There are thousands of stories and television shows about Nerds. From shows like “The Big Bang Theory” to “Silicon Valley,” each story has a different way of portraying them. But we’re still left wondering what were the early computer nerds really like?
“Early Nerds” is a collection of fictional stories about the early computer scientists from the 1970s and 1980s. It’s book based on when a lot of our parents (or grandparents) were just starting out in the industry, a whole new field ready to be improved upon and many new discoveries still to be made. But were early nerds how they depict them in media? Dorky, unsociable slobs? According to this book, they weren’t that different from the way we are now. In this book we get to see a more human side of the early nerd revolution. Real people with the complex lives they balanced while playing with computers, only long before it became popular.
Each of author Steve Rubin’s characters is someone he knows. Their looks, traits, and back history intact. The stories describe things that were NEARLY true, but not completely. For example the names have been changed to protect the real people behind these escapades.
This book is a remarkable historical representation of a group of scientists and researchers working in a lab during the early 1980s. This was a time before Silicon Valley was a hub of wealth and innovation. With great attention to detail, Rubin narrates the numerous quirks and idiosyncrasies of these often eccentric individuals. He also describes the strenuous circumstances they found themselves in, from securing the necessary funding for their groundbreaking research projects to the pressure of getting their findings published in the most prestigious scientific conferences of their era.
Rubin is a leading researcher from that era who’s published multiple textbooks on VLSI Design, has a rich history of working in a number of reputable research centers. His experiences have shaped his narrative style and understanding of his characters. He provides a delightful insight into the various escapades that these researchers embarked upon. Some only slightly related to their work. Many of these stories are based on real adventures and methods of winning that these people had in one of the most fun time of their lives. Like for instance the incredibly clever chapter on “Bikes” where a few co-workers motorbike across the country spurring on a friendly bet amongst office mates.
Another story that I really enjoyed was from the chapter “Dress Code.” You probably already know that nerds truly abhor the words “Dress Code,” even in this day and age. The story tells of a new CEO taking over, looking around and deciding that he wants to uphold the companies reputation by forcing his workers to dress less slovenly. This causes quite a ruckus with employees yelling, protesting and being turned away for not wearing the appropriate clothes. Do you know what happens when a boss tells a worker to go home and change? The employee doesn’t come back. In our minds, go home means go home. This tale is one of my favorites because at the end, they do end up changing the CEO’s mind, but how they do it is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. I won’t spoil it here, but you should definitely read it.
I loved the feeling of comfort that I got after reading it. It’s nice to know that typical nerd attire was and still is, jeans and a T-shirt. By the time I was an adult, the archetype of nerd was someone driving to his Geek Squad job on a moped. This was back in the 2010’s. And if that tells me anything, it’s that nerds haven’t changed all that much. We’re not all what media calls the stereotypical nerd. We’re something more special than that.
Pick up your copy of “Early Nerds” by Steve Rubin here. You can also learn more about what’s true and what’s stretching the truth here.
