Now how did I know that my boys Wheaton and Dolby would be on that list?! __________________________________________________________________ James Landrith [EMAIL PROTECTED] cell: 703-593-2065 * fax: 760-875-8547 AIM: jlnales * ICQ: 148600159 MSN and Yahoo! Messenger: jlandrith http://www.linkedin.com/in/jlandrith http://www.jameslandrith.com http://www.multiracial.com http://www.multiracial.com/abolitionist/ __________________________________________________________________
> My peeps. :-) > ------------------------ > http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9043739 > > Geek stars: The secret (nerdy) life of celebrities > > Who says all the big stars are brainless? > > Angela Gunn > > > > October 25, 2007 (Computerworld) - We at Computerworld would be the last > to say that science and technology aren't creative pursuits. Still, when > most people say, "Oh, she's very creative," they're probably not talking > about the subject's ability to perform higher math or engineer a network. > Such people might be amazed to learn of the remarkable number of actors, > directors, musicians and other celebrities who nurture an inner geek. > > We've done some digging and came up with a list of geek stars - > celebrities who work at traditional artistic pursuits to make their way in > the world, but have been known to kick back with a little astrophysics or > microbiology in their spare time. Some of these headliners do exude a > distinct nerdy spark, but others in our list will undoubtedly surprise > you. > > > > NerdTube: Geek television actors > > M*A*S*H's Alan Alda is well loved for his efforts to educate the general > public about science and its joys, but Hawkeye may not have been the > biggest geek at the 4077th - Larry Linville (Major Burns) studied > aeronautical engineering at the University of Colorado (giving it up when > he realized he was colorblind) and is said to have built and flown his own > gliders. > > Some geek TV stars are best known for roles that don't stray too far from > type. Star Trek: The Next Generation vet, author and pioneering blogger > Wil Wheaton has allegedly said that in his teenage years, "I was such a > geek that if I could go back in time, I would kick my own ass." > > Numb3rs' geek-friendly FBI agent Dylan Bruno (Colby) has a degree in > environmental engineering from MIT. Heroes' every-nerd Masi Oka > double-majored in math and computer science at Brown University and after > graduation went to work at George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, where > as recently as last November, he was still putting in a couple of days a > week. > > And what is there to say about Cornell University mechanical engineering > grad, former Boeing employee, patent-holder, comedian and TV host Bill Nye > other than "Science rules!"? > > Other TV celebrities' geekish ways may surprise you. Soap opera heartthrob > Drake Hogestyn (John Black/Roman Brady, Days of Our Lives) graduated from > the University of South Florida with a double major in microbiology and > applied sciences. John Astin (the original Addams Family patriarch) > studied math, not theater, at Johns Hopkins University, though he's > currently a professor in the latter department. And Lisa Kudrow (spacey > Phoebe on Friends) has a biology degree from Vassar College. > > In the "it's not TV it's HBO" department, Ally Walker, who currently stars > in the racy Tell Me You Love Me, studied biology and chemistry at > University of California, Santa Cruz, and was employed on a genetic > engineering project until a Hollywood producer spotted her in a > restaurant. Meanwhile, Dan Grimaldi (Patsy Parisi, The Sopranos) has a > Bachelor of Arts degree in math, a master's in operations research and a > Ph.D. in data processing. He teaches in the math and computer sciences > department at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. > > But if one is keeping an honor roll of such things - and we are - there's > a duo that takes the laurel for geek tendencies where one least expects to > find them. Were they feeding those child stars of '80s sitcoms something > special at the craft table? How else can one explain not one, but two > excellent geeks emerging from the era - Danica McKellar (Winnie, The > Wonder Years) and Mayim Bialik (Blossom on, well, Blossom). Bialik is > currently a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience at UCLA; McKellar started UCLA > as a film major but clicked with calculus and has since co-authored both a > statistical mechanics paper that led to getting her name on a theorem (the > Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem) and a new book for middle schoolers, Math > Doesn't Suck. > > Of course, some actors are equally well known for their work in the > movies. Bridging the gap between television and film we have Rowan > Atkinson, equally geek-beloved as Mr. Bean and Blackadder. Atkinson has a > master's in electrical engineering from Queen's College, Oxford, which > will lead us in a moment to a disturbing nest of engineering majors that > fled for Hollywood. But first ... > > > > Lights, camera, geeks > > As we said, actors cross over all the time between television and the > movies. Two geek-friendly sitcom stars of the late '70s and early '80s > successfully recycled their careers into film superstardom, starting with > Tom Hanks, whose passion for the space program brought us From the Earth > to the Moon and Apollo 13. Hanks is also on the board of governors of the > National Space Society and has said he'd have liked to have gone into the > astronaut program but "didn't have the math." > > Robin Williams, meanwhile, is a hardcore gamer (he named his daughter > Zelda, for Pete's sake!) and has a reputation as a serious gadget hound. > > He's spoken informally at a number of fun tech firms, including a keynote > at Google Inc. > > Hanks and Williams are, of course, both multiple Oscar winners. Other > actors with both gold statuettes and tech chops include Jack Lemmon > (Mister Roberts, Save the Tiger), who majored in War Services Sciences (a > subdivision of the physics department) at Harvard University, and > supporting player par excellence Walter Brennan (The Westerner, Kentucky, > Come and Get It), who majored in engineering at the Rindge School of > Technical Arts in Cambridge, Mass. > > Our three-person honor roll includes an additional Oscar winner, along > with a Fulbright awardee and a self-educated player who almost definitely > makes it possible for you to be reading this very article. First up is > Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, the upcoming Iron Man), who has a chemical > engineering degree from Pratt University and has declared his intention to > eventually go back to school for a doctorate in physics. > > Action star and fellow chemical engineering degree-holder Dolph Lundgren > (Rocky IV, The Punisher), meanwhile, was attending grad school at MIT on a > Fulbright when he decided to drop out and try the acting thing. Finally, > beauty queen Hedy Lamarr (Ecstasy, Samson and Delilah) owns us all for her > pioneering work on spread spectrum technology, which makes both Ethernet > and your cell phone tick. > > > > Direct to the engineering department > > What is it about directors and engineering degrees? All but one of the > directors we found in our search had either an engineering degree or > extensive study in the field ... or, in one case, the kind of real-world > experience that cannot be denied. > > Alfred Hitchcock studied art at the University of London, but he also put > in time in the School of Engineering and Navigation at St. Ignatius > College in London, eventually working as a draftsman. The master of > suspense studied mechanics, electricity, acoustics and navigation. > > California's nerd troops include Frank Capra (It's A Wonderful Life), > about whom fellow director Mack Sennett noted, "Capra had a degree in > [chemical] engineering from the California Institute of Technology, but he > had so much sheer ability that he was able to conceal it," and Terry > Gilliam (Monty Python, Brazil) who dabbled in the Occidental College > physics department before, he claims, concluding that political science > had fewer graduation requirements. > > Up the coast, one wonders if the efficiencies taught in Stanford > University's industrial engineering program enabled Roger Corman to bring > in movies such as Little Shop of Horrors and The Raven famously fast, > cheap and under control. Back in New York, master-of-all-genres Howard > Hawks (His Girl Friday, To Have and Have Not, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, > Rio Bravo and the original Scarface) gained a mechanical engineering > degree from Cornell after early studies at Throop Polytechnic Institute > (better known as Caltech) and worked for a while as an aircraft designer > and aviator. > > What's that? You say you've heard of another Howard with a flair for both > directing and aviation? But, of course, our directorial honor roll choice > is Howard Hughes, whose film credits as a director include The Outlaw and > Hell's Angels. Hughes merely audited math and engineering courses at > Caltech and dropped out of Rice University, but anyone who designs and > builds giant wooden aircraft for fun (and acquires an airline along the > way) is simply more geek than you are. > > > > Geeks scale the musical heights > > There's an innate geek appeal in music, where everyone has to at least be > able to count to four. (Insert your own drummer joke here.) Entire > categories of music, such as nerdcore and minimalist, are heavily > populated by techish types. Other singers and musicians may surprise you > with their tech chops. > > Some of the leading lights in this category will be no surprise at all, > especially to those who enjoy a good synthesizer riff. Moog pioneer Wendy > Carlos is an astronomy buff - a coronaphile, specifically - recognized for > her remarkable eclipse photos. She double-majored in music and physics at > Brown. > > "Rockit" jazzman Herbie Hancock double-majored in music and electrical > engineering at Grinnell College. Erstwhile Thompson Twins ("Hold Me Now") > lead Michael White became that most blessed of creatures: a top-notch > science writer and novelist, spending time in addition as a science > lecturer at d'Overbroeck's College in Oxford. > > And Thomas Dolby went from New Wave pop fun (and one perfect album) to > both pioneering the ringtone market and acting as musical director for the > TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference. > > It's not all plinky synths and asymmetric haircuts, though: Huey Lewis > also majored in engineering before dropping out of Cornell. It's not > entirely about the '80s, either (though again, clearly something about the > youth of the slacker generation made us geektastic). > > Backing up to the '70s, we find Tom Scholz, lead musician for Boston > ("More Than a Feeling"), with a mechanical engineering master's from MIT; > he worked as a product design engineer at Polaroid Corp. while developing > the musical tech he needed to produce the band's particular sound and > holds a couple of dozen patents so far. And '60s folk rock icon Art > Garfunkel has a master's in math from Columbia University. > > Stretching way back to the early years of recorded music, superstar > singer, comedian and Broadway pioneer Bert Williams ("Nobody") was on his > way to Stanford to begin a civil engineering major when he decided to drop > out and join a minstrel show. (Not the first time San Francisco has > distracted a would-be nerd.) > > Moving forward in time, '90s alternative rock god and current "forget the > record labels" online hero Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was in pursuit > of a computer engineering degree from Pennsylvania's Allegheny College > before moving to Cleveland to start a series of bands. The ineffably > nerdical "Weird Al" Yankovic was actually an architecture major, but his > body of work ("It's All About The Pentiums," baby) speaks for itself, as > does NSYNC star Lance Bass' spirited pursuit of his cosmonaut > certification. > > Our honor roll is in tune with three remarkable nerds. Todd Rundgren > ("Hello It's Me") is legendary for developing the Utopia Graphics System, > one of the very first paint programs, and has remained profoundly engaged > with technology throughout his recording and producing career. Queen > guitarist Brian May is slated to receive his Ph.D. in astrophysics from > Imperial College in London in May 2008 after completing his oral defense > in August; he is also a successful popular science writer. > > Finally, song parodist and Dr. Demento favorite Tom Lehrer left show > business to focus on mathematics; he has a bachelor's and a master's in > math from Harvard and is reputed to occasionally burst into song during > lectures for his students at UC Santa Cruz. > > ery occasionally, geeks slip into celebrity where you least expect them. > It's no surprise that the ranks of science fiction writers are full of > nerdy types, but Sandra Tsing Loh (physics, Caltech) and Norman Mailer > (engineering studies, Harvard) are doing just fine on the more mainstream > bookshelves, respectively. > > The late Kurt Vonnegut was, of course, passionately concerned with > technology and its discontents; he started his college career at Cornell > in biochemistry and switched to mechanical engineering at the "invitation" > of the U.S. Army, which sent him to the Carnegie Institute of Technology > (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee before > shipping him to Europe for World War II. > > And our free-form entry to the honor roll? Talk show host Montel Williams > has an engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and > served as a special duty intelligence officer specializing in cryptology, > making him a rare security-focused celebrity geek. > > > > Hey, what about...? > > We had to draw the line somewhere, and your favorite geek(ish) celeb may > have fallen on the other side of it. For instance, Prince and David Bowie > were both early Net adopters, but one suspects neither was so much geeking > as using technology they borrowed from the spaceships that brought them to > our world. > > Likewise, Natalie Portman - beloved of geek fanboys worldwide since long > before her Star Wars turns - is an accomplished psychology student with > two published papers under her belt, but psych isn't strictly a science or > tech pursuit. (Waaahbulances will please park in the designated Comments > section.) > > A number of big name stars have taken seriously their > celebrity-spokesperson role for various diseases and medical conditions, > including the late Christopher Reeve (spinal cord injury, stem cell > research), Michael J. Fox (Parkinson's disease), Elizabeth Taylor and > self-described nerd Sharon Stone (AIDS/HIV), and the late Danny Thomas > (cancer research; Thomas founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in > Memphis). Such folks have educated themselves and kept abreast of > developments - an honorable near-geek choice, but not quite what we were > looking for in this article. > > Red Sox ace pitcher Curt Schilling is a notorious EverQuest and Advanced > Squad Leader junkie who has gone so far as to found his very own MMORPG > firm and blog, but without more sports stars on our list, he was simply > too much of an outlier. (We must admit, though, that the prospect of the > man picking up a bat and beating the stuffing out of a defective QuesTec > umpire-monitoring machine does provide an argument that Schilling is a > technology Everyman ... or at least that he has exactly the same moments > of frustration the rest of us do with our work gear.) > > Finally, a few celebrities are geeky, but not as geeky as their > reputations. Will Smith, for instance, is known to be a thorough math and > chess nerd, but the rumor that he turned down MIT to pursue his Fresh > Prince rap career is only that - a rumor. The late Frank Zappa has an > asteroid, various animal species and a bacterium gene named after him, but > despite a keen interest in the mathematics of music he was mainly > self-taught. > > Actress, blogger and environmentalist Daryl Hannah exhibits a distinctly > geekish personality, but even her role as Blade Runner's Pris doesn't > quite bump her to the top of the list. Neither does fellow > environmentalist Ed Begley Jr.'s stint as Greenbean on the original > Battlestar Galactica. And Dilbert creator Scott Adams? He worked closely > with engineers and the like at Crocker National Bank and Pacific Bell, but > his appreciation for nerddom is mainly observational - he's an MBA with an > undergraduate degree in economics. > > So, how'd we do? Did we miss a favorite? Tell us in the Comments section. > > Angela Gunn is Computerworld's Security Channel editor. > >
