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NERD ALERT!
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| The Echo's James Maden does a convincing impression of a nerd. It doesn't seem to put off Georgina Cotton, left, and Hania Shiner. |
FORGET the home of the Spitfire or ocean sailing - Southampton has a new claim to fame.
Trainspotters, chess fans and gaming fanatics have reason to celebrate after the city was named the UK's nerd capital'.
Southampton topped a list of towns and cities across the UK in a study to find the country's nerdiest places.
The survey, conducted by community website network locallife.co.uk, scored towns and cities across the UK by comparing population to the amount of nerdy' businesses or organisations in the area.
These , according to the survey, included chess clubs, libraries, model shops, online dating agencies, stamp collecting clubs and computer gaming shops.
Southampton shot to the top of the pile with the highest number of these per head of population, with 5,390 residents per nerdy' business or organisation.
It's a great result for the city's geek population, defined in the study as "people with high disposable income and low social activity, who often seek solitary pursuits".
Last year's poll winner Bournemouth came in a close second place, with 6,255 residents per nerdy' business or organisation.
Tony Martin, chairman of locallife.co.uk says: "Southampton is now geek chic' and has stormed into top spot in the nerd league table.
"It seems many Sotonians have discovered their inner geek in the past 12 months.
"One thing's for sure, it will be easy for trainspotters to catch a train to nerd nirvana, Southampton."
At the bottom end of the list were Haringey in London and Nuneaton in Warwickshire with 16,000 and 17,077 nerdy' businesses or organisations respectively.
9:53am Tuesday 15th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Iain, Lordshill on 10:25am Tue 15 Jul 08
Bit harsh Wills - I look rather dashing I thought...
In all honesty, the town is about 50% student these days, so it's no wonder there are geeky businesses everywhere to cater for them.
Bit harsh Wills - I look rather dashing I thought...
In all honesty, the town is about 50% student these days, so it's no wonder there are geeky businesses everywhere to cater for them.
Posted by: mr s, soton on 10:58am Tue 15 Jul 08
im embarrased
Posted by: hulla, baloo on 11:03am Tue 15 Jul 08
Not long ago Southampton were high on the list of being a Chav city.
Are they all changing their ways?
Not long ago Southampton were high on the list of being a Chav city.
Are they all changing their ways?
Posted by: aghast, southampton on 11:32am Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]mr s[/bold] wrote:
im embarrased[/quote] I would be too, with spelling like that.
mr s wrote:
im embarrased
I would be too, with spelling like that.
Posted by: Family Man, Bitterne on 12:04pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Not sure about the "nerdy" accolade.
However, measures of cultural sophistication I have used in the past include; the number of secondhand/antiquari
an bookshops, the number of commercial art galleries (nice to look at from outside but a lack of "readies" militates against entry..), and finally the number of those "little shops" that cater for niches, such as specialised cookshops, eateries, etc. that contribute so much to the diversity and interest of some town centres(Salisbury, Winchester, Brighton, Eastbourne etc. to name but a few) Unfortunately Southampton seems to score low on all the above, I suppose reflecting it's largely working class past and "bog standard" unimaginative present..
Not sure about the "nerdy" accolade.
However, measures of cultural sophistication I have used in the past include; the number of secondhand/antiquari
an bookshops, the number of commercial art galleries (nice to look at from outside but a lack of "readies" militates against entry..), and finally the number of those "little shops" that cater for niches, such as specialised cookshops, eateries, etc. that contribute so much to the diversity and interest of some town centres(Salisbury, Winchester, Brighton, Eastbourne etc. to name but a few) Unfortunately Southampton seems to score low on all the above, I suppose reflecting it's largely working class past and "bog standard" unimaginative present..
Posted by: smelly, boy on 1:17pm Tue 15 Jul 08
what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
Posted by: Teach on 1:29pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]smelly[/bold] wrote:
what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care! [/quote] Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment.
Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks.
Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.
smelly wrote:
what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment.
Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks.
Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.
Posted by: X, CELLENT on 1:35pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[bold] Does anyone even care?[/bold]
Posted by: O.M., Southampton on 1:46pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]X[/bold] wrote:
[bold] Does anyone even care?[/bold][/quote] Given that it's the 6th most read story on the Echo site today, it would seem that they do.
If you're not interested, why bother reading it and commenting?
X wrote:
Does anyone even care?
Given that it's the 6th most read story on the Echo site today, it would seem that they do.
If you're not interested, why bother reading it and commenting?
Posted by: X, CELLENT on 1:49pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]O.M.[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]X[/bold] wrote: [bold] Does anyone even care?[/bold][/quote] Given that it's the 6th most read story on the Echo site today, it would seem that they do. If you're not interested, why bother reading it and commenting?[/quote] [bold]6th? There has only been 6 stories today anyway. So it would seem that they actually dont.[/bold]
O.M. wrote:
X wrote: Does anyone even care?
Given that it's the 6th most read story on the Echo site today, it would seem that they do. If you're not interested, why bother reading it and commenting?
6th? There has only been 6 stories today anyway. So it would seem that they actually dont. Posted by: hulla, baloo on 1:51pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Teach[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]smelly[/bold] wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care! [/quote] Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.[/quote] But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.
Teach wrote:
smelly wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.
But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.
Posted by: Bright Spark, Stubbington on 1:53pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Does anyone know where i can buy a tank top, and my missus is on the lookout for a rah rah skirt.
Does anyone know where i can buy a tank top, and my missus is on the lookout for a rah rah skirt.
Posted by: X, CELLENT on 1:59pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Bright Spark[/bold] wrote:
Does anyone know where i can buy a tank top, and my missus is on the lookout for a rah rah skirt.[/quote] [bold]Don't you think that chap would look rather dashing with a bow-tie instead of a tie?[/bold]
Bright Spark wrote:
Does anyone know where i can buy a tank top, and my missus is on the lookout for a rah rah skirt.
Don't you think that chap would look rather dashing with a bow-tie instead of a tie? Posted by: Teach on 2:03pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]hulla[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]Teach[/bold] wrote: [quote][bold]smelly[/bold] wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care! [/quote] Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.[/quote] But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.[/quote] Which leaves 6 out of 10 people neither interested in nor disinterested in statistics. Are they all down the pub?
hulla wrote:
Teach wrote: smelly wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.
But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.
Which leaves 6 out of 10 people neither interested in nor disinterested in statistics. Are they all down the pub?
Posted by: X, CELLENT on 2:04pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Teach[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]hulla[/bold] wrote: [quote][bold]Teach[/bold] wrote: [quote][bold]smelly[/bold] wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care! [/quote] Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.[/quote] But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.[/quote] Which leaves 6 out of 10 people neither interested in nor disinterested in statistics. Are they all down the pub?[/quote] [bold]Must be...[/bold]
Teach wrote:
hulla wrote: Teach wrote: smelly wrote: what a pile of crap. Has this paper got absolutely nothing to report any more except flats, developments, chavs and how we seem to top a lot of pointless different polls. Does the echo seriously think we care!
Well, yes. You cared enough to look at the article and write a comment. Don't forget, this is a statistically calculated survey about geeks. Geeks like statistics. Southampton is, apparently, full of geeks. Therefore Southampton will like a story about statistics and geeks. Nanu Nanu, that is illogical Captain.
But statistically, 1 in 10 people take no notice of statistics and are uninterested,and statistics show 3 in 10 people are statistically interested in statistics, depending on the subject, of which a subject about statistics is statistically high.
Which leaves 6 out of 10 people neither interested in nor disinterested in statistics. Are they all down the pub?
Must be... Posted by: X, TRAORDINARY on 3:52pm Tue 15 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Bright Spark[/bold] wrote:
The school prom pics are good for a laugh by the way. Shame we are'nt allowed to comment on them. :([/quote] [bold]Oh :(
Todays chess club was cancelled now i have to go to Pokemon Class :( :([/bold]
Bright Spark wrote:
The school prom pics are good for a laugh by the way. Shame we are'nt allowed to comment on them. :(
Oh :(
Todays chess club was cancelled now i have to go to Pokemon Class :( :( Posted by: Chris, Winchester on 6:03pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Southamptons Wow Factor.
Traffic light capital of the South. The Council must have shares in a traffic light manufacturing company.
Southamptons Wow Factor.
Traffic light capital of the South. The Council must have shares in a traffic light manufacturing company.
Posted by: Mutley, Mansbridge on 7:25pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Plenty of them around our way!
Plenty of them around our way!
Posted by: Eyes wide shut on 8:49pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Of coarce, the moral is - never conduct a poll, whilst the Freemasons are holding a convention in the city. But they should be well dispersed by now.[quote]quote[/quote]
Of coarce, the moral is - never conduct a poll, whilst the Freemasons are holding a convention in the city. But they should be well dispersed by now.
quote
Posted by: Carlos Meniguea, san Paulo on 1:17am Wed 16 Jul 08
[quote][bold]hulla[/bold] wrote:
Not long ago Southampton were high on the list of being a Chav city. Are they all changing their ways?[/quote] No
we just have nerdy Chavs
even the chavs are not real chavs! just nerds pretending to be chavs stuck in the traffic light queues.
hulla wrote:
Not long ago Southampton were high on the list of being a Chav city. Are they all changing their ways?
No
we just have nerdy Chavs
even the chavs are not real chavs! just nerds pretending to be chavs stuck in the traffic light queues.
Posted by: Artful Dodger, Millbrook on 3:01pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Southampton - Nerd City - is that our 'WOW' factor?
A good combination because the girls have the 'Bow Wow' factor.
Southampton - Nerd City - is that our 'WOW' factor?
A good combination because the girls have the 'Bow Wow' factor.
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