I have to disagree slightly with Ben Ruset's comment against John
McEwen's nerd comment. First of all, I'm sure John meant to be humorous
with a bit of sarcasm.
But second, I can see John's underlying point. Some of us view
computers as necessary tools, without a real desire to delve fully into
their history, workings, and jargon. We learn what we have to, to do
what we need to. I feel that way about computers, mainly because I
don't have the time to embrace them as I do MGs. A ready-made
mailorder PC system from Micron or Dell is good enough for me, and make
sure I can get telephone tech support when I need it. If that gives me
the equivalent of a computer minivan, so be it.
MGs, on the other hand, are my passion. I delight in amassing obscure
volumes of trivia concerning their history, parts, manufacturing, etc.
Researching and writing MG articles for British Car magazine and my
local club is a pleasure, not a chore. Unfortunately, all this leaves
me little time to indulge in my other hobbies (aviation history, classic
Christmas lights, old TVs, radios, electric fans). Computers don't have
any room in my hobby stable, except to support my hobbies through the
Internet.
Maybe we need to accept the fact that nerds are the same as gearheads,
just with a different idol to worship! I would however enjoy it more if
we got back to HS4s and Lucas instead of SCSI and Linux!
Cheers, Paul Kile
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