On a Tuesday afternoon, about twelve years ago, I was chatting with a young IT student near Grand Canyon. With all our belongings stuffed in a U-Haul van, my husband and I were in the process of moving from San Francisco to the east coast. This young man was eager to hear about our work. The local community were sponsoring his education, for which he was very grateful. But he was also sad, as it meant having to leave the 'Big Rez' to find a job.
It was in the early days of the Internet boom. I was amazed by Navajo culture and craftsmanship, by the beauty of the painted dessert and its people, and a dream began to form; I should set up a web-design group to benefit the local community, while making use of the incredible talent and creativity surrounding me.
Unfortunately, I never managed to follow up on my plans. I still think it would be a wonderful opportunity, but due to the lack of a green-card, and the addition of two children, I probably never will.
In England, I had been part of a group of woman in technology who provide role models, presentations, and tutoring at girls' secondary schools. When our son started primary school in The Netherlands, I volunteered to teach computing, web design, and English lessons to young children. As most parents at our local school, we also took out paid subscriptions to publishers and sites that provide additional material for our children to practice at home.
At the same time I started helping my niece with her maths homework, as I used to do with the girls back home in grammar school; It seems many teachers have difficulties to explain or present logical questions and solutions very well.
And a new dream began to form; All children - regardless of their location, culture, gender, religion, or financial means - should have access to education resources that teach logic and maths in a fun and easy to understand way. I don't know yet how to achieve this dream, but I guess every journey has to start with the first small steps ...
p.s. If you have any ideas or suggestions, or want to help fulfill this dream, please get in touch!
Showing posts with label women-in-technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women-in-technology. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Monday, 19 January 2009
Sexual Paradox & Gender Gap?
I recently came across Susan Pinker's ideas on behavioral and professional differences caused by gender & hormonal influences. Particularly her explanation in a recent Dutch TV documentary, on why female success (or seeming lack thereof) should be defined and measured differently, stroke a chord.
To some degrees, I myself am an example of Susan's "high achieving women [who] choose jobs that pay less or opt out at pivotal moments in their careers".
In my mid thirties, rather than continuing my thus far quite successful career, I resigned a profitable position with a prestigious organization, not for any rational reason, but because it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Since then I have foolishly turned down several interesting opportunities and started my own company, which has not been making a lot of profit so far. This is partially due to the fact that I have approached my company more as a hobby (my main task being currently that of a mother), and many of my projects represent honorary work.
Thus measured by traditional standards, in the past couple of years I have not been very successful professionally. A fact that seems to baffle my accountant, my husband, and many of my friends and colleagues.
Nevertheless, I feel that I have contributed more value to my profession and society in recent years, then when I was still receiving a lucrative salary. Indeed most of our communities could not operate without the dedication and commitment of talented individuals, many of them female, who are not driven by status or financial rewards, but humanitarian values and long-term impact. And I wonder if for myself this might not in fact be a more accurate and justified measure of success.
To some degrees, I myself am an example of Susan's "high achieving women [who] choose jobs that pay less or opt out at pivotal moments in their careers".
In my mid thirties, rather than continuing my thus far quite successful career, I resigned a profitable position with a prestigious organization, not for any rational reason, but because it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Since then I have foolishly turned down several interesting opportunities and started my own company, which has not been making a lot of profit so far. This is partially due to the fact that I have approached my company more as a hobby (my main task being currently that of a mother), and many of my projects represent honorary work.
Thus measured by traditional standards, in the past couple of years I have not been very successful professionally. A fact that seems to baffle my accountant, my husband, and many of my friends and colleagues.
Nevertheless, I feel that I have contributed more value to my profession and society in recent years, then when I was still receiving a lucrative salary. Indeed most of our communities could not operate without the dedication and commitment of talented individuals, many of them female, who are not driven by status or financial rewards, but humanitarian values and long-term impact. And I wonder if for myself this might not in fact be a more accurate and justified measure of success.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
new year's confusion
In the autumn of 2006, I resigned a lucrative position as senior designer and user researcher at an established user experience group. Many of my friends and colleagues were surprised by my decision, but at the time I felt it was the right thing to do, make a change, and take some time for myself and my family.
Over the past two years, I got to know many inspiring people and organizations, occasionally had the opportunity to contribute to exciting projects, and was privileged to exchange and learn many interesting insights and experiences. Occasionally, I still have doubts and miss the financial, intellectual, and emotional benefits provided by my former position and team.
As 2008 is drawing to a close, I wonder where I stand now and what the future will bring.
Next year I will be 39 years old (pretty ancient for the IT industry, according to some recruiters). To my great amazement, some (female) students and practitioners actually seem to consider me an inspiring role model. I guess they don't see the inner turmoil. Sadly, I still don't know what I really want or where to find it.
However, I do have a pretty good picture what I do not want; I don't want to miss having enough time and attention for my family and friends, but I also don't want to become a stay-at-home housewife. I don't want to be rude or hurtful, but I also don't want to be taken advantage off or ignored. I don't want to be scared or insecure. I don't want to hide who and what I am. I don't want my life and work to be in vain. I don't want to be mediocre and I don't want to produce bad work. Nevertheless I don't want to be just an idealist, but achieve realistic results. However, I don't want to work just for profit, but help to make the world a better place, one minuscule step at a time. I don't want to despair or give up in the face of adversity and I don't want to forget that I can't always achieve all of my good intentions.
So what is my new year's wish in the face of general confusion? - Maybe to have the patience, stamina, and self-confidence to be true to yourself and follow your own path, wherever it might take you!
Over the past two years, I got to know many inspiring people and organizations, occasionally had the opportunity to contribute to exciting projects, and was privileged to exchange and learn many interesting insights and experiences. Occasionally, I still have doubts and miss the financial, intellectual, and emotional benefits provided by my former position and team.
As 2008 is drawing to a close, I wonder where I stand now and what the future will bring.
Next year I will be 39 years old (pretty ancient for the IT industry, according to some recruiters). To my great amazement, some (female) students and practitioners actually seem to consider me an inspiring role model. I guess they don't see the inner turmoil. Sadly, I still don't know what I really want or where to find it.
However, I do have a pretty good picture what I do not want; I don't want to miss having enough time and attention for my family and friends, but I also don't want to become a stay-at-home housewife. I don't want to be rude or hurtful, but I also don't want to be taken advantage off or ignored. I don't want to be scared or insecure. I don't want to hide who and what I am. I don't want my life and work to be in vain. I don't want to be mediocre and I don't want to produce bad work. Nevertheless I don't want to be just an idealist, but achieve realistic results. However, I don't want to work just for profit, but help to make the world a better place, one minuscule step at a time. I don't want to despair or give up in the face of adversity and I don't want to forget that I can't always achieve all of my good intentions.
So what is my new year's wish in the face of general confusion? - Maybe to have the patience, stamina, and self-confidence to be true to yourself and follow your own path, wherever it might take you!
Saturday, 24 November 2007
reporting child pornography
This morning, amongst the mountains of spam I delete every day, one caught my eye. It was advertising "widest range of child pornography and exclusive lolita galleries".
Probably a scam, but just in case I wanted to report it to the proper authorities for follow up.
As the email originated from a .com address, I first tried the FBI site. They indeed provide a link to report Internet crime, but only accepts "complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant". You also have to provide your full details and agree that these might be used in future by various government agencies. No place for anonymous tips on child pornography, thus.
Next I tried childpornography.com, the "Adults Against Child Pornography Child Pornography Reporting Center". I very much applaud the initiative, but at first glance, there didn't seem to be any link or email to actually report a crime. After my initial confusion, I noticed the scroll bars. Indeed, hidden way below is a reference to the "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children". This links to an obscure page on the FBI site (with broken pictures), which in turn links to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection (that does not seem to provide any facilities to report a suspected crime) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After some searching on this site, I spotted an obscure link to Cyber Tipline, a complex form with lots of fields to report actual abuse, but no facility to forward a suspect spam message.
I decided to search for "Child Abuse" on Google and found the US Department of Justice's guide to exploitation and obscenity law, Wikipedia's definition of child pornography, along with a multitude of articles, papers, and public calls for action. But still no link to report my message to.
At this point I almost gave up. As a last attempt I tried to search for Dutch sites and found the "Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet". On the homepage there's an obvious link to a quick and easy Web form to report suspect spam messages anonymously.
Instead of an online form, I would have preferred an email address to forward the message to, but at least I can now rest in the knowledge that I did my best to report the message and hope the proper authorities will follow up on it!
Probably a scam, but just in case I wanted to report it to the proper authorities for follow up.
As the email originated from a .com address, I first tried the FBI site. They indeed provide a link to report Internet crime, but only accepts "complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant". You also have to provide your full details and agree that these might be used in future by various government agencies. No place for anonymous tips on child pornography, thus.
Next I tried childpornography.com, the "Adults Against Child Pornography Child Pornography Reporting Center". I very much applaud the initiative, but at first glance, there didn't seem to be any link or email to actually report a crime. After my initial confusion, I noticed the scroll bars. Indeed, hidden way below is a reference to the "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children". This links to an obscure page on the FBI site (with broken pictures), which in turn links to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection (that does not seem to provide any facilities to report a suspected crime) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After some searching on this site, I spotted an obscure link to Cyber Tipline, a complex form with lots of fields to report actual abuse, but no facility to forward a suspect spam message.
I decided to search for "Child Abuse" on Google and found the US Department of Justice's guide to exploitation and obscenity law, Wikipedia's definition of child pornography, along with a multitude of articles, papers, and public calls for action. But still no link to report my message to.
At this point I almost gave up. As a last attempt I tried to search for Dutch sites and found the "Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet". On the homepage there's an obvious link to a quick and easy Web form to report suspect spam messages anonymously.
Instead of an online form, I would have preferred an email address to forward the message to, but at least I can now rest in the knowledge that I did my best to report the message and hope the proper authorities will follow up on it!
Friday, 29 June 2007
computer lessons
Last autumn, I volunteered to become computer ouder ("computer parent") together with our neighbor, Tessa, at OBS 't Palet. We're following the curriculum of "Bas gaat digitaal" for teaching language and spelling, and "Bas telt mee" for teaching numbers and counting, by Uitgeverij Groen. There is also a "Leerling Volg Systeem" that keeps track of the children's progress.The programs proved amazingly difficult to install and set up, certainly considering that they are intended to be used by pre-school teachers. Some of the exercises were quite frustrating for the children. A real shame, as the intention is to learn through play and enjoyment. Still plenty of work for ux designers here!!!
In the short term, we tried to solve the issue with that common remedy of time-deprived projects: we compiled a manual with tips & tricks to avoid the worst pitfalls.
Once a week one of us takes 3-4 children for about twenty minutes each to work our way through 3-4 exercises. At first I was pretty nervous and found the thought of having to work with all these young children rather daunting. Quite a different kettle of fish than dealing with professionals and corporate executives, and a big strain on my (still less than perfect) Dutch language skills. But what a treat awaited me at the first session: A bunch of adorable, exited 4-6 year olds enthusiastically awaiting their turn. Just getting my undivided attention proved enough to make them very forgiving of any insecurity or language problems on my part. It is amazing to see how well these children get on with computers, while telling me no end of stories, from wobbly teeth to weekend trips :-)
Today will be my turn again. Lately I missed a couple of times, during the past few busy weeks, but I'm looking forward to pick it up again! Amazing how satisfying not earning money can be :-D
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
just a housewife?
These days, when people ask me about my profession, I usually tell them that I'm a housewife who does a bit of user experience design on the side. I'm taking things easy for a while, keep a low profile - or so I thought.
Last week, a friend in Silicon Valley asked me for some help with their usability plan. A minor detail she forgot to mention: they are working with Nielsen Norman Group on this project!!!
Luckily, my input & advice seems to have been in tune with the grand master. Phew!
Nice thought, though - as I am cleaning away buckets of toys and work my way through mountains of washing - that I haven't entirely lost my touch yet ;-)
Last week, a friend in Silicon Valley asked me for some help with their usability plan. A minor detail she forgot to mention: they are working with Nielsen Norman Group on this project!!!
Luckily, my input & advice seems to have been in tune with the grand master. Phew!
Nice thought, though - as I am cleaning away buckets of toys and work my way through mountains of washing - that I haven't entirely lost my touch yet ;-)
Saturday, 23 June 2007
back to mommy-state
What a strange limbo, after a week of commuting to Amsterdam, meeting great people and discussing exciting new concepts:
Slow down, put on the mommy hat (and T-shirt, and skirt, and knitted socks, and Birkenstocks), and sit on the floor playing with Lego trains ...
But what a treat to take all the time for my little darlings, without having to rush out of the house! Despite a week of being spoiled by grandparents, Robin & Natasha certainly made up for mommy withdrawal with tons of cuddles - heaven!! :-D
Yesterday afternoon was Robin's third swimming lessons (considering that there are still way too many children drowning in the Netherlands every year, this is an absolute must!).
He (and I!) dreaded it. He's always been extremely sensitive and easily gets freaked out by loud noises, new people, and unfamiliar situations. Thus a big swimming pool with lots of splattering, noisy children and an unfamiliar 'badmeester' is a recipe for disaster. But the staff at Bisonsport were truly amazing. A second 'juff' took extra time to slowly help our little boy build up some confidence. I was overwhelmed how patient and caring she was, and felt very proud how well Robin did with her!!!
Today was the last day of enjoying some time with Oma & Opa before they head back to Southern Germany. They kindly looked after my children while I went off enjoying myself at Adaptive Path's workshop in Amsterdam. I really had a great time, but it's a shame I wasn't able to spend more time with my parents.
I know I don't say this enough, so here goes:
Mama and Papa, thank you so much! I really appreciate everything you have done and are still doing for me! Love you!! XXX
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Adaptive Path Workshop - Day 4
At today's Adaptive Path workshop session, Chiara Fox took out her fruity hat and went into some of the nitty gritty of IA: content analysis & modeling, metadata, controlled vocabularies & tagging, as well as some cool examples of solutions 'in the wild'.
Not a 'proper' IA myself, I found some of the concepts rather tough going (still not quite sure I really get all the finer details of taxonomies vs. thesauri vs. categories vs. vocabularies vs. facets).
But I am very excited about the application of anthologies in the semantic Web (note to self: check out microformats). Definitely something to watch!!
Also given me some interesting ideas & hunches on 'search Web 3.0 style' that I'm burning to share with the guys at The Real Time Matrix.
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