Surely I cannot be the only programmer around who enjoys dressing well and taking a certain amount of pride and interest in my appearance. Hacker news and The Sartorialist are the two first bookmarks on my bookmark bar and I find the both equally inspirational.
Given that we tend to prefer low-to-no maintenance grooming choices, I'm surprised more hackers don't shave (or closely buzz) their heads:<p>1) You can do it yourself. Never pay for another hair cut.<p>2) You don't need shampoo or conditioner. Just use whatever you're already using on the rest of you.<p>3) <i>Nothing</i> needs to be done to make it presentable.<p>4) It's never itchy or hot or in the way or anything.<p>5) Works great if you're balding -- confident, like you've accepted the inevitable.<p>6) You look more like a Buddhist monk.
Optimization. Our peers don't care how we dress. In general, they don't <i>see</i> how we dress. We communicate through code and email.<p>On the other hand, our peers do care about our writing, so our writing is always stylish. The spectrum among hackers starts at cocktail party and runs through business casual and black tie clear into zoot suit. Not a slobby "i agree" in sight.
Reminds me of this awesome flash game: <a href="http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/" rel="nofollow">http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/</a>
Matz (ruby) is alleged by the following article to have grown a beard due to the claim that they correlate with language success: <a href="http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/tamir/archive/2008/04/28/computer-languages-and-facial-hair-take-two.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/tamir/archive/2008/04/28/...</a>
My priority is comfort, both physically and socially, that means if I'm somewhere decent, or important it's compfortable to be dressed properly. OTHO I work from home and during the summer time I'll be damned if I'm wearing anything besides shorts and a t-shirt.
In my teens i got influenced by punk, and I've been wearing black t-shirts with jeans with holes in them, had unkempt hair and have been shaving every 2 weeks or so, ever since. Yes, i actually try to look like a homeless person as a fashion statement.
Surely Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson are the winners as the masters of the style. I saw them at a Usenix convention 20 years or so after the picture in the posting. Their beard were much fuller and much grayer, beer bellies of remarkable proportions and wearing shorts and Hawaiian shirts.<p>(Now, was that where I got my Digital Equipment eye-shades with the flashing lights. Think so.)
Somewhat related: programming language inventor, or serial killer?
<a href="http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/" rel="nofollow">http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/</a>