Perhaps you’ve noticed it, too. The rise of the geek in today’s society is a disturbing trend that seems to only gain momentum every year.

Of course, it’s been going on for quite a while. Ever since Q first showed up on the screen with James Bond we’ve all found affection in our hearts for the brilliant nerd. But these days nerds or geeks – call them what you will – are showing up everywhere. Just about every movie or new TV show features a brilliant geek and with increasing frequency he is the main character. Careers have been built on the adorable nerd quality. (Looking at you, Tobey Maquire and Daniel Radcliffe.)

Can geeks be cool? It’s a vexing question because all signs in today’s society are that the answer is yes. However, the very idea of the geek is antithetical to coolness. Almost by definition geeks cannot be cool. The closer the geek gets to coolness the more the idea of both mutually dissolves into meaninglessness.

In the end, we’re not sure where we stand on this issue here in the Lounge. As a bastion of coolness it is certainly something that we plan to explore more in the future.