This article is from the archive of our partner .
AUTHOR: Patton Oswalt, writing in Wired.
SUBJECT: How the Internet has made nerds of us all.
WHERE YOU MIGHT KNOW OSWALT FROM: His stand-up comedy, which includes riotous bits about NPR, the genesis of religion, and George Lucas and the Star Wars prequels.
HOW ELSE YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM: As the voice of Remy, the rat in Pixar's Ratatouille.
CLEARLY: Oswalt has a healthy respect for pop culture.
HIS REFLECTIONS ON A 1980S ADOLESCENCE: "I was too young to drive or hold a job. I was never going to play sports, and girls were an uncrackable code. So, yeah--I had time to collect every Star Wars action figure, learn the Three Laws of Robotics, memorize Roy Batty's speech from the end of Blade Runner, and classify each monster's abilities and weaknesses in TSR Hobbies' Monster Manual."
THE TERM FOR THIS: Otaku, a Japanese word that "refers to people who have obsessive, minute interests--especially stuff like anime or videogames. It comes from a term for 'someone else's house'--otaku live in their own, enclosed worlds. Or, at least, their lives follow patterns that are well outside the norm. Looking back, we were American otakus."
AH, BUT NOW, THANKS TO THE INTERNET: "Everyone considers themselves otaku about something--whether it's the mythology of Lost or the minor intrigues of Top Chef. American Idol inspires--if not in depth, at least in length and passion--the same number of conversations as does The Wire. There are no more hidden thought-palaces--they're easily accessed websites, or Facebook pages with thousands of fans."