» Geek Pride Blooms Into a Real-World Subculture - washingtonpost.com
Observers note that “nerds” or “geeks” are embracing those long-pejorative labels in part because it has never been so cool to be uncool. Gadgets — once the realm of Wired-reading early-adopters — have become part of mainstream culture. Witness the iPod, and, more recently, the mania over the iPhone. In 2000, a poll by Oregon-based CNW Marketing showed that among 16-to-29-year-olds, a new car was considered the possession that most impressed their friends. This year, however, the poll found that cars had fallen behind cellphones, with 70 percent of respondents calling an iPhone the ultimate status symbol.
