Unfortunately, he isn't much for computers, as I mentioned and probably couldn't afford one. He's a poor boy and thinks no one will have him as a result. The irony! I also gave him an inscribed book as a thank you for his help on another project. He, in turn, loaned me a book. That's another thing, both this loaner and another book he asked me to read a passage out of were chock full of sexual content. Classic word nerd form of flirtation.

I saw him a couple of weeks ago, he happened to be outside of the building where we worked as I was walking to doctor appointment. He was really aloof and distant. It reminded that he was always that way whenever we were at work. When we were away, say in the park, he was much more open and relaxed. He's a very private person, so I understand this. But his hesitation is frustrating.

quote:

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"For corn's sake, why can't she just let me watch the movie... This is Clarke, after all..."

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This happened to me during Lord of the Rings, but I chose that (above) thread. Stupid, stupid me.

That's how we laugh the day away with a Ha ha ha - ho ho ho, in the merry old land of Oz.

Sorry, it just slipped .

I am looking for unique, cute/romantic (but not too forward) ways that don't seem contrived... I have a few ideas, but nothing that gets me.

The Hacker thing is a bit forward "Hey want to swim and makeout with me in a pool on top of a building?" and requires you to have already asked her out on the first date.

I was thinking along the lines of sending her, or giving her a CD with a program set to auto-run that would display an invitation, but that seems like a cop out... "I can't ask you in person, so I am writting a letter. I happen to be a geek, so that letter happens to come in the form of a program on a CD." It would e intresting if I could take over one of her terminal windows, and Display the message from sitting a few rows of computers away... But that would require that window's permissions to be changed to something like 777, or 755.. Or perhaps just chowner. Then I'd need the TYY number of that window, and finally I could use it to display what ever I want. It'd be neat if I could get it to work, but impossile to do without gaining acess to her account without her knowledge which could haver serrious repercussions as the university frowns on "Hacking."

I once thought of making a choclate box, filling it with rose pedals, and on the rose peddles have an invitation to somewhere impressive... But that puts pressure on the suject and says "I LIKE YOU, GO OUT WITH ME," which is just askin' for rejection... Moreover, finding a choclate mold of a box, pouring the choclate, making arrangements at someplace impressive enough to work and then having them say "NO" would be a heck of a lot worse than getting the LJBF speech after asking her to lunch or something.

I like the romantic and the drastic, but it always means that there is more pressure on her, and makes rejection more likely and harder to take. Moreover, there is less chance at a healthy friendship developing, because the dramatic proclomation will make her terriblly nervous around you if she doesn't return your feelings.

i dont get nervous... but i blush and can't make direct eye contact cause i feel so ugly in front of this girl, and as if i dont deserve her eye contact...

plus shes not a geek! shes a normal girl... not really popular but not in the geek clique... i'm kina in both... but still i'm just WAY to shy.

god how do you guys live with this spamblock... 90 seconds?!

I think that having irritating tag-alongs has left me more cynical and bitter than I should be, as I can see the potentially romantic side of this tutoring idea. Personally, though, I'd like any geek girlfriend to be my equal, and the idea that geek girls can't program well without lots of extra help (seeing as everyone seems to need to keep tutoring them) scares me. I'd like to still cling to some hope that geek girls aren't all inferior to male geeks.

To quell the cries of "Elitist!" I heard being screamed even before I began typing - when I'm referring to myself in this post, I'm talking in relative terms. "My equal" does not mean someone amazing, just someone at the same level as me. I'd probably be more uncomfortable with someone superior as inferior. I don't actually have a problem with showing people things or explaining it to them, and the way my life has gone, anyone else could soon overtake me. I just worry that I'd end up feeling like a mentor if I had to do that too much, and that would bring with it unhelpful connotations.

I make no pretences here that I'm good at programming - the relative way in which we make judgements means that I can't necessarily trust those people who tell me I'm good - I don't think I am, though I'm thinking more that I fall a long way short of my potential.

Anyhow, I'm way off track with my own point, which is about geek girls (and hopes that they are the equals of male geeks), after all, assuming they even exist in this part of the world in the first place.

And anyhow, I know what I've heard, but anyone else here: Why are there no female programmers? I know they do exist, but name one piece of software with a woman's name in the credits as a programmer, and not the graphic artist or someone who offered support (and in particular, a shareware or open source app). I mean, if there are all these female programmers around, why do they switch on their cloaking devices as soon as they can?

I only have software by two female programmers - 1) Anita Straker, a prolific author of educational software for the BBC Micro back in the 80s. Not that I want the stuff, it just came with some of my BBC Micros :) But that was a long time ago in computing terms. 2) Lisa Lippincott's Unfinder - adds an Undo option to the Mac OS Classic Finder - not that good (only works on Apple Event monitoring, instead of hooking Finder actions), so I turned it off (*hates clutter*).

Oh well, plenty of flammable material for someone to attack with their flamethrower. Have fun.

instead of the usual tutoring... shes dying to learn guitar... my specialty

you must've misread JAS said she's NOT a geek, which means GM's advice is completely waranted
I didn't misread it, I just forgot, but yes, you are completely correct, my apologies. I'll correct my stance to not include the above post from GameMaster then :) Cheers for that.

Now, if you really are a Coding Genius™ then I can say that you really do have a valid reason for offering help, but in general, who's to know that the girl is worse than you? Steve works down at IBM Hursley, and says it's a "Daniel heaven" (that being me), full of what we'd call TTBs. One girl, he says, "were it not for the fact that she wears a cardigan and codes like a demon, would be a model". So, female Coding Genii are out there...

Wanting to get to know a girl by offering them help seems a bit patronising to me - if they want my help, they could ask, though, once they got to know me more and it no longer felt like I'd think they were using me.

Hrm... I'm a bit lost now as to what I think... I think what I'd say is that the idea, in general, is not a bad one at all - it sounds cute and quite possibly romantic - but I just object to the presumptuousness of the idea that it could be a universal method. What do guy geeks do to get the attention of girl geeks who code better than them? Or, how about, what go guy geeks do to get the attention of girl geeks irregardless of whether they can program well or not, or if they don't even have the same programming class? ;)

I'm not asking for myself - the answers would never work on me. I'm just thinking theoretically, really.

Oh come on, it's late, I need sleep, I'm allowed to ramble nonsensically. And I've still got to do the third me vs skylar topic yet...

As for your comments about helping - fair enough. As I said, seeing where you're coming from, it makes sense, but for all those who aren't the world's top coders, maybe their are other ideas :)

*shrugs* I think you and me have been through this one before, anyhow, so I'll quit bothering you now :P