orthogeeks

It is waiting...

One day I’m hoping Chris will change his avatar from the bizarre (but hilarious) random Gravatar, but then again, maybe its fitting. (UPDATE: He did now.)

Random geekiness here; I was running through my favorite type and stock image site and I ran into these interesting (and affordable) faces: Koch’s Signs.

Looked up the book, and as it turns out it’s an interesting little volume written by a foundry-type – a typesetter by the name of Rudolph Koch. With what you can see in the Books result, you can read the first chapter (an interesting study in how simple signs can communicate complex things) and the second chapter (all about crosses.)

Looking on my computer (it was this random) I saw the power button and wondered what the intent behind the symbolism was.

With Koch’s book, you might expect that since the straight line is the power descending from above, and as from the circle, breaking through and ‘hovering over the face of the waters.’ Man, that’s some powerful imagery there in just a little button.

Then again, I saw a switch on the side of a laptop for the wireless radio – you know the little ‘radio tower’ picture on a sliding switch – and it had the same symbol above, but divided like so:

[ 0  (wireless radio)  | ]

It then occurred to me: It’s pure binary. The circle is ‘off’, or zero (Oh) and the line is ‘on’, or one. When the slider’s ‘one’ end is flush with the slot, the radio is on, if the zero end is flush, it is off.

Thus I think our little power switch is actually depicting  ‘on/off’  which is being represented by the one and zero breaking through one another. It is almost just a symbol for ‘switch’.

Then again, it is cool to think that the zeroes are ‘sleeping eyes of God’ and the ones are ‘power descending from on high.’ Maybe the simplicity of the symbols still communicates the essential ideas Koch is talking about in his book.

So which is correct? It’s interesting to wonder, where symbolisms intersect like this, does the more general one still apply? Or are we mistaken in applying it? Or can we not help but participate in the more general symbolism when we select an icon or logo for something?

‘Intentionalists’ would argue that I’m incorrect in relating Koch to this whole thing, but I wonder. How aren’t the general symbols influential in how we choose logos like this?

Plus – I guess when you turn on your computer its like a whole new Genesis or something. ‘And the RAM was formless and void…’

Profound(ish)!

So yeah.  Garth has gently reminded me that it’s time to man up with the strength of my convictions and contribute.  Thank you Garth.

Yes, we are Orthodox.  Yes, we are Geeks.  What of it?  Whatchoo got ta say?

It’s time (and long past time) for a voice to cry out from the wilderness; the intersection of that peculiar and awesome Venn diagram.

Garth and I are quite different from each other.  What do we have in common?  Orthodoxy and Geekdom, you might say.  But then you’d be wrong.

We’re both Orthodox, sure.  But see, Garth is a fairly recent (about two years ago) convert.  I’m the son of a priest.  The way we approach and personally practice our faith is different.  The level of enthusiasm and zeal we bring to our worship is also different.  So while we have plenty to talk about when it comes to Orthodoxy, we don’t have much common ground.  Which one of us is the more zealous, you ask?  Let me put it this way:  whatever kerygma is, it sounds gross.

Geekdom?  Again, I’ve come to notice we’re quite different.  I believe that I am more aware of current pop trends in music, games, tv, etc.  And Garth is more aware of big words.

I love you, Garth.

What we truly have in common is the experience of being Orthodox and Geeks at the same time, and having both of those things mean an awful lot to us.

Thinking about it in terms of ancient Christianity, I shall paraphrase:  There is neither Nerd nor Geek, there is neither Fandom nor Un-fandom.

In a multicultural, pluralistic society such as ours, Geekdom may as well be our nationality.  We self-identify as Geeks.  Those are our people.  You, gentle reader, are our people.  This concept becomes more and more true as we live more and more of our lives online or in video games or TV or movies; when our Facebook friends or favorite fictional characters are as real to us as our physical neighbors.

I’m a little older than Garth, but both of us are right on that cusp between Generation X and Digital Natives.  We both remember a time before the internet (or more properly, the advent of the web).  But when it came we were ready and willing to be explorers and appreciators.

We’ve been on BBSs (google it, like I had to google “Kerygma”).  We’ve played 8, 16, 32, and 64, when bits were an easy measurement of power.  We’ve played old gen, new gen, and next gen.  We’ve played RPG, RTS, FPS and MMO.

We’ve watched Star Trek and Star Wars, Doctor Who and Dr. No, Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica.  Dr. No?  Hey, I couldn’t think of another Doctor, and sometimes the phrase is everything.

We know our territory; we know our people.  But each of us has chosen to become children of Abraham by adoption, or Christ has chosen to adopt us, I should say.  Do we then stop being geeks?

No more than the original disciples stopped being Jewish, or a male stops being a male, or an Anglo-or-Afro-American has to stop being Anglo-or-Afro before he can become an American.  Which is to say that each of the things we are, or the nations to which we belong, will become adopted and co-opted, changed and made new, enlightened and made holy by Christ and His Church.

There are many things to say on the subject of the relationship between gaming, geekdom, and the Church.  But for now, I’ll close by simply saying:

Kerygma…

Preach it, brother.

You want to know — what is this all about.

I think there’s no real last word here, but I’ll throw out some clues.

Orthogeeks is, like the About section outlines in a matter-of-fact way, a conversation between two Orthodox Christian guys about the things that interest them – the realm most call ‘geekdom’.

There is no hidden agenda going on (other than the obvious hidden agenda) as we are up-front about the fact that we are Christian. However, it’s such a saturated term that there’s no telling what that means to you, a given reader.

For myself, this means that I am part of the Church, as faithful and devout as I am able to be, unprofitable as I am in all things. It is certain that I am a ‘Christ follower’ as the contemporary lingo puts it, but there are no ‘solas’ here, kids. I attempt as best I’m able to continue the kerygma that was given to me; as we are all doing. If you consider yourself also a Christian, consider what kerygma it is that you are passing along.

The point of this whole exercise, this dialogue in the classical sense of the word, is much like the Consolation of Philosophy on one hand, but on the other it is like those lazy weekends you had in high school talking about the canon of your favorite pastime.

We are looking, I wager, searching and prospecting, for the seeds of the Logos, wherever they might sprout up. The other thing I’m trying to do is redeem the time – as Paul had it – because honestly I’ve spent a lot of my life on this stuff.

I think there is nothing off-limits here, though politics is held with the highest disrespect and most solemn disregard by yours truly.

Oh, and in case there was some confusion, I’m Garth. You can call me Anthony; you can call me River, and you can call me Ishmael (I won’t respond, though.)

This is what I say Orthogeeks is about.

Only half the story, here, though.