The Geek Code is a series of letters and symbols used by geeks to inform fellow geeks about their personality, appearance, interests, and opinions. The idea is that everything that makes a geek individual and different from all the other geeks in the world can be written down (encoded) in this very compact format. Then other geeks can read the geek code and work back from that to discover what the writer looks like, what interests s/he has, and so forth. This is deemed to be efficient in some sufficiently geeky manner.
The Geek Code was invented by Robert Hayden in 1993 and is defined at geekcode.com. The idea has subsequently been extended to many other occupations and groups, such as goths or furries, but the geek code is the original such code.
In some parts of the net, it was once common practice to use a geek code as one's signature, though those times are now long past. One of the consequences of being so old in such a fast-moving field is that much of the geek code now looks rather dated. The World Wide Web is described as "relatively new and little understood" - while the latter may still be accurate, the former certainly isn't. Creating a geek code for yourself is almost like nostalgia for nerds.
Once created, geeks can use their geek codes anywhere they please. Previous places include emails, websites, letters, art, programming language comments, and even T-shirts. Nowadays, personal websites are the most common breeding ground, particularly any "about me" sections.
Robery Hayden's own geek code is: GED/J d-- s:++>: a-- C++(++++) ULU++ P+ L++ E---- W+(-) N+++ o+ K+++ w--- O- M+ V-- PS++>$ PE++>$ Y++ PGP++ t- 5+++ X++ R+++>$ tv+ b+ DI+++ D+++ G++++ e++ h r-- y++**
Table of contents |
2 Categories 3 Category-specific modifiers 4 Modifiers 5 Decoding a Geek Code 6 External links |
The Geek Code Block formatting, which is optional, is a parody of the output produced by the encryption program PGP. Within the Geek Code Block there is a line specifying the version of Geek Code being used. The next line starts with the letter
There are a number of letters in the geek code, each of which represent a category. So, the lower-case letter
Format
G
(for Geek) followed by the Geek's occupation(s): GMU
for a geek of music. Then we get into the geek code proper.Categories
t
represents star trek. The geek code's author has this to say about star trek:
Meanwhile, the lower-case letter r
represents relationshipss. Geeks are less associated with relationships than they are with star trek, and the geek code says this about them:
The geekcode website at geekcode.com contains the complete list of categories, along with all the special syntax options. The choice of categories (from version 3 onwards) reflects what geeks consider important. Appearance takes up three categories, computers - thirteen, computer-related politics - two, general politics - two, computer-related interests - six, other interests - three, lifestyle and sex - four. Can you spot the pattern here?
Although some categories have special syntax, generally each category is followed by a series of
The meaning of each category can be changed in subtle or not-so-subtle ways using punctuation marks as modifiers. For example, an
Of course the only real way to read or write Geek Code is by hand. Some mortals feel they have more important things in their life, like changing that Category-specific modifiers
+
or -
signs showing how much the geek agrees or disagrees with the category. For example, t+++
indicates a geek who thinks this about Star Trek:
On the other hand, someone who puts r---
in their geek code feels the following way about relationships:Modifiers
@
after a category means that the geek's feelings on this category are not very rigid and can change with time, while a dollar sign implies the geek is in the enviable position of being paid for their work in this category.Decoding a Geek Code
r---
to a happier state, so Joe Reiss wrote an Ungeeker for us to use. There is a similar program by Pete Williams available.