A World Day to Celebrate Geekness

A World Day to Celebrate

BY LISA S.T. DOSS

We all have at least one friend who has a closet full of handmade Comic-Con costumes and can name all eleven actors from Doctor Who. They know the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything else, and how to travel 200 years back in time! In intricate details, their explanations provide the difference between AT-AT and AT-ST, and hallows and Horcruxes. We also have another level of friends who collect models and know phrases in “alienese,” “elfish,” Dothraki, and Klingon. Is it just one friend? Probably not!

Let’s Count Some of the Ways

In a world where geekdom has its very own holiday, it’s time to celebrate ye proud and very verbal enthusiasts! Get ready!—Monday, July 13th, is just around the corner! No longer do the terms exclusively sound like techno-babble. It’s widened to multiple categories and stretched to galaxies far, far away! You could be a music or a car geek. Have a passion for statistics or electronics, or be included in book or movie fandoms!

Before and Now

Birds of a feather flock together. In days of yore, it was quite easy to spot a geek by their hair, glasses, clothing, and the critical indicator, the pocket-protector. Geeks once sat outside the library playing Dungeons and Dragons and pretending to be heroes, only to camp years later outside computer stores awaiting the release of the next gaming system! Geeks can openly identify their passions through an array of T-shirts and signature clothing, baseball hats, car decals, and rooms dedicated to their fandom! It’s more than knowing a wealth of information about one subject. Fans join blogs, enter chats to discuss characters, and follow the author, singer, or actor on social media. They join meets, go to conventions, and arrive hours before premiers and openings. And, when geeks find themselves standing in a long line at a hardware or grocery store, they initiate a conversation with a stranger to prove “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

NESS

The Annual Hackathon

The computer-programming geeks may not enjoy recreational pursuits at the gym or attending sporting events. Passions often coordinate with specific skill sets. Imagine working for a security information and event management company that held a “hackathon” for employees. Participants ranging from sales and customer service to engineering spend two days creating ingenious gadgets and features to complement a product. Teams construct bots, while others design algorithms or software! Elements of the hackathon integrate hidden Easter eggs, games of capture the flag, and conclude with a winner, and all participants receive a T-shirt!

Comic-Con

Months before a convention, the countdown begins. Over one-hundred thousand people start the process of assembling or hand-stitching multiple costumes for the four-day event. It requires a thoughtful process to reveal a recognizable, yet uniquely obscure character. Ticketholders enjoy seeing families or groups of villains and superheroes, long-lost cartoon characters, gladiators, Vikings, and aliens. In addition to visiting multiple vendors selling merchandise, attendees visit scheduled sessions and panels, as well as offsite events. Strangers stop to take pictures with a character likeness or make introductions. Expect the wow factor, meeting a favorite star in the elevator, on the stairs, or in a room. And, be considerate if you bump into someone. The voice alone may heighten your fandom experience!

The Next Generation

Today’s adults no longer have to hide their love of science fiction, fantasy, or even the extensive collection of classic T-shirts. Parents and grandmothers, great uncles and cousins share their expansive knowledge of literature, television, movies, cartoons and eras to raise a new generation of passionate geeks!

Make Monday, July 13th, a special day by embracing and sharing your inner geekdom. Invite your fellow Backies, Droughtlanders, Marvelites, Potterheads, Sherlockians. Trekkies, Tributes, Tolkienites, Walker Stalkers, Whedonites, and Whovians for an evening of trivia, movies, and dinner! Since one fandom cannot rule them all, extend the invitation to a Muggle. Your fandom would love to welcome one more!

POLICE TELEPHONE FREE FOR USE OF PUBLIC ADVICE & ASSISTANCE OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY OFFICER & CARS RESPOND TO ALL CALLS PULL TO OPEN

POLICE BOX PUBLIC CALL

The Importance of Supporting Local Restaurants… and Hair Salons…and Shops…and All Other Local Businesses

Most people will undoubtedly agree that this year has been the most challenging year for most. Not only have we dealt with a new virus that has wreaked havoc on the world, we’ve also been hit with a tremendous blow to our local economy. The impact of COVID-19 has caused a far-reaching devastation, with estimates that 40% of small businesses may not survive. Given the importance that small businesses have on community, this estimate should gravely concern us all!

As we continue to progress in the various phases of re-opening, it’s critically important to continue to support those local businesses that make our community thrive. Consider the following stats from the Small Business Administration: small business applications plummeted by 27% in the weeks following March 13th, 2020. Why does that matter? Because that means that many would-be businesses did not open. And because of that— new jobs were not created.

So what about the businesses that were in business pre-COVID-19? Not only

BY DENISE HEIDEL

have many not survived the shutdown and will not re-open, but small business employment dropped by 15.7%—that is, approximately 19.6 million jobs were cut by small businesses who could not afford to retain staff during the shutdown.

The reason all of this matters is because small businesses are the heartbeat of America! In 2016, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council reported that of the 5.6 million employer firms in the country, 99.7% of those were considered small businesses (500 or fewer employees)…. And lest you think that’s not really such a small business—98.2% of those businesses had 100 or fewer employees! Those with less than 20 employees made up 89%. So the impact of small businesses cannot be underrated.

Moreover, money spent in small businesses stays in the community. For every $1 spent at a locally owned restaurant, salon, boutique, or other business, 68% stays in the local economy. That kind of impact supports everything from jobs to schools to real estate, and everything in between! It’s huge! Especially when you consider that small businesses, on average, donate 250% more to non-profits and community causes.

Every year in November, small businesses around the country participate in Small Business Saturday. I’m urging everyone who reads this to get a jump start on it. Now. In July. Let the small businesses in our community know we support them!

Forsyth Family and Forsyth Woman magazines have a tremendous love for our local businesses. There are some really incredibly talented and passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners who live in Forsyth County, many of whom are advertising partners of Forsyth Magazines—another small business that is included in this whole plea for supporting local!

Order take out. Schedule an appointment. Get a gift certificate. Share their social media posts. Don’t stop showing your support. This isn’t over, and recovery won’t happen overnight. But you can be a part of the solution that starts today.