First of all, just wanted to remind everyone that the SCALE 8x talks are available to listen to via mp3 downloads from the SCALE 8x Conference Schedule page:

http://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale8x/conference-schedule-feb-19-2010

Make sure to listen to the WIOS talks with Amber Graner; Rikki Kite; Malakai Wade, Mirano Cafiero, & Saskia Wade Etc. Etc. and many of the other talks at SCALE 8x that you may have missed!  I have been enjoying listening to the talks that I went to a second time as well as those I missed

Second, last week was the Google I/O Developers Conference in San Francisco!  Some very important and exciting announcements about Android Frojo and Google TV where made.  Google gave out two Android smart phones, a Verizon Droid and the Sprint HTC Evo, to whoever attended the keynote speeches!  Make sure to watch Day 2 coverage of Google I/O 2010 on TWIT with Leo Laporte:

http://twit.tv/specials20

Third, I just discovered a wonderful new blog:

http://www.womenwithdroids.com/

In the Women With Droids WWD Profiles section Gina Trapani, Google developer and tech-guru, is highlighted!  Here is a wonderful interview with Gina that is linked from the Women With Droids site:

http://androidandme.com/2010/01/news/interviews/celebrity-android-user-gina-trapani/

I listen to the wonderfully talented and geeky Gina Trapani every week with Leo Leporte on the This Week in Google netcast.  A must listen for every Linux Chix:

http://twit.tv/twig

And, of course, last week TWIG also covered Google I/O:

http://twit.tv/twig43

Either by Tux or by Droid, Linux Rules The World!

/jillix

• Subject: UPS Delivery Problem NR.6256171
• (Visible) Sender: Manager Rosella Edwards
• (Visible) Return email: manager@ups.com

There was also a not implausible message body considering that is right around the time that lots of Xmas presents get shipped off to various locations.

Hello! We were not able to deliver the package you have sent on the 1st of December in time because the recipient’s address is inexact. Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our department. /S/ United Parcel Service of America.

Of course it was sent to a public ‘info’ address which is not generally used. First Flag. It contained a .zip which I was instructed to open. Second Flag. And the IP where the email was originally sent (obtained from the view headers option in my email client) pointed to a location in Silesia. And Delete.

No. I didn’t open the attachment, which likely contained some variant of a Windows executable malware that wouldn’t have affected my lovely Ubuntu system. I wasn’t that curious, but I was impressed with social engineering involved in this particular bit of malware delivery.

Lesson? Don’t open zips from UPS reporting delivery problems. You’d be p0nwed!

Then of course we balanced the outdoor healthy hike with a trip to Pinks for chili cheese hot dogs and onion rings.

We had a great time and decided to do this again soon. Look to the mailing list for the next scheduled Griffith Park hike day.

“Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science.”

http://findingada.com/about/

http://www.ubuntu-user.com/Online/Blogs/Amber-Graner-You-in-Ubuntu/Women-In-Near-and-Around-Ubuntu-Celebrating-Ada-Lovelace-Day-Part-1

I was listening to my favorite Linux podcast streams on my Chumby late last night and whose wonderful voice did I hear, Amber Graner!  Amber, whom of course, we know and love from SCALE and gave a wonderful talk at this years SCALE WIOS etc. was interviewed on FLOSS Weekly in celebration of Ada Lovelace Day!!!!!

FLOSS Weekly 114: Ada Lovelace Day

Hosts: Jono Bacon and Leo Laporte

Ubuntu volunteer, Amber Graner, talks about getting more women involved in Open Source.

FLOSS Weekly is one of my favorite Open Source streams on Leo’s TWIT Netcast Network and on the internet period!  I am so happy that FLOSS Weekly made sure to talk about the achievements of women in technology and science by doing an Ada Lovelace Day celebration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/jillix

I don’t know what else to add, other than this is an exemplar of what can accomplished with some determination and open source tools.  It isn’t acceptable to lock up healthcare systems in proprietary systems (a driver for this project) – there are alternatives, including rolling-your-own.

Enjoy!

/JilliX

Here are some of Beth Lynn Eicher’s candid pictures from SCALE 8x uploaded to Flickr

And here is my LinuxChix LA slideshow that was running on my Chumby at our LinuxChix LA Booth at SCALE 8X!:

LinuxChix LA Chumby Slideshow

Also, this is another post on SCALE 8x WIOS by Scott Ruecker at LXer.com that will fill in the gaps that our LinuxChix LA live WIOS blog post missed:

SCALE 8x: Day 1 – WIOS Talks

These are just the first SCALE pics and articles online . . . wait another few days and there will be hundreds more
To be continued . . .

/JilliX

“This is what we have, and this is what we’re going to win with.” How to be a web developer, graphic designer, u/i research, sysadmin team, as one person.

• Plan and prioritize your site goals and organize your plan of attack accordingly.
• Version control is necessary (!) even as a one-person developer.
• Set realistic time milestones
• Accept and move on when you’re not PERFECT.

.

Notes: Cheap and easy U/I feedback. Buy a bunch of non-geek friends a pizza and watch them tear your site apart. Find the community in which you can ask/receive help … LUGS, Regional events, IRC.

Pitfalls for the solo web team include featurtis creep … feature curve -> too many features can actually diminish usability.

Observation: Finding it easier as a female to ask another female for help. RTFM issues. Discussion on gender hiding, yes, it happens for various reasons.

Some resources: drupalchix, phpwomen, .51, women who tech.

Multidisplinary approach draws from resources in other fields. Quick poll … how many came from a non-tech field into tech? Many. (Flosspols point of interest … acknowledge non-coding contributions as just as valuable as code contributions as a way on increasing diversity.)

KD personal path … came from art field and followed inclination into web development, and here she is.

===============================================

Sarah Mei

Gender activitism in Ruby started with RubyCon in SF … presentation would have been different with 150 men/150 women as opposed to 292 men/6 women ration. Increasing gender diversity means changing the environment by changing the ratio.

1 year ago 2% women, this year 18%, target 50%

Process in Ruby community: Set goals, Do events, Cultivate people. All three necessary, most just focus on ‘Do Events’. Important to work on attainable goals, i.e, increase participation for monthly meetings. Picked specific target, 1) women who were not programmers, but worked at companies who were tech focused, and tech women who have been out of the workforce for a period of time and were looking to update skill sets.

Logistics tips: Offer childcare. Technical women are more likely to have a technical spouse (Anita Borg Inst statistic) and would be likely to attend same events. Just the fact that it’s offered sends positive message -> low cost high signal message. Social component important … after party incorporates women into wider community.

Visibility -> put name on events makes a difference, contribute to mailing lists, and do talks.

Expected outcome: After year more women have attended monthly meetups, and more women at events.
Unexpected outcome: mailing list activity has picked up with more signal than noise., more interesting talks, more women giving talks, and MEN are feeling more comfortable in not knowing everything. (Guess not wanting to appear ‘dumb’ is one of those universal traits , and events have become more newbie friendly.

=====================================================

Rikki Kite
Pretty In Print
Associate Publisher, Linux New Media

10 Tips for Getting Published

1. Don’t be afraid!
2. Writing samples optional
3. Know your topic
4. Know your publication
5. Know your editor
6. Write
“Don’t try to be clever. You use Linux so you already are clever. Write about the trivial things . . .”
“Revise, Revise, Revise!” –Rikki Kite
7. Submit . . . & wait
8. Be clear on compensation
9. Know your rights
“Review your freelance agreement carefully.” –Carla Schroder
10. Repeat