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My Faith in Nerds: Stronger Than Any Gelatinous Cube

Merlin Mann | Sep 10 2010

dConstruct 2010: Merlin Mann - "Kerning, Orgasms & Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks" (NSFW)

ME - Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks on Huffduffer

Download the audio | Huffduff it


Let's be honest. I don't go...mmmm...places very often.

I sit in this chair. I go to the Safeway with my daughter. Sometimes, I take the train downtown to get a haircut. I check the mail.

But, by and large, like most nerds, I'm without question, a bit of a shut-in.

Which makes it more than a little ironic that my first trip off the North American continent brought me all the way to Brighton, England's wonderful dConstruct Conference.

Which wonderful conference placed me inside a very royal complex, alone on a very large stage, 90 seconds after being informed I'd better be entertaining, because I'd be conducting my oration on the same spot where, a scant 36 years earlier, ABBA had become international stars by singing an up-tempo number about giving up. So, y'know. No pressure.

Commanded to this location by two of my web heroes, I was told I could speak about whatever I wanted. So, wow, to quote the ladies of ABBA, how could I ever refuse?

Thus, I stood on that stage for over 35 minutes, rambling to 800 talented, creative people about Dungeons & Dragons, japanese toothpicks, torrenting Photoshop, as well as what I used to find myself doing after a long evening of shooting mutants in Stargate.1

But, mostly? Yes. Mostly, I stood on a stage thousands of miles from the chair from which I barely move, and I told a lot of really smart people that they were nerds. I also told them they should get out more.

I swear: it made sense at the time.

toothpick

Some Serious Talent

My talk about the challenges and opportunities of being a giant nerd seemed well received. Honestly, I'm very happy with how it turned out. But--oh, brother--was I ever up against some heavy hitters. Serious Lou Gehrig shit.

I'll leave it to other, more eloquent folks to tell you what a wonderful day this was. But I will very much suggest you learn this for yourself by listening to the audio of the fantastic talks. Because every one of them is a corker.

Additionally, like I said, Tom Coates put on one of the loveliest slide decks it's ever been my pleasure to see (56MB PDF).

Great speakers, great hosts, wonderful attendees (who aren't above buying a yank a pint [thanks, everybody]).

And, Thanks, dConstruct

I have to admit, I'm kind of over conferences as a thing, which makes it even more crazy when I go to one, and it blows me out of the water with the care and quality of the event, the speakers, and the attendees. dConstruct was absolutely one of those blown-out-of-the-water events.

Merlin Mann
(photo: happy.apple)

As I learned over and over again--yes, like me--these folks are nerds. But, brother are they ever talented nerds who care and care. Which I just love so much.

I'll take a nerdy bunch of fontdorks and cellists over a splashy mega-conference full of VC pitches and skanks pushing free Red Bull anytime. Anytime.

dConstruct was simply a top-notch operation from end-to-end, and I'm insanely grateful that I was invited to participate. Thanks, Clearleft.

And, you, the reader? If you get the chance next time, go. Heck, I might even leave this chair and go there, myself. Maybe.

I suppose when Dr. Who's over, I could just let these 20-sided dice decide for me. Lemme see...what's my Armor Class and Hit Points...?


Listen for Yourself2

dConstruct Podcast

  1. MARTY NEUMEIER - The Designful Company

    The Designful Company on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  2. BRENDAN DAWES - Boil, Simmer, Reduce

    Boil, Simmer, Reduce on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  3. DAVID MCCANDLESS - Information Is Beautiful

    Information Is Beautiful on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  4. SAMANTHA WARREN - The Power and Beauty of Typography

    The Power and Beauty of Typography on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  5. JOHN GRUBER - The Auteur Theory Of Design

    The Auteur Theory Of Design on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  6. HANNAH DONOVAN - Jam Session: What Improvisation Can Teach Us About Design

    Jam Session: What Improvisation Can Teach Us About Design on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  7. JAMES BRIDLE - The Value Of Ruins

    The Value Of Ruins on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  8. TOM COATES - Everything The Network Touches

    Everything The Network Touches on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

  9. Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks

    ME - Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks on Huffduffer

    Download the audio | Huffduff it

type samples.acorn


  1. Hint: Number Three. ↩

  2. Code for these was stolen wholesale from the dConstruct site. Jeremy, et al - don't hesitate to tell me if that's a problem.Srsly. ↩

POSTED IN:
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  • 223007 reads
TOPICS: dConstruct, Geeks, Knowledge Workers, Nerds, Speaking

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Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known for being the guy who created the website you’re reading right now. He lives in San Francisco, does lots of public speaking, and helps make cool things like You Look Nice Today, Back to Work, and Kung Fu Grippe. Also? He’s writing this book, he lives with this face, he suffers from this hair, he answers these questions, and he’s had this life. So far.

Merlin’s favorite thing he’s written in the past few years is an essay entitled, “Cranking.”

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