The Incredible Geeks

    Looking back on the years I’ve worked for a technology publication, I sometimes think about qualifying parameters for a Geek. I’ve tried to evaluate my own GQ (geek quotient) and checked if new recruits were geeky enough to work at CHIP. So what makes one a Geek?

To find an answer, I had to look deep within (now haven’t I heard that somewhere before?). I did this by stepping into the CHIP test center and asking questions about products and test processes. Surfing tech sites and scanning magazines for news and knowledge is now a daily habit. My efforts were rewarded, for my tech vocabulary has expanded over the years.

It’s a well-known fact that the tech world loves acronyms and also has its own lexicon. So it’s not uncommon to hear reviewers in the CHIP test center say uncanny things like “My system has an ITX mobo with 4 gigs of RAM, an overclocked CPU and SLI graphics.” A visitor to this tech aquarium, showing the slightest ignorance to such phrases would be lucky to get away with a mere look of disapproval from the test center geeks. And you can imagine the poor guy’s plight if our geeks decided to make a joke of his reaction.

At CHIP the biggest debates and arguments happen during a test or in the final stages of production. I’ve experienced testing times (pun) and constructive arguments with the know-it-all geeks here. I would like to introduce you to some of them, so that if you happen to visit the CHIP Test Center, you can ask them your most difficult tech questions.

First there’s our Technical Editor, Jamshed Avari, who always keeps me on my toes. Should you be brave enough to confront Jamshed on a technical matter, or even some grammatical rule, be absolutely sure about the accuracy of the facts you are presenting. Jamshed seems to know everything under the sun. I will fondly remember him as a Walking Wiki or the equivalent of Mr. Data, the android with superficial intelligence in the Star Trek movies.

Next (and in no particular order) is Anand Tuliani, head of the CHIP test center. Anand knows a lot about hardware. Ask him the model number of a chipset that was popular in 2002 and Anand is likely to rattle it off without blinking or touching his chin. Anand knows about the history of processors, chipsets, GPUs, graphics cards and motherboards. He also knows a great deal about peripherals and gadgets. And I wasn’t surprised to find out that he also knows about software and Internet trends too. Anand shares his vast knowledge with others and I’m sure the lads working here at CHIP love him for that! I’m hoping that Anand extends this courtesy to all CHIP readers someday, perhaps through a Blog on the CHIP website. I will fondly remember Anand as ‘Doc’, the absent-minded scientist in the Back to the Future movies (what’s a flux-capacitor, Anand?).

While no one calls Anand ‘Doc’ yet, that title is reserved for Francis D’sa, who we all call Dr. D’sa. Now Francis is the guy to watch out for—he can hack into almost anything, leaving behind no traces of his pursuits. What I really mean is that Francis is adept at troubleshooting any system or networking problem. Hand on my heart, I can say that Francis can show some of our in-house IT personnel a trick or two, and they’d be left asking how it’s done (I’ve witnessed it myself). So whether it is servers, wireless networking, LAN or Windows troubleshooting, even motherboards, Francis can always provide an antidote. For all this he deserves that honorable title of ‘Doctor in Technology’.

Now about Dushyant Khilnani who I consider the most enthusiastic geek in these parts. Dushyant never seems to be overwhelmed with work (a way of life these days). He’s always ready for new challenges. And he’s never satisfied till he gets to the bottom of a tech mystery. Dushyant will make an excellent teacher because he’s awfully meticulous about the step-by-step details.

I’ve also found out that it’s not necessary to work within the test center to be a geek. Our senior designer Jagdish Limachiya is a prime example. He can work non-stop for hours (with little food and sleep) and has an eye for details. Jagdish is a whiz at Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and other design software. He’s mastered all the shortcuts and works at the speed of his blinking cursor. There’s a lot going on in Jagdish’s workstation and I’ve often seen it crash under the load of work. Thankfully, Jagdish doesn’t.

So there you have it. Anyone can be a geek (so to speak) in his or her own way. I’ve come to associate geek with qualities such as immense knowledge, work efficiency, accuracy in the details and utmost perfection.

In the words of one of our readers:

“that’s what keeps CHIP light years ahead of its competition”.