It's a stereotype that us geeks are poorly socialized. After the all-too-common years of school bullying and stunted social growth that entails, I was lucky eno

It's a stereotype that us geeks are poorly socialized. After the all-too-common years of school bullying and stunted social growth that entails, I was lucky enough to meet the right people and learn better skills of communication and empathy. Politeness for me started as a facade to hide behind, but over time it turned into a tool of empathy and connection. I believe this to be my most useful and powerful skill, far beyond any technical skill I have. I wish more geeks (such as Lennart Poettering to name just one notorious hacker) would learn this.