Today would have been the 176th birthday of Mark Twain.
Why is that relevant to you? Well, it’s my considered opinion that Twain may have been the proto-geek. Maybe not exactly a proto-geek, but I think he’s an honorary geek nonetheless. His views were slightly out of the mainstream in his day, he was hilarious, and even wrote sci-fi at times. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court? I would say Pudd’nhead Wilson might even be considered sci-fi for its treatment of finger prints at the time.
His writing just seems so suited for a geek audience. In fact, I don’t know how much I stole from the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn for bits and shorts that I wrote in Pirate Club. I can’t speak for Derek Hunter, the artist and writer, but most of my work on the series was pretty directly inspired by Mark Twain.
He was also worshipped as a hero by guys like Ernest Hemingway and Kurt Vonnegut. His writing is phenomenal, witty, and crisp, even after all these years. The fact that his work remains completely relevant is a testament to the power of his writing.
So, on this 176th anniversary of his birth, I just wanted to point you guys to some of his work.
Read him. Know him. Love him.