The GeekBits Podcast

The GeekBits Podcast
The GeekBits Podcast
Growing Up as a Nerd in the 80s - GeekBits Podcast Episode 2
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Welcome to second pilot episode of the GeekBits Podcast: Growing Up as a Nerd in the 80s. This being the second of two pilot episodes, there are audio glitches here and there and a tiny bit of echo due to the room not being perfect acoustically. If you’re watching the video version, you’ll notice the camera angles aren’t the greatest. One camera even stops recording because we didn’t know it had a hard limit. Know that we are working on ordering the proper equipment, preparing the room acoustics, and even a set background. So please enjoy this second pilot episode while we prepare the future! You can find Pilot Episode 1 here.

GROWING UP AS A NERD IN THE 80S

Some may not realize, but growing up as a nerd in the 80s wasn’t like it is today.  In our High School of just 500 kids, there were only 4 or 5 nerds in the entire school. They were not considered cool.

In this episode we talk about all the ways life was different for an 80s nerd, and share several fun stories about how things were or the mischief we got into.  From Mike putting a prank “virus” on the school computer lab, to David’s ultimate detention for his unwillingness to pay $5 USD for a floppy disk, to Craig’s story about the math teachers learning on the fly to teach computer class, this episode is packed with fun!

All three of share our experiences with being introduced to computers at our elementary computer lab. A small lab in the library contain a few Commodore PETs, along with a disk drive and a printer.  The Commodore PET was literally the first computer we every touched.

Growing up as a Nerd in the 80s also came with the inevitable name calling, being picked on, and generally being placed in the category of loser. And in David’s case of being a nerd and the shortest kid in school, he got a double whammy of unwanted attention.