SUCH a geek

I am now the hopelessly proud owner of a sonic screwdriver.

Curiously, it probably has even more functionality than the prop we see on TV... it telescopically extends, makes the noise and shines a blue light like the TV one... but it can also be used as a pen. By swapping amongst the supplied nibs, you can use it as an ultraviolet pen - the blue light it emits includes UV frequencies so you can reveal what you've written. I'm not sure why I think that's so cool, but it just is.

Of course, on TV the sonic screwdriver can do all sorts of stuff. Back here on Earth, though, we all know that a geek's real sonic screwdriver is one of these:


One sits on my desk to delight visitors. The other sits in a drawer until needed (they no longer let managers wear bladed objects on their belts around the office). One reminds me of the value of thinking beyond the immediate and the currently possible. The other can disassemble pretty much everything in my office with frightening speed.

In this job, you need both.