Nerd watching

Bill Gates

Photo: Reuters/Corbis

The ur-nerd

The classic model: brainy, bumbling and effortlessly uncool

Where to spot them
MIT; AV clubs; science labs; ’80s movies

Key attributes
Wicked math skills; allergies (especially an allergy to sports); name labels in underwear; glasses held together with tape

President Bush

Photo: Ron Sachs/Corbis

The hobby nerd

Moderation is a foreign concept for the superenthusiasts whose dorkish zeal knows no limits.

Where to spot them
Trekkie conventions; comic-book stores; sex shops; stamp shows; Civil War reenactments

Key attributes
Childlike sense of wonder; adultlike case of OCD

Andre 3000

Photo: Stephanie Cardinale/People Avenue/Corbis

The chic geek

Certain sneaky dorks have taken their nerdy essence and turned it into fashion, thus actually making it cool. They’ve pimped their nerd.

Where to spot them
Music videos; design schools

Key attributes
Surprisingly well-cut jib; surprisingly attractive significant other

Tina Fey

Photo: Ron Sachs/Corbis

The NILF

These are the geeks you want to get on.

Where to spot them
Libraries; NY1; med schools; strip clubs where women take their clothes off to put themselves through med school

Key attributes
Rockin’ body; rocket-scientist brain

GWAR

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis

The avant-nerd

This newfangled breed of outré geek makes public spectacles out of meta-nerdistry.

Where to spot them
Bars and bowling alleys; public parks (staging duels); the subway (dropping trou)

Key attributes
Irony; costumes; infatuation with “chaos”