6 ms·

I love the shirt he's wearing in those pictures. What is it with geeks and psychedelic/hippie outfits ? Is it because of the patterns and colors, eccentricity

I love the shirt he's wearing in those pictures. What is it with geeks and psychedelic/hippie outfits ? Is it because of the patterns and colors, eccentricity or because of real involvement with the counterculture/psychedelia ? It's always fascinated and intrigued me. Any people 'in the know' care to elaborate on that ?

vezzy-fnord 11y ago
It's Larry Wall. Dressing like a member of the Village People on acid is probably one of the least whimsical things he's done. His State of the Onion addresses all blend surrealism and technicality quite aptly. See his Wikiquote for examples of his humor: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Larry_Wall https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Larry_Wall
- rrauenza 11y ago
  And you should see his socks!
staunch 11y ago
Probably more I-don't-care-what-you-think Unix hacker than psychedelic hippie.
- cpach 11y ago
  Perhaps it’s both :)
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- JadeNB 11y ago
  I don't like your I-can-use-anything-as-an-adjective attitude.
cpach 11y ago
Well he attended UC Berkeley in the 1970s, so it’s safe to assume that he has had lots of exposure to hippie culture. There are actually quite strong connections between computer nerds and the counterculture of the 60s/70s. If you’re curious I recommend the following books: # What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry / John Markoff. A great book with many fascinating characters. # From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism / Fred Turner. Also an interesting read, but much less accessible than Markoff’s book. # The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage / Clifford Stoll. Very good book, reads like a detective novel in a Berkeley setting. PS. More psychedelic shirt goodness this way: https://www.google.com/search?q=larry+wall&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=larry+wall&tbm=isch
- hinkley 11y ago
  "Two things came out of Berkeley: LSD and Unix. We do not believe this to be a coincidence."
  - koenigdavidmj 11y ago
    LSD and BSD.
    - gjkood 11y ago
      See Chapter 1 of the Unix Hater's Handbook. http://www.csf.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/BioComp/training/unix_haters_handbook.pdf http://www.csf.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/BioComp/training/...
  - greglindahl 11y ago
    Three things came out of Berkeley: LSD, BSD, and the SCA.
- badpenny 11y ago
  Also Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy.
fezz 11y ago
That shirt is a metaphorical representation of Perl's visual style. Guido van Rossum would wear this shirt: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8s/uTSwSKXlOUU/s640/Picture+3.png http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8...
- aidenn0 11y ago
  It's a great metaphor when I can say "I bet it's a Piet Mondrian shirt" before clicking on the link.
  - fezz 11y ago
    and coincidentally both are dutch :)
fezz 11y ago
That shirt is a metaphorical representation of Perl's visual style. Guido Rossum would wear this shirt: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8s/uTSwSKXlOUU/s640/Picture+3.png http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8...
scottw 11y ago
Someone asked him a similar question at the last YAPC in Salt Lake City in June. "What's with the [colorful] shirts?" He replied, "I like the colors."

vezzy-fnord 11y ago

It's Larry Wall. Dressing like a member of the Village People on acid is probably one of the least whimsical things he's done. His State of the Onion addresses all blend surrealism and technicality quite aptly. See his Wikiquote for examples of his humor: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Larry_Wall https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Larry_Wall

rrauenza 11y ago
And you should see his socks!

staunch 11y ago

Probably more I-don't-care-what-you-think Unix hacker than psychedelic hippie.

cpach 11y ago
Perhaps it’s both :)
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
JadeNB 11y ago
I don't like your I-can-use-anything-as-an-adjective attitude.

cpach 11y ago

Well he attended UC Berkeley in the 1970s, so it’s safe to assume that he has had lots of exposure to hippie culture. There are actually quite strong connections between computer nerds and the counterculture of the 60s/70s. If you’re curious I recommend the following books: # What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry / John Markoff. A great book with many fascinating characters. # From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism / Fred Turner. Also an interesting read, but much less accessible than Markoff’s book. # The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage / Clifford Stoll. Very good book, reads like a detective novel in a Berkeley setting. PS. More psychedelic shirt goodness this way: https://www.google.com/search?q=larry+wall&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=larry+wall&tbm=isch

hinkley 11y ago
"Two things came out of Berkeley: LSD and Unix. We do not believe this to be a coincidence."
- koenigdavidmj 11y ago
  LSD and BSD.
  - gjkood 11y ago
    See Chapter 1 of the Unix Hater's Handbook. http://www.csf.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/BioComp/training/unix_haters_handbook.pdf http://www.csf.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/BioComp/training/...
- greglindahl 11y ago
  Three things came out of Berkeley: LSD, BSD, and the SCA.
badpenny 11y ago
Also Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy.

fezz 11y ago

That shirt is a metaphorical representation of Perl's visual style. Guido van Rossum would wear this shirt: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8s/uTSwSKXlOUU/s640/Picture+3.png http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8...

aidenn0 11y ago
It's a great metaphor when I can say "I bet it's a Piet Mondrian shirt" before clicking on the link.
- fezz 11y ago
  and coincidentally both are dutch :)

fezz 11y ago

That shirt is a metaphorical representation of Perl's visual style. Guido Rossum would wear this shirt: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8s/uTSwSKXlOUU/s640/Picture+3.png http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zqFoq3qej2c/SJM4eDsnzII/AAAAAAAAR8...

scottw 11y ago

Someone asked him a similar question at the last YAPC in Salt Lake City in June. "What's with the [colorful] shirts?" He replied, "I like the colors."