Google, National Parks Partner To Let Girls Program White House Xmas Tree Lights

theodp writes The Washington Post reports the White House holiday decor is going digital this year, with dog-bots and crowdsourced tree lights. "Thanks to Google's Made with Code initiative," reports a National Park Foundation press release, "girls across the country will experience the beauty of code by lighting up holiday trees in President's Park, one of America's 401 national parks and home to the White House." Beginning on December 2, explains the press release, girls can head over to Google's madewithcode.com (launched last June by U.S. CTO Megan Smith, then a Google X VP), to code a design for one of the 56 state and territory trees. Girls can select the shape, size, and color of the lights, and animate different patterns using introductory programming language and their designs will appear live on the trees. "Made with Code is a fun and easy way for millions of girls to try introductory code and see Computer Science as a foundation for their futures. We're thrilled that this holiday season families across the country will be able to try their hands at a fun programming project," said former Rep. Susan Molinari, who now heads Google's lobbying and policy office in Washington, DC.

Comments

Re:Girls, girls, girls...

[CaptainDork]

I'm a slashdot guy and I do not object to being characterized as making you sick.

Your comment should carry a 5+, Insightful because you have the insight.

My momma divorced my dad when I was 14 and when she told me to wash dishes, I said, "That's women's work."

That's the way my daddy raised me.

My momma took me aside and told me that she was alone now and really needed my help. Then she made the light-bulb observation:

"Son, it don't take titties to wash dishes."

I went off by myself and thought, "How fucking unfair of me."

I washed dishes and did whatever I could to help. To this day, my heroes are single moms.

Later, when I entered the world of physics, I noticed the almost total lack of women in math, science, and computer repair and programming.

To this day, I am very upset that we have all done a grave disservice to ourselves by turning our backs on a 50-50 chance of benefiting from a female Einstein.

Men, and I include myself, are shit.

It has to stop and spotlighting young girls in this manner is a start.

I never had kids, but I was one until I was let go. Adults were my role models. For men who are barking like a goddam junk yard dog about this, STFU and pitch in.

So it is written, so let it be done.