Nerd

Nerd (adjective: nerdy) is a descriptive term, often used pejoratively, indicating that a person is overly intellectual, obsessive, or lacking social skills. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, obscure, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many nerds are described as being shy, quirky, and unattractive, and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports. Though originally derogatory, "Nerd" is a stereotypical term, but as with other pejoratives, it has been reclaimed and redefined by some as a term of pride and group identity.

Etymology

The first documented appearance of the word "nerd" is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo. The slang meaning of the term dates to the next year, 1951, when Newsweek magazine reported on its popular use as a synonym for "drip" or "square" in Detroit, Michigan. By the early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United States, and even as far as Scotland. At some point, the word took on connotations of bookishness and social ineptitude.

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (/ˈjæŋkəvɪk/ YANG-kə-vik; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, parodist, record producer, satirist, actor, music video director, film producer, and author. He is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts, original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, and polka medleys of several popular songs, featuring his favored instrument, the accordion.

Since his first-aired comedy song in 1976, he has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2007), recorded more than 150 parody and original songs, and has performed more than 1,000 live shows. His works have earned him four Grammy Awards and a further 11 nominations, four gold records, and six platinum records in the United States. Weird Al's first top ten Billboard album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and single ("White & Nerdy") were both released in 2006, nearly three decades into his career. His latest album, Mandatory Fun (2014), became his first number-one album during its debut week.

White & Nerdy

"White & Nerdy" is the second single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. The song both laments and revels in nerdiness, as recited by the subject who cannot "roll with the gangstas" because he is "just too white and nerdy", and includes constant references to stereotypically nerdy activities, such as collecting comic books, playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), going to the Renaissance Fair, riding a Segway, and editing Wikipedia, as well as stereotypically Caucasian activities, like watching Happy Days and eating "all my sandwiches with mayonnaise."

The song has won many accolades, including being Yankovic's first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit, which peaked at #9. It was also certified platinum by the RIAA, the first Yankovic single to achieve this feat. Chamillionaire himself also stated that he enjoyed the song.

Track listing

Rosanna Pansino

Rosanna Pansino (born June 8, 1985) is an American baker, actress, and YouTube personality. She is best known for her nerdy-themed cooking show Nerdy Nummies, one of the most popular baking shows on YouTube. She also starred as Violet in the animated YouTube series Broken Quest. She is also a singer. Her first song, "Perfect Together," was released on February 14, 2015 and currently has over 8 million views and counting

YouTube Career

Pansino's grandmother had a passion for baking that Pansino inherited. She began her YouTube channel after she was encouraged by a few of her professional YouTuber friends. She started to make videos on YouTube to get more comfortable in front of a camera. Her baking show started after she filmed the process of making themed treats at a party and gained momentum as her viewers began to enjoy it and started to request more. Because she never saw a geeky baking show on television or the Internet, Pansino decided to create her own. Rosanna Pansino has uploaded more than 100 cake, cookie and cupcake recipes as part of the Nerdy Nummies series. Its success has driven her channel to 5 million total subscribers and an average of 75 million views per month.

Royal icing

Royal icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar (powdered sugar), and sometimes lemon or lime juice. It is used on Christmas cakes, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses and many other cakes and cookies, either as a smooth covering, or in sharp peaks. Glycerine is often added to prevent the icing from setting too hard. When placing icing on cakes, Marzipan is usually used under the royal icing in order to prevent discoloration of the icing.

Usual proportions are 2 egg whites to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of glycerine, and around 1 pound of sugar depending on the application.

As well as coating cakes and biscuits, royal icing is used to make decorations such as flowers and figures for putting on the cake. The Royal Icing is piped into shapes which are allowed to harden on a non-stick surface. These can then be arranged to create edible decorative effects on a variety of sweet foods. The Glycerine must be omitted for this purpose. Royal Icing is often used to create snow scenes but is also used as an edible adhesive - particularly for gingerbread houses.