TechRepublic's Geekend blog (http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend) and newsletter are coming to an end this year in order for us to focus all of our resources on business technology topics. The Geekend blog has had a great run, thanks to our wonderful contributors and our loyal readers.
We would love to hear which Geekend posts and/or discussions are some of your favorites. Please share them here.
Discussion on:
Geekend is coming to an end: Share your favorite posts and/or discussions
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http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/sci-fi-rant-why-giant-mecha-robots-are-stupid/1148
The 'Best of / Worst of Star Trek' series
The annual TV previews and periodic movie previews
Geekend has been thought dead before. Hopefully it be resurrected again. it's one of the varieties of content that makes TR unique and is difficult find elsewhere.
Mary, will the legacy content remain on the site?
The 'Best of / Worst of Star Trek' series
The annual TV previews and periodic movie previews
Geekend has been thought dead before. Hopefully it be resurrected again. it's one of the varieties of content that makes TR unique and is difficult find elsewhere.
Mary, will the legacy content remain on the site?
Palmetto,
Thanks for the feedback and for the great selections (I was wondering how many comments it would take for the mecha robots post to be mentioned: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/sci-fi-rant-why-giant-mecha-robots-are-stupid/1148). Good question about legacy content. Yes, all of the Geekend archived content will remain on the site.
Thanks again,
Mary
Thanks for the feedback and for the great selections (I was wondering how many comments it would take for the mecha robots post to be mentioned: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/sci-fi-rant-why-giant-mecha-robots-are-stupid/1148). Good question about legacy content. Yes, all of the Geekend archived content will remain on the site.
Thanks again,
Mary
Don't kill geekend, its one of the original reasons I made an account at TR.
I'll miss you, Geekend! I enjoyed too many posts to list here. I understand your wanting to focus on business technology, but there is definite merit and value to "the lighter side." It's a shame we can't have both.
Good luck and farewell.
Good luck and farewell.
What will I do with my Fridays?
Killing the Geekend will remove one more piece of what made TR, in Jason's words, "the first social networking site" and unique among tech-oriented sites. Now it seems that social equates to nothing more than a "Like" button and networking is equated to "what have you done for me lately".
Another chunk cut out of what used to be a vibrant community and another step on the road to becoming just another ZDNet.
Killing the Geekend will remove one more piece of what made TR, in Jason's words, "the first social networking site" and unique among tech-oriented sites. Now it seems that social equates to nothing more than a "Like" button and networking is equated to "what have you done for me lately".
Another chunk cut out of what used to be a vibrant community and another step on the road to becoming just another ZDNet.
ZDNet is still focused on tech news and TechRepublic is still focused on being a social network for technology professionals to share tips, advice, and best practices. The two brands still have different and complimentary missions.
As for my favorite Geekend post, it was this one:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/the-five-best-deep-space-nine-episodes-of-all-time/9557
I'd be disappointed if there weren't pleas to keep Geekend alive. It has had a great run! And, as those of you who have been around here for a while know, it could always make a comeback at some point. Meanwhile, the archive will remain live on the site.
As for my favorite Geekend post, it was this one:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/the-five-best-deep-space-nine-episodes-of-all-time/9557
I'd be disappointed if there weren't pleas to keep Geekend alive. It has had a great run! And, as those of you who have been around here for a while know, it could always make a comeback at some point. Meanwhile, the archive will remain live on the site.
It's staring me in the face and I can't resist anymore.
"The final Geekend newsletter will deliver on December 26, 2012."
What, exactly, will the final Geekend newsletter deliver, and to whom will it deliver it?
If you're going to follow the inane fanatical devotion to avoiding the passive voice at least try to use transitive and intransitive verbs correctly when you do so.
You know, it is okay to use the passive voice when it's called for. If there wasn't a use for it, it wouldn't exist.
"The final Geekend newsletter will deliver on December 26, 2012."
What, exactly, will the final Geekend newsletter deliver, and to whom will it deliver it?
If you're going to follow the inane fanatical devotion to avoiding the passive voice at least try to use transitive and intransitive verbs correctly when you do so.
You know, it is okay to use the passive voice when it's called for. If there wasn't a use for it, it wouldn't exist.
I had no idea it was so taboo until I started (just for s#!ts & giggles) reading all the nonsensical explanations offered in an MS-Word grammar check I ran one day. Oh my word if ever there were prizes for just how wrong can you get it...
But that, as you put it, fanatical devotion to avoiding the passive voice is probably the silliest grammar Nazi rule. I suppose it originated as advice for people who have no better idea, no clue to writing style, or a tendency to write weaselly prose, but to blindly eliminate it wherever it occurs does seem a little excessive.
Unfortunately the rules engine built into Word also doesn't seem to be able to apply other rules correctly - for example it often alerts to "incorrect" verb conjugation simply because it can't analyse a sentence correctly, and assumes the wrong word is the subject of a sentence. Apparently it doesn't take a particularly complicated sentence to confuse it.
[/off topic rant]
But that, as you put it, fanatical devotion to avoiding the passive voice is probably the silliest grammar Nazi rule. I suppose it originated as advice for people who have no better idea, no clue to writing style, or a tendency to write weaselly prose, but to blindly eliminate it wherever it occurs does seem a little excessive.
Unfortunately the rules engine built into Word also doesn't seem to be able to apply other rules correctly - for example it often alerts to "incorrect" verb conjugation simply because it can't analyse a sentence correctly, and assumes the wrong word is the subject of a sentence. Apparently it doesn't take a particularly complicated sentence to confuse it.
[/off topic rant]
is that people often use the passive voice to avoid taking responsibility. How many times have you heard politicians or corporate spokesmen issue statements similar to, "Mistakes were made."
Another gripe I have is that people frequently misuse the passive voice. Working on a help desk, I frequently see user requests like "Adobe Acrobat needs installing".
Another gripe I have is that people frequently misuse the passive voice. Working on a help desk, I frequently see user requests like "Adobe Acrobat needs installing".
Two of the (maybe many) good reasons to avoid passive voice. No, wait, let me re-phrase that: good reasons the passive voice should be avoided. Often the use of PV can, as you say, become weaselly. (The next best option is just as grating: "We need to install Adobe...")
However the slavish dedication to elimination of PV should be quashed!
However the slavish dedication to elimination of PV should be quashed!
I've read that many writers are taught to avoid the passive voice. They must keep their writing active and forceful or they risk losing the reader or seeming uninteresting. And I don't have an objection to the active voice per se, but to the misuse of transitive verbs in an attempt to avoid the passive voice. To my ear, you don't even have to know what a "transitive" or "intransitive" verb is, it just sounds wrong. That should be your clue that it needs rewriting. Some slack can be given to people to whom English is a second language, but, come on, English speakers. [/pet peeve]
Always got sucked into the weekly trivia question, loved the picture galleries of things like air and space exploration and underground bunkers, top 10 lists of geek-related stuff, and too much more to list... usually ended up sending it home to read when I have more time (and to share with my wife - pretty romantic, huh?) ... Thanks for keeping it going the past couple years (since I first heard about it) - sorry to see it go!
Geekend is my favorite blog to read, I am sorry that you feel it must come to an end. By far my favorite posts were the Geek Trivia questions, but everything posted here was interesting reading and something I looked forward to. Fare thee well.
Too many -1s and the discussion will drop off the page. And Mary put it in the WC, so it's not going to get a lot of attention to start!
the end of an era. i greatly enjoyed many of the geekend articles and reprints. too bad that it was most of the reason i enjoyed membership with the republic. the rest of the articles are bland and unappealing to a technophile or technoob. thank goodness that there are still places on the net to go for our technological cravings and needs, but also addresses the human and funny sides of technology and our subcultures therein.
I'm with Palmetto. Bad, bad idea to end Geekend... It's a bit of relaxation amid all the other content, and it is material of interest for the same audience who reads your other articles. If you feel it doesn't belong on TR, why not move it to ZDNet?
*Sigh* Well, on the topic of favorite posts, Jay's trivia questions were always great, especially his closing sentences (alliteration is fun). The top # lists were also fun, and the movie rundowns were great for planning my treks to the theaters.
*Sigh* Well, on the topic of favorite posts, Jay's trivia questions were always great, especially his closing sentences (alliteration is fun). The top # lists were also fun, and the movie rundowns were great for planning my treks to the theaters.
Slayer_,
It's an excellent question. TechRepublic will be focusing its resources solely on business technology content, and the geek culture pieces aren't part of that mix.
I'm right there with all of you. I'm going to miss working on Geekend!
It's an excellent question. TechRepublic will be focusing its resources solely on business technology content, and the geek culture pieces aren't part of that mix.
I'm right there with all of you. I'm going to miss working on Geekend!
So we can go there instead of TR?
Tech Republic isn't just another tech site, it feels sort like a home for us techie dudes, mainly because of the Geekend-type stuff. Yes, we value the technical articles & discussions, but many of us are also passionate about geeky stuff like science fiction (OK, maybe not as much as Jay, but you get the idea).
I personally enjoy taking a break from the serious stuff to read the Geekend-type stuff, and I really hope you will reconsider this decision.
Please please keep it going!
-Michael
I personally enjoy taking a break from the serious stuff to read the Geekend-type stuff, and I really hope you will reconsider this decision.
Please please keep it going!
-Michael
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