How To Be A Geek Goddess

stoolpigeon writes "The geek world is dominated by those of the male persuasion. For those of us working in a technology related field, or who spend a considerable amount of time pursuing high tech leisure, we usually find women to be in the minority. I've seen considerable discussion over the years on how to change this imbalance but I think it is safe to say that right now that it remains. Many women are interested in using technology, they just don't want to dive in to quite the same depth. Or they may not be interested in the way most men approach it. Columnist and tech-writer Christina Tynan-Wood has attempted to come to their rescue with her book How To Be A Geek Goddess." Read below for the rest of JR's review. How To Be A Geek Goddess author Christina Tynan-Wood pages 343 publisher No Starch Press rating 7/10 reviewer JR Peck ISBN 978-1-59327-187-9 summary Practical advice for using computers with smarts and style. I have to say that the title misled me. I picked this book up thinking that it would be perfect for my wife. I wouldn't call her a geek, she doesn't have the same passion for working with tech stuff that I have. But she is knowledgeable and knows quite a bit more about IT than many of my guy friends. She is very comfortable working with vi and has written a decent amount of C over the years for various embedded shops. Unfortunately she found the book to be overly basic and wasn't too interested. This book is about becoming conversant in the very basics, explained with an attempt to frame everything in terms of a woman's perspective. So if you are a woman who is already very comfortable in the IT space, or if you are thinking of buying this for someone like that, you may want to dig through a copy and see if it will be useful. My guess is that it wont.

The other group that may still find this book to be useful, but to a lesser degree than they may like is anyone using any operating system other than windows. The first chapter, which discusses how to purchase a computer frames the operating systems question as "Apple or Windows?" There is no mention of any other option. As far as the options given, the author lands pretty firmly on the side of Microsoft and so when platform plays a role in topics covered later in the book it is pretty much from a Windows perspective. There are plenty of topics covered that are not really OS dependent, such as anything web related (which is a lot of the book) or the non-computer sections covering hardware like digital cameras, monitors and PDAs.

Someone who is an avid computer user and die hard fan of Linux or Apple systems may look at what I've just said and decide that this book is completely useless. And for them that is going to pretty much be the case. That leaves the question of who could use this book. It is quite possible that this could be an absolute God-send to someone who is just about computer illiterate and quite content to stay on the dominant platform of the day. By extension this could become a useful tool for the true Geek that wants off the support treadmill.

There are probably some out there who are really tired of answering questions about what type of PC to buy. Or having to drop by a relative or friend's house to set up wireless or the new printer. It could even be worse, being dragged into Frys Electronics or Best Buy and participating in purchasing a new Vista machine. The solution to busting out of that cycle could be handing over a copy of this book, and if it brings true freedom it could be worth every penny.

The topics covered in the book are dressed up in analogies to what may be considered more traditional female fare. If you find this to be bothersome, don't blame me, I'm just the messenger. Tynan-Wood discusses for instance, building a software "wardrobe." And I'd like to note that within the Windows space she does offer up many free (as in speech and beer) applications including the likes of The Gimp, Pidgin and Audacity. Tech accessories are handled in a section on "The Lust for Luxury Gear". Setting up a new system and getting things dialed in is part of the "housebreaking" process. In fact if you've ever flipped through an issue of Cosmo or Vogue, you should have a decent idea of the tone and style of discourse in this book.

All of the basics are covered including setting up a home network and how to set up proper security. Each section gives basic and practical advice on making decisions on hardware and software, almost always offering multiple options. And while the packaging is different than anything I've ever seen in a tech book, the underlying information is the same. Someone who reads this through will come away knowing the difference between adware, spyware and viruses as well as what a botnet is.

Dispersed amongst the regular text, which is accompanied by many black and white illustrations, are little "Dear Abby" type questions and their accompanying response. These give a good insight into the level of reader the book aims to help. One question answered is the following, "When my sister-in-law emails me files, the filenames always have three letters at the end that mean nothing to me. Files on my own computer don't seem to have them, so I thought it was one of her crazy systems. I deleted the letters and gave the files names I liked. Oops. You are probably laughing at me because I obviously did something stupid. Now my computer can't open any of those files. It gave me a good excuse not to read her novel or look at 2,000 blurry vacation photos but what did I do wrong?" The answer goes on to explain file types, extensions and some basics on managing them in windows.

Along with covering how to purchase and set up hardware the book covers the same for software. There is also information on security, not just local but also how to think about safely navigating the web and what is available there. The last two sections cover the social web and relationships on line, with everything from dating sites to cyber sex. There is also an entire section on watching over children and helping them to use computers safely.

The information is accurate and covers the basics very well, within the parameters I've described above. For the proverbial grandmother or mom at home, this book is probably going to give them all they need and probably just a touch more than they may want. I guess that is the bottom line. I think this book will give a novice a strong sense of confidence and independence. I am sure there are women out there who don't want to rely on anyone else to help them with computer issues but they don't want to really dig deep into highly technical information. This may be exactly what they need.

On the other hand, and I guess this comes from my more cynical side, I've dealt with plenty of men and women who don't know much about computers and they don't want to know. They seem to revel in their ignorance and are quite happy to just rely on others to keep things working for them. Unfortunately I am unaware of any way to make them read this or to make the information their own. Reading books to learn tends to fall into a geek category of its own. Until there actually is a series on this in Cosmo or they find a way to fit into American Idol or something, there will still probably be those who call on us to take care of their gear.

All that said, sometimes I forget that I'm a statistical anomaly. Most people don't run Linux, or OS X for that matter. Even more could care less about why they difference between ogg and mp3. For that mass of folks out there, especially the women, this may be the only computer book they ever find interesting. Someone like that would probably rate it a ten. I found the focus too narrow and the title set up expectations I didn't think it met so I've knocked it down to seven.

You can purchase How To Be A Geek Goddess from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

Comments

Well, duh.

[Anonymous Coward]

All that said, sometimes I forget that I'm a statistical anomaly. Most people don't run Linux, or OS X for that matter. Even more could care less about why they difference between ogg and mp3. For that mass of folks out there, especially the women, this may be the only computer book they ever find interesting. Someone like that would probably rate it a ten. I found the focus too narrow and the title set up expectations I didn't think it met so I've knocked it down to seven.

I think it's safe to say that you're not the book's target audience.

For one thing, I'm assuming you're male.

Re:Well, duh.

[roc97007]

Having the ability to do very basic (computer related) things is not, in my experience, related to gender. Even (male) friends who are mechanically inclined are not necessarily computer literate. Part of this is training, part is inclination, but I think there really is something to having "The Knack".

My wife literally can't figure out a cell phone. We tried several different models and finally got her one of those completely mindless do-nothing phones with big buttons that you only have to open to answer the call, and she still can't answer the phone two times out of three. Even if she manages to connect, you often hear "Hello? Hello? If you're talking I can't hear you. I'm hanging up now." (I suspect she's holding the phone upside down but haven't been able to prove it yet.) If she's on the road and needs to use a phone, she'll stop somewhere so she can use a "real" phone. I put a charger in her car and by her side of the bed, and her battery is still dead half the time. Computer? Anything more complicated than bringing up Spider, forget it.

Daughter is polar opposite. At 14, she's a power user of her Blackberry Curve and iPod Touch, owns a thinkpad (XP) and ASUS netbook (Linux) and has a KVM on her desktop so she can access both PC (XP Pro) and Mac (Leopard). She goes to art school (currently doing photography (film), ceramics and painting with acrylics) and is adept at Photoshop. She plays with Garage Band for relaxation. Her Christmas list is a dog-eared ThinkGeek catalog (the "mana" potions taste terrible) and her favorite T-shirt says "No, I won't fix your computer". (She wanted "slide to unlock" but I don't want her boyfriend to get ideas.) She has an intuitive grasp of computers that still startles me. When I'm stuck on a project (I often work from home) she'll walk by, make a seemingly random comment and later I'll realize that was the missing piece. When I ask her how she does it, she just shrugs. Last year when we visited my mom, she was complaining how her combination copier/fax/printer wouldn't work. Daughter borrowed a screwdriver, took it apart, found the paper guide that had popped loose, restored machine to operation. Mom was amazed. I said "yeah, get used to that".

I've read the pages of this book that Amazon has made available, and it strikes me as a way for a bright woman with an open mind to become a competent user, but not a geek goddess in any sense of the term of which I am familiar. I think true geek goddesshood is something you're born with. (See above.) However, although the title may be hyperbole, the book appears useful.

Re:Well, duh.

[IndustrialComplex]

Having the ability to do very basic (computer related) things is not, in my experience, related to gender. Even (male) friends who are mechanically inclined are not necessarily computer literate. Part of this is training, part is inclination, but I think there really is something to having "The Knack".

A perfect example would be my father. He IS a mechanic, and if there is some sort of problem that could possibly be solved physically, he will rush off to his workshop, and the next day present his solution. He couldn't use a computer to save his life. Getting him to use googlemaps was a herculean effort that I doubt we could repeat. I can't even get him to know to open firefox and type in the URL.

Yet he built his own bass boat. Designed a latch/hinge system so that his motor could be snapped on the back and manipulated from the front of the boat via pulleys and wire. He incorporated a sonar sensor into the keel, an anchor system, lighting, insulated compartments, and every pintel-mount you could imagine for his poles, tackle, etc. Aside from the electronics, everything on that boat was built from scratch by hand. The bearings and pulley for the anchor system, the articulated arms for holding the poles, even his seat cushions. Some were fashioned from salvaged teflon rollers, crazy stuff. Same thing with his hunting stands, and our patio.

If something can be built with mechanical knowledge and dexterous hands, he can do it. I left him alone at my house for a day and came home to find that he had ROTATED 90 degrees, a slab of concrete ( >1ton) that used to be my parking space so that it would be level and look nicer without cracking it.. He did it in 8 hours, by himself, using nothing but ropes, several steel pipes and some flat steel plates, and rocks. (I don't know how he did it, even to this day and I saw the aparatus that he had made to accomplish it.)

But ask him to google something... and there isn't a chance in hell.

Re:Lengthy

[hattig]

Male geeks work on something until they fail or succeed, never saying that they're potentially failing along the way for fear of rejection from fellow geeks.

However female geeks give a running commentary of their efforts, learning and discoveries via their Blog, Facebook, Twitter and numerous other places. It's exactly the opposite, except some male geeks will jump in to guide or give the solution straight away, to gain geek cred points (but nothing sexual, ha!).

Male geeks need sites like StackOverflow where they can anonymously ask questions, and also gain geek cred points for answering other people's questions.

Re:This is sort of ridiculous

[Locke2005]

I will say, however, I am often surprised by the trepidation with which women approach electronic devices. This is entirely learned cultural behavior. It has nothing to do with inherent gender differences. My daughter doesn't hesitate at all to click everywhere or push every button to find out what they do, and is very good and finding new ways of locking up Windows apps. It is just like the local skate board park; boys are encouraged to take risks, while girls are encouraged to be more cautious because from the standpoint of propagation of the species, males are more expendable than females. As far as being good with money, again, that is learned, not innate behavior. My wife is an absolute idiot when it comes to technical issues, but because she grew up in a culture where haggling was a way of life, she is much better at financial negotiations than I am, and I have learned to just shut up and let her do her thing (at times, it is quite entertaining to watch her deal with experienced salespeople). Also, masculine and feminine traits are not binary differences; they are a continuum. There is enough variation within the genders that some women do take a much more "masculine" approach to problems than some men. This would be much more so if boys and girls didn't receive such different cultural indoctrination. Sadly enough, despite my best efforts to provide a gender-neutral upbringing, although my daughter enjoys playing with trucks, climbing trees, and wants to play hockey as much as play with dolls, her favorite color is pink and she really enjoys dressing up in fancy dresses and wearing makeup. And had 3 "boyfriends" in first grade. Sigh...