Are You Living With a Tech Addict?

September 18, 2009 - 3:22 pm

As the girlfriend of a certified geek, I have grown used to the signs of technology addiction: the longing looks at the latest shiny gadgetry, the steering of conversion towards RAM upgrades, and the never ending stream of technological knowledge. Here’s our top ten guide to check if your flatmate is, in fact, a tech addict, and the reasons why it might not be such a bad thing!

The television. If you are living with a tech addict, the television is guaranteed to be the dominating feature in the room. And it will not just be some ordinary television. It has to be top of the range, HD, at least 32”, and preferably accompanied by a swanky surround sound system, and a PVR or media PC. We’re definitely not complaining. Bring on the high-definition Gossip Girl viewing.

If the TV barely fits into the room, be suspicious

Choice of television programmes. Now, what will they watch on their pride and joy? If it’s a mild case of tech addiction, it will be Heroes, 24 and the more geeky (yet brilliant) comedies such as The IT Crowd. For more extreme cases, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek marathons may take place. You have been warned.

Choice of operating system. One word. Linux. Do not engage in the debate.

Larry Ewing's Tux: A geek icon

Post arrivals. Every week there will be some form of gadget magazine arriving in the post, tempting your housemate into buying more shiny gadgets. And then the gadgets themselves will arrive. Keeping an eye of the post will certainly reveal the extent of your flatmate’s tech addiction.

Spare time gaming. What your flatmate does with their spare time also allows you to gauge the extent of their addiction. We’re not averse to some spare time gaming, but if it’s running into the small hours and it involves the words “World of Warcraft”, we’re afraid that the diagnosis has been confirmed. But don’t worry: it means that you get that lovely television all to yourself.

A true geek knows their controller back to front

Website choice. What websites do they visit regularly? Sites such as Slashdot suggest that your flatmate is a well rounded geek, social networking websites show that they care about their friends, but visiting more than 3 technological websites religiously may hint at a lust for all things technological.

Email checking. They will wake up. Check their emails. Have breakfast. Check their emails. Have a shower. Check their emails. The pattern continues.

T-shirts. If they possess a t-shirt claiming “No, I will not fix your computer!” or something similar, they actually love fixing computers. Don’t believe the wardrobe.

Posters of women. Ah yes, if your flatmate is still at the age where there are posters of ladies adorning their wall, then the choice of woman may indicate their geekish tendencies. Megan Fox? Elisha Cuthbert? Angelina Jolie? Any attractive woman starring in a sci-fi or action movie is sure to be up in his top ten.

More than 3 different storage devices. This is probably the most useful trait of all. They will have a multitude of storage devices for their computer: a disk array to be proud of, at least one external back up drive, and the fanciest, most spacious thumb drives on the market. Convince your tech friend to let you use them to keep your data safe too!

So if you’ve spotted some warning signs, do not fret. Tech addicts often make the best housemates – just respect the gadgets, and never disagree with them on a techie subject. You cannot win, only lose by varying degrees.