- juliettemaxwell.com -

For the past 2 years or so, I’ve been reading the term Geek Chic in every kind of blog, specially fashion blogs and personal blogs belonging to fashion conscious girls. I don’t know personally these people and I don’t see the reasoning behind their use of the term but I can’t help but to feel a little irked when I read that Geek Chic is owning the latest Apple product or that it is using this big black-rimmed clear lensed glasses.

Urban Dictionary nailed it in one:

Geek chic is a cynical marketing trend that tries to tap into the large geek demographic by superficially adding generically geeky elements to otherwise non-geeky people. By wearing glasses, carrying the latest Sharper Image gadgets, and casually dropping computer terminology and Star Trek references in their speech, geeks are supposed to believe these same models and actors/actresses that would never consider them in real life is a “cool” version of themselves. Obviously, only the most naive geeks fall for this.

Now, while this definition is a very tough one for newbie geeks out there, I can’t help but to nod along with it.

To be Geek Chic is much more than to follow the geeky fashion trends, much more than being active on Facebook and having a blog just to have a blog. It is much, much more than to carry around the latest gadgets and much much much more than being a school-oriented nerd.

Geek Chic to me, falls into a gray zone. While not entirely geeky (you know that my Sci-Fi and gaming knowledge is of newbie level), it is not entirely following this new fashion trends. While geeks are starting to take more care on what they’re wearing, you see staple geeks wearing their same “uniforms” over and over again (like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, always wearing the same thing). Geek Chic is the combination of someone that cares about their appearance (and I’m not talking about someone following the fashion trends and buying expensive stuff), has confidence and most importantly has a lot of knowledge and passion for what they know about.

As a definition, a geek is someone who knows about technology, science, video games, sci-fi and all the typical “geeky stuff”. Geeks are also expected to look dorky and be pretty awkward. While most geeks also have other interests that they are very passionate about (like music, photography and writing, just to name a few), they are mostly recognized as being computer savvy and kind of nerds.

So after all this nonsense, what do I consider to be Geek Chic?

Geek Chic is a person who takes care of themselves and cares about how they look (as in clean, comfortable and confident). They also have a lot of knowledge in whatever subjects they like (computers, internet, video games, etc) and they are not afraid to show it. Some of us geek chic people wear PRESCRIPTION glasses, but it’s because we can’t handle contacts or don’t want to handle contacts. Geek Chic doesn’t need to have all the new toys that companies throw at them, they know how to mix and match what they have and how to choose something that will give them value and last for a long time. Geek Chic could pass as a normal person on the street. A Geek Chic doesn’t need to show that they are geeky, their knowledge speaks for them, their qualities speak for them, their confidence and the way they carry themselves speak for them.

Being Geek Chic is not being a closeted geek. Geek Chic is a geek that is not afraid of putting themselves out there. Geek Chic is not a geek that hides beneath a curtain of arrogance to be respected. Geek Chic is not someone who slaps glasses and a pocket protector on themselves to show that they know what they’re talking about. Geek Chic is not a fashion trend.

Geek Chic is an attitude, a way of life some may say.

I don’t know if I made my point but I hope that you got a new perspective on the term. Now tell me what YOUR definition of Geek Chic is. You don’t have to agree with me, I don’t expect you to, I just want to know what you think.

As you can see, I changed the look on – juliettemaxwell.com -. I found this theme via Smashing Magazine and I really liked it. It’s called designpile and it has a lot of stuff to it.

I like the way it looks now, but I will be tweaking things over the course of the week, so bear with me for a while. Also, starting Tuesday, I’m going to be offering ad space here. I’m not looking to make a fortune out of ads but I would at least like to make enough to pay for another year of my domain name. Details, on Tuesday when I have everything up and running.

I’m also using some new plugins that you might be interested in:

• WP NiceEdit – I found this one via Joanne Faith and I love the look it gives to the comments area. I haven’t tried to format and submit something from there but if you want to try it, feel free to experiment with it.
• SexyBookmarks – It gives me this cute rollover social media buttons that you can click to share posts. Everyone is using them so I jumped into the bandwagon.
• WP-RelativeDate – This one allows the date to be shown with facebook like dates as in “4 minutes ago”, “Yesterday” and “Today”. I like it because then I have a constant reminder of when was the last time I posted or when was the last time that I posted something.

Talking about WordPress plugins, why is everyone using LinkWithin? I don’t like it (already tried it). I think it looks ugly and takes up too much space and the borders, ugh, horrible. If you like it and use it, cpuld you tell me why you chose it and how it has worked for you?

Did I tell you that I have no electricity, but I do have access to the internet? Thank God, I already did all my work and have a full charge on my laptop battery.

What are your favourite WordPress plugins (if you use WordPress of course)?

Long time since I did one of these too. Well, it’s time to go back to the bangwagon and start being publicly grateful again.

Yoghurt + granola + diced apples ♥ Maximus ♥ Finishing my webpage (I was very happy with it, even if I don’t get full marks for it) ♥ being homework free

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” (Ayn Rand)

No rain ♥ straight hair ♥ Muse concert ♥ spending quality time with my friends ♥ #radicalselflove ♥ Web Design class

You can now add – juliettemaxwell.com – to your iPhone/iPod Touch Home Screen!

Well, you could do it anyways, but now it has a fancy Apple Icon instead of a white square n_n.

How to do it?

In your iPhone/iPod Touch, go to the website. Then tap on the + sign on the bottom nav bar.

After you tap on it it, a menu will appear. Tap on the “Add to Home Screen” option

Then you will be asked how you want to name the site. Short names work better but I decided to leave it as it is for demonstration purposes.

Tap on “Add” and now you got access to my site from your iPhone/iPod Touch home screen!

You see that “cool” icon? When you have one on your website, it will appear on the iPhone/iPod Touch. If you don’t have one, then you just get a blank icon.

How to make an Apple Icon for your website?

I found out about this from this article, it’s super easy. I’ll give you the very, very simple steps.

• Create a 45px X 45px PNG image
• Name it “apple-touch-icon.png”
• Upload it to the root folder of your website
• Voilá! You got a sweet icon for your website that works on iPhones and iPods Touch

I don’t have access to the root folder of my website!!

It’s really easy, on you sites header (that is between the <head> and </head>HTML tags), just place the code:

<link rel=”apple-touch-icon” href=”youricon.png” />

The “youricon.png” should be replaced by the address where you are storing you Apple Icon.

Some other tips

• Don’t use a transparent background on your PNG image, unless you dig a very ugly shade of gray for your icon background
• KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid), no, I’m not calling you stupid. Just keep it simple
• Make sure it is something it represents you or your website

Oh yeah, I’ve been a busy bee blog-wise. I’m still stuck on my website for my web design class and yeah, I’m frustrated. Enjoy!

P.S.: Why do iPod Touch screen shots look so crappy outside the iPod Touch?

Today I went to see Valentine’s Day with Ayu at La Cúspide Sky Mall. I decided to dress up a bit since it wasn’t that cold and I hadn’t dressed up in a while.

• Lego T-Shirt from Stradivarius
• Black shorts from H&M
• Patterned heart tights from eBay
• Black boots from H&M
• Long gray cardigan from Pull and Bear
• Black scarf stolen from my sister

I got lazy and decided to take pictures in front of the mirror. My sister said that I looked ready to go clubbing! WTF? I was wearing a cardigan, who wears a cardigan to a club? Was it the tights? I don’t think it was too much. People were looking at me, but they always look at me when I wear shorts so I didn’t give it a second thought.

And just for show, this was my sky today:

According to what my Grandpa taught me, it means tat it is going to be cold but not too cold.

What are you wearing today?