The Naked Nerd NerdCore* Manifesto
Quality > Quantity, Hands Down

Whereas I am The Naked Nerd, I hold the following to be true in my life:

Elegant Habits
I live my life as though I will live forever. Not to say I procrastinate, exactly the opposite: I assume I will always live until tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow to live with the consequences of each yesterday. I live for no regrets; I believe they are largely preventable. I believe that life is something that if one wants, can be improved and prolonged, if you start early enough. It’s a simple math of habits, a karma if you will. One cigarette (however disgusting) won’t kill you, but a smoking addition (which deprives you of your oxygen habit on a regular basis, and ingests all kinds of toxic chemicals in varying levels) will. Oxygen doesn’t cause cancer.

Everything you do today, good, bad, or ugly, if done tomorrow and the next will form your future life and its quality. Your body is a resource, life is finite, but exactly how finite is definitely a decision made everyday in many instances. Read package labels, think before pressing that “send e-mail” button or making that open left turn, and make your goals match your life as it is. Stop thinking in terms of age. A sagely force in my life tells me, “Age is mind over matter: if you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” Tell me, since when is age a quantifier of wisdom? I have news for you: AGE IS A NUMBER, and arbitrary, unchanging number, one that many make bigger the younger they are, and smaller the older they are, yet all the same it’s something that makes no move. Number matter in your bank account; please, balance your checkbook. Numbers truly define no one.

Be honest with yourself; be honest with others. Honesty means not being offended at constructive critique. Stop with the mind games already. Get over your embarrassment at that body flaw, visible daily or not; own it, it’s yours. You can’t really be you unless you accept everything.



Intelligence and Sex Are Not Mutually Exclusive
I’ll say it: Intelligent people have better sex. Not because they read books and follow directions, for that is book-smarts. No, they get it, they understand all the angles. They get that patience is a necessary endeavor, worth every moment of torture. Their eyes pool deeper with thinking, they smolder with knowledge of the how and why, and they know how to find it in other people. Intelligence is actually essential to better sex, it brings clever, passionate things to pass.



Luxury
There’s an old design caveat: form follows function. I wholeheartedly agree. But I believe that form also allows for a good deal of comfort, that functional items can be extreme comfortable, and they can last as long as and true love in this life. I feel it’s always possible, just a matter of thought. Luxury feels good, sure, but it also lasts longer. If you just THINK before constructing, smarter joints always make longer lasting goods.

Let me introduce the term “durable good”. A durable good, in economic terms, is one that lasts longer than 3 years. I’d say at least 75% of initial sale goods are NON-durable goods, and I’d say that the vast majority of actually durable goods sold in the country are new cars. Granted some items do last a long time with some care, like a great pair of shoes. I expect the items I buy (clothes, furniture, computers) to last much longer than 3 years. Durable goods are timeless, they are well-made; they stand wear and tear; they fill the same function for years, thus reducing waste. The increased initial cost outweighs the gain.

Durable goods are investments. Not that you can sell them for increased gain; no, these items pay you back in faithful use, they save you money you’d be shelling out for a replacement (and sending the predecessor to the dump). This is why it’s important to think it through, choose wisely, and live for no regrets. Do not regret the goods you buy, expect them to serve you long into the future (say, 10 years).

Honestly, good construction does not cost as much as you think. To actually make an item, it often costs 50% less than the cost you pay. I’ll give you an example of a general manufactured widget. Factories in China can make an average widget for $5.60. Imported to the US, it’s distributed to sellers for $9. Sellers sell the item for between $18-$20. Only 30% of what you pay is what the item COSTS, you just pay a higher PRICE. A better constructed widget follows the same path. $9.57 to produce. Distributed for $17; sold for approximately $40. The ACTUAL difference between the two? $4

Another distinction is smart spending. Renting a nice one-bedroom apartment in most cities is $850 a month, ad infinitum. A $200,00 house or condo for at least two bedroom and a decidedly better kitchen is also $850 a month – for 30 years. And when you sell? You get money back. Do the math on that.



Be good, or be good at it
The definition one holds of oneself is very important, not just in vision, but in execution. I have many definitions, one for each occasion.

I’m a renaissance woman. I’m not helpless in the least, I believe in doing for myself. I see no reason to pay someone to make me cheesecake, rotate my tires, or do my laundry. I’m perfectly capable of doing them; so I do.

I believe the quest to better oneself and learn new things is never meant to end, and if it does, so does one’s quality of life. Respect your own mind, it has a great deal of power. Remember it is never too late to be who you want to be, you only tell yourself you can due to fear of what others will say. Surprise people, they actually do not deserve you to fit their low expectations. What you deserve is within your own power and reach, you just have to decide that for yourself.




* Nerdcore often refers to a style of hip-hop written by nerds about the most geeky of topics. Obviously this contains no rhyme and is meant to be more about the values at the core of my inner nerd, and is not written in verse.