Geek Mama

Presentation Bingo

This link was posted to DevChix today and I thought it was a fun take on the current controversies regarding inappropriate behavior happening at geek conferences.  Enjoy!

Add comment June 22nd, 2009

Childcare at Rails Conference

The WindyCityRails Conference in Chicago this September 12th is offering daycare thanks to Dana Jones and Ray Hightower.  Dana says:

“…having childcare available at conferences, workshops, and other events will be a huge win for families…”

You bet, Dana.  You might remember that I needed to bring my daughter to the Voices that Matter: Professional Ruby Conference last November.  I was fortunate that she wasn’t yet mobile, and easily entertained.  But nowadays, childcare issues often keep me away from events that I’d like to attend.  But moms aren’t the only ones with this issue.  I saw a few dads bringing their kids to a ruby class I took a couple of years ago.

Making daycare available sets a great tone for the inclusiveness of the rails community.  It also sends the message that good programmers include people with commitments away from their computers.

Nice job!

2 comments June 18th, 2009

When “Staying-at-Home” Is Not A Choice

The Young Women Misbehavin’ blog recently tweeted about Dr Laura’s new book “In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms.” I have never been a fan of Dr. Laura even though I have been in the unfortunate position of being forced to listen to her radio program regularly.  In fact, just about everything out of her mouth infuriates me, but her interview on the Today Show got me to thinking about my mom.

If you’ve read my Ada Lovelace post, you’ll know that my mother worked while raising two children.  She desperately wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, but we couldn’t afford it.  It wasn’t a question of “doing without” unless you mean doing without food and shelter.  Before my mother made the decision to return to work, my parents simply couldn’t make ends meet.  There simply wasn’t a choice.

So, I’m the product of a working mother and father.  More often than not they both missed school events, they didn’t have time to participate in the PTA, and they weren’t very helpful in getting me through some pretty tough times I experienced in jr high school.  But my parents provided a very stable home where we always felt safe and loved.  And there was never a time that I believed that we weren’t a priority in their lives.

And here I am now a working mother myself.  I also haven’t the luxury of staying-at-home with my child due to financial contraints.  And this is true for just about everyone else I know as well.  While I am unable to sacrifice my career for my children, I most certainly sacrifice the majority of my paycheck for daycare I trust.  And I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it because my daughter adores her teachers.  They are trained professionals with degrees in child education.  They have crafts and music and educational toys that I could never duplicate as a stay-at-home mom.  The bottom line is that my daughter is thriving.  And that’s enough for me.

“…it is called ‘the women’s movement’ — it is for, by, and about the well-being of women, not children or families. Wait, don’t women benefit from the joy of motherhood and the bonding of marriage? I guess feminism does not see those as significant enough to warrant making the sacrifices necessary for the commitment to child-rearing and wife-ing. I get so confused.”

Did I feel like my mother did not care for my well-being because she had to work?  Hell, no.  And just for the record, my parents are still married too.

Dr. Laura, what is right for you and your friends isn’t right for me and mine.  And it’s thanks to the feminist movement which you disparage that my mother is my most cherished role model.  Working didn’t ruin her family or her marriage.  Rather, we are all the better for it.

It’s thanks to working women like my mother that I am able to negotiate a flexible schedule at work and that I can afford a top daycare for my child who loves her school.  Thanks to an enlightened era brought about by the struggles of women, I have a husband who rejoices in the success of my career, who is a devoted father, who honestly takes on half of the responsibility of running our household and is truly a partner in my life.

I am thankful to every feminist who paved the way before me because thanks to my paycheck I can keep my family in a metropolis like Boston, full of culture and education.  My family and I would much prefer that I work than move to an inexpensive town filled with ignorant people who think like you do.

3 comments April 9th, 2009

Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day

Today we celebrate Ada Lovelace Day created to draw focus to women in technology.  There are plenty of women I could write about since I am blessed to meet inspiring women every day here at the Berkman Center.  But I’m going to be sentimental.  I’m going to write about my mom.  She was working in IT in Silicon Valley before anyone ever had a PC on their desktop.  And it was she who inspired me to pursue a dual career in theater and technology.

My mother, Luz Mary is South American.  In this country, her degrees meant nothing so she worked menial jobs until she married and left the workforce to have children.  But life was difficult on just my father’s salary so when we were old enough to attend public school, she learned to drive and took a key punch class.

While finishing up her data entry tasks, she often found herself alone in the office watching overnight computer processes run.  Every now and again they would break.  And so she taught herself how to fix them by reading manuals and asking questions.  Soon, my mother was earning more than my father as a computer operator at General Electric.  

When I went to college, I had dreams of becoming a musical theatre actor.  Both my brother and I work in show business because thanks to my father we were exposed to every american musical ever filmed.  But my mother urged me to take a computer class as a fallback career.  …I took one class and I was hooked.  

Mom suggested that I try pursuing both my interests.  And because of all she had achieved in her life against the odds, it never occured to me that I couldn’t double major in Computer Science and Theatre if that’s what I wanted to do. When I approached my computer professor about becoming my advisor… oh and by the way, I want to major in theatre as well, he said nothing at first.  But this was Smith College, a women only liberal arts school attempting to build its new computer science program.  ”Why not?” He shrugged.

After graduation, I worked as both an application developer and a professional actor in New York.  Thanks to my consulting career, I could pay for acting classes and headshots.  I never starved for my art.  When I decided to pursue a family of my own, it never occured to me that I’d have to give up either profession or being a good mother to my children.  It’s hard, but I can do it all.  Because my mother did it all.  And she did it without the support, encouragement and mentors that I am lucky enough to enjoy.

Because my mom was a tech mom, I’m a tech mom.  And I still find myself inspired by her and her passions every day.

2 comments March 24th, 2009

Obama’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology

As stated on the new White House website, Obama has made a commitement to “Increase the representation of minorities and women in the science and technology pipeline, tapping the diversity of America to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce”.  

But how do you DO that exactly?  Especially when this morning, I read arecent article about fastcompany.com’s “Most Influential Women in Web 2.0″ post in which many comments to Digg were graphic, sexist, and nasty eventually resulting in posters being thrown off by the site’s administrators.

The New York Times offers suggestions in an excellent article about ‘Geek Chic’ that talks about the hurdles women face pursing a career in science and offers some ideas.  

In particular, I applaud their suggestion of appointing women to the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.  We need role models.  And we need women in power who will step outside of the boy’s club and mentor other young women as they seek a leg up.

The article also points out that pursuing an academic career in science means giving up having a family.  “Men can have it all, but women can’t,” says Dr. Mary Ann Mason of the University of California, Berkeley.  She believes that an executive order that would provide added family leave and parental benefits to the recipients of federal grants would make a difference.  Why stop there?

As a pregnant, woman technologist myself let me restate the obvious point that creating life and parenting small children while staying technically relevant is a challenge.  But it can be done.  I did it.  I’m doing it again.  Women are doing it.  Sure we’re drooling on our keyboards in the first trimester, but we’re no less productive than our husbands (now involved fathers giving up blogging and gaming time for midnight feedings) who are also drooling on their keyboards when the boss isn’t looking.  Still the obvious discrimination that women face is astounding.

Personally, I think its all about perception.  Women (and everyone else) need to be able to envision themselves as successful technologists.  We need to know that choosing a career in science doesn’t mean giving up the Manolo Blahniks as well as any hope of raising a family.  

Hollywood has made motherhood sexy.  Can Obama make science sexy?  Can a pregnant, software developer be sexy?  Have you met me?  …Seriously though, I wonder if science becomes sexy, glamorous, the new chic, will more girls be drawn to it?  Wouldn’t it be awsome if Obama hired Xeni Jardin for his Council of Advisers on Science and Technology?  

The NY Times article also makes mention of a network show I love called The Big Bang Theory.  I get a thrill hearing all the geek references thrown around in primetime.  But what is troublesome about this show is that the sexy, blonde bombshell across the hall didn’t graduate community college and the only other female physicist is unattractive, sexually abnormal and unfeminine.  While both women can hold their own amongst a group of socially awkward but brilliant men… who would you rather be?

We need role models, Mr. Obama.  Feminine role models who aren’t afraid to bring home the bacon, chauffeur the kids in a van, and be able to set up your lan.

4 comments January 20th, 2009

Musicals and Gaming Unite!

In my twenties (which feels like a past life), I was a working musical theatre professional in New York City.  Yes, I regularly got up in front of people and sang… and enjoyed it.

So I was particularly thrilled to hear that Andrew Lloyd Webber is teaming up with gaming professionals.  What’s even more interesting is that game publishers welcome this collaboration due to “…more female gamers in the traditionally male-dominated game consumer demographic…”  How fascinating!

“The first Lloyd-Webber titles will let players audition for roles and sing along as characters in the composer’s shows.”  Wow!  No longer can I use the excuse that I’m too old to audition for American Idol.  Now, I can sing directly for Andy from my own home!  God, I love technology!

Oh Stephen?  Mr. Sondheim?  Are you out there?  Please may I someday audition virtually for you too?

1 comment January 14th, 2009

Boston Girl Geeks Can Now Go To Dinner!

From the women who brought you GirlGeekDinners, BostonGirlGeeks has recently launched!  Participate online by joining the Facebook Group or via Twitter at bostongirlgeek.  The next dinner is planned for January 23rd.

Add comment January 6th, 2009

Web 2.0 Fetal Kick Monitor

The Kickbee is a fetal kick detector that Twitters each time the baby kicks!  While Corey Menscher has come up with the most interesting use of Twitter yet, seems like these tweets would actually get rather annoying after a while.  

At present, I am 20 weeks pregnant and this baby feels like its dancing in my belly in the afternoons and evenings.  I can only imagine how many tweets baby would have posted today.  Still I bet the grandparents might be amused if only they knew what a Twitter was.

3 comments December 11th, 2008

Geek Party Games

In the office today, we played a silly game that only a coder could love.  Basically we tried representing various movie references via code.  Try it at your next family gathering!

Can you guess these easy ones?

misfits << Herbie
misfits << Rudolf
misfits << Yukon Cornelius

christmas_ghosts.each { |ghost| scrooge.annoy(ghost)}


Here are a couple of awesome ones from my coworker, Jason Callina.

if zuzus_petals.exist? then george.dead == false end

if frosty.temperature > 32 then
print "look at that frosty go"
else
traffic_cop.holler()
end

if Time.now() < midnight then MOGWAI.feed() else nil end

if self.god? then zuul.reply end

Wanna share some of your own?

1 comment December 2nd, 2008

AllTop

A coworker just clued me in to an awesome news website called AllTop.com, an online magazine rack for your laptop.  The idea is to “help you explore your passions by collecting stories from ‘all the top’ sites on the web”.  

Add comment November 14th, 2008