:1)
phat! (Score:1)
Re:No Football on TV (Score:1)
Cartoon Network!
Harvard Square CyberCafe (Score:1)
I remember going there and getting on the Internet back in early '95, before most people had even heard of it. Hard to believe that was only 6 years ago.
That place was cool, they had web terminals, and computer games, and a VR game (heh, VR).
Re:Americans are not authorized for such things... (Score:1)
And don't forget the vodka. Stoli, Grey Goose and Vox come to mind as being necessary. Keep out the Absolut Crap. A few good gins, too. Bombay Sapphire, Plymouth, T-10. Clear liquors are the best to hack by, IMHO.
Of course, I don't know how many times I've been drunk late at night and then woke up the next day to find a bunch of mysterious files I've downloaded and had no idea what they were. Maybe everyone should leave their computers at home.
OTOH, writing is best done with brown liquors and Belgian beer or at least beer from the New Belgium Brewing Company if you don't want to plop down the big $$$.
Live bands are a bad idea in a bar meant for socializing unless they're in a separate room.
don't forget the british comedy! (Score:1)
fawlty towers
red dwarf
mr bean
blackadder
the young ones
hitchikers guide
What's wrong with you geeks???? (Score:1)
Re:Geeks + Alcohol + Net == Bad (Score:1)
Re:another suggestion (Score:1)
hahaha... we dont have that prob here (in aust)
stoopid americans
Dave and Busters... (Score:1)
Dave and Busters [daveandbusters.com] is a way the world has turned us from totally geek to totally sheik. Cancel out the carnival games and you've got geek land, bar, food, sci-fi short films, and tons of games...
I like dominating Tekken Tag, it's a Chucky Cheese for adults / geeks, and a great place to find women that like video games, which is pretty much what we are all looking for anyway am I right?
"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten."
-- George Carlin
Two things you need... (Score:1)
Two, it needs to be within two blocks of where I live, just for convienice
'Geek' bars? (Score:1)
But I think jwz [jwz.org] has the right idea with his new project [dnalounge.com]; it looks like it will be extremely cool, and there's some 'geek' element to it by the inclusion of a pack of Linux terminals.
Re:My setup (Score:1)
Re:Americans are not authorized for such things... (Score:1)
Re:another suggestion (Score:1)
(I wouldn't normally pursue this but half the people posting seem to be from the Boston area...)
I lived in Central Square for four years, until recently, and am hardly a fan of corporate monoculture. In fact, I've never set foot in either Starbucks or the Gap since they've opened here.
But this stuff I keep hearing about Central Square as Paradise Lost really strikes me as the false glow of memory. The Liberty Cafe was OK, if not especially busy, but most of the businesses that got pushed out were just plain awful. The clubs, Indian restaurants and music stores are mostly still there. If the people who complain now had patronized the filthy Chinese food / donut shop, the $39 tuxedo store or that dentist who was straight out of Marathon Man they'd all still be there too. And how many neighborhoods outside of Pyongyang could support two Communist bookstores within three blocks? I don't revere market forces as an all-good force but, come on - you've got to try a little.
Meanwhile, I'm loving life in Somerville now. No unshoveled sidewalks, no idiot yuppies who can't be troubled to clean up after their golden retrievers...
Unsettling MOTD at my ISP.
Re:don't forget the british comedy! (Score:1)
Men Behaving Badly - When I first saw this I truly believed that it was a hard hitting documentary about young adult males sharing a house but then someone mentioned comedy... You can tell what sort of household I lived in at the time.
Ian
Re:What I'd want in... Curry! (Score:1)
Right on brother! / sister! / person! (trying not to offend you understand)
We need the food of the *GODS*. A decent curry is what should be served. Both meat eaters and vegetarians must of course be included but that's not too hard given the range of Indian (or Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Kashmiri, Afghan et al) food available to those in the know.
Note to certain elements in the UK population: Curry does not have to be HOT. Vindaloo is a bastard dish created by Portugeese invaders of the sub-continent. And for those of you that think that Balti means curry then think again... Balti, literally translated means "bucket". i.e. it's food mixed in a bucket.
Yes a nice Kashimiri selection tempered with the rather warmer, fuller, rounded flavours of the south west would be excellent geek fare.
Anyone for popadums and pickles?
Ian
Former (amongst other things) writer for the Bradford (where 26 percent of the population is from the sub-continent) Curry Guide
(I must stop parenthesising(now))
Re:Geeks + Alcohol + Net == Bad (Score:1)
I rest my case
Ian
Re:feeding the troll (Score:1)
First they came for the communists, but as I was not a communist I said nothing.
Then they came for the trade unionists, but as I was not a trade unionist I said nothing.
Then they came for the disabled and the gays, but I was neither so I said nothing.
Then they came for the Jews but as I was not a Jew I said nothing.
And then they came for me... And there was no-one left to speak for me.
Paster Martin Niemuller
1894 - 1984
I heard this on a tape my grandfather made many years ago (circa 1962/3?) it is an exact transcription of his opening address to a meeting in my home town. I thought nothing of it (interesting history perhaps?) until I visited a place where genocide has/is taking place in modern times. I went home and hapened to chance upon the tape again, I listened to it with a new understanding. These words were burned into my soul.
I have but few words of advice for you:
Read it.
Think about it.
Apply it to your own situation. (maybe change the categories a little?)
Then shut up, pronto.
Because by the time you are done, you will be alone and there will be no-one left to speak for you.
Ian
PS.
Sorry to everyone else but I've seen the effects of ethnic cleansing. People, it ain't pretty.
Re:Saag Aloo (Score:1)
I guarantee converts within the first five minutes...
Ian
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
Re:What I'd want in... Curry! (Score:1)
How about a beer exchange? (Score:1)
I was in a place like this and it is great fun to 'hack' the market. The only problem was when we came back with a trader who wanted to arrange options on beer!!!!
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
I like the storage idea, but I've mostly seen it in country dance bars. I kind of associate lockers with physical activity, and I don't bring my laptop to the gym.
For that matter, what I'd really like in a geek bar is somewhere that has good food, doesn't allow children, and where you can talk to other people who can read (yes I'm a snob, I generally don't get along with illiterates). If they play the same kinds of games I like, great! I think I'd like a social club with a nice bar and counter food service. I certainly agree that the food shouldn't be all fried and greasy... but I like there to be choices.
I hate sports being on TV, but I don't really like TV in bars at all. I don't really like loud music either, something that merges with the background noise would be great.
A lot of people have talked about the kind of computer stuff they want, but what I'd really like is the opportunity to talk to people in person, somewhere that feels comfortable, where you can play cards, play networked games, or even just talk to new people. It's hard to do anything social in bars because you can't hear anything.
Restaurants have the other problem, you're supposed to have brought your whole party with you, so you can't talk to anyone new. They aren't quiet and they get really upset when you bring out cards or a game. Coffee bars would be fine except they all close about 6pm here and they don't usually have real food.
We really need something open late, so you can have a quiet drink after a movie, after dinner, or even spend a whole evening there.
Re:You're kidding, right?? Girls and getting laid? (Score:1)
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
I'm sorry, but for some reason this just seems wrong to me. Isn't the whole idea of a bar (or cafe for those that feel bar is a negative thing) all about getting out and visiting, meeting people, seeing people, and in general doing something different from what you can do when you are locked in your personal room in your house? Maybe I've totally missed the point, but when you go out to a gathering of like-minded individuals I would think the attempt would be to speak with the other people.
My preference would be to see a 'geek bar' that had sci-fi on a group television (possibly interupted by really cool cartoons, like Robotech or Gundam re-runs), and an actual 'bar' or cafe counter where you can sit at a terminal, but you aren't closed off from the people around you. Stupid as it sounds, has anyone ever seen
But, maybe I've missed the point. If the point is to recreate the reclusive home environment of the common geek, then I guess you guys are on the right track.
One of the reasons I go to a bar... (Score:1)
Matter of fact, PJ O'Brien's in the centre of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) is just about perfect, IMHO. Quiet enough without being too quiet, serves good drinks and food at the right price, and has good music.
Happens to be where a lot of geeks can be found, in the back left corner of the place on any given Friday night.
Geek bar! (Score:1)
Re:Geeks + Alcohol + Net == Bad (Score:1)
A few things... (Score:1)
For geeks: a no-tech bar (Score:1)
So, no Internet connection, no places to plug in your laptop, and no networked games. Pac-man and other old-fashioned games would be permitted (they're preety much no-tech these days).
For added "get away from it all", line the walls with lead (or some other dense metal) to prevent cell phone transmission and recieving. See this article [205.180.62.120] about the movement to ban cell phones from some public places. There are also apparently some paints and wallpapers under development for this express purpose (sorry, I couldn't find any details).
Keep in mind that geeks don't tend to be a heavy drinking bunch, so try to find a non-alchohol revenue stream. Furnishings should be large tables where people can congregate in groups of three to six. Encourage people to hold small meetings there (because they can't be interrupted). This would foster a revenue stream of snacks and non-alchohol refreshments.
Miko [idocs.com]
I almost forgot... (Score:1)
A bevy of cool chicks. (Score:1)
Galactic Geek
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Re:What I'd want in... or out. (Score:1)
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
A Chick-Friendly Geek Bar (Score:1)
I personally would love to have a geek bar near me. Lots of video games - make sure you have some shooting games and pinball machines would be a thrill as well. I'm not sure if I want to be able to bring my laptop around but maybe something like ICQ or AIM just for the bar so a shy chick can hit on a guy from across the room? I would want some real food to accompany my diet of M&Ms and bad coffee, so real food and assorted junky foods (buffalo wings...mmmm). Advertise in student papers wherever you are at. Don't just limit your thinking to CS/Engineering types - some of the best coders and most intellegent convo comes out of the mouths of us "art chicks." Besides, some of us are cute and like places that exude intelligence and not just drugs and drinking.
What do you do about TV and movies? Once a week maybe have a movie nite. The only problem with what most of us want to watch (Doctor Who, almost anything on SciFi, Red Dwarf, etc.) is that our taste in tele includes dialogue. Maybe have customer channel-changing TVs only in private rooms?
Geeks R Us (Score:1)
"Hacking" NTN trivia (Score:1)
Re:I want good Kosher food (Score:2)
Well if its not Kosher I won't eat it, if its not good I don't want to. Hows that for a reason. One of these years I'm going to move out of the boonies to somewhere where I can find a real deli. (I don't like driving almost an hour for food)
Re:I want good Kosher food (Score:2)
I can see how the desire for a Deli sandwich causes the problems of the world.
And for why we think we are "Superior" you do not begin to understand. The idea that we have more times than you can even count looked the angel of death square in the eye and he blinked first. But the truth is it was the Jews who introduced such ideas a universal education, universal justice and the concept that Governece requires the consent of the governed, even when the governer is the almighty.
So go back under that little anonymous rock you were living under and if you come out again sign your name to your post.
I want good Kosher food (Score:2)
Re:The Vibe Bar (Score:2)
Designer-clothed lager louts = 'expensively' dressed (i.e. D+G, Hillfiger etc.) large packs of guys looking for alcohol, Essex girls and trouble. Usually from Essex themselves.
Essex girls = The county of Essex is to London what the state of New Jersey is to New York City. Big hair, white stilleto heels etc.
God, I'm such a snob....
The Vibe Bar (Score:2)
Nick
Re:An idea (Score:2)
Re:idiot (Score:2)
Re:I want good Kosher food (Score:2)
Forget to "preview" just one time.... (Score:2)
What Would You Want In A "Geek Bar"? (Score:2)
Doormen and bouncers that can sense the approach of Jon Katz sufficiently ahead of time?
Or are you the type that wants him to park the bandwagon right out front for everyone to see?
What I would like (Score:2)
Well, all sports except for maybe Robot Wars or something.
Honestly, and this may be old fashioned and too geeky, I'd like to see stuff like chess tournaments going on. Yes I'm *that* kind of a nerd.
That network trivia stuff though is kinda fun, and if you get a good mix of geeks in your bar would likely kill other bars on the network, and that would be really fun.
No access for laptops. (Score:2)
I concur with the notion of booths that harness technology. Maybe wall mounted tv screens so that whatever you want to see could be on. A touch pad screen to manage a jukebox for the booth, like those old time jukeboxes in diners. Then some text pagers for booth intercommunication or order placement.
Lots of comfortable chairs, lounge style with arm tables and that text pager for orders. A small common area that can be used for gathering, or maybe even dancing if the mood strikes. A big thing would be space. Crammed into cubicles, crammed into bars ... that ain't cool. This should be a place to get away from the norms and play.
There should probably be foosball and pinball, if space provides, arcade style deathmatch area. 4-8 people, 20 frags, winner stays, nobody pays to play, just wait your turn.
You want the place to be techno-centric, not techie-centric. Techno-centric allows all other people to visit and affords the geek a chance to be seen in an environment comfortable to him/her without the pager or problem to solve. Techie-centric is just like work. Might as well hand everybody task list, let 'em leave when they're done ... but let 'em drink stuff while they're working.
Isn't it obvious? (Score:2)
-- Kaufmann
Allow it to be rented out (Score:2)
A few years later we wanted to do it again, but the place had closed. Seems like you could make good money if you were prepared to rent yourself out as one of your main revenue streams.
Decent Beer (Score:2)
No computers (Score:2)
When I'm drunk the last thing I want to do is hack. My girlfriend, a total non-geek, would definitely hate going with me to somewhere with computers everywhere. There's tons of cafe's with them around here that I avoid.
Actually, I want live music. If Pink Floyd (great hacking music also) played around here I'd be happy
Meanwhile, I have some drinking to do, so I'm off to meet my coworkers.
Re:An idea (Score:2)
--Mike
Ladies night.... (Score:2)
Good, Fast, Cheap: pick two
Re:No Football on TV (Score:2)
They had a dalek, and a costume from babylon 5 by the dj's booth. They had a cabinet full of cult tv/movie related toys/memorobilia.
They had original starwars & space invaders arcade machines, house of the dead, pinball, etc. Instead of tables they had some of the old fashioned table format arcade machines (ie, the screen horizontal so you put your drink down on top of the screen (sadly they weren't playable, but the demos ran.))
They played funky 70s music, while showing wierd, surreal 60s/70s films, thunderbirds, old cartoons, etc. They put on a screening of Episode 1 the weekend after it was released in the states. (uk movie releases are months behind the states. Yes, this was illegal.)
Sadly, the place has gone badly downhill. Rough, overcrowded, bad music, grrrrr.
My thoughts... (Score:2)
If I've been working at my machine at home all evening, I really don't think sitting in front of a computer (nicer net connection or not) in a different location is going to help me relax/socialize/unwind, which is kinda the point of a bar. The suggestions some people are making sound like they want something along the lines of a coffeehouse taylored towards the geek crowd.
When I think of a bar, I'm thinking about Cheers; a friendly place with familar faces and nice people who share some sort of common bond with one another, in this case, geek-hood. A bar is not a place you go to sit isolated. You go to be around people and make some human contact, even if you choose not to actively socialize.
Geeks + Alcohol + Net == Bad (Score:2)
Also, the drinking songs would get out of hand.
What do you do with a drunken coder?...
Who is going to understand the code that you wrote while drunk? You didn't comment it, you don't understand it, but it works!
SciFi, not Football (Score:2)
Maybe have a section with scifi movies playing:
Louis Wu
"One of life's hardest lessons is that life's lessons are hard to learn."
Re:Americans are not authorized for such things... (Score:2)
Good quality alcohol. (Absinthe (not that Absente crap), Cognac (at least VSOP, if not XO), Single Malts no younger than 16 years, Canadian hard cide or tap, and good micro-brews of various sorts.)
And for those of us who aren't alcohol snobs (with no offense intended to those who are)...blended drinks blended drinks blended drinks!
I would be more likely to patronize a bar that served frozen drinks (ie, pina coladas, margaritas, daquiris) just for that reason. What can I say? I'm a girl-drink drunk. Give me drinks with little umbrellas in 'em every time.
Sections that are quiet. (Sound-proofed if possible.) Half the time I go out I can barely hear myself think, let alone the person across from me.)
Seconded. One of my favorite bars has one room with dancing, loud thumping music, etc, and another that's fairly quiet, with some couches arranged around a tv or two, and another little setup with cards and board games. You can sit back there, play chess or cards and talk to people, then run out and shake your thang when you hear that song that you've just got to dance to. It's the best of both worlds.
Good live bands. (Groups like "Land of the Blind" that thrive on low crowd noise and lack of tobacco.)
Ack! I vote for NO live bands. They're uncontrollably loud, and they get offended if people don't pay attention to them. Also, the only bands I want to hear live, or for an hour at a time, are the ones I like well enough to buy concert tickets. Good canned music (ie, not too much you would hear on the radio, although a little is ok, say one song an hour) that can be turned down, that won't cuss you out if you ignore it, is my vote.
Networked deathmatch games.
Can I hear a "Hell, yeah?"
TVs that do not show sports. (Marx bros movies, Sci Fi, Ray Harryhousen movies, cartoons, Hong Kong action or fantasy films, or anything else I woul feel like showing.)
Sounds good to me. But not in the same room as the dance music, please? If I want to watch tv, I usually want to hear it too (unless its more of an ambiance thing, like Godzilla vs. Gamera or something)
Good looking females with an IQ.
I tell ya, we'll show up, if you give us good looking males who are capable of intelligent conversation...and, of course, Quake and Diablo and pina coladas...
Cyclopatra
"We can't all, and some of us don't." -- Eeyore
Re:Some notions.. (Score:2)
LAN gaming is incredibly popular in Asia... Everywhere you turn in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, even Thailand and Indonesia (just the biggest cities), you'll find places with rooms full of top-end computers, and many of them sell drinks.
They offer internet connectivity and other things as well, but it generally happens that the places get completely taken over by gaming. The noises (speakers, yelling, etc.) are too loud for anything else, really.
On the one hand, it's good, because the atmosphere is more fun (I assume; I don't play video games) than you'd get in your house. Lots of people all playing at the same time and clearly having a lot of fun.
On the other hand, though, it seems hard to mix with anything else. Sort of like trying to have a dance club with a Ye Olde English Pubbe section as well; it just doesn't work unless you've got a huge building and some very impressive soundproofing.
Some notions.. (Score:2)
Well, first, you should probably check out DNA Lounge [dnalounge.com]. jwz [jwz.org] (of Mozilla fame) is working on it, and he has some interesting notions.
I think that one of the important features is that it's somewhere where geeks can socialize offline. I've been to cyber-cafes and they are pretty lame. I think that jwz had it right when he decided to not be a cyber-cafe, while still retaining the geekish computer-centric attitude.
I think that you are on the right track with the video games. That appeals to the population you want and enables you to have more than just a terminal room.
I would say that you should have music at your club, since most geeks that I know will really appreciate it. See about getting live bands and DJs. But, based on my geek-centric concert activities, you want to turn the volume down below the earsplitting level, especially off of the dance floor. Most of my geek friends seem to dislike places where they can't hold a conversation. But you might as well invest in excess capacity so that you have the potential to crank up if I'm making a generilization that doesn't hold.
You didn't mention where you were located. Location is very important, because you need to be in a place where there are a good number of geeks. Bay Area good, Podunk Illinois bad.
Make it no smoking and have a wide assortment of drinks -- both alchaholic and non. Most geeks tend to have more diverse tastes in both categories, plus a lot of geeks don't smoke. You can always tweak both depending on demand.
And finally, make it look geek. Not cheezy-geek, but geek-chic. Comfortable, yet futuristic. You get the idea.
Odd question... (Score:2)
The usual stuff, I suppose... moussaka, dolmades, retsina, some guys playing the bouzouki...
Oh, geek bar. Sorry.
Fresh air and light (Score:2)
--an additional balcony level that opens into the main floor; throw in a small fountain and some good natural lighting.
--big, plush, upholstered chairs and sofas, and good rocking chairs.
--a good air filtration system
--a big 'no smoking' sign
--a big 'no Anheuser-Busch products' sign
--a separate, closable bar (thanks to the craniorectal "homeowners" around my neck of the woods)
--two acoustic music stages, one for each room.
--BYO-headphones, mice, keyboards, or rent for $2-$5. For mice and keyboards, this would require hot-swappables.
--color-controllable spot lighting for nighttime--some of those LED-based lights would do the trick.
--Bar and booths: solid wood, embedded flat panels, byo-peripherals (as above).
--Sound absorption in each room, to reduce echo.
--Subscriptions to math/sci/med journals and newsletters, made available for browsing.
I'm suprised that the various IP racketeers (RIAA, MPAA, etc..) haven't attacked anything like this.
Horrible images of ... (Score:2)
A nice quiet pub accomplishes much of what you're looking. And it doesn't reek of resigning yourself to being a separate caste from the rest of humanity. Who knows, you could meet some standard-model humans while you're at it.
On the other hand, having gaming tables and good draft ale could be an interesting mix. (Mmmmm
Americans are not authorized for such things... (Score:3)
Good quality alcohol. (Absinthe (not that Absente crap), Cognac (at least VSOP, if not XO), Single Malts no younger than 16 years, Canadian hard cide or tap, and good micro-brews of various sorts.)
Sections that are quiet. (Sound-proofed if possible.) Half the time I go out I can barely hear myself think, let alone the person across from me.)
Good live bands. (Groups like "Land of the Blind" that thrive on low crowd noise and lack of tobacco.)
Networked deathmatch games.
TVs that do not show sports. (Marx bros movies, Sci Fi, Ray Harryhousen movies, cartoons, Hong Kong action or fantasy films, or anything else I would feel like showing.)
Good looking females with an IQ.
Of course, any sort of unsupervised fun is deemed wrong and immoral by the constabulary and must be stomped out without mercy.
"So shall it be, this is the land of the free..."
An idea (Score:3)
Auburn Alabama (Score:3)
Previously, the space seemed to have been a used bookstore, so the walls were lined with shelves and lots of books (classic literature, philosophy, art, etc that you'd expect in a college town -- I didn't see any O'Reilly books... :), which you were free to peruse & buy. At the back was a little deli where you could get sandwiches, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and beer. Scattered all over the place were chairs, recliners, sofas, etc that could be moved around freely. Up front -- this was the best part -- was an area that would every now and then be cleared out so that rock bands could play, and none of that whiny Don McLean acoustic cover shit either.
That place had a great mix. Too many rock clubs are just flat out dingy, depressing places. Too many of the places you can go late at night will give you a choice between either a cup of coffee or a glass of beer -- you typically can one or the other, but not both from one establishment. This mix isn't really something "geek specific" -- maybe "me specific" more like :) -- but I thought this was an awesome place, and it sucks that it's well over 1000 miles from here (Boston). I would put it as a near ideal setup for a "geek bar"...
My setup (Score:3)
Moderate me.
What I'd want in... or out. (Score:3)
Second thing I'd want in a geek bar: quiet space. Most places are too loud to have a conversation. Acoustic engineering isn't quite rocket science, you could have booths or entire rooms which are lined to absorb sound from people and things more than a short distance away.
Third thing: Connectivity and power, with table space. I'd love to be able to haul in my laptop and plug it into a 10baseT and a 12-volt supply (why not 110 volts? because the cable that plugs into a car is a lot lighter and smaller than the transformer for line power).
Fourth thing: security. Cable locks for computers, lockers for books and bags. Build them into the tables and booth-backs, charge a quarter to release the key like airport lockers. Maybe plant a security tag in the key so that anyone trying to take one out of the building gets "beeped".
Fifth thing: I want to be able to select my own entertainment. If I can't play what I want by streaming it from my laptop (or even if I can, because laptop speakers are so tinny) I'd like to be able to pick what's coming over the speakers in my booth. Let the speakers cancel what's coming from the booths on either side (active noise cancellation). Or put the building inside a Faraday cage and broadcast different music, news and TV sound channels over little 100 mW FM transmitters. Bring a headset radio and tune in whichever thing you want for background, put the volume up or down at your pleasure.
Sixth, food. Geeks get enough grease and too little exercise at work. I want to be able to get good coffee, fresh salads and tasty low-fat food. If the kitchen doesn't even have a grill or a deep-fat fryer, GREAT. Put it next door to a sushi bar for real fun, man I'd never leave (what's that smell?).
I second the vote for "no sports". SciFi, Cartoon Channel, financial news, but no sports.
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another suggestion (Score:4)
Dont forget a free email account with your first pitcher.
And no pisswatery beer.
I also recommend tabletop / board games. You could even have tournaments. Beats frickin' karaoke. Hell, at a place like that I could have some interesting MTG games.
I had the same idea about a year ago, but personally I dont have the funds nor associates who think its a good idea, nor do I relish the idea of having to fight Boston's repressive tendencies. I'd open it in a tight place like Flann's, call it something corny like "The Root Sheller," and wait for Cambridgiophiles to deign to visit it. (Maybe it's not such a great idea.)
BTW, have you seen jwz's notes on the DNA Lounge that he is building in SF? Dunno if he has 'geek bar' in mind, but his experience is still helpful:
http://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/latest.htm
Kdt
No Football on TV (Score:4)
In fact, turn off the damned ESPN entirely. Give me the Sci-Fi Channel, 24/7.