I sort of know what you mean snapdragon,

There is a profound difference in culture between the two firms I have worked at recently: At the first, calling someone a geek was a major compliment whereas at the second, when I asked who our resident "JavaScript geek" was, I was firmly told by one of the other consultants that the firm does not employ geeks. Oh well...

Elgon

"A nerd is someone who knows the difference between a compiled and an interpreted language, whereas a geek is a person who can explain it cogently over a couple of beers"
       - Elgon