 "Dumbing yourself down" around your peers?
edw519: You may not like my answer, but you asked, so here goes:I think the only problem is with your attitude.  Like ilitirit, I hate the expression, "dumbing down".  I am probably similar in nature to you, and I have never had this problem, much less even thought about it.At the bookstore over coffee, my SO reads about design & fashion while I read about Galois and number theory.  So what?  (I just have to remember to nod in agreement to questions like, "Aren't those window treatments beautiful?")  When people talk about sports, I don't tune out; in fact, I enjoy a little football and basketball between coding sessions.OTOH, NASCAR = for(i=0;i<800;i++){turnLeft()};I don't watch much TV, don't enjoy gossip, and don't recognize many celebrities, but I can still smile and nod in most conversations.  At the very least, I can usually politely direct them to something a little more interesting.Don't forget, you're human before you're a hacker, so being among other people, no matter who they are, is important to your well being.  Don't think of "dumbing down", think of "diversifying among potential users of my code".  So get out of that bedroom and join the rest of us.  You'll be fine.