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From: mjv@ihu1e.UUCP (Vlach)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Re: Showing Off (Athletics VS Intell
Message-ID: <486@ihu1e.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 20:49:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihu1e.486
Posted: Mon Jul 15 20:49:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 06:53:19 EDT
References: <1030@trwatf.UUCP> <33100024@ISM780.UUCP> <454@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 24

> In article <33100024@ISM780.UUCP> darryl@ISM780.UUCP writes:
> >
> >Dear Net Landers:
> >
> >At my job I work on C compilers, for a software company
> >that specializes in doing Unix ports.  When I meet people socially, a
> >frequently asked question is "What do you do for a living?"  How can I
> >answer without being boorish or boring?  For example
> >
> >"What do you do?"
> >
> >How can I answer this without making them feel like they are stupid?
> >
> 
> Tell them you're a @i(computer scientist), and they'll be impressed and
> you'll have implicitly said it's a very technical subject.  If you say it
> with a few Groucho raises of they eyebrows, you'll also have broken some ice.
> 
My answer to non-hacker friends as to what I do at work:

"I make little computers talk to big ones. "

This gives them a vague idea without having to understand anything.  In
fact, this definition also goes over well with other computer types!