monitor lizard

Rare skin condition that affects one in seven geeks born before 1982* caused by unreliable CRT monitors exploding inexplicably in one's face. The resulting scabs often form in a regular pattern resembling scales, hence the moniker, Lizard. Monitor Lizards were generally regarded with fear and awe by the geek and hacking communities until the mid-nineties when it became fashionable to sport a 'monitor print' by deliberately exploding a monitor on a person's head. After the loss of its influence as a status symbol, the Monitor Lizard gradually faded from the annals of history and time past. (*Information accurate as of June 1990. Although some dismiss the Monitor Lizard phenomenon as an urban legend, 72% of all seven year olds surveyed attested to the story's validity.)