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Lol...well then. Consider that it's possible that the time in history I'm talking about really was much more different than you realize. I could be wrong, but

Lol...well then. Consider that it's possible that the time in history I'm talking about really was much more different than you realize. I could be wrong, but I'm assuming you didn't come of age during that time (the early to late 90s). I'm talking about when only a handful of funny people had modems or even computers. There were still many households that lacked a computer of any kind. And yes, if you were into computers, you were truly seen as different and even rather unfortunate. There wasn't even really a term for it. The term "autistic" still mostly applied to people who were almost catatonic and not interactive. It may be more or less impossible for people from the current generation of technologists to understand it. Nowadays, as you point out, the idea of being "weird" in that way has become so common place as to be a meme. That's because there's no aspect of our lives that computing has not infiltrated. I'm telling you there was a time when it was different.

thevagrant 5y ago
That's right. It was a time when being called a nerd / geek was more of an insult. I had to argue with my parents when purchasing a modem. They didn't understand it. Using their phone line to call other computers felt like a step not far from trouble. Computers themselves were not discouraged. In my experience, the average adult in the early 90s saw computers as a glorified typewriter. A job would be advertised looking for 'typing skills'. Not wanting to go outside and socialise was frowned upon.
stormking 5y ago
Not true where and when I grew up (germany, in the 90s). Playing around with computers wouldn't get you any points with the ladys but it wasn't considered "weird", either. Around 1992, it was totally normal to ask for a C64 or Amiga 500 for Christmas, if one was interested in such a thing and by 1995/96, there were only a handful of people left at school who had no access at all to a personal computer at home. By 2000, basically everyone between the age of 16 and 30 had internet at home.

thevagrant 5y ago

That's right. It was a time when being called a nerd / geek was more of an insult. I had to argue with my parents when purchasing a modem. They didn't understand it. Using their phone line to call other computers felt like a step not far from trouble. Computers themselves were not discouraged. In my experience, the average adult in the early 90s saw computers as a glorified typewriter. A job would be advertised looking for 'typing skills'. Not wanting to go outside and socialise was frowned upon.

stormking 5y ago

Not true where and when I grew up (germany, in the 90s). Playing around with computers wouldn't get you any points with the ladys but it wasn't considered "weird", either. Around 1992, it was totally normal to ask for a C64 or Amiga 500 for Christmas, if one was interested in such a thing and by 1995/96, there were only a handful of people left at school who had no access at all to a personal computer at home. By 2000, basically everyone between the age of 16 and 30 had internet at home.