In this blog I tell of some of my encounters, how computers have evolved over time, share stories about tech with women in mind, review amazing books written by or about women in tech, share inspirational stories of leadership and success, discuss challenges facing women and girls in STEM.
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Women need more self-belief
A great leader and one of my role models is the fearless woman and exceptional politician, Barbara Castle, who in 1970 introduced the Equal Pay Act. When giving a speech at an all-girls school she said: “I marvel at women’s instinctive acceptance of men’s belief in their own superiority” Adding that women need more “self-belief”… Read more
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IF woman THEN no entry
Have you ever thought about the power of the ubiquitous IF…THEN… statement? Every programming language has one and it can make extraordinary decisions. Imagine Jane, a bright, handsome young woman who recently qualified as a doctor. She loves keeping fit and as a reward for her success decided to enrol in a swanky new gym… Read more
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Would You Let a Robot Dress Your Grandma?
I’ve been reading recently that robot carers may become a reality. One particular article reported on an experiment to dress a mannequin in a hospital gown. This set me wondering about why you would want a robot to dress a mannequin – fair enough it’s an experiment – but in real life hospital patients are not typically lying… Read more
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Am I my avatar?
Have you ever experienced that feeling of living in another world? Though usually a very grounded person I found the use of virtual worlds made me doubt who was the real me. The more I engaged as an avatar of myself, the more I began to think that I was my avatar. I could be… Read more
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Sadly we are progressing at a glacial rate
The words of Gillian Arnold, bemoaning the fact that in 2020 women only made up around 17% of the UK technical workforce, and the figure hasn’t changed much in the last two decades. Gillian is passionate about diversity and after years in the IT industry decided to start her own company, Tectre, to encourage more… Read more
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It’s time for women to be seen
‘Invisible Women is the story of what happens when we forget to account for half of humanity’ says Caroline Criado Perez. This fabulous book draws out the truth of gender bias in all walks of society. Caroline Perez tells it as it is and with lots of supporting evidence. The thoroughness of her research does… Read more