Geek Test Version 3.0 (2003)

So one reeeeeeeeeeealy long test wasn't enough for you? You want to see how you score on the other versions, too? What a geek! Well, just make sure you keep track of all those data* and check back regularly to see if you've improved.

The Geek Test version 3.0 (January 2003) looked like this:

This was the first interactive Geek Test! It circulated slowly among friends until April 2003, when I posted it for my friends in the Palisades Toys forum. The resulting traffic from that one post was incredible for something that I thought I had just created for my friends. It started to get great search engine rankings, and then I noticed that people started to copy my html code and post it on their websites without even a reference to my site. That sure ticked me off! Don't do that, people!

I redesigned the site in August 2004 and introduced the lime-on-black motif with a clever (but ultimately stupid) javascript that prevented visitors from linking directly to the test. I created it in frames, which at the time I thought was best. That's totally wrong, and I learned my lesson. I apologize to everyone who ever had a problem accessing the Geek Test because, for some reason, I thought that frames were good for web design in the 21st century.

I've been bombarded with suggestions for the next version of the test, and it's been really hard to come up with a static version that doesn't take days to complete (even though I know some would like that). Content-wise, version 3.0 is the same as version 3.1. I decided that "3.1" refers to the test in its lime-on-black style. This is what the site looked like before, when it was in frames...

* I would just like to say that I am enough of a grammar geek to refer to "data" in the plural, as is proper. But that doesn't mean it sounds right to me. Who would ever use its singular "datum" in a sentence, anyway? I also, occasionally and regrettably, end sentences in prepositions. No, you will never see or hear me say "Where you at?" (shudder). But things like "What are you referring to?" slip out sometimes. One colloquial habit of American speech that really annoys me is using "how come" in place of "why." Its use not only causes the replacement of a valid word with a nonsensical word duo, but alters the sentence all together. "Why are you ranting?" becomes "How come you're ranting?" That inevitably leads to the deplorable "How come you ranting?" To which I answer, "I'm sorry, could you please repeat that in English?"