Geek Bone Neophilia

I was just perusing Slashdot and I saw this article, which is relevant to this post I made earlier this month.

Apparently, the condition now has a name (and most likely will soon have a drug to "cure" it). From the article:

Now scientists have found a genetic basis for the affliction. They say people with a specific form of a cellular enzyme, known as monoamine oxidase A, are more in need of stimulation from new things.

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but an enzyme that makes you want to buy the latest and greatest seems a little crazy. I mean, people have been around long before gadgets. Did cavemen lust for the latest in rock technology? I do like the name though.

According to Wikipedia:

Neophilia is defined as a love of novelty and new things. A neophile is an individual who is unusually accepting of new things and excited by novelty.

And within that article they quote the New Hacker's Dictionary with the following definition:

The trait of being excited and pleased by novelty. Common among most hackers, SF fans, and members of several other connected leading-edge subcultures, including the pro-technology ‘Whole Earth’ wing of the ecology movement, space activists, many members of Mensa, and the Discordian/neo-pagan underground. All these groups overlap heavily and (where evidence is available) seem to share characteristic hacker tropisms for science fiction, music, and oriental food. The opposite tendency is neophobia.

Well, I did eat some delectable Asian cuisine for lunch today, and I am a musician. I have also been known to dabble in SciFi. So there - now to explain to my wife the scientific reasoning why I need new gadgets. I'm sure that would work... damn neophobic wench.

I wonder if I can spin this into a new digital camera?