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+====== README 1ST From the desk of chief geek and guru ======
+**Personal Reflections**
+In the early days of personal computers, you would purchase your software on a 5 1/4-inch floppy disk as shown in this photo. Typically, on the root directory of the floppy you would find a text file named README.TXT or README.1ST that would give you the setup instructions of the program on the floppy disk.
+**From my desk of references and resources**
+{{ :geekdesk1.jpg?|}}
+The instructions for use of the GeekHistory website are to open your mind and explore.
+I've read quite a bit on the history of technology that gets very deep in the geek speak. In the spirit of the Guru 42 network of websites, GeekHistory has the mission of challenging oversimplified narratives and spotlighting the real, nuanced journey of human innovation.
+It's amusing how many of things I learned as a youth have a different are seen from a different perspective now.  I grew up learning that Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific scientists of all time.  But now I realize Edison was one of many people that brought the light bulb and electric power into our homes. I've come to appreciate the most forgotten geek George Westinghouse who masterminded the team of engineers that brought AC power to our homes.
+I learned many years ago that Vladamir Zworkyin was the inventor of television.  While I still admire Zworkyin as a scientist, I have since learned Zworkyin was merely a tool used by the powerful David Sarnoff of RCA to wrestle away the credit of the invention of television from other inventors.  No single person should be credited as the inventor of television.
+In the case of people like Thomas Edison and David Sarnoff the credit for an invention is often based on the first person to patent the item and being part of the company that was the first to bring that item to the marketplace.
+Stay tuned for the stories of these forgotten geeks as we tell their stories.
+**From my desk of references and resources **
+The photo at the top of the page shows a box of floppy disks and an internet reference book from my desk.  The floppy disks are from the 1980s. The internet reference book is dated 1994 and contains over 1100 pages on the new-fangled technology of the internet.
+The collection of material for the study of geek history dates back to my early days in technology as far back as the 1970s. I started working in telecommunications in the 1970s and moved on to office automation in the 1980s.
+Computers in the early 1990s were not all that graphical, and access to online services, and eventually the internet, was done on a time limited basis.  Your dial up access to your online service included a few hours of access.  You did not leave your computer continuously logged on and plugged into the internet as many of us do today. You had a plan for what you wanted to get while online and downloaded the files to be read later.
+I started teaching how to use the internet, and web building in the late 1990s. I still have a lot of notes from back then, with web site URLs as references for my material.  Some of my resources are notes from websites that no longer exist. Very few of the sites still exist in the form they did back then
+When I was teaching internet technologies and how to use a search engine in the late 1990s, I found a lot of good reference material on the Altavista website.  Thankfully I printed a lot of that content and have paper copies still in binder.
+** Don't Trust an Expert**
+I use the terms geeks and gurus not in a derogatory sense, but as words to describe people who are passionate, and perhaps at time even obsessive, about their work.
+I use the term guru to mean teacher. My mantra has always been not to tell someone how to do something, but to educate, to provide information, so people can make informed decisions.
+Will Rogers described an expert as "a man fifty miles from home with a briefcase."
+Although the term "guru" is often used in the same context as "expert" in my humble opinion they should be very different.  I avoid self-proclaimed experts who profess to know all the answers. They feel their knowledge is absolute. That's why they fail at times.
+Telling a story from a different point of view can be interesting.  Like many journeys in life a story can be told from various points of view. One version is not necessarily more or less accurate than another, just that sometimes the perspective of the storyteller may bring a few new insights on a topic.
+There are very few absolutes in life. Experience is gained from personal perspectives. and it needs to be referenced and put into the proper context when used in other situations. You can’t Google the lessons I’ve learned. My experience didn’t come from webinars, LinkedIn courses, or influencers explaining it to me.
+"You must continue to gain expertise, but avoid thinking like an expert." ... Denis Waitley
+**Who Do You Trust?**
+The best technology trainers I have had over the years were field engineers who were also good teachers. Working in many areas of the technology industry for over 40 years, as well as teaching for various community colleges in numerous settings, I have many years of material in my head as far as technology tips for small businesspeople, as well as questions commonly asked by students on technology topics.
+Researching various online writing opportunities over the years I find it amusing that companies looking for freelance writers for technology topics are often more interested in my education and writing experience than they are in my experience in technology. Writing is a lot like teaching, you can be a professional writer, or teacher, without being a professional in the field you are writing or teaching. I prefer to read something written by someone who is sharing first-hand personal experience, not someone who is just writing for the sake of writing.
+I believe in karma, and the concept of pay it forward. I have learned many life lessons and have many experiences to share. If there is a quick tip or trick on a given topic I can share, I try my best to communicate it.
+Talk is Cheap, Wisdom is Priceless
+**The Cynic manifesto: digging into the lies the internet spreads and the ancient wisdom of Diogenes**
+{{ youtube>_Qb1QSS5cRA |The Cynic manifesto}}
+**Up next: [[visionary| Greatest Geek Visionaries]]**

Sorry if some of the pages having missing graphics or a bookmarked page is missing. We are migrating our site over to DokuWiki from Drupal. The last major overhaul of our site was in 2016, and we were due for some freshening up.

The collection of material for the study of geek history dates back to my early days in technology as far back as the 1970s. You will find specific footnotes and references on many pages with links to current websites. Anytime a claim is made, or a fact is stated from a website or blog that does not appear to have firsthand knowledge of the subject I make a note to follow up on it. I can assure you that anything I have written is based on verification of facts from a source as close to the events and individuals as possible or multiple sources of information from leading publications or references.

Geek History

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