Thursday, June 9, 2011

Being A Geek Is Glorious

I have been struggling lately to keep to my "one blog post a week for the entire summer," resolution. The reason being that in addition to having found myself in five states (IA, IL, MD, NY and of course NJ) in the last month I also started my internship. This summer I am working as a blogger for Geekosystem, which is one of the Abrams Media Network websites.

While I'm short on time for personal blogging, I have been having a blast blogging professionally. I started a week ago and have already written 23 posts. I have been shocked by the sheer volume of things the internet cranks out each day, and equally shocked by how much those things are repackaged and recycled.

I've been tweeting most of my posts so I won't re-list them all here, but there are a few standouts. The posts I have written have been on a variety of topics, including (though not limited to) Vulcan flashdrivesAudio CAPTCHAs (which I had no idea what they were,) Techie words added to the dictionary"New" (really they are pretty old) elements added to the periodic tableAn explosion on the sunPeople that are using Google's money to buy GoogleHackers that are sort of funny but not really because hacking is a serious crime, and An aquatic spider that uses its web as gills to breathe underwater.

I have already learned a lot of things from my internship, the wisdom of which I will impart here:
  • People on the internet like Corgis. Apparently, Corgi's are a thing.
  • Traveling 1.5 hours each way to work is not sustainable, unless you are Wonder Woman (I'm not.)
  • I do not understand the allure of Nyan Cat. Why is this a thing? No, really...
  • Pokemon is actually thinly disguised cockfighting.
  • I should really start watching Doctor Who.
  • You shouldn't read the comments if you are already having a bad day, someone is bound to hate you/your post for obscure reasons. While comments can tell you a lot and spark great conversations, you have to be ready for them good and bad.
  • Living at home means I walk in the door to dinner that is already made and that is phenominal.
  • Backpacks are good. Dorky as all get out, but completely genius. 
  • I would like more hours in the day.
  • There was/is a meme of fingers painted like zombies. What? 
  • The internet has surprises like Terrifying Clown. To be avoided at all costs.
  • I really (REALLY) want to know more about comic books. I might need a tutor. 
  • Trains don't work when its hot. At least, not NJ Transit trains. (I already knew this, but it deserves mention for being a major engineering fail.)
  • My parents deserve metals for all the schleping to and from the train they do on a daily basis.
  • It is possible for an office building to regulate their AC temperature to normal human non-refridgeration levels, and it makes getting dressed in the morning much easier. 
  • You should check the google analytics for your posts, and learn what your audience really likes.
  • Planking, like Corgi's, will get your hits on your site. 
  • There are too many cat memes, and not enough puppies. 
  • Dachshund in chainmail never ceases to make me smile.
  • I am a pretty pretty princess.
  • The internet is bound and determined to ruin my childhood memories. 
Last but not least, I have learned that Lady Gaga and Judas Priest make for a killer mashup. No seriously, I did a post that was just this:



To be serious for a moment (which, with all I have learned about the glory of the internet is a little difficult) I am really enjoying my internship. The best thing about it so far has been the completely wonderful, welcoming and encouraging people I'm working with and the great atmosphere and pace of the job. It is nice to be an intern and not have the weight of an entire site on your shoulders. Feeling like I'm a part of a team does wonders for my desire to get up in the morning and go to work. I can't wait to see what the next three months will bring.

7 comments:

  1. Sounds like you're having a good summer so far! I'm also overwhelmed about the amount of content produced online every day. Sometimes it's hard to find comfortable grounding.

    It's funny you mentioned not posting for a while -- my blog is gathering cobwebs as we speak. I was considering posting something this weekend.

    Which comics are you interested in?

    Here's to writing and geekdom!

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  2. All of them. Haha I guess I'm interested in learning more about the DC and Marvel characters, particularly who is who and what the major story lines are, but I feel like thats a lot.

    Summer has definitely been good so far, busy, but good!

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  3. Braeden will be your comic book tutor: he knows everything. I will watch Dr Who with you: Braeden has been bugging me for a loooooong time to get into that. Also, we all know that cats are cuter than dogs (and I may or may not but definitely am just saying that because we are planning on getting a kitty this summer.)

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  4. I'm glad you're enjoying your internship, Erin! I just started mine and love it. Way to go with keeping your blog going!

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  5. Thanks Amy, I'm glad to hear you are also really enjoying your internship!

    Cassi, I'm allergic to cats so obviously dogs are just better. But I'm glad Braeden can tutor me in comics and you are willing to watch some Dr. Who. We need to figure out a good weekend in the fall for you guys to come to Madison!

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