It amazes me further to see so many companies today referring to their employees as a geek and then even push it further to require them to play dress up as part of an advertising gimmick. These people may as well have a job standing on a corner holding a sign and waving at cars. When it comes down to it folks, do you really want a geek working on your computer? Would you not feel better knowing that you have a qualified IT Technician troubleshooting your computer problems? Of course you would. This is not a trick question and the correct answer should have flashed in your mind before you even finished reading the sentence. I need to make it clear that this article is not aimed at any one person that may be or may have been employed as a geek. Furthermore, this article’s primary purpose is to educate the consumer while the possible danger of humour with even a chuckle or two. With that said, let’s proceed with a look into the world of the geek?

First off, let’s start with the definition of a geek. To be fair, I will use several different sources that define the English language as well as one that defines urban and slang versions of the same.

1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity”

There are those that will argue that the only true dictionary of the English language is the Oxford. So, for my friends across the oceans here is the definition of Geek from the Oxford:

“• noun informal, chiefly N. Amer. 1 an unfashionable or socially inept person. 2 an obsessive enthusiast.

  — DERIVATIVES geeky adjective.

  — ORIGIN from the related English dialect word geck ‘fool’.”

Now as promised, we take a look at how the Urban Dictionary defines being a Geek:

“The term “geek” originally referred to the carnival performers whose act consisted of biting the heads off chickens and eating glass. Over time it came to be applied to anyone who got paid to do work considered odd or bizarre by mainstream society.

The term now enjoys a special status within the technical community, particularly among particularly knowledgeable computer programmers. To identify oneself as a “geek” indicates a recognition that most people still consider programming computers to be a bizarre act, along with a certain fierce satisfaction in being very good at their inglorious profession.

That most software geeks now easily earn twice as much as the average laborer just sweetens their defiant embrace of the term.

Note: Unlike the word “nerd,” which is always pejorative, “geek” often carries a positive connotation when used by one of the group. The use of the term by outsiders is considered insulting.”

Given all of the previous, I am sure you can understand why I prefer not to be referred to as a geek. I remain proud of the fact that time after time I am told that I do not look like a geek. Still, one has to wonder why there are so many companies that use this word in their name! I can not begin to list them all, but just naming a few with the most famous first: Geek Squad, Geeks To Go, Geeks On Call, Rent A Geek, Geeks Orlando and Geeks R Us. Soon all of the geeky names were gone and companies moved down to the lower level of desciptives using Guru and Nerd.

Another interesting fact is the amount of negative feedback toward the most popular of the geek business name, yet accordingly the money continues to roll in for the Geek Squad. I do not promote my business by jabbing others, however in this case the sources are unlimited and again I will point out that this is to educate the consumer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now in all fairness this is not the only video out there. It is just one that I randomly picked out of the may. Notice that most of the computer repair companies that they speak of have the word “geek” in their business name. Do you need a geek? Do you really want a geek working on your computer? I am not just picking on the squad here, I am in amazement of the multitudes of businesses that use the title or refer to their employees as a geek, nerd or guru. Once more, there are articles on web sites such as the rip off report where an ex-geek (is that a word?) tells that his role was to be a salesman first and admittedly only knew how to repair a computer by watching what the other geeks were doing.

Another point is that even to do these investigative reports, they had to lug this computer from shop to shop. This is how I created the slogan “pick up your phone, not your computer” tm. Why unplug your computer , load it in the car and drive half way around town to get your computer repaired? Having Mike’s PC Support come to your home or business to do the repairs just makes good cents. You save time and money, quite frankly you save money. We all know time is money. Next time you are in need of computer repair, don’t put yourself at the mercy of any of the geek stores. Look for a qualified and certified computer repair technician. Don’t pay unreasonable fees to companies that pay large advertising fees to be labeled as a geek, you don’t need a geek to get in home computer repair.

 Now a quick look at the humorous side of the word geek

Click here to view the embedded video.

Call Mike at 321-652-5630 to speak to a IT professional.

The math department at the University of Texas noticed many of the computers they were using were failing. Enough so, that they brought the complaint to Dell. Dell’s answer was that they had over taxed the computers by working them to hard on big math calculations. Meanwhile, back at the corporate headquarters there was talk of the possibility of these particular Optiplex models shipped between 2003 and 2005 having issues with bad capacitors, but only a small percentage of  those shipped were suspected to fail. Private investigation and recent audits point to the fact the Dell may have miscalculated the percentage.

Adding gas to the fire, even the company that was hired to defend Dell in the lawsuit were using said machines. To their surprise, Dell even “balked” them when they enlightened the company that they may just have a real problem on their hands. Seriously though, over 11 million machine were said to have been shipped out during this time frame and at this point we may not be able to rely on Dell to tell us exactly how may of them were the faulty Optiplex model. A quick check over at the Dell web site shows that the Optiplex is the model the company suggests for business use. It may not be recommended for an accountant though.

Many of the unsealed documents and emails have brought forward the inner workings of a one time respected company, after reading some of the documents and memos…Dell may be a long time recovering their reputation.

We have discussed the ways to keep your computer or laptop free of infections using quality anti virus software in the past and that is not what this article is about. Instead, I want to give you some food for thought about protecting yourself and family when it comes to having your computer serviced or repaired. During the course of a day, the IT Technician can easily come into contact with hundreds of items that have been handled by, moved, sneezed or coughed on that have active germs on them. He or she will also shake hands with customers, use telephones, keyboards and mice or come into contact with pets that can also spread germs. A question that probably never crosses your mind as the technician enters your home to work on your personal computer might be important; Do you know where his hands have been? As a matter of fact, I have learned by watching other technicians work, that this question never crosses their minds either. It should, be of concern for both you, the customer and the technician.

This issue can easily be addressed as I do it by habit. I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me in my automobile and also have one on my work bench. It is a easy process to put a few drops on my hands before and after each job I complete throughout the day. I do this for your protection and mine. The process of hand sanitation is a simple, but important factor of caring about my customer. It goes unnoticed, but I think it is essential and hand sanitizer should be part of every good computer technician’s tool box. Rest assured that it is and will remain an important step that I take before I work on your computer in your home or at my work bench.

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