Yesterday a link off of FARK caught my attention: A Girl’s Guide to Geek Guys.

To be fair, some nice person also posted a link to the Guy’s Guide to Geek Girls.

I posted both to my university’s CS Club mailing list to see what the guys thought about the content of these essays. The few who replied thought the essay about geek guys was more accurate, and the girls one less so.

However, there were a few passages in the “grrlz” essay I thought were especially accurate (from my own perspective):

“They are more attracted to intelligence than testosterone; they don’t need football players - in fact, most of them find them to be a turnoff. Most importantly, they like fellow geeks - prefer them, even.”

“Jeans are the staple element of the geek girl wardrobe. Glasses, usually strong, are also a familiar touch. The hair can be any length, but in almost all cases, it is OUT OF THE WAY. They don’t dress for success. They dress for comfort, for long hours in the lab, for convenience. This is not to say that geek girls aren’t capable of looking nice; they can be quite striking when the mood suits them. Most of the time, however, they are under flourescent lighting and bent over the monitor, so makeup, suits, and high heels are utterly pointless. Not that they aren’t anyway, of course.”

“All women like gifts, but the geek girl’s tastes are different. The average woman likes flowers, but the geek girl is not average, and would probably rather not be bothered with something so transient…Thinking of getting her a necklace? Why not a new sound card instead? A makeup table would not get much use, but a new computer desk would probably see her more than you do. Use your brain when choosing gifts; that’s what she likes you for, anyway.”

While I tend to think of myself as the antithesis of any stereotype, these particular things describe parts of me perfectly. Smart is sexy in my book, and I tend to be highly attracted to guys who are intelligent and useful than those who are not. I’d get more excited watching a guy take apart one of my lamps and put it back together properly than watching a guy hoist my 27″ TV over his head. Seriously. (Okay, maybe I’d be a little impressed with the TV bit, but you get the idea…)

I think all the guys I’ve ever been attracted to have leaned towards the geeky or offbeat side. Of course, they all have not been computer guys, but they’ve all had some characteristic that pulls them out of the mainstream. When a guy demonstrates that he has some worth, that he has an important talent, gift, or interest that he wants to share with the world to make it a more interesting or enjoyable place, I often find myself smitten.

This has been especially true of guys who can play an instrument well, particularly the piano. At the risk of sounding a little creepy, the first time I heard one of my high school English teachers play “The Phantom of the Opera” on the piano, I was so enraptured I nearly passed out. (Not to say I was attracted to him per se, but this is an example of how talent affects me, regardless of gender or age) If someone can make me say “Wow!” they have won me over. (Unless, of course, the person is a egomaniacal jackass, in which case I want nothing to do with them.)

But why computer geeks? Well, I really can’t say for sure. As much as I hate to do this, I guess I could generalize a little. On the whole, most of them are very nice people with a well-developed sense of humor. They are smart, sarcastic, and rebellious against convention. They can be sweet and sensitive when the spirit moves them. They tend to think from their brain rather than their pants. They are creative, but not in a traditional sense. They are useful. They will help society rather than hinder it. Some of them have crazy mad-scientist/Einstein-looking hair. Oh, yeah, did I mention they’re smart? :-) *drool*