Geek High. Do You get it?
With my car finally paid off and a little extra cash on the horizon I’ve allowed myself to start thinking about media players again. Coincidentally, just as I’ve started thinking about it, Microsoft and Apple both go and upgrade their premiere devices. In the same week we’ve got new Zunes and iPods, both of which now meet my sole criteria for purchase; massive storage space.
Keeping up with Engadget’s live blog at work I found myself energized, running around and literally leaping over countertops at the thought of the iPod Touch’s new features. I have no intention of buying a Touch but the excitement of the news and the revelation of new gadgets was enough to effect me. I didn’t realize it, though, until my back started to ache from hurdling over counters. I laughed it off and explained to my increasingly uncomfortable co-workers that I was in the midst of a geek high.
This isn’t something new for me. I get this way several times a year — around E3 or Tokyo Game Show, or just when some major tech/game news breaks — but the term never came to me until now. Geek high. There’s a similar effect sometimes called a Nerdgasm but the differences are stark. A nerdgasm is the immediate lust for something presently unattainable. A new gadget or game announcement can instill a nerdgasm whose effects include lust and the inappropriate use of the word sexxy. Conversely, a geek high is a prolonged feeling of elation brought on by a significant event a series of events which may or may not revolve around a product.
Seeing an NES-like control pad on the iPod’s multi-touch screen. The Zune’s Buy from FM feature. The integration of Nike+ technology. Even the first tests of the Large Hadron Collider. The middle of last week was a pretty exciting time to be into technology. I guess that’s why I’m writing this. I expect a reaction like this around the gaming trade shows but I surprised even myself with a spontaneous geek high. So, anyone else get this way? Do I need to copyright Geek High before the phrase spins off into a TV show, a website, and a line of office supplies?
