geekhack

geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: PRISONER 24601 on Wed, 01 December 2010, 11:12:46

Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Wed, 01 December 2010, 11:12:46
One of the more devilish aspects of GH is turning people on to the world of quality keyboards. Being a forum dedicated to an obscure and decadent hobby, Geekhack seems to turn heads when browsing in public places or social settings. For instance, during a lecture I might be looking at a picture of a disassembled complicated ALPS switch or what have you. The student next to me starts looking at my screen, asking something like what the hell's that?. It's just a hobby, I'd answer. Twice now this sort of situation has lead to me selling them one of my "loaner" 'boards. It's only a matter of time now... The mechanical keyboard mystique is too strong for all but the staunchest and strongest-willed techie.

Similarly I have gifted close friends 3 of my best Model Ms and an SGI Granite for birthday presents in the last year. 2 are now GH members/lurkers. You should have seen the smile on my face when I got a text message one afternoon showing a blurry pic of a keyboard with a single cap removed, the message reading "Found 2 of these at goodwill. The switch is a fake white cherry clone, right?" Turns out he'd been studying the GH Wiki for weeks, correctly identifying the fake because of its lack of a Cherry logo. Presently he has amassed a collection of 5 or 6 mechanicals and is designing a custom fab wireless media center 'board based on a Wyse. Now I feel like Pluto after giving a fresh pomegranate to Proserpina *evil grin*. There's no turning back now.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 01 December 2010, 11:15:47
Exactly zero.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Lanx on Wed, 01 December 2010, 12:21:23
i get the wierdest of looks when i explain to ppl that i'm modding my second mech board and they look at me like i've been talking about alien abduction.
This is from a group of engineers mind you.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Brian8bit on Wed, 01 December 2010, 12:23:43
Quote from: itlnstln;254948
Exactly zero.


This. Which is funny. My friends will drop £500 on a top of the range graphics card, or processor. They'll drop £100 on a Logitech with lights and LCD screens and other ****. They can't understand why I would drop £100 or so on a standard looking keyboard "because all it does is sound clicky".
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: MissileMike on Wed, 01 December 2010, 12:25:42
3 so far.  My coworker here now owns a filco and a Matias.  Soon, he will be a ducky owner as soon as PCHome gets the tenkeyless blues with US English keys.

Another friend ordered a Rosewill RK-9000 and another is using a Dell AT101W
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: ricercar on Wed, 01 December 2010, 13:41:07
My wife stole my blue label Model M. This is the woman who once wouldn't let me type on an M while she was watching TV.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: db_Iodine on Wed, 01 December 2010, 13:42:39
Zero so far. I've got one friend hooked and I think he'll try out a mech as soon as he sees a cheap one to try them out.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: microsoft windows on Wed, 01 December 2010, 13:54:15
Two people.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Ekaros on Wed, 01 December 2010, 18:18:06
Myself... Still, I have to stack boards first likely...
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: turbocharged on Wed, 01 December 2010, 18:27:17
Quote from: Lanx;255001
i get the wierdest of looks when i explain to ppl that i'm modding my second mech board and they look at me like i've been talking about alien abduction.
This is from a group of engineers mind you.


It's always fun when a group of fellow engineers think your nuts because of a hobby. For me it is usually when they see a picture of my computer and ask why it has a huge radiator and tubing running through it. :)
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: platon on Wed, 01 December 2010, 18:29:11
2
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Voyager on Thu, 02 December 2010, 05:58:26
None.
When some people at a local gaming forum ask for a good keyboard, I point them to the Steelseries 6Gv2 and 7G (the only mechanicals sold here). Then they say - looked at them, didn't like them (of course, they only looked at them, not went to the store to try them out...). After a while they post pictures of their shiny new l33t Logitech G15, Saitek Eclipse or some Razer (not Blackwidow, mind you). Then I'm like - oh well, I'll see how you cry after a few months when some of the macro keys no longer work and besides, under those LEDs it's just a 10€ supermarket keyboard. Then they tell me to f**k off and ramble on about how some uses one like theirs during tournaments and that guy really knows what he's doing (and at this point it becomes clear that there's no use arguing further and I leave the thread).
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: kidchunks on Fri, 03 December 2010, 11:17:58
1 coworker so far.

Tested my rosewill and my filco. He may end up buying a Das with browns since he doesn't like to deal with translators. :cool:
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: woody on Fri, 03 December 2010, 12:40:59
I've converted many a women to .... wait, that's the wrong thread.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 03 December 2010, 12:47:35
Lesbians?  That bad, huh?  I can recommend some videos if you need help.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 03 December 2010, 12:56:08
Me too.  They told me their experience was "life changing" and they didn't want to spoil it with another man.  I hope that's true, anyway.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: msiegel on Fri, 03 December 2010, 12:56:39
you converted them to catholicism? impressive :)
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: woody on Fri, 03 December 2010, 13:13:53
That sounds like happy end. For all three of them.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: keyboardlover on Fri, 03 December 2010, 13:25:53
Somehow Ripster, I can only imagine you having a friend like that ;)
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 03 December 2010, 13:33:54
Judging from what I can gather your anecdotal age is... midlife crisis, anyone?
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Maytan on Sat, 04 December 2010, 00:32:20
Like 20, I think.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: keyboardlover on Sat, 04 December 2010, 00:36:04
For me, nobody yet but I'm keeping it low key. Obviously, much lower-key in RL than on GH, as is evident from my post count :D
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: isp on Sat, 04 December 2010, 15:14:27
I guess I can be credited with converting one friend.  After noticing my growing interest and showing him a few of the introduction wikis he eventually purchased a DAS. :)  They think I'm nuts because they're perfectly content a $20 scissor switch from logitech.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: db_Iodine on Sat, 04 December 2010, 16:04:00
Most of my friends are just ignorant. No matter how much I link them to geekhack wikis and tell them the differences of mechanical and membrane keyboards, they always end up asking: "How come these mechanicals cost so much even tho they got no special features like my G19?"

The one friend I've almost converted is the only one who could be reasoned with. I'm not about to get all obsessed about converting them, if they feel completely happy with their logitechs.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: J888www on Sat, 04 December 2010, 16:22:21
No idea how many, I just leave links to GH at Forums which I consider their members to be "not too young" ie. fountain pen forums, watch forums....
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Fwiffo on Sat, 04 December 2010, 16:39:04
Dozens... Possibly hundreds... Enough to crash the global Filco supply.
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: wellington1869 on Sat, 04 December 2010, 18:29:09
Quote from: Fwiffo;257104
Dozens... Possibly hundreds... Enough to crash the global Filco supply.


hundreds, fwiffo? hundreds?
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: Fwiffo on Sat, 04 December 2010, 18:46:01
Based on the teamliquid.net threads, yes, possibly (though I suppose, somewhat indirectly.)
Title: How many people have you converted?
Post by: woody on Sun, 05 December 2010, 14:25:56
Quote from: ripster;256429
Lessee.... my wife has TWO friends that became Lesbians after their divorces (one told her while the baby was 6 months old he's been having an affair with a woman in Hong Kong) and I've had two friends that ran off with the secretary (what a CLICHE!).

The regular boring families make for lousy friends. The wider the spectrum, the merrier.