Where are the Women?

It's amazing! It took a formal study to point out what many of us woman already know.

Where Are the Women Executives in Silicon Valley? - NYTimes.com

I work in the high technology industry and I agree. In general there are few woman, they are not part of the male club, and they struggle to maintain their positions or to get promotions. Sometimes, as leadership changes in a company, the woman are systematically retired or shifted out of leadership positions. Woman can be more than 50% of a customer base but they are as the study indicates, "fewer than one in 28 of the highest paid tech executives."

The problem starts way down in the pipeline of high school and college. Woman are not encouraged to follow an engineering or technical path. If woman do move forward they meet continual barriers at every corner. A male that takes a strong position making decisions is recognized as a leader. A woman is called too emotional. There are countless other examples.

It will take more than an interesting study. Thanks for highlighting the issue. Let's admit the problem is real, a subtle form of harassment and discrimination. Maybe when we do that change will happen.

Talk about a product before it’s time!

In 1964 AT&T demonstrated a video phone, called the Picturephone, at the New York World’s Fair. We oohed and ahed over this potential new gadget in our homes. I never knew anyone that had one, I am not even sure they were actually sold. Somehow the thought of being caught in your PJs while answering the phone just never took off.

Fast forward 47 years. Video conversations with computers, cell phones, and now even via a TV set are everywhere. What is different? Costs coming down are obvious. But visualization is essential now. We experience our lives through pictures, video and instant access.

Today I am reading about how Comcast is going to test Skype calls through their cable TV systems. The video call now comes right to the center of the living room. The family can even talk and watch TV at the same time. This will certainly bring families and loved one closer together. Even those not living in the same location. Now more connected than ever. As a Granny what a treat to see my grandson smile at me, even from miles away.

We stopped worrying about being caught looking our worst, sharing ourselves in appropriate or inappropriate situations and started to enjoy the enhanced connections.

thegrannygeek@gmail.com

The Upgrades Are Coming! The Upgrades Are Coming!

There is always a lot of tech industry hype about upcoming upgrades to personal computer operating systems or software application packages. We, the customer, are always made to think that the upgrades will offer positive enhancements. I think we should be more like the early Americans when Paul Revere warned them about the British. Beware upgrades may mean danger.

The software vendors spend months and sometimes years working on new products. The ultimate goal is to sell something that will earn revenue and net profit for the company. The vendors want the product to work on as many computers as possible, because they can sell more copies of the software. However, it’s not always safe to assume that it will work on your computer.

Pause before you upgrade and:

Backup your computer (at least save a copy of important files and pictures)

Hide behind others and look on the web for advice and comments from folks who have already done the upgrade

Devices like old printers and scanners may no longer work

Software from third parties, like virus protection may need to be reinstalled or upgraded too

Read the upgrade instructions that come in the box

Don’t get me wrong. Upgrades are a good idea, we often get new features with the upgrade. So take a few precautionary steps and then proceed.

thegrannygeek@gmail.com

To Back Up or Not to Back Up?

There is only one answer to this question. Back up your computer files!

Backup means make a copy. A copy can be made on CDs, DVDs or an external hard drive connected to your computer. Sometimes copies are made to more than one of the above for extra safety.

A computer is a machine that has moving parts. The parts wear out. If they get wet the parts are ruined. There is really no excuse for not making a second copy of important pictures and other documents.

Many of us keep precious family pictures on our computers with no copy anywhere else. If you do nothing else, at least, backup the pictures.

Sometimes I think it would be great if all my papers and computer files disappeared. What a clean desk I would have. However, I really do love all my digital pictures.

Make a backup!!!!

thegrannygeek@gmail.com

Fun Fact for the Day

The first spread sheet program for personal computers was VisiCalc. It changed the world.

New Beginnings

Some think I started working in the computer industry when dinosaurs roamed the earth and on many days it seems like that to me too. However, I bring a perspective of seeing the most rapidly changing industry evolve, change and mutate. It has been hard, stressful but mostly fun and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

So I am going to blog. With history, insight and the grace of experience to say what I want to.

I came on the scene when computers built with transistors were in use. They occupied a vast amount of space, used a lot of electricity and needed constant air conditioning. Today, I probably have close to the processing power of one of those in my pocket as part of my cell phone.

How did we get here? Fundamentally basic research, much of it funded by the U.S. government is at the heart of progress. Where will we go next, only time and innovation will tell.

thegrannygeek@gmail.com

Fun Fact for the Day

Did you know that in the original North American Numbering Plan for telephone numbers all the area codes had either a 1 or a 0 as the middle number?