Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
5th out of 40 books
—
25 voters
The Geeks' Guide to World Domination: Be Afraid, Beautiful People
by
Garth Sundem
TUNE IN. TURN ON. GEEK OUT.
Sorry, beautiful people. These days, from government to business to technology to Hollywood, geeks rule the world.
Finally, here’s the book no self-respecting geek can live without–a guide jam-packed with 314.1516 short entries both useful and fun. Science, pop-culture trivia, paper airplanes, and pure geekish nostalgia coexist as happily in thes...more
Sorry, beautiful people. These days, from government to business to technology to Hollywood, geeks rule the world.
Finally, here’s the book no self-respecting geek can live without–a guide jam-packed with 314.1516 short entries both useful and fun. Science, pop-culture trivia, paper airplanes, and pure geekish nostalgia coexist as happily in thes...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 10th 2009
by Three Rivers Press
(first published March 5th 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
793)
This is a fantastic book that I would recommend to geeks and nerds alike.
After realizing this title had been on my Amazon wish list for about two years, I gave up and requested it as an inter-library loan. I waited a few weeks for delivery, and voila! Geekdom at my fingertips! Joy and much singing in the land until..... I realize this is not exactly what I thought it was.
For some weird reason, I was under the (obviously mistaken) impression that it was more of a typical non-fiction book. Or perhaps I thought it was a novel, I don't know. In any case, it was not what...more
For some weird reason, I was under the (obviously mistaken) impression that it was more of a typical non-fiction book. Or perhaps I thought it was a novel, I don't know. In any case, it was not what...more
Yes, I consider myself a geek. But despite what the author claims, this book seems to be meant for geeks and non-geeks alike. For non-geeks, topics such as nuclear energy, thermodynamics, and the subtleties of the Klingon language are explained in easy-to-understand terms that even the non-geek brain can grasp. For geeks, there are ample opportunities to indulge in our various geeky obsessions...for me, the sections on J.R.R. Tolkein were particularly satisfying. This book gives geeks a reason t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Well, I thought I was lord of the geeks – apparently not. While I knew most of the stuff in the book, some was new to me (I didn’t know Fabio had released an Album! OMG). The real shocker was the stuff I knew but didn’t really care about (Klingon is cute, but I don’t understand peoples obsession with a Science Fictional Language – same as I don’t understand Elvish speakers. To deal with that I am about to read covers invented languages)..
This book really isn’t aimed at geeks, more for those who...more
This book really isn’t aimed at geeks, more for those who...more
Nov 17, 2009
JJ
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Trivia buffs, those who read in the bathroom
It's an alright book if, as the title suggests, you're a complete TRIVIA geek.
I emphasize TRIVIA because that's really all you're getting here. As a Web Developer by trade, I sort of took "geek" to mean television, computers, science fiction etc. (...and just reading the back page alone before purchase I saw they mentioned Search Engine Optimization and agreed, I am the geek they're talking about here.)
Upon finishing, I realized I wasn't exactly that geek. I found a majority of the trivia rather...more
I emphasize TRIVIA because that's really all you're getting here. As a Web Developer by trade, I sort of took "geek" to mean television, computers, science fiction etc. (...and just reading the back page alone before purchase I saw they mentioned Search Engine Optimization and agreed, I am the geek they're talking about here.)
Upon finishing, I realized I wasn't exactly that geek. I found a majority of the trivia rather...more
This book is essentially bathroom reading. 314 different snippets of trivia and thought that should interest the average geek.
I'm a little leery of some of the facts though since some content was off-base (no Gimli was not one of Bilbo's companions in The Hobbit, that was his father, Gloin).
Interesting when you don't have much else at hand, but not much good for reference (no organization what-so-ever) and not really compelling tom read through in order.
I'm a little leery of some of the facts though since some content was off-base (no Gimli was not one of Bilbo's companions in The Hobbit, that was his father, Gloin).
Interesting when you don't have much else at hand, but not much good for reference (no organization what-so-ever) and not really compelling tom read through in order.
I found this book in comic book store in Chapel Hill while killing some time one afternoon. It is a humor book by Garth Sundem. The Tagline is:
be afraid, beautiful people
There are exactly 314.15 entries in this geek manifesto that is a homeage to all things geek from “The quotable Yoda” to “Things that will make your brain hurt” this book had me interested all the way through.
The writing style is sarcastic and dripping with satire. If you are interested in joining the geek army for the global-ta...more
be afraid, beautiful people
There are exactly 314.15 entries in this geek manifesto that is a homeage to all things geek from “The quotable Yoda” to “Things that will make your brain hurt” this book had me interested all the way through.
The writing style is sarcastic and dripping with satire. If you are interested in joining the geek army for the global-ta...more
Funny AND educational.[return][return]I love this kind of book. One of the best of this genre I've read, I think.[return][return]Definitely have Wikipedia nearby for full enjoyment. Sometimes, you just gotta look it up for more info![return][return]Only 4.5 stars instead of 5 because 1) it's lacking an index and 2) there are too many parts where it's obvious the author assumes only MALES are reading the book. Obviously, not true.
If you ever find yourself in need of further paper, rock, scissors strategy, or curious about which secret combination(s) to join, or how to have sex in Second Life, then this is THE book for you. It's like a combination of Schott's Miscellany and one of those hardware store Pocket Refs... for WoW fans. Packed with info and ready to get your geek on.
This book was a fun read. I realized that I'm not as much of a geek as I thought I was (or maybe I'm just not a computer geek and just some other kind of geek). This is a collection of short trivial bits of information. Some of it was dumb, some was challenging, and some actually taught me a few things (like how to read an abacus). The author also has a sense of humor and embraces his geekiness which just made it more fun to read.
This book is basically a bathroom book of slightly geeky trivia -- but then again, what trivia isn't geeky? There is a broad range of topics, some of which was interesting, and some of which was frankly textbook-boring. I liked the Sam Lloyd puzzles the best.
I got this book as part of a 2 for $20 deal with a Russell Peters DVD, and probably wouldn't have bought it on its own.
I got this book as part of a 2 for $20 deal with a Russell Peters DVD, and probably wouldn't have bought it on its own.
A book for any geek who knows way too much random trivia or wants to know more random trivia. I will admit though, this book did make me feel a bit less geeky because there was so much in this book that I didn't know. . . until I encountered the "write your name in Elvish" section which I already know how to do and also know some more advanced/lesser used characters.
Something I grabbed from Borders with a coupon (love those coupons!) when the Downtown's graphic novel selection (and mess) failed me.
It was kind of cute, and had a lot of little interesting facts and figures in it, though it wasn't quite as good as the Schott's Miscellanies. The first half seemed more geeky than the second.
It was kind of cute, and had a lot of little interesting facts and figures in it, though it wasn't quite as good as the Schott's Miscellanies. The first half seemed more geeky than the second.
I got this for Christmas (kudos to the fabulous Robinottis). I qualify myself as finishing this, although I really wish there was a "read more times then once" button because that would be nice. My favorite section! Strange deaths of famous philosophers
This book is full of interesting facts and figures about the average geek's world. It is an exciting read and no matter how many times you read it, there is always a fact you did not remember from your last read. Always interesting and always educational.
We will rule the world someday, so everyone might as well begin to accept it now. Hilarious how-to guide and reference book for all sorts of esoteric and fun things. From 5 Cool Constants from the World of Physics(such as g) to How to Brew Your Own Beer and How to Build a Laser, this book has tons of interesting tidbits to explore. I'll definitely be keeping this close at hand as the Geek Revolution begins.
made me laugh out loud so many times. its like a hilarious, condensed dictionary of thing that really are important in life. like star trek/che guevera quotes, impossible math problems, and how to brew your own beer! ha ha ha
Not really the book I was expecting--it was lots of little factoids and puzzles, rather than a cohesive story/how-to book/whatever. That said, it was good for the style it was written in. Just not what I had in mind.
This book is very... geeky. I loved the random facts. I did skip a bunch of pointless things like how to brew your own beer. I think it's a good book to read when you just want something not very serious.
,I thought this bool was an un usual resemblance of the phycological term socialpath, which this reflect weather when a person goes to the extreme to acomplish simple goals. I loved some of the jokes in it.
Sep 25, 2009
Jdorkman301
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Jdorkman301 by:
Dani
Join us or die, you will.
Begun, the Geek Wars have.
\m/[>.<:]\m/
=^_^=
><((((*>
----<--{@
d-(^_^)-b
If you don't recognize these emoticons, this book is for you. :)
Begun, the Geek Wars have.
\m/[>.<:]\m/
=^_^=
><((((*>
----<--{@
d-(^_^)-b
If you don't recognize these emoticons, this book is for you. :)
Cute book full of geeky humor, trivia, history, etc. Has everything from asking "Where's the bathroom?" in Klingon to a listing of the hottest cartoon females. Also has plenty of mathmatics and brain teasers.
It's really helped me in my journey to become Supreme Leader Of The Universe. Now rise my minions,rise! MWAHAHAHAHAA...HAA...Ha...ha 'cough cough'. But seriously, it's awesome.
What other book can make you laugh also teaching you how to save a friend from a crevasse, play chess, and build a hovercraft. Bask in the geekiness. You know you want to.
Little more than a pile of trivia. Any geek is likely to already know those snippets that pertain to his/her fields of interest, and have little care for those outside it.
i loved this book and liked knowing all the random information that came with it. And i never got bored especially since there was so many brain teasers and puzzles.
En morsom bok med et mylder av nerderelaterte how-tos, tips, triks og fun facts. En glimrende kilde til samtalepunkter med nerder i alle aldre.
Great bathroom book. Quick little snapshots - good reference book for when robots take over and you need to make a geek friend fast.
Some shit wasn't geeky or didn't really connect with geeks (come on, I don't want some sort of baby development chart in my geek book.) but 96% of the stuff was great so yay, buy this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Garth works at the intersection of math, science, and humor, with a background including a growing list of bestselling books, a Magna Cum Laude pre-med/music degree from Cornell University, and math-for-hire for mobile app and tech companies. In addition to conferences, colleges, and bookstores, you may have seen Garth's work on the Science Channel, where he's a frequent onscreen contributor, onli...more
More about Garth Sundem...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Nov 04, 2012 01:52pm