Essentials of a PC Geek

I picked up this list from the Maximum PC April 2009 issue, there are some publications which are still worth buying in print and this is one of them. PC Geeks over the years have developed certain skill sets, some are through education, some through knowledge, and the majority of it is through breaking stuff. Well this is a list of things that I can relate with and I know a few people that can as well, there are people with a lot more skills and I’m one always willing to learn.

  • Knowing the difference between the board connectors; PCI Express, DDR Memory, Dual Channel Rimm
  • Benchmarking a PC
  • Know basic HTML tags
  • Bypass the Government content filter
  • Run all your essential Apps on a USB stick
  • Getting through to the real technicians of customer service
  • Use photoshop to doctor a photo
  • Wire your home with your know Ethernet and know how to crimp it
  • Say NO to extended warranty
  • Mooch Wi-Fi pretty much anywhere
  • Use a DSLR in full manual mode
  • Install a Hard Drive in a Laptop (Laptop broke down in the first month, damn annoying)
  • Protect your Wi-Fi
  • Take apart a damage external hard drive and extract the data
  • Pull off an elaborate prank
  • Set up a RAID configuration
  • Securely Erase your data (They don’t know how to do that at Lockheed Martin)
  • Solder like your life depended on it (I used to do that when I worked on my R/C Cars, would probably do some damage to a mother board)
  • Rip CDs to FLAC
  • Stream your movies, Music, Photos, and anything else to any location in your house
  • Dual-Boot your PC
  • How to hack a Windows Computer or Router
  • Watch TV Shows on the Internet (Legally)
  • Installing and configuring a Virtual Machine
  • Protecting your tracks on the PC
  • Run multiple monitors
  • Know the important Linux Commands
  • Avoid DRM at all costs
  • Use Remote Desktop
  • Rip a DVD to H.264
  • Find everything you need to know Online
  • Install Third-party firmware on your router
  • Be an addict to Star Wars or Star Trek
  • Be able to use the command prompt like a pro
  • Be able to change your own tire
  • Connecting to the ECU of your vehicle to tweak, or flash, clear codes
  • Play Halo1/2/3 and still don’t want to sleep