News flash: I'm a nerd (but not a dork)

Pure Nerd 69 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 17% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Of course, this raises a whole debate: what are the true definitions of nerd, geek, and dork?

I always understood nerd to be a person who was really into computers.  A geek is more generally a person who is really into being smart.  Both these terms used to imply a person who was socially inept.

But looks like those definitions might not be correct.  Part of the problem is the words "nerd," "geek" and "dork" as used in popular culture have only been around for about 50 years, and we've never really nailed them down.  If you check enough sources, you will find conflicting definitions.

Nevertheless, the general consensus seems to be that nerds are obsessed over one particular thing, while geeks are more generally interested in knowledge and intelligence.  Because geeks have broader range, they will also probably be less socially inept.  Dorks, on the other hand, are people who are simply inept without any nerdy/geeky traits to redeem them.

The problem with all these definitions--especially nerd and geek--are that since college I have met more and more nerds and geeks who were totally cool and were equally good at clubbing or playing D&D.  I supposed by definition you can't be a nerd if you're good at more than one thing, but part of the denotation of geek has always been someone who possessed increased intellectual skills at the expense of social skills.  Now our society is seeing people that have both.  Do we need a new word?  Or will these terms continue to evolve and lose their negative connotation?

I think the latter is more likely.  We're already seeing t-shirts that say "The nerds won," and an entire fashion style known as "geek chic."  (Geek chic is irritatingly popular in San Francisco.)  Maybe we need a new word to describe someone who is both smart and cool.

Your thoughts?