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Post by Floyd Diabolical Barber on Dec 20, 2015 22:07:58 GMT -5
Grade school
I grew up during the Space Race years, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Everything that wasn't spy stuff was space stuff. One Christmas, after a years worth of begging and whining, my parents got me a silver cloth space suit with plastic helmet. Despite their pleading, I wore it to school one day.
High school
I assisted one of my best friends (who has since gone on to become a highly respected MD) with a science fair project where we kept a rabbit heart alive in a jar of chemicals. It took a top prize at the state science fair that year. My contribution was that I built a pacemaker out of an electric fence charger.
Creepy side note: A girl from our class supplied us with still beating rabbit hearts on request for that project.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Dec 20, 2015 22:15:04 GMT -5
Creepy side note: A girl from our class supplied us with still beating rabbit hearts on request for that project. I didn't realize you went to school with Sarah Palin. |
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Post by Floyd Diabolical Barber on Dec 20, 2015 22:27:21 GMT -5
Creepy side note: A girl from our class supplied us with still beating rabbit hearts on request for that project. I didn't realize you went to school with Sarah Palin. I didn't, but I suspect she would have felt right at home. |
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Post by Lemminkainen on Dec 20, 2015 22:49:06 GMT -5
Being that kid who won two chess tournaments in the same day as a middle-schooler is probably the most straight nerdy thing I've done.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 20, 2015 22:58:40 GMT -5
Being that kid who won two chess tournaments in the same day as a middle-schooler is probably the most straight nerdy thing I've done. I think my new personal nerdery moment is seeing your display name is "Lemminkainen" and thinking "oooooh Sibelius!!!" |
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dＬᵒ
Prolific Poster 
𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝓦𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓨𝓮𝓽?
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Post by dＬᵒ on Dec 21, 2015 11:18:07 GMT -5
Perhaps I will use this thread to keep poking Lifemate. At this very moment she is poring over our turkey carcass from last night's dinner party, separating out large bones to bleach and piece back together. Was it last year or two Christmases ago when I gave her a display pigeon skeleton? She'd probably love going to the Great Salt Lake, there's tons of bird skeletons around that are held together by salt crystals. |
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Dec 21, 2015 11:56:27 GMT -5
Oh, jesus fuck. Okay. -Enthusiastically attended a Beatles convention in Ocean City, Maryland, over Thanksgiving weekend, 1996. Bought a bootleg cassette tape of their Silver Beetles work and a tie-dye A Hard Day's Night t-shirt that I wore until it was in rags. -Led my team to 3rd place out of 52 middle school teams in the Baltimore Archdiocese version of 'It's Academic'. -Won second place in the middle school science fair twice in a row. -Memorized the alphabet backwards in 2nd grade; can still deploy with 100% accuracy to prove I'm not drunk. -Read 312 books the summer between 7th and 8th grades. -Used to read the encyclopedia for fun. -Attended New York Comic Con in 2013 and 2014, and Awesome Con in DC in 2014, in cosplay. -Frequent eBay stalker of Skottie Young variant comic book covers. -Am not allowed to watch anything Tudor-related with anyone anymore because all I do is complain about the inaccuracies. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Dec 21, 2015 12:17:46 GMT -5
Our AP Math class had a final assignment to make a review/study game for the class to play in the weeks leading up to the actual AP test. While every other group slapped together some sort of Jeopardy knock-off or other lazy game at the last second, my friends and I decided on "Calcu-Risk: The game of global math domination". Did this game have overly complicated rules about how you could attack other territories on your turn, determining battle winners by who could solve integrals the quickest, and head-start bonuses for controlling continents? Of course it did. Did we spend two weeks lovingly creating a giant game-board with terrible territory names including: Pi-geria, Trigidad, Calcstatinople, Cuba Root, Sin-a, and Spain (except the "i" was replaced with a square root of negative 1? You bet your ass we did!!!
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LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,280
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Post by LazBro on Dec 21, 2015 15:45:28 GMT -5
Our AP Math class had a final assignment to make a review/study game for the class to play in the weeks leading up to the actual AP test. While every other group slapped together some sort of Jeopardy knock-off or other lazy game at the last second, my friends and I decided on "Calcu-Risk: The game of global math domination". Did this game have overly complicated rules about how you could attack other territories on your turn, determining battle winners by who could solve integrals the quickest, and head-start bonuses for controlling continents? Of course it did. Did we spend two weeks lovingly creating a giant game-board with terrible territory names including: Pi-geria, Trigidad, Calcstatinople, Cuba Root, Sin-a, and Spain (except the "i" was replaced with a square root of negative 1? You bet your ass we did!!! This is terrifically nerdy. Thanks, all. Great stuff! |
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LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,280
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Post by LazBro on Dec 21, 2015 15:54:39 GMT -5
Inspired by Star Wars fever:
The day that LOTR: Return of the King released in theaters select Cinemarks throughout the country had a special program in which you could watch a marathon of the whole series, including the extended editions of the first two, culminating in the first showing of Return of the King that night. To ensure we got good seats, my friends and I camped out at the theater overnight and even brought a TV, Gamecube and four controllers so we could pass the time playing Smash. Bros. They eventually made us unplug when the theater closed.
We weren't first in line, but we did get the exact seats we wanted, all twelve of us, and it was definitely one of the most special movie-going experiences I've had. It's also the only time I've camped overnight for anything besides actual camping.
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Post by songstarliner on Dec 21, 2015 17:22:04 GMT -5
I'm stealing Shulkie's formatting:
- when my friend couldn't attend a dr who convention with me because his grandma was in the hospital, I made my mother drive me into Philadelphia so I could go alone. I was 13.
- the dictionary that I still use today, I won as a first place prize in a state-wide essay contest about the constitution. It's signed by the then governor and everything!
- I answered probably 75 - 80% of all the correct answers during high school quiz bowl competitions, and the only time we lost was when I was out sick
- when I was very young, maybe 3rd and 4th grade, I used to write reports for fun, for nobody. I know I did the solar system, hammerhead sharks, the hope diamond - as you can probably guess we subscribed to National Geographic
- speaking of subscriptions, I was obsessed with Omni magazine and can vividly remember some of the fiction short stories they published. I'm still obsessed with vintage 70s/80s scifi art.
- I was a loyal member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club from ages 12-16, and still have all those books
- I read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings for the first time in 3rd grade, and the Silmarillion in 4th. My 4th grade teacher noticed the book I was carrying around and asked me if I'd like to do a report on it. Would I!? I made a very detailed replica of Tolkien's map - I was really into calligraphy at the time and tried, successfully I think, to imitate the style of the lettering. I wrote in runes all around the circumference of the map and even charred the edges with a lighter. I don't think I did much of a report really - just geeked out on the map. I was really into maps.
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Post by ganews on Dec 21, 2015 18:09:09 GMT -5
- the dictionary that I still use today, I won as a first place prize in a state-wide essay contest about the constitution. It's signed by the then governor and everything! In eighth grade me and one other person were selected as the top of our class to attend the Georgia state house of representatives and act as pages for a day. For this we each received one crisp $5 bill, a picture with the governor and the speaker, and a full-sized Georgia state flag circa 1997. I still have the latter; I would love to hang it in my basement, except it looks like this:  Yeah, too bad. They changed it just a couple years later, by which time I was old enough to care about the implications anyway. It's just the right size to be a tablecloth for my basement coffee table too, but we just can't do it. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 10:53:30 GMT -5
My high school had a "Reach For The Top" (Canadian high school version of Quiz Bowl) team, *and* a curling team, and I was on both of them. I joined both because of a girl who I never ended up with, of course. LEASIDE LANCERS FOREVER. SUCK IT, LIONS. |
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Baron von Costume
TI Forumite
Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,683
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Post by Baron von Costume on Dec 22, 2015 11:55:02 GMT -5
Curling gets you all the lady lovin'  |
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Dec 23, 2015 14:14:13 GMT -5
Things You Should Attend Instead of a Billy Wilder Film Marathonfuneral (your own) Given the opportunity, I would chose the Billy Wilder Film Marathon instead of my funeral. |
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Post by ganews on Dec 23, 2015 16:30:56 GMT -5
In 2005 I bought a box of cereal because it had a light-up spoon with a light saber handle.
Ten years later I not only still have it, but I brought it to The Force Awakens last night to show to the people I was going with.
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Smacks
Shoutbox Elitist 
Smacks from the Dead
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Post by Smacks on Jul 13, 2016 8:38:11 GMT -5
Running outside at 9 pm in my pajamas last night to catch Pokemon up the street from my apartment complex.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Jul 13, 2016 10:10:29 GMT -5
Running outside at 9 pm in my pajamas last night to catch Pokemon up the street from my apartment complex. Was one of them a Mew? |
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Smacks
Shoutbox Elitist
Smacks from the Dead
Posts: 2,904
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Post by Smacks on Jul 13, 2016 10:20:26 GMT -5
Running outside at 9 pm in my pajamas last night to catch Pokemon up the street from my apartment complex. Was one of them a Mew? Haha, no nothing terribly exciting like that but I just started last night and was eager to see what was out there. People are laughing presumably because I'm an old but it's fun so whatever! |
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Paleu
AV Clubber
Confirmed for neo-liberal shill.
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Post by Paleu on Jul 16, 2016 19:05:26 GMT -5
I once posted in a thread on a forum about just how super nerdy I use to be, so I'm pretty nerdy, guys.
(My real answer would probably be the fucking pretentious ass letter I wrote to the professor who wrote my AP English textbook because I hated how anodyne he made English seem.)
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jul 20, 2016 8:55:17 GMT -5
My husband and I had an impassioned debate about Oxford commas last week. (He's pro, I'm con.)
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Post by ganews on Jul 20, 2016 10:16:28 GMT -5
My husband and I had an impassioned debate about Oxford commas last week. (He's pro, I'm con.) Whyyyyyyy, why con. I cannot think of a reason not to include it, but there are so many examples of the lack of Oxford comma making a confusing sentence. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jul 20, 2016 11:48:22 GMT -5
My husband and I had an impassioned debate about Oxford commas last week. (He's pro, I'm con.) Whyyyyyyy, why con. I cannot think of a reason not to include it, but there are so many examples of the lack of Oxford comma making a confusing sentence. I follow AP style, which holds to not use an Oxford comma when it's a simple list. It IS used when it would otherwise be confusing. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 20, 2016 11:54:24 GMT -5
Whyyyyyyy, why con. I cannot think of a reason not to include it, but there are so many examples of the lack of Oxford comma making a confusing sentence. I follow AP style, which holds to not use an Oxford comma when it's a simple list. It IS used when it would otherwise be confusing. My understanding is the AP style rule, like many of AP's ill-advised or even offensive rules, is based on antiquated restrictions in the newspaper business. The Oxford comma was eliminated to save ink. The Spanish word "año" is printed "ano," because many old-timey newspapers don't have ñ and some ancient computers can't display ñ, even though this has resulted in newspapers printing "Feliz Ano Nuevo," which means "Happy New Asshole." |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 20, 2016 11:55:01 GMT -5
I follow AP style, which holds to not use an Oxford comma when it's a simple list. It IS used when it would otherwise be confusing. My understanding is the AP style rule, like many of AP's ill-advised or even offensive rules, is based on antiquated restrictions in the newspaper business. The Oxford comma was eliminated to save ink. The Spanish word "año" is printed "ano," because many old-timey newspapers don't have ñ and some ancient computers can't display ñ, even though this has resulted in newspapers printing "Feliz Ano Nuevo," which means "Happy New Asshole." Great Moment in Personal Nerdery |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jul 20, 2016 12:11:42 GMT -5
I follow AP style, which holds to not use an Oxford comma when it's a simple list. It IS used when it would otherwise be confusing. My understanding is the AP style rule, like many of AP's ill-advised or even offensive rules, is based on antiquated restrictions in the newspaper business. The Oxford comma was eliminated to save ink. The Spanish word "año" is printed "ano," because many old-timey newspapers don't have ñ and some ancient computers can't display ñ, even though this has resulted in newspapers printing "Feliz Ano Nuevo," which means "Happy New Asshole." Yeah, the reason for no accents is because the original wire system couldn't print them properly, they came out as gibberish. Still many text-translating systems can't properly display them - it's not just ñ, it's also à and ç and ü and others. I'm not saying AP style is perfect, it's certainly not. But I still like the comma rule. |
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Post by haysoos on Jul 20, 2016 16:04:38 GMT -5
Ha ha ha ha ha! This is the only decent argument I've yet seen for the retention of AP style (sorry PET) |
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Jul 20, 2016 22:05:51 GMT -5
Oh, holy shit, you guys. I totally forgot about this one until tonight. When I was 12, I applied for the Maryland Gifted and Talented Program, and won a spot staying for a week in the summer on the Coast Guard cutter Roger B. Taney, learning about all kinds of maritime stuff, attending navigation classes, learning about the onboard computer systems, that sort of thing. We slept and ate on the ship, which was a novelty to a kid like me who had devoured a ton of historical fiction. I also remember a problem-solving exercise they gave us, which was more or less a simulated sinking, wherein we had to use available materials and critical thinking to halt the influx of water. We even had a few classes on the nearby Torsk submarine and IIRC, a couple on the lightship Chesapeake. Neither of them had air conditioning, which is most of what I remember specifically about them. I liked the submarine most of all regardless, mostly for its bitchin' paint job. I think that wins for nerdiest thing I've ever done. |
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Post by haysoos on Jul 21, 2016 10:22:32 GMT -5
I've been trying to think of my nerdiest moments, which might actually qualify as one of my nerdiest moments. Other highlights from my school years:
- Kindergarten: Corrected my teacher when she tried to call a plastic dinosaur T. rex, when it was obviously an Allosaurus.
- Grade 1 & 2: Used to make little booklets full of animal facts. I had a technique where I would take a standard sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" and fold it in half several times, staple one edge, then cut the folds to create a small book with eight pages. I would then write and draw pictures of the animals inside. I recall doing the ostrich, cheetah, and one on sea scorpions.
- Grade 2: Briefly wanted to be a security guard at the museum when I grew up, because then I could spend hours looking at the dinosaurs without anyone else around making noise or making me leave.
- Started collecting stamps in Grade 3. I was never really interested in stamps, but this was before I knew that comic collecting was a real thing, and our teacher started a stamp club.
- Grade 4: Unanimously chosen by class as student representative in a skeptical inquiry into the alleged appearance of "Bloody Mary" in the mirror of the girl's change room at the skating rink.
- Grade 5: Spent about a month's worth of recess cataloging the number of wolf spiders on the north and south walls of the school courtyard.
- Grade 6: Started seriously collecting comics - but not the popular/lucrative ones. I collected stuff like Micronauts and ROM: Space Knight and Teen Titans that none of my friends read.
- Grade 7: Led school Quiz team to regional championships. Won final by answering every question in a category on "pig" terms (piggyback, pigs-in-a-blanket, etc.)
- Grade 8: Led school Quiz team to regional championships and televised final on "Hi-Q" - had massive brain fart on camera and answered "William Shakespeare" for "Actor who portrayed Captain Kirk".
- Grade 9: Memorized the minerals of Moh's hardness scale by taste. Learned to write in Angerthas runes, and wrote most school notes in runic form for rest of the year.
- Grade 11: Spent summer vacation going to "Summer Youth University" - taking introductory university courses in physics, meteorology, animal science and getting tours of places like the nuclear reactor and particle accelerator that many students there still don't know actually exist.
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Post by nowimnothing on Aug 12, 2016 14:23:08 GMT -5
In 6th grade I wrote a 350 word book report on L. Ron Hubbard's 1,000 page behemoth "Battlefield Earth."
Wait, that was not the nerdy part...
The report was supposed to be 50 words and fit on a 3"X 5" index card. I wrote very tiny, managing three lines of text per line on the card.
In a high school drafting class our final project was to build a bridge out of small sticks of wood that could hold 50 lbs. I convinced our librarian to buy a bridge design CD-ROM. Between my studies on that and several weeks of work my bridge held over 350 lbs. They were looking around for more weight to add to it when it finally collapsed. I beat the next closest kid by about 200 lbs. I will have to dig up my picture of that, it was pretty impressive.
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