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Comment Re:Why not use the system (Score 1) 130

Exactly! I read an article about the "Maker Movement" and it sounded like it had something to do with robotics, so I wondered why the odd name? Then I ran into a woman who was mighty proud of being involved with the "Maker Movement" and a little prodding brought to light that all it was about was making things, mostly not high tech. I had to bite my tongue when she mentioned something about kids making bird-feeders! And she was talking about teenagers! I can remember making a bird-feeder out of bits of wood from my granddad's stack of firewood when I was five!
Then she said some people are so advanced they even try to make their own clothes! Need I mention I grew up in homemade clothing? All we could afford...

Comment Re:Nice advert. (Score 1) 508

Just switch phone company. Most phone companies in the US are so desperate for customers they'll buy out ANY plan to get you to sign with them. Of course, next iPhone (or whatever your electronic drug of choice happens to be) upgrade, you'll have to switch right back.

Comment Re:Can we stop trying to come up with a reason? (Score 1) 786

No, it wasn't a list of imaginary problems. Unfortunately.

I'm sure the men I work with would say there's no problems where I work either. Because they don't say things like that, or they don't mean anything by what they say, it was just a joke, it is a fact that women are different from men, or the guy who said it is an idiot. All this is true. The problem is that all the small, no-evil-intent talk do add up even if men, who are not the target, don't notice.
And of course, at some companies there really isn't a problem. At my previous company there were no such comments, and the one guy who occasionally talked about his wife's poor financial management never suggested this was "typical women". The only times anybody said anything about my appearance or clothing was when I changed my haircolour from my natural black to platinum blonde, and when I came to work in a hi-viz orange jacket. I hope that is typical, though out of four developer jobs I've had, that is the only one where there weren't any such problems.
I hope I've just had bad luck.

Comment Re:Can we stop trying to come up with a reason? (Score 1) 786

Yes, if anybody says something very obvious when several people hear it, and they are not the Big Boss, yes, they will be "talked to" and if they don't shut up and shape up in a hurry the next step is a visit to HR. But there is a lot of small talk, like stuff focusing on a woman's appearance, small suggestions about women's abilities, the comments men make about their wives' lack of driving or financial abilities, anything that includes stuff like "typical woman" or "you know how women" are which don't officially fall under "sexual harassment" but in quantity amount to just that.
Then there's stuff said when nobody but the target woman can hear it so if one complains it ends up being word against word, and the things men say when women are assumed to not be present (but hear it through cubicle walls).
Some of it is even meant positive, like the guy who told me I brighten up the office with my looks. Really. A guy said that. To a coworker. In 2014.
I think part of the problem is that many men are taught they SHOULD say such things to women. And many women would love to hear that. I might not even mind if it wasn't blatantly false (I'm no beauty, believe me!) and that it came on top of so many other things.

But I assume that my current company is worse than what is typical.

Comment Re:New Rule in your region! (Score 1) 238

Me too. Always a dead giveaway when the clickbait offers to introduce me to hot singles in Pennsylvania or cheap car insurance in any location close to DC. Anything about Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy would be more believable.
Though my favourite is anything winter-related, such as great offers on home insulation or that magical heater which will heat up my entire city for pennies a day, or how to get away with using studded snow tires. Just what anybody in Los Angeles need to know!

Comment Re:All the movies had women in business (Score 1) 786

Business meant dressing in glamorous, expensive clothes. So does romance, and particularly marrying. It is very important to advertising media to convince women to spend a lot of time and money on constantly buying loads of expensive clothes, shoes and accessories they don't need. If they sat in front of computers coding, they wouldn't have time to worry about being dressed in the "right" clothes. So for advertising media, it is very important that women don't code. It would be bad for business.

Comment Re:Can we stop trying to come up with a reason? (Score 0, Flamebait) 786

But do you want your daughter in a career where she is seen as less capable just because she is female? Where she will be subjected to daily microaggression from male coworkers who know they will get away with it because the bosses are all male? And nobody can prove a thing!

This is what is happening today. For a large group of men, it seems to be important to portray women as incapable of programming a computer, or doing anything "technical" at all. I have no idea why, but I see it every day.
If a young woman asked me for advice about studying computer science or related fields, I would be very conflicted about how much of the misogyny in the field I should tell her about, because it is massive. At the same time I know many women have more talent for "technical" work than for more traditional "women's" work, and should not be scared away from doing something they want to do.

Comment Anybody but me who noticed... (Score 5, Insightful) 350

... that this story came from FAUX News???? Nothing about it makes any sense at all. Apart from that moving the servers to Sealand would be illogical and stupid, it would take more than one boat as they already are in many different locations. And investors who might consider buying a boat for the purpose must have so much money that it is likely they already own at least one boat that could do the job. In addition, of course, boat can be hired or rented. Somebody are trying to drum up hysteria about Wikileaks again; probably to cover up something that is really happening. NOT news, but normal operational practice for media.

Comment Re:What happened to the constitution? (Score 1) 578

I have a totally different way of dealing with them. Ride a big, noisy Harley. Can't hear a word over the engine, and to be sure I keep revving it up, making excuses about my motor occasionally quitting on me. And of course my starter has problems so there's no way I'll shut it down! In reality the bike is as healthy as can be, and if it wasn't I wouldn't be that far from home on it, but smarts was never a requirement for that department... Not that they stop motorcyclists very often anyway; can't smuggle much on them and no room for illegals.

Comment Re:Wrong question (Score 1) 312

I would say, in general, that all Android phones, and the Android operating system itself, are fantastic ideas. It is just that so far, Android is just an alternative to iOS, and the main selling point is that it is NOT iOS. Most people just don't care (or even understand) about open systems. They just either buy a shiny gadget.

When somebody comes up with a phone or tablet that in some way is really different from the Apple gadgets they compete against, AND is somehow brilliant in its own right, then Apple has real competition. That would be good both for Apple and consumers.

Comment And my first reaction was ... (Score 1) 1027

... that this will trigger a huge blowout sale of Apple stock, which will enable me to buy a pile and get rich when it quadruples in value the next few months.

Then I remembered that the stock marked already has crapped out so I don't have any money to buy Apple stock with. Crap!

Anyway, just shows what the tech world has come to; even us engineers are greedy bastards who think of nothing but money. Sad news, indeed.

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