--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was in school, if you wanted a…" description: "\"When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to build one. But today, computers are everywhere. We're all obsessed with technology and havin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/chris-hardwick-2460_computer_when-i-was-in-school-if-you-wanted-a-com_2635201.png" --- # When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to… ![“When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to build one. But today, computers are everywhere. We're all obsessed with technology and having the latest gadgets. Nerd culture is ubiquitous.” quote by Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/chris-hardwick-2460_computer_when-i-was-in-school-if-you-wanted-a-com_2635201.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/chris-hardwick-2460_computer_when-i-was-in-school-if-you-wanted-a-com_2635201.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/chris-hardwick-2460_computer_when-i-was-in-school-if-you-wanted-a-com_2635201.png) > “When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to build one. But today, computers are everywhere. We're all obsessed with technology and having the latest gadgets. Nerd culture is ubiquitous.” [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological obsession stems from early DIY computer building, now pervasive. **In simple terms:** Tech obsession grew from early building. Key Takeaway Balance tech use with offline life. Themes technology obsession culture Mood nostalgic critical Type cultural personal When to use this quote - tech industry - education - social media Key Concepts DIY computing nerd culture gadget addiction Questions to Reflect On - How does tech shape your identity? - What offline activities fulfill you? A Different Perspective Obsession can hinder real connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Gadgets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gadgets/) [Gadgets Nerd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gadgets-nerd-2222573/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Nerd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerd/) [Nerd Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerd-culture-2222571/) [Obsessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessed/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-having-2222572/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [You can't play a hobbit if you're not prepared to be a part of nerd culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-astin/you-can-t-play-a-hobbit-if-you-re-not-prepared-to-be-a-part-of-nerd/) [Sean Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-astin/) > [The dreams of the past - whether it was public TV being rolled into the classroom to teach Spanish, or the film projectors or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-dreams-of-the-past-whether-it-was-public-tv-being-rolled-into-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [People always think of technology as something having silicon in it. But a pencil is technology. Any language is technology. Technology is a tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/people-always-think-of-technology-as-something-having-silicon-in-it/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I'm not very geeky. I'm quite homespun. I would say I'm more modern rustic than gadget-orientated. I like woollen things and log fires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-m-not-very-geeky-i-m-quite-homespun-i-would-say-i-m-more-modern/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [When I was growing up, I was as socially outcast as any nerd could possibly be. I was in the chess club, I brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/when-i-was-growing-up-i-was-as-socially-outcast-as-any-nerd-could/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Growing up in the 70s and 80s, it took effort to be a nerd. You had to seek out the nerd stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/growing-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-it-took-effort-to-be-a-nerd-you-had-to/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I almost think of nerd brains as rattlesnake venom; like, you can milk it. You can milk the pulpy venom out of the nerd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-almost-think-of-nerd-brains-as-rattlesnake-venom-like-you-can-milk/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [If you have laser-like brain it's not always focused on the most productive things. If you want to play Halo: Reach all day, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/if-you-have-laser-like-brain-it-s-not-always-focused-on-the-most/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Nerds get caught up in minutiae, because there is a tremendous and fulfilling sense of control in understanding every single detail of a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/nerds-get-caught-up-in-minutiae-because-there-is-a-tremendous-and/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [There are certain parts of a classic nerd's brain that can destroy that person - obsessing about things to the detriment of everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/there-are-certain-parts-of-a-classic-nerd-s-brain-that-can-destroy/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I would say that nerds, as a rule, are much more sexually active than the average person. There's a lot of anxiety and stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-would-say-that-nerds-as-a-rule-are-much-more-sexually-active-than/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [The difference being that a nerd would wear a D&D shirt because he loves D&D while a hipster would wear a D&D shirt because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/the-difference-being-that-a-nerd-would-wear-a-d-d-shirt-because-he/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I think people have this stereotypical idea in their head of what a nerd is. People have said to me before, "You're not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-think-people-have-this-stereotypical-idea-in-their-head-of-what-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Our mandate at Nerdist is that we only get involved with nice people around things that we love. We have the luxury of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/our-mandate-at-nerdist-is-that-we-only-get-involved-with-nice-people/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Any nerd who grew up around the time that I did, BBC programming was a treasure chest for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/any-nerd-who-grew-up-around-the-time-that-i-did-bbc-programming-was-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) ## More by Chris Hardwick > [Any nerd who grew up around the time that I did, BBC programming was a treasure chest for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/any-nerd-who-grew-up-around-the-time-that-i-did-bbc-programming-was-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Our mandate at Nerdist is that we only get involved with nice people around things that we love. We have the luxury of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/our-mandate-at-nerdist-is-that-we-only-get-involved-with-nice-people/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [There's a lot of laughing on a horror movie set. They're magical in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/there-s-a-lot-of-laughing-on-a-horror-movie-set-they-re-magical-in/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I think people have this stereotypical idea in their head of what a nerd is. People have said to me before, "You're not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-think-people-have-this-stereotypical-idea-in-their-head-of-what-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [The difference being that a nerd would wear a D&D shirt because he loves D&D while a hipster would wear a D&D shirt because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/the-difference-being-that-a-nerd-would-wear-a-d-d-shirt-because-he/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I would say that nerds, as a rule, are much more sexually active than the average person. There's a lot of anxiety and stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-would-say-that-nerds-as-a-rule-are-much-more-sexually-active-than/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [We will continue to address things, but in as much as I want to talk about politics as they are related to social media,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/we-will-continue-to-address-things-but-in-as-much-as-i-want-to-talk/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Steve Martin said that philosophy is good for comedy because it screws up your thinking just enough, and I agree with that. Being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/steve-martin-said-that-philosophy-is-good-for-comedy-because-it/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [There are certain parts of a classic nerd's brain that can destroy that person - obsessing about things to the detriment of everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/there-are-certain-parts-of-a-classic-nerd-s-brain-that-can-destroy/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [If I wasn't acting or doing stand-up, I would be in animation. Or if I had the discipline I might studies physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/if-i-wasn-t-acting-or-doing-stand-up-i-would-be-in-animation-or-if-i/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Every time I finish a record, it's sort of feels like, "I can't believe that I'm hanging out and having a conversation, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/every-time-i-finish-a-record-it-s-sort-of-feels-like-i-can-t-believe/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [A lot of people complain in the year 2003 that it's not the world of tomorrow as foreseen in the 1950s. 'Where are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/a-lot-of-people-complain-in-the-year-2003-that-it-s-not-the-world-of/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Obviously, we went after Trump quite a bit, but I also feel like, we can't be on anyone's side, really. We need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/obviously-we-went-after-trump-quite-a-bit-but-i-also-feel-like-we-can/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [If you're looking to freelance, just get as many gigs going as you can, and you can make it work... It's about getting as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/if-you-re-looking-to-freelance-just-get-as-many-gigs-going-as-you-can/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Don't tell television, but there is some superior programming being made on the Interwebz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/don-t-tell-television-but-there-is-some-superior-programming-being/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) [Explore all 165 Chris Hardwick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. 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I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to build one. But today, computers are everywhere. We're all obsessed with technology and having the latest gadgets. 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