The minute you know who Chris Pirillo is and can pick him out of a line-up... :-p - Live4Emma (L4S)

The moment I first heard about Dungeons and Dragons in 4th grade (78 or 79). - Internet's Tad

March 13, 1972, born in the bay area unto two BART engineers and ex-Apollo rocket worker before growing up in Silicon Valley. - Eric Rice

Not sure if I've become one yet. I'm more of a nerd. -

The entire world knew I was a geek when I got called to the principal's office to reset his new digital watch after daylight saving time ended/began. - ha3rvey (needs soup)

I think I've always been one, but the boyfriend helped bring it out even more, so Feb. 2004! - Kat

Um, when I saw the moon landing when I was a few years old. But, really, when I got into Jr. High in 1977 and joined the first computer club at Hyde Jr. High in Cupertino and got my first tour of Apple Computer (back when it was only one small building). - Robert Scoble

Birth... the child of English/Drama teachers (one working as an engineer), who were friends with science fiction writers, like Roger Zelazney and the Haldemans. Seeing Star Wars when I was 6 didn't hurt. - Nine

When I stole mom's copy of Stephen King's "IT" off ehr headboard to read. i think I was 7. - ωαřмaiden, MFA'd poet

My mom and I used to play "Trax" on the Atari in the late 80s - it would read the game off a cassette player...I thought that was so cool. My mom would always beat me which strikes me as cooler now. - Kamath (नमः)

sometime between 1982 and 1984 whenever it was i first made a triangle on an Apple IIe. then my inner geek went dormant until about 1998. - tiffany

When I bought my VIC-20, in 1983, with my own money. - Joey Gibson

When I went to math and science camp two summers in a row. - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

I suppose it became official on Christmas morning when I was 8 and there was a shiny new TRS-80 under the tree. The next Christmas I got a 5.25in floppy drive and it was the schiznit. - Lindsay

When I started talking extensively about IP multimedia subsystems, IP protocol, packets, session border controls or heard others speak about it and it made sense to me. last night was an example. IP engineers at the dinner table talking shop and i could completely understand all of it. - Patricia

Is this a "conception vs. birth" thing? - MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)

I think it was a birth defect. ;-) - Kol Tregaskes

When I accidentally the whole internet. - David

At my cousin's house, walked into a room and instead of TV on TV, saw PONG! Did I mention I would soon be wearing an orange sweatband on one wrist and a calculator watch on the other? <nostalgic sigh> - Micah Wittman

When I realized I knew more about computers and QBasic, than my teacher in Middle School. - Michel Bechelani from twhirl

I’ve always been a geek and proud of it. :) I’ve seen every Star Wars on opening day. I always did the extra credit for fun in school (ok, maybe sometimes because I was just plain bored). Knew all the words to all the popular Broadway musicals when I was a kid. Played D&D every weekend in high school. Cried at the ending speech of “Revenge of the Nerds” - c’mon you know what I’m talking about. And so on and so forth…I love that my geek passions make me who I am. Embrace what makes you strong, I always say. - Michelle Snow

Aren't you kind of born with it? - Vincent van Wylick

When I got the Sports Illlustrated swimsuit issue and MacWeek from the mailbox, and read the MacWeek first... - Indio Apache from twhirl

Geeks are born, not made. : ) - Bonnie Dean

I was born a geek. Someone needs to check my DNA for the geek gene. - imabonehead

Honestly, I just am. I don't think I could really give you a rational explanation aside from: I just am Geek. - Amir

At birth I would imagine. - Kol Tregaskes