re: reading habits of linux geeks...

[Subash <subashj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on may 17, biju wrote on the lih mailing list that:

> It's amazing, all us geeks seem to have the same reading tastes: SF &
> Fantasy. I wonder why we're all attracted to it?...

> If I may speculate: i think it's due to the fact that the fun of great
> SF/Fantasy is exploration. Exploration of imaginary worlds, new
> concepts and more. The fun of computing is also exploration --

and further that he is shifting the thread to lig. so, hello
everybody. eversince HHGTTG and quotations from and references to
tolkien began appearing in the mailing lists i have been dying to
put in my two bits. but, before anything else, i just want to
mention that what follows is a very personal interpretation of
"facts" and trends. nothing personal about this or any offence
meant to anybody. have absolutely no wish to be called a troll
again or any other such obscure label from the usenet lingo.

i am no geek. hardly. have a ph.d in literature (the thesis
was on the lord of the rings!). i would call myself a self-taught
semi-techie.i know just about enough to put together my own pc
and generally keep in touch with technology trends. i did try my
hand at teaching myself c. but never got very far because i think
the book i chose was written very badly. and yes, fantasy and SF
was a major part of my reading,among others, atleast until a few
years back.

1) tolkien is more accepted among the technical/scientific
community than in the literary community. in
literary/social/cultural studies/theory he is dirt. well almost.

2) which is surprising because tolkien is ANTI-TECHNOLOGY.
period. which is quite obvious in LOTR. when paying his taxes in
the late sixties, he scribbled on the form: "not a cent for the
concorde". the renaissance notion of the rational subject and his
relation to the external world and nature, one of dominance and
control, is hateful to tolkien. his ideal subject has a less
rational but more harmonious relation (mediated through memory,
songs and tales) to things outside oneself. consistent with this,
he believes in a society of strong internal
boundaries/hierarchies and hereditary power. he justifies this by
saying that hereditary power structure atleast brings with it a
sense of responsibility. his famous quote (loosely): "lifting
your cap to the squire may be damn bad for the squire, but it is
good for you".

3) yet he has something in common with the geeks, if you will.
not, as biju says, the passion for exploration, but the passion
for order. he was a philologist and delighted in creating
artificial languages. self-contained systems, if you will. like a
computer program for instance. where,
unlike the real world, you can set down the laws and rules and
see that everything is in its place and orderly. real life
languages have a way of becoming polymorphous/gamous. part of the
appeal of LOTR is the consistency of the imaginary created world
and tolkien spent years brooding over the details like moon
phases etc. the geek, the code churner, has the same passion for
order. except for the occasional bug, the delight a well thought
out program gives him is the same. i think. it does exactly what
he/she wants it to do.

4) one possible reason why techies generally take to stuff like
this. they spend a lifetime wading through equations and such
stuff and atleast the best of them i think have a feeling that
they are losing out on developing the philosophic/anarchic part
of their personality. they mostly lead a VERY conformist life.
good student/good marks/good technical colleges/good mnc jobs.
this personal sense of a lack, i think, makes them take very
easily to philosophies which come packaged. instant karma, if you
will.

folks, like i said, these are very personal views and no offence
meant. would be glad to hear your reactions.

regards, subash.

leave your thinking caps behind and enter:
www.cybersteering.com/cruising/feature/godsown/trichi_run.html