Geekspace for Women

Posted by ubergeeke on January 5th, 2009 in blogpost No Comments »

Well, folks, I’m trying to fix the email subscription problem, so there may be a couple of test posts today. I’ll limit the tests to two (including this one), so please bear with me. Thanks!

Posted by ubergeeke on January 4th, 2009 in blogpost No Comments »

My last “quick giveaway” wasn’t as quick as I would have liked. Carrie! I got bogged by holidays and snow! Now, it’s a new year, and your new copy of “Head First Physics” will soon be in your mailbox! (Thanks for your patience.)

Now, it’s time for a *new* giveaway.

The first person to email me and speak up will receive a shiny new copy of O’Reilly’s “Ruby Pocket Reference” by Michael Fitzgerald. This compact reference book has 134 pages of Rubiness followed by an extensive glossary and index, all in a lovely giraffe-stamped package of helpfulness.

First come, first served, here on dotFiveOne!

Posted by ubergeeke on January 3rd, 2009 in blogpost 2 Comments »

Once upon a time, I posted a mini-rant about O’Reilly’s Women In Technology page. At the time, I thought it was an active page, and I was shocked that it hadn’t been updated in months.

Um, yeah. Didn’t read the fine print.  Evidently, the page was meant to be a one-time-only, month-long focus on women in technology, not an ongoing repository for active discussion. Oops. Dear O’Reilly: I’m sorry that I never learned to read.

That said, the page has been updated, and the Women in Tech Forum is active and could use some more input. Other than the “Hear us Roar” tagline (a phrase that really, seriously needs to be retired), it’s a great site that links to a ton of articles from women in various tech fields, including Gabrielle Roth, Selena Deckelmann, Audrey Eschright, and Dru Lavigne.

Check it out, and be sure to visit the forum to add your voice!

Posted by ubergeeke on January 2nd, 2009 in blogpost, sites-to-visit No Comments »

Here’s the thing: we geeks buy our own toys, and if we don’t, we *tell* you what to get us. I don’t know if folks even try to surprise me anymore, because when it’s gift-giving season - birthdays, Christmas, etc. - folks just call me and ask me what I want.

So how does one surprise the geek woman who has everything? Oh, she doesn’t have *everything*!

Case in point: I got an email a while back from Nicole over at Knit, Nicole, Knit! Now, knitting isn’t my gig, but far be it from me to deny another breed of geekery. Nicole suggested that I check out The Mario Scarf Blog.

From Cthulhu bibs to Princess Leia bun hats to the namesake plumber’s hat, this site seems to have all the geek bases covered. (OK, the Cthulhu ski mask is just creepy.) Take a peek! Maybe you can’t buy them from this site, but if you’re a knitter, or know someone who is, maybe you can sweet talk your way into some patterns.

Thanks to Nicole for sharing, and for reading dotFiveOne!

Posted by ubergeeke on January 1st, 2009 in blogpost No Comments »

Science fiction, as you may have noticed, is my first love. Once in a while, however, I’ll stray from the path and venture into the land of fantasy. The works of Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan top the list of fantasy books I’ve read in recent years, but quite by chance I found a book by Emma Bull on my “read these next” stack. Perfect! I was hoping for something new and exciting to read.

But wait! Check out the publishing date: “War for the Oaks” was first published in 1987. Guess I’m a little late to the party.

Emma Bull’s “War for the Oaks” is a modern fairy tale. Eddi McCandry is a struggling Minneapolis musician who, right after dumping her boyfriend and leaving his band, gets drafted into a centuries-old civil war between two faerie factions. Yeah, she doesn’t buy it either, but the weird guy who keeps turning into a dog convinces her.

McCandry is mortal, but the “good” faeries need her mortality to give them the edge in their war. Like many books that venture into the paranormal - Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series comes to mind - “War for the Oaks” treats otherwordly things as if they happen every day. The Phouka, the aforementioned shapeshifter, has picked Eddi (for reasons unknown to her) to aid the Seelie Court, the highest faerie court in the land. He is both jailer and protector to Eddi, and when he opens her eyes to the “other” world around her, the supernatural becomes commonplace. The plot thickens when she finds out the Phouka isn’t the only faerie being close to her.

“War for the Oaks” has a witty and wry tone, one that suits its characters well, particularly Eddi. I like Eddi McCandry. Now, I realize I’m *supposed* to like her, what with Eddi being the protagonist and all, but Bull wrote her in a way that makes me think liking her is my own idea. She is gutsy and stubborn, and always seems to know what is the “right thing to do”, even if she doesn’t choose to do it. And she doesn’t balk when it becomes apparent that the faeries could use a little human guidance when it comes to love.

What’s good: At times, I felt as if I was as much in the dark as Eddi, but Bull does a great job of revealing just a few details at a time. The result is a swift-moving story with just the right amount of revelation. The magical imagery isn’t over the top, the dialogue flows beautifully back and forth between everyday chatter and fanciful faerie tongue and never once seems contrived. Minneapolis natives (and “Purple Rain” fans) will recognize the landmarks and street names that set the stage of the story and keep part of it firmly planted in reality. The character interaction between Eddi and the Phouka is crisp and direct - these two make it very clear to each other what their roles are, even when those roles change.

What’s bad: ah, the sign of a good novel - it was too short. The final good vs. evil confrontation made perfect sense, but seemed to arrive too quickly, and I still can’t believe the bad guys agreed to the terms. The characterizations are shallow, but this doesn’t exactly hurt the story and actually keeps things moving along nicely.

I highly recommend “War for the Oaks”, not just for fantasy fans, but also for folks who want something a little different that doesn’t require a ten-novel commitment. Check it out!

Posted by ubergeeke on December 11th, 2008 in blogpost No Comments »

In a short video clip, The Wall Street Journal’s Kelsey Hubbard chats briefly with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about her childhood, her career, and about women in government leadership positions. Albright was the first woman to hold the Secretary of State position in the United States.

While this interview doesn’t fall into any of the usual categories covered here on dotFiveOne, I found the subject matter somewhat relevant.

Hubbard’s questions are basic with no surprises, but Albright’s responses are warm and inspiring as she concisely sums up her experiences and the support system she created with other women at the United Nations.  Of particular interest is her view of what constitutes excellence in women who might someday serve as leaders.

Check out the clip below, or visit this link.