Geek of the week: Chris Thiebaud

It’s no secret that geeks commonly populate the Mines campus. This week’s geek, Chemical Engineering major Chris Thiebaud, attaches himself to a nearly permanent fixture of gamers who gather around tables in Digger Den, laughing, comparing strategies, and shooting anything that gets in their way… except the lag, of course. This week, Thiebaud took time between running and gunning for a virtual mafia and covering lanes with online heroes to prove to the Oredigger that the gamers in Digger can and do say more than calling “hax!”

[Oredigger]: What about Chemical Engineering interests you?
[Thiebaud]: Ever since I was young, I watched Bill Nye. [That] kinda got me into Chemistry. That and I like the explosions.

What’s been your favorite class?
Oddly enough, it’s been Music Technology [because] it was a lot of fun. That and we made a guitar and electrocuted the person using it for one of our projects.

Are you a geek and why?
Yes, I am a geek. I play videogames, [watch] anime, video games again, [play] role-plays, I created a weird, mutant alien thing in one of my role-play games. That was actually really fun, despite what [one of my players] says.

How do you spend your free time?
Video games. This week, we’re watching the League of Legends tournament.

What’s been your greatest accomplishment thus far?
In a video game, I got a good deal on liquor from a rabbi – and I don’t feel bad because an actual Jewish friend approved this.

While a swallow probably can’t carry a coconut, if we gave it wings, could a one pound coconut carry a five ounce bird?
By the simple matter of ratios, yes, if it can find a way to hold the bird, which is always a problem, isn’t it?

If you could be dropped into any fictional universe, what would it be and why?
I’d actually go to the League of Legends universe so I could watch real life League of Legends and meet the champions in real life, especially the Yordles.

What’s your favorite thing about Mines?
I just like the people here. I don’t feel out-of-place being geeky here. I’d feel out-of-place being normal here.

What’s your best nerd story?
[I ran] a Dark Heresy campaign where I created this mutant squig that would not die and would harass one of the players, which he did not like. They would throw the squig out into space and it would reappear next to the guy. That, or the time when Deadpool invaded that game, riding a squig and an Alaskan.

How would you face off against a group of angry orks?
[For] the Warhammer variety, I’d just paint myself purple because they’d never see me. I’d be invisible because you’ve never seen a purple army. That, or I’d paint myself red and run away because red is fast.

Do you have any plans for the future?
Go into the FBI as an explosive forensic specialist, which means I can show up in court and say, “Yeah, this is the bomb they used.”

Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students?
Stay geeky! That, or take your roommate’s soul because you’ll need one.

Do you have a favorite quote?
“I am evil! Stop Laughing!” – Veigar, “League of Legends”

Which would make a better pet: a fire-breathing sea dragon, or an undead minotaur?
Being from New Orleans, I think I’d go with the sea dragon because there’s water everywhere. A fire-breathing sea dragon would be a hit at Mardi Gras.