(CNN) -- If the world of entertainment is any indication, the geeks shall inherit the Earth.

 

he nerd herd is everywhere these days it seems: in books, on television and at the movies.

 

 

 

Geeks rallied to keep Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in the game on "Dancing with the Stars."

 

 

 

They have also been burning up online message boards in anticipation of the new "Star Trek" movie, out Friday, and working feverishly to keep the NBC series "Chuck," an ode to geekdom, on the small screen.

 

 

 

In the 25 years since "Revenge of the Nerds" debuted at movie theaters, geek chic has grabbed hold and catapulted the brilliant, yet often socially inept, into the realm of -- dare it be said -- the hip and the cool.

 

 

 

"It is definitely hot right now in pop culture," said Benjamin Nugent, author of the "American Nerd: The Story of My People."

 

 

 

The popularity of shows like "Ugly Betty," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Myth Busters" are just a few examples that -- along with the box office success of Judd Apatow films like "Superbad" and "Knocked Up" -- have made Hollywood stand up and take notice of the lure of geekdom.

 

 

 

Although there have long been shows and movies that have attracted the geek nation, the new breed of entertainment goes a step further by featuring geeky characters and personalities front and center.

 

 

 

Nugent traces the concept of "the nerd" to 19th-century literature, with the socially awkward Mary Bennet in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." The latter can perform the scientific task of creating a monster but can't find the emotional reserve to be its father.

 

 

 

Nugent said he believes that the watershed moment for modern-day nerds came with a surprising romantic lead on Fox's "The O.C.," which he says sent waves through network television.

 

 

 

"The show had a guy who they thought was going to be their heartthrob, a character named Ryan Atwood, played by Benjamin McKenzie," Nugent explained. "The comedic foil that they gave that character was Seth Cohen, played by Adam Brody, and an unexpected thing happened in that audiences embraced Adam as the heartthrob on the show.

 

 

 

"I think that created an opening for other TV and screenwriters to say 'Oh, there's a way to create a character that doesn't have to be the James Dean type but can be the overeducated, overanalyzing, almost nebbish character that can also be an attractive, engaging character,' " Nugent added.

 

 

 

Lori Kendall, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studies popular cultural representations of nerds -- which she said is not quite the same as a geek.

 

 

 

"My take on it is that geek is a more positive term, and nerd is still negative," she said. "Geek doesn't stick as much." (The coinage of "nerd," incidentally, is attributed to Dr. Seuss, who used the word in his 1950 book "If I Ran the Zoo.")

 

 

 

Kendall pointed out that people can "geek out" about something and not necessarily be thought of as a nerd.

 

 

 

In the 1980s, Kendall said, nerds became synonymous with computers and technology.

 

 

 

Even as the public at large has grown more familiar and comfortable with technology, the old stereotypes of the smart, pocket-protector-wearing white male who can't get a girlfriend has continued, she said.

 

 

 

"It's been surprising to me how much you see geeks and nerds in popular culture now, but it is also surprising to me that there is still that negative stigma to it," Kendall said.

 

 

 

Rob Malda, creator-director for the site SlashDot, which bills itself as providing "news for nerds," said society couldn't help but take notice after "the nerds of the '70s and '80s became the driving influencers of technology in the '90s."

 

 

 

"Some of those nerds got rich, others gained tremendous influence, and some became household names," said Malda, who embraces being a nerd. "So I don't know if it 'fascinates' people, but the mainstream became aware of them because in many ways, a small number of them hijacked the means of communication and business. It's hard to ignore that."

 

 

 

Bill Prady is well aware of the nerd's power. Before he became a successful writer and producer of shows like "Dharma & Greg," "Gilmore Girls," and "Two and a Half Men," he was a computer programmer.

 

 

 

He drew on that knowledge to co-create, along with Chuck Lorre, the CBS hit "The Big Bang Theory," which chronicles the comic adventures of a pair of brilliant physicists, their equally geeky friends and their attractive female neighbor.

 

 

 

Prady said his television show takes a "beautiful mind" approach to the characters that he and the other writers so obviously have a deep affection for.

 

 

 

"We don't make fun of them, because very much we are our characters," Prady said. "While we're not as smart as our characters ... we share many of their passions in terms of pop culture."

 

 

 

Prady said the audience is very protective of the characters and relates to them. He believes that attitude is a reflection of the fact that many have felt like outsiders at some point.

 

 

 

The show's fan base is similar to those of sci-fi shows, and they follow the sitcom with much the same devotion, he said.

 

 

 

And although the "The Big Bang Theory" relies on a UCLA professor of astrophysics as a consultant to get the science right, Prady said it's the writers who infuse the show with its geeky pop culture references.

 

 

 

"The deep, deep knowledge of 'Star Trek,' that's just us," Prady said, laughing.

 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/05/06/geeks.pop.culture/index.html

 

 

 

Wait, what? What? Playing with dices are "IN"? Having a good computer knowledge is "cool."

 

 

 

Stop watching NFL and start watching Battlestar Galactica?

We have risen.

Chuck is a horrible show

I think a lot of people are having misconceptions about the differences between Geeks and Nerds (not on this forum, but in general). Geeks know about technology, but have the ability to socialise. Nerds live in their mother's basement (a bit of a cliche example) until they're 30 and don't have any social skills. Therefore, being a Geek, is not exactly 'cool', but it is quite handy.

Don't believe this crap. The true nerds are way out of mode.

 

 

 

You're talking about people who watch Battlestar Galactica. The people who watch things blow up on Mythbusters are definitely not nerds.

 

Real geeks/nerds/whatever are the people who are up at 2am programming on their 10+ year old computer, on which they have some odd (Or normal, but heavily modified) flavor of Unix-like operating system filled with custom drivers. Or the people who get every single xkcd. Or the people who do calculus or read technical writing rather than be social.

 

 

 

Geeks will never be "Hip".

Don't believe this crap. The true nerds are way out of mode.

 

 

 

You're talking about people who watch Battlestar Galactica. The people who watch things blow up on Mythbusters are definitely not nerds.

 

Real geeks/nerds/whatever are the people who are up at 2am programming on their 10+ year old computer, on which they have some odd (Or normal, but heavily modified) flavor of Unix-like operating system filled with custom drivers. Or the people who get every single xkcd. Or the people who do calculus or read technical writing rather than be social.

 

 

 

Geeks will never be "Hip".

 

 

 

Geeks and nerds are similar, but different. Geeks actually socialise, whereas nerds do not.

[citation needed]

[citation needed]

 

 

 

How about this for citation?

 

 

 

[yt]a9jlefnXKyQ[/yt]

That's only what geeks say to make themselves feel better about themselves. They feel more comfortable by proudly giving themselves the label of geek rather than if someone else did it for them.

Oh.

 

 

 

Being a weeaboo [bleep] is cool here. Nothing makes me rage more than obnoxious weeaboos and their twisted vision of actual Japanese culture.

How about this for citation?

 

 

 

As if you believe she really is a 'geek'...

How about this for citation?

 

 

 

As if you believe she really is a 'geek'...

 

 

 

It doesn't matter what I believe, seeing as you missed the point. She explained the difference between Geek and Nerd. Which was my point.

 

 

 

Btw, sorry if I missed what you meant by asking that question. I'm tired at the moment.

In my opinion Nerds are just more intelligent, and less social versions of Geeks. Otherwise, it's more or less the same thing. I'm a proud Geek.

Who says Geek's haven't always been cool?

 

 

 

What defines "cool" anyway?

Who says Geek's haven't always been cool?

 

 

 

What defines "cool" anyway?

 

Coolness is in the eyes of the beholder.

Who says Geek's haven't always been cool?

 

 

 

What defines "cool" anyway?

 

Coolness is in the eyes of the beerholder.

 

 

 

corrected.

Are we to expect things like this?

 

 

 

[hide=A PS of Paris Hilton][/hide]

Who says Geek's haven't always been cool?

 

 

 

What defines "cool" anyway?

 

Stupidity is in the eyes of the beerholder.

 

 

 

corrected.

 

Corrected again.

Who says Geek's haven't always been cool?

 

 

 

What defines "cool" anyway?

 

Stupidity is in the eyes of the beerholder.

 

 

 

corrected.

 

Corrected again.

 

 

 

You got me there.

It's not cool? Don't get your hopes up after reading this.

Why honestly says the word 'geek' ? In runescape I've never saw anyone use the term geek, only 'nerd'.

 

Really. I never heard anyone say geek.

Why honestly says the word 'geek' ? In runescape I've never saw anyone use the term geek, only 'nerd'.

 

Really. I never heard anyone say geek.

 

 

 

Yeah that's true. I only hear it on television or when someone references a guy who is omniscient when it comes to computers.

I find this dumb. I am a true geek. I have random computer knowledge, have inane math skills, play D&D (which I bet most 'geeks' do not), and I receive the ThinkGeek catalog as well as the American Science & Surplus catalog (both amazing things... http://www.sciplus.com) And I own sufficiently geeky tshirts, a D&D one, a Link one, and a LEGO Darth Vader one (which says 'The Force is strong with this one'). I can quote passages of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. I know about 'DO NOT WANT'... And I use GIMP but not Linux.

 

 

 

Squeez Bacon!!!

Umm...since when does it matter?

Umm...since when does it matter?

 

I seem to recall having an argument with you in the past, a heated one which caused me to feel a sense of rage towards the sight of your avatar.

 

 

 

That rage is now gone :thumbup: .