The increasingly prevalent attitude of "rah rah rah get women into tech!!! DIVERSITY RULEZ!" is absolutely ridiculous. I am a female in IT. I think computers are cool and fun and interesting, and you know what? I decided all of that on my own. Let people decide what they want to do, don't make women and minorities your pet project to see how many of us you can coerce into being interested in science and technology. If the majority of girls would rather do something else with their lives than stare at a computer screen all day, then let them.
Who cares if a small percentage of the IT workforce is women? I sincerely doubt that a 50/50 split of men and women are applying for these jobs. Now, if the percentage of male/female applicants WAS 50/50, then something would definitely be wrong. I'd be interested to see data on that.
For the record, I realize I may be privileged (and I cringe using that term, to be honest). I'm reading back on some comments about students getting picked on for taking an interested in science and technology, and that never happened to me. Even though I was pretty much always the only girl in my tech-related endeavours, I was never picked on for it (I was picked on for other things though, but I'm sure it would have still happened even if I liked more "traditionally female" things).
That being said, even if there wasn't a perceived stigma attached to those interests, I doubt the numbers would be much higher.
I, for one, hope GHWT bombs (at least in a critical sense - I know it'll sell like hotcakes). Neversoft had the gall to call themselves the first music game in which you could play as guitar, bass, drums and vocals months after Rock Band was released. Harmonix is a pioneer of music games, and just because they couldn't get Hendrix or Halen doesn't mean the quality of the game is any worse.
I take my music game rivalries very seriously.
My sister has been taking part in her school's laptop project for the past two years. From what we've seen, it is an extremely flawed system. Here are some problems we've encountered:
-Many of the teachers are opposed to this foreign technology overtaking their classrooms. Right there, 25% of classes will not have laptop usage. Furthermore, even more of the teachers don't even know how to use a laptop.
-There is no educational software provided. I know that there are some really good educational titles out there that would be a tremendous help in classrooms, but nobody is taking the initiative to install/support them.
-The laptops were aimed to lessen the use of textbooks. Oddly enough, they just add to the ever-growing pile of virtually useless school-provided materials.
-The security system is flawed as well. They are heavily restricted - that is, until you quit a certain task in the task manager - after that, visiting porn sites couldn't be easier!
-The aforementioned hardware problems.
What needs to happen is for the school districts to implement a laptop education program of some sort. One that will ease teachers' fears of computers/help them to better assist their students, and one that will teach kids the basics of computing (no, how to use Word doesn't count). This should have been done from the start.
What needs to happen for this
As much as I love Peter Gabriel, he isn't the first to release tracks for fans to mix. Barenaked Ladies have also been offering songs from their newest album for people to mix (some of the newly-mixed songs will go on an EP, the proceeds going to charity).
Anyways, I think it's great that more popular artists are sticking it to the man, so to speak, and disregarding everything the RIAA wants you to believe. More power to 'em, and if it means rehashing old songs in order to get attention, then so be it. At least they're starting to clue in on the fact that free music does more good than harm (most of the time).
I am a high school student who just so happens to enjoy a video game every now and then. I can understand that people may be concerned that their childrens' education may be in jeopardy if gaming gets in the way. Many of my classmates play what many would consider excessive amounts of game time. However, I can safely say that in most cases, it does not affect their education as long as they do it in moderation. If I were the parent (I know, I know, teenage kid who thinks they know everything, right?), I would only be worried if my child's grades were slipping as a result. If they can keep their marks up and do what I tell 'em (for the most part), they can play as long as they want. But as soon as the sub-par marks start appearing, then it's time to review the situation.
I suppose I could be considered a kid (I'm 16). At the moment, the Information Technology classes in my school teach Visual Basic, and Web Design classes teach Java and PHP. A lot of students have lost interest, mostly because they get frustrated with it, and also perhaps because they can't write any "cool" programs right off the bat. I haven't been around long enough to actually witness a decline, but from what I have read, kids in the past did, indeed have more exposure to programming.
It's not bad, necessarily. I think that, because of the breadth of programs available today, kids don't feel the need to make their own. Chances are, something they want is already available to them. We're a lazy generation, I don't have a problem admitting to that.
I should have been a little clearer. I have nothing against music from any era, nor do I have any preference for one genre or time-period. The internet is a great tool that enables the average person to explore more than just what's on the radio. No matter what age we're in, there will always be an undiscovered, underground part of music. I totally agree with you, though, that it's important to be exposed to what it's all got to offer, programming and technology included.
If you've only heard the more popular music (which, for the most part, is certainly crap) of the '70s and '80s, I can understand your opinion. But I recommend delving a little deeper - there are a lot of gems hidden deep beneath those superficial and materialistic times.
Of course, if you have heard it all, then disregard my comment.
I usually like to annoy my family full of women's libbers by telling them that, on the whole, men are seemingly more intelligent than women (and yes, I am female... a young one at that). They're sure as hell a lot more practical. I say that all the ditzes out there should shut up and do what they want - not what they think will impress men. I can always hope, can't I?
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Who cares if a small percentage of the IT workforce is women? I sincerely doubt that a 50/50 split of men and women are applying for these jobs. Now, if the percentage of male/female applicants WAS 50/50, then something would definitely be wrong. I'd be interested to see data on that.
For the record, I realize I may be privileged (and I cringe using that term, to be honest). I'm reading back on some comments about students getting picked on for taking an interested in science and technology, and that never happened to me. Even though I was pretty much always the only girl in my tech-related endeavours, I was never picked on for it (I was picked on for other things though, but I'm sure it would have still happened even if I liked more "traditionally female" things).
That being said, even if there wasn't a perceived stigma attached to those interests, I doubt the numbers would be much higher.
I couldn't help but find it funny that the first result on Google for "Orbis OS" is this: http://orbisos.wikispaces.com/
I, for one, hope GHWT bombs (at least in a critical sense - I know it'll sell like hotcakes). Neversoft had the gall to call themselves the first music game in which you could play as guitar, bass, drums and vocals months after Rock Band was released. Harmonix is a pioneer of music games, and just because they couldn't get Hendrix or Halen doesn't mean the quality of the game is any worse. I take my music game rivalries very seriously.
My sister has been taking part in her school's laptop project for the past two years. From what we've seen, it is an extremely flawed system. Here are some problems we've encountered:
-Many of the teachers are opposed to this foreign technology overtaking their classrooms. Right there, 25% of classes will not have laptop usage. Furthermore, even more of the teachers don't even know how to use a laptop.
-There is no educational software provided. I know that there are some really good educational titles out there that would be a tremendous help in classrooms, but nobody is taking the initiative to install/support them.
-The laptops were aimed to lessen the use of textbooks. Oddly enough, they just add to the ever-growing pile of virtually useless school-provided materials.
-The security system is flawed as well. They are heavily restricted - that is, until you quit a certain task in the task manager - after that, visiting porn sites couldn't be easier!
-The aforementioned hardware problems.
What needs to happen is for the school districts to implement a laptop education program of some sort. One that will ease teachers' fears of computers/help them to better assist their students, and one that will teach kids the basics of computing (no, how to use Word doesn't count). This should have been done from the start. What needs to happen for this
As much as I love Peter Gabriel, he isn't the first to release tracks for fans to mix. Barenaked Ladies have also been offering songs from their newest album for people to mix (some of the newly-mixed songs will go on an EP, the proceeds going to charity). Anyways, I think it's great that more popular artists are sticking it to the man, so to speak, and disregarding everything the RIAA wants you to believe. More power to 'em, and if it means rehashing old songs in order to get attention, then so be it. At least they're starting to clue in on the fact that free music does more good than harm (most of the time).
I am a high school student who just so happens to enjoy a video game every now and then. I can understand that people may be concerned that their childrens' education may be in jeopardy if gaming gets in the way. Many of my classmates play what many would consider excessive amounts of game time. However, I can safely say that in most cases, it does not affect their education as long as they do it in moderation. If I were the parent (I know, I know, teenage kid who thinks they know everything, right?), I would only be worried if my child's grades were slipping as a result. If they can keep their marks up and do what I tell 'em (for the most part), they can play as long as they want. But as soon as the sub-par marks start appearing, then it's time to review the situation.
I suppose I could be considered a kid (I'm 16). At the moment, the Information Technology classes in my school teach Visual Basic, and Web Design classes teach Java and PHP. A lot of students have lost interest, mostly because they get frustrated with it, and also perhaps because they can't write any "cool" programs right off the bat. I haven't been around long enough to actually witness a decline, but from what I have read, kids in the past did, indeed have more exposure to programming. It's not bad, necessarily. I think that, because of the breadth of programs available today, kids don't feel the need to make their own. Chances are, something they want is already available to them. We're a lazy generation, I don't have a problem admitting to that.
I should have been a little clearer. I have nothing against music from any era, nor do I have any preference for one genre or time-period. The internet is a great tool that enables the average person to explore more than just what's on the radio. No matter what age we're in, there will always be an undiscovered, underground part of music. I totally agree with you, though, that it's important to be exposed to what it's all got to offer, programming and technology included.
If you've only heard the more popular music (which, for the most part, is certainly crap) of the '70s and '80s, I can understand your opinion. But I recommend delving a little deeper - there are a lot of gems hidden deep beneath those superficial and materialistic times. Of course, if you have heard it all, then disregard my comment.
I usually like to annoy my family full of women's libbers by telling them that, on the whole, men are seemingly more intelligent than women (and yes, I am female... a young one at that). They're sure as hell a lot more practical. I say that all the ditzes out there should shut up and do what they want - not what they think will impress men. I can always hope, can't I?