How to Establish Geek Cred, Installation 1
I realized a short while ago that if I truly wanted to be a "techie" (commonly known as a "geek") and be accepted within the community as such, I needed to not only possess the desire and fascination for all things technical, but also to jumpstart my progress on the canon of techie literature, movies and media. Since then I have made several promising steps in the right direction: I saw Blade Runner for the first time; I am strongly considering a subscription to Wired; I have added several Philip K. Dick books to my wishlist; but perhaps most importantly, I have purchased and read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Much to my delight, this was quite a pleasant task. Adams' humor is very dry, in that British kind of way. His melding of everyday monotony and activity with the fantastic scenery of the universe beyond Earth is wonderfully witty and entertaining. I tore through the short (143 pages in my edition) book in no time at all and was left hungry for more. Luckily, the collection I bought and have been referring to contains all five novels from the series and I'll get to them as soon as I've finished some more of my self-mandated "serious" reading.
Coming soon: How to Establish Geek Cred, Installation 2, in which I take a lighthearted and humorous look at the Camel Book and how it has changed our lives.
Bottom line: Funny and well told, a must for all computer science majors (obviously).