this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2024

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Science Memes

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1808

weaponized nerdery (mander.xyz)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 158 points 7 months ago (1 children)

What makes them think that the library of Alexandria did it any other way? Nerds have existed long before the internet…

[–] [email protected] 78 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Nerds were invented by Charles Nerd, when in 1948, separated from the Poindexters and the eggheads after disagreement.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

You can only call then Nerds if they're from the Nerdeaux region of France. Otherwise they're just sparkling smartasses

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (2 children)

umm ackshually this is false, the concept of nerd originates from a viking ship that docked at Lübeck in 873, whereupon the crew got into an extended argument about the precise value of their cargo, leading to the Lübeck merchants exclaiming "Fücking Nörds!" and that quickly caught on and eventually the term started generally referring to anyone that was annoyingly pedantic but technically correct.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Can I cite this on Wikipedia?

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[–] [email protected] 109 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

That's literally what the library of Alexandria was all about.

They told all of the nerds that the best nerd paper would get into their nerd building, and nerds traveled there from around the world and dedicated their lives to correcting and one-upping the other nerds.

I love the fallibility of humans and our consistency, it makes me much more comfortable to live in a world that seems comprehensible, because I know underneath all of it are like three dumb existential complacencies that any human part of the species can't deny.

[–] [email protected] 89 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Just ignore the 150M a year they spend managing finances, contributors, tech, moderation, etc. Takes a lot to maintain an accurate library.

[–] [email protected] 71 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (12 children)

i dont think anyone is ignoring that. the meme is talking about how it was built, not how it's currently maintained. it definitely didn't start off spending that much. all that spending is a consequence of it's popularity, not the reason for it.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 7 months ago (2 children)

150m a year doesn't seem that much, honestly. I know people think "oh, it's just a website" but it takes a lot of work and money in salaries and infrastructure hosting to keep a web application as popular as Wikipedia up and running.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I used to work for them. It was weird and wonderful and I miss it and I don't. Lots of mission driven folks working hard to keep things going getting very little respect. But a lot of respect. But sometimes none.

Iirc a lot of their budget is spent doing charity stuff. Encouraging contributions for tiny languages. Trying not to cave to Russia or the US or France. Trying to make it less of a boys club. Trying to get local organizations going.

I remember once they sent an email that said "if the French government asks you to delete this page please just delete it. It's not worth going to jail. Someone outside of France will revert the delete."

I wasn't qualified for the work. No one was. But it was honest work.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Thank you for your work, though!

Very curious about the page French govt wanted deleted.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (9 children)

Genocides in the colonies.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago

150m a year for one of the most trafficked websites on the internet is a bargin

[–] [email protected] 74 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's not the real Library at Alexandria until it burns down. Twice.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago (1 children)

*enter the jocks

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (2 children)

NERDS

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

You know - the jocks in that film were assholes, but the nerds sexually assaulted people.

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Dammit he correctly used the apostrophe.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Why damn it? That's a good thing.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 7 months ago

Nerds needing to correct each other lol

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

They said it as an interjection, in this case to express astonishment.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Here: it’s nerd’s, not nerds’.

You’re welcome.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 7 months ago

YOU IDIOT

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

But... it's plural, it already ends in s.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 7 months ago (2 children)

"The best way to get a correct answer online is not to post a question. It is to post the wrong answer."

[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago

I've done it at times. It works!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Ackchyually it's Wikipedia.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 7 months ago

[–] [email protected] 26 points 7 months ago (2 children)

All human advancement was created by nerds. Spears were invented by weaklings too slow to kill with their bare hands. Fire was tamed by the people who were scared of the dark

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think fire was tamed because the food poisoning killed those without it. We are supposed to just sleep at night.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Assuming primitive people would make the connection between gross food and people dying.

https://ebookslib.org/sf/12898-eurema-s-dam.html

Fun little story that makes my point.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yes, I do, every time there's seventeen exceptions on a statement that used to be simple. 'This was their last album with this drummer, until he came back, except for this other time, before he left again.' Just rewrite the damn sentence.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

And still, even with a do-over, somehow failed to call it "M'akshually". 🤷🏼‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

it better not get burned down again

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