It's chic to be geek. (If that doesn't rhyme, you're either a geek or a nerd.) Keyboard-phobic executives are Out; anyone who enjoys using computers is In. Newsweek says so; Business Week says so; and TV Guide says so, in this week's review of Dweebs. Of course, most of us are supposed to be rich: "If I had a million for every time I was given a wedgie... Wait! I do!" Jeff Jarvis writes, "So don't think of them as nerds or losers; in today's society, they are the winners. Think of them as _Friends_ with real jobs, more money, more brains... and bad wardrobes." [TV Guide, 10/28/95, p. 6.]

(Geeks were carnival performers who bit the heads off live chickens or snakes -- possibly from Middle Low German for "fool." Geek Power may have to be explained, but I'm ready to buy a GEEK sweat shirt or cap. Somebody's going to make a lot of money selling them, maybe by Christmas. Waddya think, should I change "Computists' Communique" to "GeekWeek"?)

Anu Garg's A.Word.A.Day server now sends to 25K addresses. His word for 10/30/95 was syzygy, which is great for handwriting practice or for playing hangman. On the subject of "email" vs. "E-mail," he recently noted that "A-frame" and "T-shirt" are different because they are visual representations. Mitch Silverman agreed, noting that the Jargon File prefers "email" -- and incidentally mentions "emailed," in the OED (from Old French) as embossed with a raised pattern such as a network. Email is also French for a hard enamel baked onto jewels by an emailleur. [, AWAD, 10/30/95.]

(For AWAD, send a "subscribe your name" message to or visit . If you're checking the Jargon File, Garg suggests looking up "progasm.")

MEME is a biweekly email newsletter that investigates cyberspace history and its social impact. Recent issues examined the Internet's impact on France and the Minitel; the Unabomber; "how Apple played the PC industry perfectly"; and Windows 95 as the end of the PC era. About 1,500 words/week. Send a "subscribe meme your name" message to . See or <.../meme.html> for back issues. [David S. Bennahum , NEW-LIST, 10/27/95.]

(MEME was recently recommended to me by Robert Jacobson: "David takes a more theoretical approach to the bigger picture of information services." Bennahum's articles have appeared in Wired, The Economist, NYT, Lingua Franca, NetGuide, and Harper's Bazaar, which is one of the ways writers measure prestige. MEME has about 1,100 subscribers, which is one of the ways I measure it.)

I mentioned Web Review magazine last week. The best URL for it is . David Strom's latest article, about online airline ticketing, is . [, 10/27/95.]