Well, the Goer clan gathering last night went off without a hitch. Actually, that’s not quite true… we managed to break an heirloom crystal goblet, fumble the silverware, and spill wine on the off-white tablecloth. But at least it was a fun evening, in a Clouseauesque kind of way.

By the way, Mom informed me that the meeting was technically not a Goer clan gathering, as her brother had brought a sizable Harman contingent. Perhaps true… but if it came down to a loya jirga, I think the Goer clan would win any vote (unless the Harmans struck some sort of devious alliance with the Zelonys, in which case all hell would break loose). Besides, one should never underestimate a Goer. We might be small in size and numbers, but we’re surprisingly mean when provoked.

I suppose I might as well link to this NY Times article by A.O. Scott [registration required; my name/password is egoer1/simox]. I’m sure all the various warblogs, techblogs, and nerdblogs will link to it in short order, but why not hop on the bandwagon early, eh?

The appeal of fantasy has been especially powerful among those who find themselves marginalized by the brutal social universe of American secondary education ? geeks, losers, nerds. You remember them from high school ? or you remember being one of them ? the guys who filled their notebooks with meticulous line drawings of broadsword-wielding berserkers and their large-breasted consorts, who staffed the tech crew for the spring theatricals and dominated the computer club, who used words like “grok” in ordinary conversation. Their devotion to sci-fi and sword-and-sorcery arcana invited ridicule, but was also a defense against it. But such mockery is, by now, obsolete. The triumph of fantasy culture, like the transformation of the cult of the computer into mainstream religion, is their revenge. We are all nerds now. And we had better do our homework.

So we nerds have triumphed. Huzzah! Actually, I think the article is not that far off the mark, although there are a few unfortunate exceptions, such as this one: “The confusing issue of sex is kept at a safe distance; romantic considerations are ancillary to the fight against evil, and to the cameraderie of warriors.” Methinks Scott has, contrary to his/her own advice, not done his/her homework. Other than that, an interesting read.

The only sad thing is that the NY Times link will disappear in a few weeks. Clueless, utterly clueless. Recently the LA Times changed their website over to the NY Times model. Unbelievable. Did the LA Times think that the NY Times actually knew what they were doing with their website or something? It’s bad enough that the NY Times is lost in the dark, but now perfectly respectable papers are starting to copy them? I find myself linking to inferior papers for that very reason. I’ll make the occasional exception, sure… but I just know I’ll be looking through my archives a few months from now, notice the old, broken link to the NY Times, and slap myself in the forehead. “What were you thinking, linking to the Times?” I’ll tell myself. “Didn’t you vow never to do it again!” Sigh.