Women don't play video games because other women don't play video games. Women don't study engineering because other women don't study engineering. Women don't like math because other women don't like math.
Its not true for all women - there are women engineers (I am one of them) but in general its a true statement - the biggest impediment to women in engineering is not having a peer group of other women engineers.
But its not what happens in college that matters - the problem starts in middle school and earlier.
Women and men are both heavily influenced by peer pressure. The difference with computers and engineering in general is while there are 10 year olds playing video games, hacking computers and building Lego Mindstorms. If you are a girl who likes computers - you're going to have a hard time finding any other girl in class to share that with.
And thats how it goes - the divide starts early, in the days when peer pressure matters way more than interests.
When I started college I had been coding since I was eight, I knew about 7 programming languages, and had a 720 on the math SAT. On paper, I was a well prepared freshman computer science major. But I was screwed when I got to college Computer Science courses because I hadn't taken and formal computer science classes in high school.
The bias starts early - girls don't do computers because other girls don't do computers. If I had taken AP Computer Science I would have become a social pariah among my female friends. At age 15, I wasn't really keen to be a pioneer. Most girls aren't. And if the roles were reversed - most high school boys wouldn't be that brave either. (How many men study Literature?)
If you want more female engineers, you fix the culture at age 10 - not age 20.
Let this be a call to arms for all slashdotters - if you argue the facts back to the newspapers they might just print the other side of the story.
Rosen, RIAA, et al has been very busy lately drumming up press about how piracy has killed the industry and how the poor sound mixers and unknown artists will suffer. I disagree. The record industry exists to solve two expensive problems: distribution and promotion.
Then along came the internet, MP3s, CD-burners, and DVD players. Technology has solved the distribution problem. Which leaves the BMGs, Sonys, RCAs, of the world to do just promotion. Promotion is a far less valuable (and profitable) commodity.
The wired article is dead-on. Piracy may indeed have an inpact. The industry must change or die.
Fun facts? Sad facts if you ask me...
on
ENIAC Story on NPR
·
· Score: 1
It says the computer community is missing some brilliant minds because it breeds a hostile environment for anyone who's not a white heterosexual male. The community needs to encourage more gender and racial parity, and facts like these won't be novelties.
WebSupreme (www.websupreme.com) has a good deal. 300MB server space, SSL, and lots of other features. $8 per month for resellers, $12 without the reseller discount. (and they host on Linux!)
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Women don't play video games because other women don't play video games.
Women don't study engineering because other women don't study engineering.
Women don't like math because other women don't like math.
Its not true for all women - there are women engineers (I am one of them) but in general its a true statement - the biggest impediment to women in engineering is not having a peer group of other women engineers.
But its not what happens in college that matters - the problem starts in middle school and earlier.
Women and men are both heavily influenced by peer pressure. The difference with computers and engineering in general is while there are 10 year olds playing video games, hacking computers and building Lego Mindstorms. If you are a girl who likes computers - you're going to have a hard time finding any other girl in class to share that with.
And thats how it goes - the divide starts early, in the days when peer pressure matters way more than interests.
When I started college I had been coding since I was eight, I knew about 7 programming languages, and had a 720 on the math SAT. On paper, I was a well prepared freshman computer science major. But I was screwed when I got to college Computer Science courses because I hadn't taken and formal computer science classes in high school.
The bias starts early - girls don't do computers because other girls don't do computers. If I had taken AP Computer Science I would have become a social pariah among my female friends. At age 15, I wasn't really keen to be a pioneer. Most girls aren't. And if the roles were reversed - most high school boys wouldn't be that brave either. (How many men study Literature?)
If you want more female engineers, you fix the culture at age 10 - not age 20.
Actually, looks like Greg Packer is a real person. A real and very *obsessive* person.
. html
3 20,0,6305134.photo?coll=ny-nynews-headlines
Here's an article about him (He apparently makes a hobby of being first in line to meet celebrities)
http://www.timessquare.com/bway/features/feat_guy
And here's a picture of him...
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-3r0
Shameless self promotion here but - I had a letter I wrote to the Financial Times published today on this same topic.
Let this be a call to arms for all slashdotters - if you argue the facts back to the newspapers they might just print the other side of the story.
Rosen, RIAA, et al has been very busy lately drumming up press about how piracy has killed the industry and how the poor sound mixers and unknown artists will suffer. I disagree. The record industry exists to solve two expensive problems: distribution and promotion.
Then along came the internet, MP3s, CD-burners, and DVD players. Technology has solved the distribution problem. Which leaves the BMGs, Sonys, RCAs, of the world to do just promotion. Promotion is a far less valuable (and profitable) commodity.
The wired article is dead-on. Piracy may indeed have an inpact. The industry must change or die.
It says the computer community is missing some brilliant minds because it breeds a hostile environment for anyone who's not a white heterosexual male. The community needs to encourage more gender and racial parity, and facts like these won't be novelties.
WebSupreme (www.websupreme.com) has a good deal. 300MB server space, SSL, and lots of other features. $8 per month for resellers, $12 without the reseller discount. (and they host on Linux!)